A method for calibrating a vector network analyzer may include performing a first set of measurements on a first port of a plurality of ports and determining error coefficients for the first port. The error coefficients may be used to obtain a first calibrated port. For an uncalibrated port of the plurality of ports, a connection via a known through between an already calibrated port and the uncalibrated port may be established and a first signal from a first signal source may be applied to the calibrated port and a second signal form a second signal source may be applied to the uncalibrated port. A further set of measurements with respect to the uncalibrated port may be performed and error coefficients may be determined for the uncalibrated port based on the further set of measurements and relation to error coefficients of the calibrated port.

Vector Network Analyzers (VNAs) have the potential to provide exceptional accuracy. One of the reasons for this exceptional performance is that a user periodically performs a calibration before making a measurement. Without proper user calibration, taking full advantage of VNA measurement accuracy is almost impossible. VNAs perform ratio-ed measurements. S-parameters Sij are defined as the ratio of the reflected or transmitted signal (through the device under test) at port i and the incident wave at port j, provided that the input signal at all other ports is zero.
Due to the increased complexity of radio frequency (RF) devices and the ongoing evolution towards differential topologies, the number of RF ports in such devices is no longer limited to two. With the advent of these new RF devices which have an increasing number of ports, there is a growing need for Vector Network Analyzers with an equally increased number of ports. This trend is further reinforced in view of the current need for simultaneous testing of several devices in production. The present invention is concerned with the calibration of such multi-port vector network analyzers.
A standard user calibration accounts for 10 or 12 sources of systematic errors being present in a VNA. Consider a forward measurement path, where the signal generator is applied to port 1 into the device under test. The first source of systematic errors is the tracking term, or the frequency response of the signal paths for the transmission and reflection measurement paths. Next is the source and load impedance match at the input and output of the device, respectively. Isolation is the small amount of leakage radiating from port 1 and being measured at port 2. Together with the coupler directivity this yields a total of six error terms in the forward path. Six similar terms obtained when the signal source is applied on port 2 for the reverse measurement path, give 12 error terms in total. If isolation can be neglected, 10 error terms remain.
Doing so allows determining raw S-parameters Sijm from the forward and reverse measurements. The forward measurements yield:S11m=b0/a0=f1(ekl,Sij)S21m=b3/a0=f2(ekl,Sij)
The reverse measurements yield:S22m=b′3/a′3=f3(e′kl,Sij)S12m=b′0/a′3=f4(e′kl,Sij)In the above expressions the quantities ekl and e′kl represent the error terms in forward and reverse direction, respectively. To obtain the calibrated S-parameters 10 or 12 error terms are applied to the above raw S-parameter measurements:Sij=F(ekl,e′kl,Sijm)
Traditionally, Short-Open-Load-Through (SOLT) is one of the best-known calibration methods at RF frequencies. It uses a well-defined short, open, and load as termination. These are referred to as calibration elements or calibration standards. One by one, each standard is connected at the reference plane and is measured by the VNA. When these steps are completed, the two reference planes are connected together to form a through connection in order to relate the error coefficients at the different ports. SOLT is sometimes also referred to as TOSM (Through-Open-Short-Match).
When extending the above to an N-port VNA, the connection of a Short, Open and Load is typically performed at each port, which is tedious and error-prone. Next a through connection is realized, at least between the first port and every other port. Other implementations require a through between each port combination. The through can either be fully known or unknown. In the latter case it is assumed to be reciprocal.
The procedure explained above maps uncalibrated S-parameters to calibrated S-parameters. Another approach starts from a Short-Open-Load (SOL)-based one-port calibration being performed at each port in combination with an error model as specified by
                              (                                                                      a                  l                                                                                b                  l                                                              )                =                                            K              l                                                  (                                                                    1                                                                              α                      l                                                                                β                      l                                                                                γ                      l                                                                                )                                                      (                                                                                x                                          l                                                                                1                                                                                m                                                                                x                                          l                                                                                2                                                                                m                                                                                )                                              (        1        )            This error model uses a wave formalism concept and maps the raw quantities xl1m and xl2m, measured at port 1 to the calibrated incident and reflected waves al and bl at that port. Given three known and sufficiently different terminations
      Γ    l    =            b      l              a      l      (such as Short, Open and Load) and the corresponding measured raw quantities, one simply needs to solve a set of linear equations to retrieve α1, β1 and γ1. Sufficiently different refers to the fact that the different terminations must allow extracting the error coefficients α1, β1 and γ1 in a numerically well-conditioned way.
Next the Kl parameters can be extracted by connecting a known or an unknown reciprocal through between port 1 and port l. However, using only a relative calibration, one of the parameters Ki cannot be determined and typically it is set to unity at port 1. The latter is not an issue in order to obtain calibrated ratios such as S-parameters. For this purpose alm and blm are defined as
                              (                                                                      a                  lm                                                                                b                  lm                                                              )                =                                                            (                                                                            1                                                                                α                        l                                                                                β                        l                                                                                γ                        l                                                                                )                                                          (                                                                                x                                                  l                                                                                1                                                                                m                                                                                x                                                  l                                                                                2                                                                                m                                                                                )                                      ⇒                          (                                                                                a                      l                                                                                b                      l                                                                                )                                =                                    K              l                                                  (                                                                                a                      lm                                                                                b                      lm                                                                                )                                                          (        2        )            By performing a measurement in the forward (indicated by superscript F) and reverse direction (indicated by superscript R) while inserting a known through or an unknown reciprocal through between port 1 and port 2, K2 can be extracted using:
                              (                                                                      b                  1                                                                                b                  2                                                              )                =                                                            (                                                                                S                        11                                                                                S                        12                                                                                S                        12                                                                                S                        22                                                                                )                                                          (                                                                                a                        1                                                                                a                        2                                                                                )                                      ⇒                          (                                                                                b                                              1                                                                                m                                                                                b                                              2                                                                                m                                                                                )                                =                                    (                                                                                S                      11                                                                                K                          2                                                                          K                          1                                                                                S                        12                                                                                K                          1                                                                          K                          2                                                                                S                        12                                                                                S                      22                                                                                )                                                  (                                                                                a                                              1                                                                                m                                                                                a                                              2                                                                                m                                                                                )                                                          (        3        )            from which is obtained
                              (                                                                      b                                      1                                                                                m                                    F                                                                              b                                      1                                                                                m                                    R                                                                                b                                      2                                                                                m                                    F                                                                              b                                      2                                                                                m                                    R                                                              )                =                              (                                                                                S                    11                                                                                K                        2                                                                    K                        1                                                                                S                      12                                                                                K                        1                                                                    K                        2                                                                                S                      12                                                                                S                    22                                                                        )                                          (                                                                                a                                          1                                                                                m                                        F                                                                                a                                          1                                                                                m                                        R                                                                                a                                          2                                                                                m                                        F                                                                                a                                          2                                                                                m                                        R                                                                        )                                              (        4        )
In the case of an unknown through, solving the above equation provides S11, S22,
      S    12    ′    =                    K        2                    K        1                        S      12      and
      S    21    ′    =                    K        1                    K        2                                S        12            .      Hence S12=√{square root over (S′12·S′21)}, which requires proper root selection. The latter can be found by modelling the through as a lossy delay, by phase unwrapping or any other suitable approach. Finally K2 is obtained as S′12/S12 keeping in mind that K1 was chosen to be unity. This procedure can be repeated for all remaining ports and is as such easily scalable with respect to the number of ports.
However, the above approach requires a considerable number of human interventions to connect the different calibration elements to the respective ports. Furthermore this process is error-prone because of the possibility to connect another calibration element than the requested or assumed one.

Method for calibrating a vector network analyzer


A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a pair of opposite electrodes, and an amorphous silicon film. The amorphous silicon film is sandwiched between the pair of opposite electrodes and serves to perform photoelectric conversion of light including light from a target object. At least one of the pair of opposite electrodes is divided into a set of pattern electrodes respectively connected to the amorphous silicon film in electrically positive and negative directions so as to form a spatial filter electrode. The respective pattern electrodes respectively connected in the positive and negative directions are irregularly arranged on the amorphous silicon film.

