A car lifting platform including a plurality of “L” shaped forks in a parallel mounting arrangement with plates interconnecting the forks. The plates are secured (typically by welding) to the forks and extend substantially along the horizontal leg of the “L”, around the ell portion of the “L and at least part way up the vertical leg of the “L”. The ell portion of the plate may include oval-shaped through openings to allow foreign objects to fall off of the platform and to receive a projection from the object to be carried on the platform in order to limit sliding motion of the object carried on the platform.

The present invention relates to a car lifting platform. More particularly, it relates to a car lifting platform wherein the platform mounts to a mast which in turn allows the mounting of the lifting platform to a motorized, heavy-duty piece of equipment, such as a wheel loader.
In certain applications, heavy duty equipment, such as wheel loaders, are used to move and place heavy pieces of machinery. Typically, this heavy machinery is picked up using a fork lift type of attachment. These forks are mounted to a mast which in turn mounts onto the wheel loader.
Specifically in highwall mining operations, conveyor cars (or auger transporting cars) are picked up from a storage area using car lifting platforms and are transported to a launch vehicle where the cars are hooked up to a continuous miner which engages and advances these cars as it mines an ore seam. These cars are typically 40 feet long and quite heavy.
Prior art car lifting platforms used in the highwall mining industry are fabricated from fork-lift forks with flat plates welded in between each fork in order to form a high strength, continuous platform. The fork-lift forks are "L" shaped elements, with one leg of the "L" being shorter and extending in the substantially vertical direction (and referred to as the riser) and the other leg of the "L" being longer and extending in the substantially horizontal direction to form the platform itself.
In prior art car lifting platforms, the flat plates welded between each fork extend only along the horizontal legs of the "L", stopping just short of the 90 degree angle (hereinafter called the "ell" of the fork) which connects the platform to the risers. This allows dirt or other foreign objects to fall through the forks in order to keep the platform clean. It also permits a locating tab or pawl, projecting from the car or other object being lifted, to engage the opening between two of the forks in order to limit the amount of slipping (along the longitudinal axis of the car) allowed of the car during transportation.
In the prior art design, the ells are the point of stress concentration of these car lifting platforms. Fatigue cracks develop at these stress points, and, in short order, the fatigue cracks propagate and the forks break.


A hinge device is disclosed for interconnecting a first member with a second member for relative rotational movement, the hinge device comprising: a rod means connected with the first member; a sleeve member for receiving the rod means for relative rotation therewithin, the sleeve member being connected with the second member and having an interior surface extending longitudinally therethrough, the interior surface being in contact with the outer surface of the shaft means in order to provide a friction force between the shaft means and the sleeve member, the interior surface including a plurality of contact regions for exerting different friction forces on the shaft means.

Various types of compact devices such as cellular telephones, and electronic data-books equipped with liquid crystal displays and keyboard panels have been developed and put into general use with advances in electronics technology in recent years. These devices are principally composed of two members, which are pivotally interconnected so that they may be unfolded open to a specific size to make the device easy to operate when the device is in use. The two members may be folded closely to permit compact storage of the device, to avoid malfunction of keyboards, and to avoid damages to the liquid crystal displays when the device is carried in a bag or in a pocket.
For example, in a conventional cellular telephone, a main body having a keyboard and a transmitter having a microphone are pivotally interconnected. The transmitter may be closed for carrying convenience and to cover the keyboard (hereinafter, this position will be referred to as the "closed position"), and may be opened to allow operation via the keyboard when the telephone is in use (hereinafter, this position will be referred to as the "opened position"). A conventional electronic data-book also has a main body having a keyboard and a liquid crystal display pivotally interconnected with