The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion apparatus for detecting the movement of an object.
As a conventional photoelectric conversion apparatus of this type, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-39429 discloses a photoelectric conversion apparatus for detecting the movement of an object, in which a large number of photoelectric conversion elements are connected in electrically positive and negative directions such that the elements connected in the positive and negative directions repeatedly appear on a plane in the longitudinal and lateral directions, and the sum of outputs from the photoelectric conversion elements in the positive direction and the sum of outputs from the photoelectric conversion elements in the negative direction are differentially connected to each other. With this arrangement, when an object to be detected is at rest, the two element outputs cancel each other, and hence no differential output is transmitted. When the object moves, pulse-like differential outputs are periodically output so that a detection output having a frequency corresponding to the moving speed of the object can be obtained.
In the above-described conventional photoelectric conversion apparatus, however, if photoelectric conversion elements and spatial filters for detecting the movement of a target object are integrally manufactured by using monocrystalline silicon members as photoelectric conversion components, an element formation process demands a large number of steps such as diffusion and etching. In addition, if such apparatuses are manufactured to have large areas, a reduction in yield is caused, resulting in an increase in cost. Furthermore, when active elements used for signal processing are integrated on a monocrystalline silicon layer, the portion on which the elements are formed cannot be used as a portion having light sensitivity.

Photoelectric conversion apparatus for detecting movement of object with spatial filter electrode


A method of making a composite product such as a building board, includes the steps of mixing together finely divided lignocellulosic fibres, a hydraulic binder, and water optionally containing a polyvinyl alcohol, to form a paste; introducing a foam generated from a polyvinyl alcohol into the paste and mixing to form a foamed product; forming the foamed product into a desired shape; and allowing the hydraulic binder to set to form the composite product.

This invention relates to a method of making a composite product from a finely divided lignoccllulosic material and a suitable hydraulic binder, and to the composite product so made.
Cement bound wood wool and cement bound particle board are well known. Cellular or aerated cents are equally well known, the cells being formed either by foaming agents in water, the foam being added to a cement paste, or alternatively the cells being formed in the cement by an agent evolving gas in an alkaline medium.
An example of a foamed building board is disclosed in South African Patent No 92/6179 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,571). This patent teaches a method of making a foamed building board or the like from the following components:
(a) a major amount of weight of an inorganic base material selected from the group consisting of a calcium sulphate hemihydrate, magnesium oxychoride, magnesium oxysulphace and a hydraulic cement;
(b) a suitable amount by weight of the inorganic base material of a thermosetting resin which is miscible, soluble or dispersable in water;
(c) a suitable amount of a catalyst for the thermosetting resin:
(d) water in an amount sufficient to rehydrate the inorganic base material with the water present in the other components;
(e) optionally a suitable amount of a plasticizer such as a melamine formaldehyde condensate;
(f) optionally a suitable amount of a polyvinyl alcohol;
(g) optionally a suitable amount of a retarder for the setting time of the inorganic base material;
(h) optionally a suitable amount of a fibrous reinforcing material; and
(i) a suitable amount by weight of a foam or a foaming agent;
which method comprises the steps of:
(1) mixing together components (a), (b), (c) and (d), and (e), (f) and (g) if present;
(2) adding component (h) if present into the mixture of step (1);
(3) adding component (i) into the mixture of step (2) with stirring to give a foamed product;
(4) forming the product of step (3) into a building board; and
(5) allowing rehydration of the inorganic base material to occur and curing of the thermosetting resin to occur.
Cement bound lignocellulosic composites can suffer from the disadvantage that the celluloses and the hemi celluloses in the lignocellulosic material are attacked by the alkaline components of the cement, and soluble sugars can retard Portland cement hydration. In addition, in foamed or cellular cement composites, cracking due to shrinkage and excessive brittleness can occur. A further disadvantage of cellular cement bound lignocellulosic composites is the cost of the foaming agent. Further, the extended setting time of, for example, a Portland cement can result in partial or total subsidence of the heavier fractions in the foamed mix resulting in variable cell size, or even major voids. Difficulty in process parameter controls can result in a product of variable density, consistency and performance.
There is a need for a new composite product containing a lignocellulosic material and a hydraulic binder.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method of making a composite product including the steps of:
(a) mixing:
(i) a hydraulic binder,
(ii) finely divided lignocellulosic fibres in an amount of from 1% to 30% inclusive by mass of the hydraulic binder; and
(iii) water optionally containing a polyvinyl alcohol, the water being present in an amount sufficient to form a paste;
(b) introducing a foam generated from a polyvinyl alcohol into the paste, in an amount of from 0.5% to 15% inclusive by mass of the paste and mixing to form a foamed product;
(c) forming the foamed product into a desired shape; and
(d) allowing the hydraulic binder to set to form the composite product.
It is to be noted that the composite product is formed in the absence of a thermosetting resin. In other words the composite product contains no thermosetting resin.
Lignocellulosic material refers to any plant material emanating from be photosynthetic phenomenon. This includes paper, linen, cotton, hessian, and the like.
By finely divided lignocellulosic fibres, there is meant unifibres, i.e since fibres, or bundles of a small number of unifibres of the lignocellulosic material. In other words, the lignocellulosic material is broken down into single or unifibres or bundles of a small number of fibres, rather than being in chip or particle form. This is necessary as the function of the finely divided lignocellulosic fibres is to act as a theological controller and foam stabiliser, and as a reinforcing fibre strengthened by the polyvinyl alcohol.
The finely divided lignocellulosic fibres are preferably obtained from paper mill sludge, paper waste or refined fibres such as are used in medium density fibreboard manufacture.
The hydraulic binder may be selected from the group consisting of a hydraulic cement, such as a Portland cement e.g ordinary Portland cement or Rapid Hardening Portland cement, a calcium sulphoaluminate cement, a high alumina cement, a gypsum cement, cacium sulphate hemihydrate in either the alpha or beta form, an alkali silicate, magnesiumn oxychloride, and magnesium oxysulphate, and mixtures of two or more thereof. The preferred hydraulic binder is gypsum, i.e calcium sulphate hemihydrate in either the alpha or beta form.
The finely divided lignocellulosic fibres are preferably used in an amount of from about 2.5% to about 15%, more preferably from about 3% to about 12% inclusive by mass of the hydraulic binder.
The finely divided lignocellulosic fibres and the hydraulic binder are mixed either with water or with a solution of water and a polyvinyl alcohol. In the latter case, the solution may contain about 1% to about 10% inclusive of the polyvinyl alcohol on the mass of the water.
The finely divided lignocellulosic fibres and the hydraulic binder must be mixed with sufficient of the water or the water/polyvinyl solution to form a paste.
In step (a) the finely divided lignocellulosic fibres may be dispersed in water or the solution of water and a polyvinyl alcohol, and thereafter the hydraulic binder in dry form may be added thereto and mixed to form the paste.
Alternatively in step (a) the finely divided lignocellulosic fibres in dry form may be mixed with the hydraulic binder in dry form, and thereafter water or the solution of water and a polyvinyl alcohol may be added thereto and mixed to form the paste.
The method of the invention may include a step, between step (a) and (b) of:
(e) immersing particles of a lignocellulosic material in water or in a solution of a polyvinyl alcohol in water, removing the surplus water or solution, and blending the particles with the paste of step (a).
By particles of a lignocellulosic material there is meant chips, strands or flakes of a lignocellulosic material, i.e particles which are much larger in size than the size of the finely divided lignocellulosic fibres, and which are intended as a filler material and not as a theological controller and foam stabiliser.
The solution of the polyvinyl alcohol in water preferably comprises an amount of from about 1% to about 10% of the polyvinyl alcohol by mass on the mass of the water.
In step (b), the foam is preferably generated by injecting air into a moving stream of a polyvinyl alcohol solution in water, the solution containing from about 1% to about 18% by mass inclusive of the polyvinyl alcohol, on the total mass of the solution, more preferably an amount of about 2% to about 7% by mass inclusive of the polyvinyl alcohol on the total mass of the solution.
A suitable surfactant may be added to the polyvinyl alcohol solution in order to lower surface tension and to propagate a fine cellular foam. Suitable surfactants include the silicone glycol copolymers such as DC193 or DC197 by Dow Corning
The amount of foam added relative to the total mass of the paste, i.e the total mass of the lignocellulosic fibres and particles (if present), the hydraulic binder and water, is at a level of from 0.05% to 15% inclusive, preferably in an amount of from 1.5% to 8% inclusive by mass, more preferably in an amount of from 1.5% to 5% inclusive by mass.
In step (c), the foamed product may be cast or poured or otherwise dispensed into a suitable mould or casting receptacle or the like.
In step (d), the hydraulic binder is allowed to set, with or without acceleration promoted by heat induction or catalysis, to form the composite product.
Thereafter, the composite product may be used directly, or may be cut into smaller sections for use.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a composite product made by the method set out above.

Hydraulic hardened foamed product and a method of producing the same


To save energy in hotel and motel rooms, apartments and temporarily occupied rooms generally, an apparatus for saving energy includes a temperature control circuit that overrides a thermostat for controlling an air conditioning unit in a hotel room and a switching circuit to disconnect power to lights when the room is not being occupied. The temperature control circuit maintains the temperature of the room at a higher temperature to save energy, but not so high as to return the temperature of the room to a comfortable temperature. To return power to lights and control of the air conditioning unit to the thermostat, a tag attached to a key necessary for entering the room must be inserted into a switch included with the apparatus. A delay circuit permits the person sufficient time to leave the room after removing the tag before the thermostat is overridden and power to the lights disconnected.

Multiple resident dwellers, such as hotel and motel guests, actually occupy a rented room /nly a small percentage of the day. During the time that the room is unoccupied, lights in the bathroom, closet, and bedroom are frequently left on. Furthermore, many hotel and motel rooms are now equipped, for the convenience of the guest, with individual air conditioning units. A guest sets the preferred temperature on a thermostat in the room. Very rarely will a guest turn off the air conditioner or turn up the temperature of the air conditioner when leaving the room. Consequently, energy is wasted on illuminating and maintaining a comfortable temperature in an unoccupied room.


A cleaning device for cleaning a surface is provided including a base for movement along a surface, a suction nozzle associated with the base, and a suction source for drawing liquid and dirt from the surface through the suction nozzle. The cleaning device further includes a brush assembly operatively connected to the base, wherein the brush assembly has at least one brush, which includes a first set of pliable elements extending downwardly from the brush and contacting the surface. The pliable elements slope downwardly and outwardly with the first set of pliable elements having at least a first group of pliable elements and a second group of pliable elements, wherein each of the pliable elements of the second group of the first set extend downwardly from the brush at a length less than the first group of the first set and the second group of pliable elements of the first set being positioned inwardly from the first group of the pliable elements of the first set.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a brush assembly for a cleaning device such as a carpet or hard floor cleaner. More particularly, the present application pertains to such a brush assembly that has pliable elements designed and constructed for agitating an uneven surface.
2. Background Information
It is known in the prior art to provide a cleaning device having a brush assembly for scrubbing of a cleaning surface being cleaned. One example of a cleaning device with a vertical axis brush assembly is illustrated by commonly-owned pending U.S. patent application having Ser. No. 09/955,725 and publication number 20030051308 to Morgan, et al. Other devices or machines have roller-type brush assemblies: such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,472 issued to Kasen, et al., or fixed brush assemblies, such as that illustrated by commonly-owned patent application having Ser. No. 10/340,291 to Gerber, et al. Typically, brush assemblies from these and other machines have trouble cleaning grout, recessed, or other uneven areas of the cleaning surface.
Hence, it is an object of the present invention to provide a brush assembly for a cleaning device with improved cleaning of grout, recessed or other uneven areas of the cleaning surface.


A stand-alone spacer for use in a flat-panel display includes a plurality of members being joined at a common axis. A first one of the members is a load-bearing member; a second one of the members is a stabilizing member. The load bearing member extends into the face plate and backplate of the display to provide standoff of mechanical forces. The load bearing member has an aspect ratio within the range of 2:1 to 20:1. The stand-alone spacer has a tipping angle within the range of 20 to 90 degrees so that, after placement on one of the display plates, the spacer is able to remain upright throughout the subsequent packaging and evacuation steps in the fabrication of the display.

Spacers for maintaining a predetermind spacing between the front and back plates of an evacuated flat panel display are known in the art. In a field emission display spacers provide voltage isolation between the display face, or anode structure, and the emitter assembly, or cathode structure; they also provide standoff of the mechanical forces of vacuum within the assembly. However, known prior art spacers suffer from a number of shortcomings. Some prior art spacers require elaborate fabrication steps or additional costly lithographic steps in the fabrication of the display. The additional spacer processing steps add to the cost and reduce yield. Other prior art spacers require attachment steps to affix the spacers to one of the plates of the display so that they will remain upright during subsequent packaging steps. These steps may introduce adhesive materials which outgas and thereby deleteriously affect the vacuum conditions in a field emission display. The additional attachment steps also significantly increase the fabrication time and cost of the display, since, often, each spacer must be attached individually. Bonding of spacers to the display plates is frequently performed at elevated temperature, thereby limiting the choice of spacer material to one which has a coefficient of thermal expansion substantially equaling the coefficient of thermal expansion of the display plate to which the spacers are attached. The requirement of a support structure to maintain upright spacer positioning during the final packaging steps, as well as an example of a field emission display and a packaging method for its fabrication (col. 8, line 34--col. 9, line 17), are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,131, to Taylor et al, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Other spacers that are known in the art have height-to-width ratios, or aspect ratios, which are inadequate for use in field emission displays, which require spacer aspect ratios of 2:1 or greater.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a spacer which overcomes at least some of the shortcomings of the prior art.

Stand-alone spacer for a flat panel display


The invention provides an excellent novel analgesic which acts on a nociceptin receptor to exhibit a wide range of the analgesic effect for example on a chronic pain as well as an allodynia accompanied with a herpes zoster.

As an analgesic, a narcotic analgesic (such as morphine), a non-narcotic analgesic (such as aspirin or indomethacin) or a narco-antagonistic analgesic (such as pentazocine) is employed. A narcotic analgesic exerts its analgesic effect mainly by inhibiting a central algesic excitatory transmission. A non-narcotic analgesic exerts its analgesic effect mainly by inhibiting the production of a peripheral dolorogenic substance. A narco-antagonistic analgesic exerts its analgesic effect in a mechanism similar to that of a narcotic analgesic.
However, there is no analgesic which is effective against a chronic pain which is not suppressed by morphine, an allodynia accompanied with herpes zoster or a hyperalgesia, and an excellent analgesic has been desired to be created.
Nociceptin is a neuropeptide related to various nervous activities including an in vivo algesia. JP 10-212290 A describes that a nociceptin agonist and/or antagonist may be effective in treating a mental disorder, neuropathy and physiological disorder, and particularly effective in ameliorating anxiety and stress disorder, depression, traumatic disorder, amnesia due to Alzheimer's disease or other dementia, symptoms of epilepsy and spasm, acute and/or chronic pain, drug abuse withdrawal symptoms, water balance control, Na+ excretion, arterial blood pressure disorder, and eating disorder such as an obesity.
As a non-peptide compound acting on a nociceptin receptor, lofentanil, naloxone benzoylhydrazone and 2-oxoimidazole derivative (WO98/54168) are known. However, these compounds are still at the stage of a basic research, and none of them has been commercially available.
Various quinazoline derivatives relating to a Compound (I) according to the present invention are known (WO93/07124, JP 2923742, WO98/50370, WO99/09986, JP 47-2927 A). Among such derivatives, 4-phenylmethylamino-2-[2-(3-pyridyl) vinyl]quinazoline disclosed in JP 2923742 is reported to have a cyclic GMP-phosphodiesterase inhibiting effect or thromboxan A2 (TXA2) synthetase inhibiting effect and to be useful in the prophylaxis and/or treatment of inflammations, hypertension, thrombosis, arterial sclerosis, cerebral hemorrhage, asthma, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, cerebral infarction and the like. 4-(2-dimethylaminoethylamino)-6,7-dimethoxy-2-(E)-styrylquinazoline or 6,7-dimethoxy-4-[N-methyl-N-(3-dimethylamino) propylamino]-2-(E)-styrylquinazoline disclosed in WO99/09986 is reported to be useful as an insulin secretion promoter or diabetes treating agent. JP 47-2927 A describes that 4-(4-diethylamino-1-methyl) butylamino-2-(E)-(4-chlorostyryl) quinazoline is useful as an anti-inflammatory agent and the like.

Abstract: The invention relates to a nociceptin receptor agonist comprising as an active ingredient a compound represented by Formula (I) or a salt thereof:

Abstract: wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or alkyl; A1 and A2 are the same or different and each represents a single bond or a divalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group; Q represents a single bond, cycloalkylene group, phenylene group or a divalent heterocyclic group; R2A and R2B are the same or different and each represents a hydrogen atom or alkyl; R3 represents an optionally substituted phenyl group or heterocyclic group; R4 and R5 are the same or different and each represents a hydrogen atom, alkyl, alkoxy, aralkyloxy, halogen, nitro, hydroxy, alkoxycarbonyl, —NR6R7 and the like.


A container forming apparatus having multiple working stations for producing a two piece, open top, closed bottom container including means for feeding flat blanks to a first rotating turret; the first rotary turret fixed for rotation about a horizontal axis, and having a plurality of radially projecting mandrels thereon. Container bottoms are fed to the first rotating turret upstream of the flat blanks relative to a direction of rotation of the turret, and each of the flat blanks is folded in succession about respective mandrels. The bottoms are secured to each of the blanks by a vacuum at a first station to thereby form individual container assemblies. The drive indexes the turret so that each mandrel is rotated to successive workstations arranged circumferentially about the first turret. The successive workstations include at least one container bottom heating station, a bottom curl station and at least one bottom expander station. A second turret located below the first turret and rotated about a vertical axis includes apertures for receiving workpieces from the first turret and also includes plural container rim curling steps.

It is, of course, well known to form containers made of paper products using machines which form a generally cylindrical body and associated bottom using one or more turrets and related forming tools. One conventional apparatus utilizes a vertically oriented turret (i.e., a turret rotating about a horizontal axis) to wrap and seam a container blank, followed by two transfers and then additional stations where bottom finishing, forming and top curling steps are performed. This system requires at least four transfers, thus slowing the process and creating ample opportunities for misalignment and other gliches leading to excessive downtime and hence, decreased productivity.
Various methods and apparatus for forming paper cups or like containers may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,409,045; 3,990,353; 3,620,690; and 3,439,590.


An automated storage and retrieval system wherein electrically driven, computer-controlled carriages (58) can navigate a system of rails (78) in three-dimensions. Multiple carriages (58) can independently operate at the same time to accomplish a task faster or to work on several different tasks at the same time. The rails (78) have a system of trap doors (95) that allow a carriage (58) to use a single reversible motor (67) to navigate the rails (78) in three-dimensions. With the carriage (58) in positioned in font of a bin position, the carriage mounted manipulating device (125) can move bins (115) to and from the racks (107) from either side with a single reversible motor (131). The rails (78) are electrified to provide power for the drive (67) and manipulator motors (131). A main computer (146) maintains the inventory, handles transactions and assigns tasks to the computer-controlled carriages (58). The system can be scaled to handle different types of items and can be configured to fit in the space available.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to item storage and distribution, specifically the automated stocking, storing and delivery of items to be sold, rented, checked out, transported or stored.
2. Background of the Invention
For years, there have been attempts to develop a practical automated storage and delivery systems for items to be sold, rented, checked out, transported or stored. The primary objectives are to make it more convenient for the user, more flexible, more reliable and less expensive to build and maintain. Most of the attempts at an automated store use a setup where identical items are placed in an ejection unit that dispenses the item on demand. U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,026 (1972) to Alexander et al and discloses an automated drive-in store using chutes, dispensers and ejectors. In general, currently known automated distribution facilities are primarily constructed with conveyors designed to move a bin up and down a line of item dispensers. When the bin is under the dispenser, the item is dumped into the bin or onto a conveyor by an actuator system. This requires an intricate one-of-a-kind arrangement of conveyors, chutes, elevators, actuators, sensors and stepper motors. Examples of these devices can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,595,263 (1997) to Pignataro, 6,234,737 (2001) to Young et al., and 5,890,136 (1999) to Kipp. Another group of patents has the item in bins that are manipulated by devices that operate in an x- and y-plane. Examples of these devices are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,139,384 (1992) Tuttobene, and 6,022,180 (2000) to Motoyama et al. The shortcoming of these devices are that they are expensive to build and maintain, prone to malfunction and mistakes, handle one task at a time, operate slowly, can not make full use of existing storage space, items can be damaged by the drop into a bin or ripped apart by the conveyor. When stocking such a facility, the person stocking the facility is exposed to the hazards of moving machinery and is close proximity to the item, which allows for pilfering.
While each of the above-noted patents describe vending facilities which provide a certain degree of automated shopping for a customer, a need still exists for a mechanism which provides a more efficient and automated system.

Automated 3-dimensional multitasking, stocking, storage, and distribution system


A computer system comprising a chassis supporting a processor, memory, and a power supply. An inlet allows air to flow into the chassis and an outlet allows air to flow out of the chassis. An air mover is operable to generate an airflow through said chassis between the inlet and the outlet and in thermal communication with the processor, memory, and power supply. The air mover is disposed external to said chassis.

Computer system designs that seek to increase computational power while reducing the size of computer equipment create many challenges with controlling the temperature within these 'dense' computer systems. Increasing the computational power of computer systems often results in the utilization of high power components that generate high levels of heat. Reducing the size of the computer system often involves packaging components in close proximity to each other, therefore restricting airflow through the system. The combination of high power, high heat generating components and compact design is pushing the limits of current air-cooled systems.
Air-cooled systems often utilize an array of fans to move air from the environment, through a computer chassis, and back to the environment. As the air passes through the enclosure it comes in thermal contact with, and absorbs heat from, the heat generating components within the enclosure. The heat transfer rate that can be achieved by an air-cooled system is a function of the volumetric flow rate and static pressure of air that can be moved through the chassis.
The performance of many air-cooled systems is also dependent on the temperature of air available to the system. As the temperature of air drawn into an air-cooled system increases, the amount of heat that the air can absorb decreases, thus decreasing the effectiveness of the cooling system. This is often of particular concern in data centers and other installations where large concentrations of dense computer systems operate.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A fluid catch bag sized and configured for placement below an engine, and particularly an inboard engine on a boat, includes a floor, side walls and end walls formed of a flexible, liquid impervious material and surrounding an interior fluid collection chamber. The upper peripheral edge zones of the side walls and end walls are provided with eyelets for attaching the catch bag in operative position below the engine so that the walls extend generally vertically and upwardly from the floor in surrounding relation to the engine. A collapsible bladder interconnects in fluid flow communication with a lower portion of the collection chamber for containing the engine fluids which drip into the catch bag. A shut-off valve allows for disconnection of the bladder in order to dispose of the fluid contents contained therein, while preventing fluids within the chamber of the catch bag from spilling when the bladder is disconnected.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for collecting engine fluids which drip from various parts of an engine and, more particularly, to a catch bag formed of a flexible, liquid impervious material adapted for installation below an engine and including side walls which extend upwardly from a bottom of the catch bag along the sides and front of the engine, and a bladder for collecting the engine fluids which drip into the catch bag.
2. Description of the Related Art
The loss of engine fluids such as oil, grease, hydraulic fluid and water, which drip from various parts of an engine, is a well-known and commonly encountered problem. Typically, engine fluids leak from hose connections and locations where there are gaskets or seals, including the flywheel seal, the crank case transmission seal, and the differential. In other instances, leaks develop as a result of wear and corrosion of engine parts. This is especially common on boats, and particularly with inboard engines which are subjected to exposure to salt water and other corrosive elements. Because most inboard engines sit just above the bottom of the bilge, it is not uncommon for the lower portion of the engine to be exposed to sea water in the bilge. Over time, the oil pan on the bottom of the engine may rust through, resulting in a loss of all of the engine's oil which spills into the bilge of the vessel.
The loss of engine fluids from boat engines is particularly problematic due to environmental laws and Coast Guard restrictions which prohibit overboard discharge of fluids containing hazardous materials or contaminants. As occurs on most boats, sea water and/or fresh water normally accumulates in the bilge and is subsequently pumped overboard to reduce weight and to promote stability of the vessel. Some boats may take on water through leaky seals or cracks in the hull, requiring routine discharge, by operation of a bilge pump with a float switch, in order to prevent the vessel from taking on too much water which may eventually sink the boat. However, if engine fluids drip into the bilge water as a result of engine wear, deterioration of gaskets and seals, or normal operation of lubricated moving parts, then it may be unlawful to thereafter pump the bilge water overboard and into the surrounding sea.
In the past, others have proposed use of absorbent drip pads for placement below an engine in order to absorb oil, grease, hydraulic fluids and the like which drip from the engine. These absorbent drip pads have been primarily designed for use in connection with automobile engines, wherein the absorbent drip pad is placed on the ground surface (e.g., on the garage floor) below the vehicle's engine so that fluids which drip from the engine while the vehicle is parked become absorbed into the drip pad. Examples of oil drip pads of this nature are shown in the U.S. patents to Fay, U.S. Pat. No. 3,316,995; Tribuzi, U.S. Pat. No. 3,331,652; and Garnatz, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,537. While the various absorbent pads disclosed in these patents may be suitable for their intended use, they are not adequate for use on motor vessels. Specifically, use of such absorbent pads in the bilge of a motor vessel would cause the pads to become saturated with water which normally collects in the bilge, thus significantly limiting the oil absorbing capacity. Further, removal of an oil absorbent pad from the bilge would present significant problems, especially if saturated with water, due to the excessive weight of the pad. This may result in the pad tearing when attempting to remove it from the confined space below the engine in order to replace the pad. Further, the used absorbent pad, saturated with oil and other contaminants, must be disposed of in accordance with EPA guidelines as well as municipal, state and federal laws. Due to its relatively large size and difficulty in handling, disposal of oil absorbent pads can be considerably costly. Furthermore, absorbent pads are not capable of handling large quantities of fluids. This presents a problem in the instance the engine loses its oil, such as may result if the oil pan rusts through as described above. Typically, a large diesel engine may contain at least 12 gallons of oil. Absorbent pads of the type disclosed in the above patents are unable to recover such large volumes of fluid.
The patent to Mason, U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,900, discloses a vehicle fluid catcher which has side walls and bendable top portions. The fluid catcher in Mason is designed to be secured to the under side of an automobile, using springs, so that the fluid catcher is positioned below the engine. The Mason fluid catcher would not be suitable for use on a vessel due to the sloped side walls which would are not adequate to contain fluid within the catcher as the vessel pitches and rolls in rough seas. Further, the Mason fluid catcher relies on absorbent pads to contain the fluid. As described above, absorbent pads of this nature are not sufficient to contain large volumes of fluid. Furthermore, use of absorbent pads severely limits the ability to retrieve the oil, thereby requiring disposal of the entire fluid catching device.


The present invention is directed to a process for preparing a HgBaCaCuO superconductor by annealing a precursor mixture comprising a lower member of the homologous HgBaCaCuO superconductor series, a source of calcium and a source of copper. The precursor mixture may further comprise a source of oxygen, a source of rhenium, and, if desired, a source of an additional element selected from the group consisting of halogens and metals other than mercury, barium, calcium, copper and rhenium. The process is particularly effective for preparing (Hg.sub.1-x,Re.sub.x)Ba.sub.2 Ca.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.8-y by annealing a precursor mixture containing (Hg.sub.1-x,Re.sub.x)Ba.sub.2 Ca.sub.1 Cu.sub.2 O.sub.6-y at a temperature below about 850.degree. C., wherein x ranges up to about 0.25 and y is a rational number ranging from about negative 1 to about positive 1.

In general, the present invention relates to a process for preparing a mercury-barium-calcium-copper-oxide-based superconductor material ("HgBaCaCuO superconductor" or "mercury-based superconductor"). In particular, the present invention relates to process for preparing a HgBaCaCuO superconductor from a precursor mixture containing a lower member of the homologous HgBaCaCuO superconductor series. More particularly, the invention relates to a process for preparing a (Hg.sub.1-x,Re.sub.x)Ba.sub.2 Ca.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.8-y superconductor material by annealing a precursor mixture comprising (Hg.sub.1-x,Re.sub.x)Ba.sub.2 Ca.sub.1 Cu.sub.2 O.sub.6-y, a source of calcium and a source of copper, wherein y is a rational number ranging between about negative 1 and postive 1, and x ranges from 0 to about 0.25.
The members of the HgBaCaCuO superconductor series have the nominal formula HgBa.sub.2 Ca.sub.n-1 Cu.sub.n O.sub.2n+2-y wherein n is an integer greater than 0 and y is a rational number ranging between about negative 1 and positive 1. There are presently four members of the HgBaCaCuO superconductor series that have been successfully synthesized: HgBa.sub.2 CuO.sub.4-y ("Hg1201"), HgBa.sub.2 CaCu.sub.2 O.sub.6-y ("Hg1212"), HgBa.sub.2 Ca.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.8-y ("Hg1223"), and HgBa.sub.2 Ca.sub.3 Cu.sub.4 O.sub.10-y ("Hg1234"). These HgBaCaCuO superconductors exhibit excellent superconducting properties, especially for applications above 77K, and have the highest critical temperatures (T.sub.c) of all presently known superconductors. For example, Hg1201, Hg1212 and Hg1223 have critical temperatures of 94K, 128K and 135K, respectively. Hg1212 and Hg1223 have critical current densities on the order of 10.sup.5 A/cm.sup.2 at temperatures up to 100K. At 100K they can have irreversibility fields exceeding 0.5 Tesla.
HgBaCaCuO superconductors are conventionally prepared by encapsulation, high pressure, two-zone annealing or other similar methods. See, for example, Schwartz et al., "HgBaCaCuO Superconductors: Processing, Properties and Potential," Physica B, 216 (1995) 261, which is incorporated herein by reference, which addresses some of the typical methods for preparing HgBaCaCuO superconductors. Most of these methods generally involve the preparation of a HgBaCaCuO superconductor by annealing a precursor mixture comprising oxides of mercury, barium, calcium and copper such as HgO, BaO, CaO, CuO, Ba.sub.2 CaCu.sub.2 O and the like. Other methods use precursor mixtures comprising carbonates, nitrates and even elemental forms of mercury, barium, calcium and copper.
In these conventional processes for the preparation of HgBaCaCuO superconductors, factors affecting the formation of the superconducting phase include the choice and quality of precursor, annealing temperature, annealing time, mercury vapor pressure, and oxygen partial pressure. The precursor materials generally must be kept free from exposure to moisture and carbon dioxide during synthesis of the superconductor material. These synthesis requirements may be lessened by stabilizing the superconducting phase through the incorporation of the atoms of another element, or dopant, into the HgBaCaCuO superconductor structure in place of a portion of the mercury, barium, calcium or copper atoms, a process otherwise known as doping. Doping can occur by intentionally including the element in the precursor mixture used to synthesize the superconductor structure, or indirectly as a result of impurities contained in the precursor materials.
The chemical stability and physical properties of HgBaCaCuO superconductors may be manipulated by using an appropriate dopant or combination of dopants. Among the variety of available dopants, rhenium has shown beneficial effects on the formation and chemical stability of the superconducting phase without reducing the critical temperature. Other dopants such as strontium also can enhance the stability of the superconducting phase. Still other dopants such as lithium, platinum and thallium can enhance the superconducting properties of the HgBaCaCuO superconductor. In fact, Maignan et al., "The Great Ability of Mercury-Based Cuprates to Accommodate Transition Elements" Physica C, 243 (1995) 233-242, incorporated herein by reference, discloses the ability of a number of transition metals to partially replace mercury in HgBaCaCuO superconductors.
A rhenium-doped HgBaCaCuO superconductor requires a higher annealing temperature for the formation of the superconducting phase than does an undoped HgBaCaCuO superconductor. For example, conventional synthesis techniques require an annealing temperature exceeding about 850.degree. C. to prepare a superconductor material having rhenium-doped Hg1223 as the majority phase. Annealing temperatures of less than about 850.degree. C. have been found to be acceptable only if the material is not doped, i.e., if the material is simply Hg1223. Higher annealing temperatures increase the costs associated with the preparation of the HgBaCaCuO superconductor and can complicate the processing of the superconductor into a usable form.
One major requirement for the application of HgBaCaCuO superconductors in technical conductors (such as conductors used for power transmission applications) is the ability to produce the superconductor on a large length scale. The previously discussed preparation methods, however, generally result in superconductor samples having a limited volume. One approach that has been used to produce longer superconductor samples is to encase the HgBaCaCuO superconductor in a substrate or metal sheathing (such as platinum or nickel) and to draw, roll or swage the sheathed material into a usable form prior to annealing. Other approaches used include spray coating, tape casting and other similar methods.
High annealing temperatures and the associated high mercury and oxygen vapor pressures can complicate the preparation of metal-sheathed HgBaCaCuO superconductors. High temperatures and vapor pressures can lead to extensive corrosion and the formation of amalgams between the substrate or sheath and the HgBaCaCuO superconductor. In order to overcome the corrosion and amalgam formation problems, diffusion barriers or buffer materials between the HgBaCaCuO superconductor and the substrate or sheath often are necessary. High annealing temperatures also prevent the use of certain desired sheathing materials. For example, although silver has been successfully used for a metal sheathing for most other high critical temperature superconductors and would be desirable for HgBaCaCuO superconductors, the melting point of silver under typical process conditions is around 800.degree. C. The exact melting point of silver will depend upon the specific mercury and oxygen vapor pressures employed in the process. The melting point, however, is lower than the annealing temperature conventionally employed to synthesize, for example, rhenium-doped Hg1223 superconductor materials. As such, silver typically cannot be used where the annealing temperature is above about 800.degree. C.

Process for preparing mercury-barium-calcium-copper-oxide-based superconductor materials


The response time from a client on a network is measured and a destination address is selected based on the measured response time. The client requests an address from the network. The network may be a local network or a wide area network such as the Internet. The response time of the client is measured to determine the optimum speed at which the client may operate. The measured response time is communicated to the server, where a destination address is selected based on the requested address and the measured response time. The client may then be connected to the destination address.

To provide greater access to the Internet, the communication protocols and languages utilized by the clients and servers have become standardized. These protocols include the Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which is the communication protocol used for communications between clients and servers, and the Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). The TCP portion is the transport-specific protocol for communication between computers or applications. IP is a lower-level protocol than TCP and facilitates the transmission of data packets between remotely-located machines. TCP is a transport-level protocol that operates on top of IP. TCP provides a full-duplex byte stream between applications, whether they reside on the same machine or on remotely-located machines. TCP ensures that transmitted data packets are received in the same order in which they were transmitted.
Remote terminals or computers may connect to the Internet via an Internet Service Provider (ISP) using a variety of connection methods and speeds. These may include, among other things, a dial-up modem at 28.8 kilobits per second (Kbps), dial-up at 56 Kpbs, an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) line, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), a cable modem, or a T1 line. Although each of these methods allow for connection to the Internet, each method does so at differing speeds. For example, a typical dial-up modem connects to the Internet at 56 Kbps while a T1 line may connect at 1.544 million bits per seconds (Mbps). The increased bandwidth of the higher speed connections allows more information to be downloaded in a shorter period of time.
Web designers are taking advantage of the proliferation of high bandwidth connections to the Internet by creating more content rich websites. This allows more information, multimedia, and features to be provided to the users. However, for users that are connecting to the Internet using a slower speed connection, these high-content websites take an exceedingly long period of time to load. Many users allow a limited period of time for a website to download. If a website is not fully downloaded within this limited time period, the user typically logs off the Internet or proceeds to another website. Thus, web-designers are forced to decide between providing content rich sites for the high-bandwidth connections and losing the low-bandwidth connections or decreasing the amount of information provided to everyone.

Speed sensitive content delivery in a client-server network


A new and distinct Alstroemeria variety producing flowers comprising outer petals light purple (near 70B) with attractively contrasting white margins, and red-purple (near 71A) streaks mainly confined to margins but occasionally appearing in light purple area. Reverse side nearly uniform, near 70C to 70B. Inner petals similar with wider near 71A streaks and occasional yellow (near 4B) flush.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of alstroemeria originated as a seedling of unknown parentage discovered among my collection of alstroemeria varieties maintained under controlled conditions in a greenhouse in Sabana de Bogota - Madrid (Cund), Colombia for developmental purposes. The new variety was selected from a mass planting of seeds resulting from undocumented crosses.
The first act of asexual reproduction of `Alexa` was by propagation of vegetative cuttings in Bogota, Colombia. Asexual reproduction through successive generations has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for `Alexa` are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
`Alexa` has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. Phenotypic expression may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, day length and growing and cultural conditions.


Provided by the present disclosure are a method and an apparatus for printing a relational graph. The method for printing a relational graph includes: determining whether an overall view of a to-be-printed relational graph exceeds a set print size; in response to the overall view of a to-be-printed relational graph exceeding the set print size, clustering nodes in the to-be-printed relational graph according to the print size and attribute information of the nodes to form a clustered overall view of the relational graph and subviews of the relational graph; and printing the clustered overall view of the relational graph after the clustering and subviews formed based on the clustered nodes. At least one embodiment of the present disclosure can automatically split a relational graph into pages for printing.

When analyzing a relational network, a view used in the analysis (hereinafter referred to as a relational graph) tends to become very large, containing thousands of nodes and relations; the relational graph (which may be used for intuitively displaying the topology of the relational network) is generally a graph composed of a plurality of nodes and lines connecting the nodes. Each node may correspond to a specific item (such as a user, a device, and a place), and a line between two nodes may represent a relationship between two items.
In the process of printing a relational graph, if the relational network is large and it is required to print the graph on one piece of paper at a ratio of 1:1, the piece of paper often needs to be several meters long and several meters wide. If the printing is scaled down, the details in the relational graph may not be legible. For example, if the relational graph shown in FIG. 1 is printed on a piece of A4 or smaller paper, the characters in the nodes will not be legible, or it will take a lot of effort to see them clearly.
At present, the scheme of paging printing is generally adopted. Paging with equal width or equal height is performed according to a print size on the basis of an actual size. For example, each of the equal-width and equal-height grids shown in FIG. 2 is a page to be printed.
Equal-width or equal-height paging printing can have problems. For example, there will be a lot of blank print areas in the graph area, which causes the waste of paper. The original level and relational structures of the relational network are broken, which is not convenient for single-sheet reading.

Method and apparatus for printing relational graph


A portable electronic reference device is disclosed that can be used by a user when reading a book. The electronic reference device functions as a dictionary for the reader to look up words as they read. It can also have various other functions that would be suitable for a portable electronic device. The device has a display section and a keyboard section. A pivoting transparent lid is provided on the display. The lid also contains a light to allow a user to clearly see the device and pages of a book.

A. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a portable electronic device that can be used as a reference guide by a person reading a book. More particularly, the invention relates to a device that can be easily carried within the book and serve as a bookmark and provides a reading light.
B. Description of the Related Art
Certain electronic reference devices have been designed to be used when reading a book. A dictionary is one such device, useful when reading a book. These devices can also be proportionately sized so as to be able to fit inside a book so that it is readily accessible to the user while reading the book. These devices can also be of an appropriate weight so as to be carried with the book. It is important that these devices are of suitable size and weight not to cause damage to the pages of the book nor to the binding of the book.
Another device that can be used when reading a book is a book light. Such devices are portable lights sources, such as a small light bulb, that are intended to allow a reader to read in a dark room by illuminating the page of the book being read. The light source is typically partially covered so that the light will only shine in one direction. This directional lighting allows the reader to focus the light onto the page of the book that is being read without illuminating the rest of the room to disturb anyone else in the room. Such types of book lights are capable of being adjusted so that the directional light can be focused onto the page, however, that focusing typically creates a "spotlight" effect wherein the light brightly illuminates one spot on the page and the rest of the page is not as equally illuminated.
There is a need for a bookmark that can provide the features of a dictionary and other such applications and be efficient and easy to use. There is also a need for a bookmark to provide a reading light so that a user does not have to turn on a much brighter light to read. There is also a need to provide a book mark having a reading light so that a user may more clearly see the display on the bookmark as well as the words on the page of the book.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Portable electronic reference device with pivoting light lid


Methods, compositions and kits are provided for generating inner ear cells in vitro. These methods find use a number of applications, such as in preparing inner ear cells for in vitro screening for agents that are toxic to inner ear cells, for in vitro screening for agents that prevent against, mitigate, or reverse the toxic effects of such agents, and for in vitro screening for agents that promote otoregeneration.

Mechanosensitive sensory hair cells are the linchpin of our senses of hearing and balance. Our inner ear harbors about 15,000 cochlear and about the same number of vestibular sensory hair cells, which are the mechanoreceptors of our senses of hearing and balance. Because of their paucity, molecular studies on hair cells have been limited, and, consequently the molecular basis of their function is unknown. Aside from being scarce, hair cells are also sensitive to mechanical and chemical insults. Acoustical overstimulation, chemotherapy, aminoglycoside drug side effects, the effects of aging, and increasingly noisy environments contribute to the deterioration of hearing over time. As a result, hundreds of millions of patients worldwide are permanently debilitated by hearing loss and balance problems. The main reason for the permanence of these chronic disorders is the fact that mammalian cochlear hair cells do not spontaneously regenerate and that the limited regeneration observed in the vestibular system is inadequate to restore function. Protocols to generate inner ear sensory hair cells and supporting cells in vitro would find great use as a platform for testing compounds with respect to ototoxicity, otoprotection, and otoregeneration. The present invention addresses these issues.

Methods for generating inner ear cells in vitro

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


A door reinforcement apparatus for mounting on the interior side of various types of doors, whether side opening or vertical opening, combining ease of use and simplicity of design with added security and strength to the door where installed, comprising an adjustable mounting bracket having a first plate with one or more holes running perpendicularly through said coplanar surfaces of said first plate for insertion of mounting bolts for fastening of said adjustable mounting bracket to the wall surface above the door being reinforced, said adjustable mounting bracket also having a second plate perpendicularly connected to said first plate's, said second plate having one or more holes; and a beam having one or more fastening holes near its upper end for insertion of bolts when aligned with said connecting holes of said second plate of said adjustable mounting bracket, said beam further including an integral bottom mounting plate disposed perpendicularly to the rest of said beam at said bottom end of said beam, said integral bottom mounting plate having one or more holes for insertion of mounting bolts and fastening thereby to the interior floor surface adjacent to said door.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a door reinforcement apparatus for mounting on structural surfaces adjacent to the interior side of various types of inward or upward opening doors, combining ease of use and installation and simplicity of design with added security and strength to the door where installed. The present invention is particularly useful for reinforcing wide doors such as garage doors, but its simplicity of design allows for use in reinforcement of most types of doors, an attribute not possessed by the prior art. It also addresses the need for reinforcement against inward forces such as those produced by windstorms as well as against intruders.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, due to several major hurricanes which ravaged the southeastern United States, there has been renewed attention given to improving structural strength of buildings to withstand the high wind forces. The building codes in several major metropolitan areas in this region of the United States have been revised to now require some type of reinforcement or protection of building walls and apertures against wind forces. Windows and glass doors need to be covered with panels or other protective coverings to resist breakage due to flying debris. The panels or protective coverings are generally designed to withstand inward forces through the type and thickness of materials used, the framing or tracks used in installation, and the use of strength-increasing corrugation.
In situations involving doors covering larger-dimension openings the need for reinforcement is not directed so much to preventing breakage due to flying debris. Instead, the need for reinforcement is directed towards preventing collapse of the door assembly because of its inability to withstand inward forces directed at the central areas of the wide-dimension door. In this regard, such doors are susceptible to various types of inward forces, including not only wind forces but also forces applied by intruders seeking entry into a building. This is because the doors themselves are usually made of materials strong enough to withstand impacts from flying debris, but are not made of sufficient thickness to resist inward forces because the resulting doors would be too heavy to handle and too expensive. Thus, reinforcement for these types of large-dimension openings is preferably in the nature of bracing to prevent inward or other flexing movement of the door rather than coverings or thicker materials for the doors.
One of the most common examples of a larger-dimension door which must be reinforced is the typical garage door, which consists of several horizontal panels hinged together and operates vertically using rollers which engage tracks aligned at each vertical side of the door. Such doors are usually made of aluminum, wood or even fiberglass materials which would likely be able to withstand impacts from flying debris in a windstorm provided that they can resist inward wind forces directed at their central portions. Without reinforcement, it has been found that when such doors are exposed to forces such as those produced by high velocity windstorms, the doors tend to buckle inward and can separate from their frames or tracks, thereby allowing such forces to enter the building and cause damage. Such unreinforced doors can also be breached by intruders applying force against such doors' central area, thereby loosening the door from its tracks enough to disengage its locking mechanisms. Other types of larger-dimension doors which are susceptible to inward buckling due to forces applied to their central areas include side opening doors used in warehouses and structures such as hangars, and side-by-side double entry doors used in residential and commercial buildings, which have a weak point typically consisting of a thin wood or metal molding secured at the edge of one of the doors adjacent to the edge of the other door, where the locks of one door engage the other door, and where adjustable and lower bolts are typically located, which bolts are inserted upwardly and downwardly into the door frame and the floor threshold, respectively. These double doors are vulnerable at this center vertical molding because inward forces can cause the comparatively thin and therefore weak molding to crack or split, resulting in the doors being breached.
Large-dimension door reinforcement assemblies should be as simple as possible to install, maintain and store, while also be as economical as possible so that they have more widespread usage, resulting in a greater number of reinforced doors and, in turn, reduce the chances of break-ins by intruders and, lower chances of door failures caused by windstorms which could cause collateral damage to other property by becoming projectiles in such storms.
Efforts to address reinforcement needs of large-dimension doors such as the typical garage door have resulted in various forms of reinforcement apparata, each of which has its benefits but which also suffer from several practical flaws. Garage doors are now usually required to be reinforced by installation of horizontal beams made of wood (typically 2".times.4" beams) or metal fastened to the horizontal door panels of such doors by means of "U" shaped brackets bolted to such door panels. Such beams are intended to stiffen the panels and prevent them from warping when forces are applied inwardly against the door. Unfortunately, such beams add considerable weight to the door, requiring adjustment of the door spring mechanism tension and straining the automatic garage door opener drive mechanism commonly used in connection with such doors, resulting in gradual wear and tear of such mechanism to the point where it may later break down. Furthermore, such beams, while providing some measure of added stiffness to the door, do not effectively secure the door so that it cannot be forced open by intruders or protect against the door itself from separating from its frame due to inward forces, because the horizontal beams do not fasten to the adjacent building structure at all.
Other attempts to address the need for reinforcement of doors against inward forces have also focused on application in situations involving inward forces caused by windstorms while ignoring the need for resistance against intruders, with advances directed to providing reinforcement which can be left mounted on the door. These devices typically can be left mounted on the door, thereby eliminating the need for repeated installation, but the initial installation is cumbersome, requiring considerable skill and tools, and may necessitate the removal or modification of existing above-described horizontal reinforcements. Furthermore, while these devices can be used whenever the door is closed, even when the property occupant is not present, these devices do not provide security against intruders because they disengage whenever the door is opened (whether opened under normal operation or by force). They do not lock in place, and as a result an intruder can force the door to its open position just as if the reinforcement was not present. Additionally, because they are left in place, they add weight to the door and are of necessity made of numerous moving parts, parts which will inevitably wear with time.
Attempts at addressing both the need to reinforce against inward forces caused by windstorms as well as forces caused by intruders are flawed in that they are composed of numerous parts and which can themselves cause damage to the door being reinforced when called upon to resist inward forces applied against the door. Furthermore, these devices employ reinforcing means which are also only applicable to garage doors and are only as effective as the strength of the garage door's materials and fasteners.
Examples of attempts to provide reinforcement against inward forces created by windstorms as well against intruders are U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,038 to DeCola et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,509 to Gaffney, et al. DeCola discloses a system for bracing garage doors against hurricane force winds which includes a plurality of vertical door stiffening column members which can be made of wood, and uses separate deflection brackets which must be custom-mounted to the door stiffening column members during installation, a process which requires time and skill. The deflection brackets are also adapted to engage the typical garage door panel hinges, which makes them useful only in applications involving garage doors which have such hinges, and not to other types of doors or doors having other types of hinges. The use of deflection brackets was in response to what was the perceived tendency of garage doors to "peel" outwardly from the opening after being loosened from their tracks due to inward forces. Because garage doors are installed so that their top and side exterior edges rest against the frame of the garage opening, thereby providing resistance on these edges against outward forces, this "peeling outward" occurs generally when either the building structure has been breached at some other point, resulting in outward forces being applied against the door or if the door loosens from its tracks due to application of inward forces, which leads to outward forces being applied as a result of the wind turbulence created in the garage. In such situations the deflection brackets will likely prove ineffective because they are only as strong as the sheet metal screws used to fasten the door hinges to the thin metal door panels.
More importantly, the deflection brackets themselves can actually cause considerable damage to the door being reinforced because they connect to the moving parts of the door (its hinges); when inward forces are applied and the deflection brackets are called upon to deflect such forces, they can result in damage or breakage of the hinge, and can even result in perforation of the door panel surface. Furthermore, the use of deflection brackets results in less reinforcing contact between the door and the stiffening member, necessitating the use of multiple vertical stiffening members.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,509 to Gaffney, et al. describes a kit for door reinforcement which is also limited in its application to garage doors through its use of one or more "finger-like" members insertable into the hinges of the door. These finger-like members are the points of contact between the door and the reinforcement device, and are intended to provide reinforcement against both inward and outward forces. Because the finger-like members are inserted into the hinges of the garage door, the reinforcement provided is only as strong as the hinge materials and fasteners. Furthermore, the finger-like portions, like the deflection brackets in DeCola, could result in distortion and damage to the hinges and possibly perforation of the door when forces, whether originating from windstorms or from an intruder prying upwardly, are applied. The use of finger-like members to provide reinforcement has the further drawback in that such members can be lost with time and are not likely to be easily replaced because of their specialized application. While they provide a connection between the door and the reinforcement apparatus, the finger-like members do not result in a tight fit between the reinforcement apparatus' surface, the door surface and the surrounding frame, and the door is therefore susceptible to vibration and movement which can ultimately result in a breach of the door.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved door reinforcement apparatus which provides effective reinforcement against inward forces such as those caused by windstorms as well as added security against intruders by preventing the door from being opened.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved door reinforcement apparatus which, because of its improved design, is easily and quickly installed and removed.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved door reinforcement apparatus which, because of its improved design, can provide long-lasting reinforcement more economically than currently available alternatives and will not damage or distort door components when called upon to resist forces.
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent when the following description is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


Recovery from a game server termination allows continuation of a multi-user game in a distributed network using a Lobby. The Lobby provides a central place in which users can post a game with a game server address for others to see and join. Users of the game continue to play even if the server should prematurely terminate.

Prior art that exists today is the proprietary services provided by private and publicly held companies on the Internet such as TEN (Total Entertainment Network) and Blizzard Entertainment. Blizzard Entertainment provides an Internet lobby server called battle net which is a free service to all users that have a CD of the game Diablo. Diablo users can use this service to create a multi-user game over the Internet. Since users have purchased the game, the service is free as compensation. This process does not have a recovery system if the hosting game server should terminate during an active multi-user game. The result is catastrophic termination of the game to all players.

Method and system for multi-user game recovery


The present invention provides a dual expression vector, and methods for its use, for the expression and secretion of a full-length polypeptide of interest in eukaryotic cells, and a soluble domain or fragment of the polypeptide in bacteria. When expressed in bacteria, transcription from a bacterial promoter within a first intron and termination at the stop codon in a second intron results in expression of a fragment of the polypeptide, e.g., a Fab fragment, whereas in mammalian cells, splicing removes the bacterial regulatory sequences located in the two introns and generates the mammalian signal sequence, allowing expression of the full-length polypeptide, e.g., IgG heavy or light chain polypeptide. The dual expression vector system of the invention can be used to select and screen for new monoclonal antibodies, as well as to optimize monoclonal antibodies for binding to antigenic molecules of interest.

Recombinant expression systems have been key to the development of current antibody engineering technology. The demonstration of coexpression of cloned light and heavy chain genes of an IgM or an IgG in mammalian cells led rapidly to the generation and testing of chimeric Mabs containing human constant regions (Ochi et al., 1983, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80:6351 6355; Oi et al., 1983, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80:825 829; Morrison et al., 1984, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81(21):6851–5); Subsequently, methods were developed to introduce human sequences into the variable regions of mouse immunoglobulins without reducing avidity, resulting in antibodies with very low potential immunogenicity in human subjects (Jones et al., 1986, Nature 321:522 525; Queen et al., 1989, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 86:10029 10033). Reproducible methods have been developed to express large amounts of such recombinant antibodies in CHO or mouse myeloma cells for the preparation of highly purified material for human testing and eventual sale. There are now a number of such Mabs which have been approved and marketed for human use, including Rituxan and Herceptin for cancer treatment, Synagis for the prevention of RSV infection, Remicade for treatment of rhumatoid arthritis, and Zenapax for prevention of graft rejection (Reff et al., 1994, Blood 83:435 445; Carter et al., 1992, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89(10):4285–9; Johnson et al., 1997, J. Infect. Dis. 176:1215 1224; Queen et al., 1989, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 86:10029 10033; see Table 1).
Likewise, the demonstration that Fv, single chain Fv, or Fab molecules could be successfully expressed in microbial systems led rapidly to the development of methods to utilize this expression technology to exploit diverse libraries of VH and VL sequences (Skerra et al., 1988, Science 240:1038 1041; Bird et al., 1988; Science 242:423 426; Huston et al., 1988, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 85:5879 5883). Combinatorial libraries of VL and VH sequences were initially expressed from bacteriophage lambda and the binding of a particular combination to antigen screened using a plaque lift assay (Huse et al., 1989, Science 246:1275–81; Huse et al., 1992, Biotechnology 24:517 523). By tethering either an scFv or Fab on the surface of a filamentous bacteriophage it was possible to select for binding phage containing the genes for the binding regions in their genome using panning techniques (McCafferty et al., 1990, Nature 348:552 554; Hoogenboom et al., 1991, 19: 4133 4137; Bird et al., 1988, Science 242:423 426; Kang et al., 1991, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88:4363 4366). The ability to select rather than screen allowed the enormous diversity contained in large libraries of 109 or greater individual members to be exploited to identify and isolate rare binders. Thus, it is now possible to isolate antibody fragments binding with reasonable affinity to almost any proteinaceous antigen from a large diverse bacteriophage library. Methods have also been developed to improve the affinity of antibody fragments by iterative rounds of mutagenesis of the CDRs and screening or selecting for improved binding to antigen (Schier et al., 1996, J. Mol. Biol. 263: 551 567; Wu et al., 1998, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 95:6037 6042).
Despite breakthroughs in using Fab or scFv expression systems for the identification and affinity maturation of novel specificities, full length IgG molecules offer several advantages. One of the key features of an IgG is its bivalent structure. Cooperativity between the two Fab arms of an IgG in binding to antigen leads to a higher avidity of a bivalent IgG compared to the monovalent Fab. The degree of difference between the affinity of the individual Fab arms and the avidity of the IgG is most pronounced when the antigen is also multivalent or surface bound. The amount of cooperativity is more pronounced when the antigen is present at higher density and less pronounced in Mab with high affinity Fab arms. In practical terms, this means that above a certain antigen density threshold a Mab with high affinity but low cooperativity will have the same avidity as a Mab having Fab arms with moderate affinity but high cooperativity. This latter Mab would be more selective for areas of high antigen density compared to the former Mab. One can envision instances where either Mab would be advantageous. For instance, there are very few true cancer antigens, i.e., antigens which are expressed only on tumor cells. Most are expressed on tumor cells at a higher density, but are expressed on other cell types as well. Thus, a Mab with high avidity but moderate affinity might be more selective for tumor than for normal cells expressing the antigen at a lower density. Likewise, during viral infection, antigen may be present on the virus, on virally infected cells, and secreted in free form. A neutralizing Mab selective for areas of higher antigen density could target the virus and infected cells rather than free antigen, or other areas of low antigen density, and thus might have equal or better efficacy compared to a high affinity Mab. Methods have been developed to select for higher avidity fragments using various strategies to link monomers of Fab or scFv (Hudson et al., 1999, J. Immunol. Methods 231:177 189). These constructs are useful but may not accurately replicate the avidity provided by linking Fab arms using an Fc. Additionally, one may want to first identify specific binders and then those which have higher cooperativity. For instance, in the example above, one might want to screen for viral neutralization but find that most monovalent Fabs had little activity. Converting to full length IgG might allow selection for neutralizing activity due to increased avidity.
In other cases, effector function may be required for optimal potency of the binding molecule. The interaction between the Fc portion of immunoglobulin molecules and specific cell surface receptors allows the coupling of antigen binding to effector cell functions.
There are three classes of Fc receptors for IgG present in humans and rodents, which are designated RI, RII, and RIII (Ravetch and Bolland, 2001, Annu. Rev. Immunol. 19: 275 290). RI, present on monocytes and macrophages, binds to monomeric IgG with high affinity. RII is present on a wide variety of cells including B cells, platelets, neutrophils, macrophages and monocytes, and binds to multimeric IgG (immune complexes or aggregated IgG) with moderate affinity. Two forms of RII are expressed, differing by the presence of either an activation (ITAM) RIIa domain or an inhibitory (ITIM) RIIb domain on the intracellular portion of the receptor. The relative level of activating and inhibitory receptors on a given cell determines the response to immune complexes. B cells express only the inhibitory form. RIII, like RII, binds to multimeric IgG (immune complexes or aggregated IgG) with moderate affinity. There are also two forms of RIII. The ITAM domain on the associated gamma chain mediates signaling through RI, as well as through RIIIa and the FcE receptors. The signaling molecule RIIa associates with the ITAM containing gamma chain on NK, monocytes, macrophages, and certain T cells. On NK cells, signaling by RIIa also involves the TCR zeta chain. RIIIb is a non signaling form and is expressed on (human) neutrophils as a GPI linked molecule.
In the body, RI sites are generally occupied by monomeric IgG while RII and RIII receptors are unoccupied and available to interact with immune complexes. Cross linking of activating Fc receptors by antibody antigen complexes can result in the phagocytosis of pathogens, killing of foreign and transformed cells by direct cytotoxicity, the clearance of toxic substances, and the initiation of an inflammatory response. Additionally, the Fc contains sites for interacting with complement components (Tao et al., 1993, J Exp Med 178:661 667). Finally, the Fc is responsible for the long half-life in vivo of IgGs through a specific interaction with the MHC related FcRn receptor (Ghetie and Ward, 2002, Immunol Res. 25:97 113).
Clearly, in instances where the target is a bacterium or a cancerous cell, it would be advantageous to test agents for clearance or killing rather than only binding. In that case, an IgG would be the preferred molecule to test. For instance, the chimeric anti CD20 Mab Rituxan was selected based on its having strong ADCC activity against human B cells (Reff et al., 1994, Blood 83:435 445). Additionally, although the anti HER2 antibody Herceptin binds to and blocks signaling through an EGF like receptor on tumor cells, recent studies have indicated that tumor protection is largely Fc-mediated (Clynes et al., 2000, Nat. Med. 6:443 446).
There is a great interest in expression, selection and improvement of antibodies using scFv or Fab systems. Using the technologies currently available, however, the resulting scFv or Fab fragments must be re-cloned into a vector for expression of the full length glycosylated Mab for further testing and development. This step severely limits the number of Mabs which can be tested at this stage. Thus, despite such interest in the technology, as yet, no effective system for selecting and improving full length Mab molecules useful for human therapeutics has been developed.
Citation or discussion of a reference herein shall not be construed as an admission that such is prior art to the present invention.

Dual expression vector system for antibody expression in bacterial and mammalian cells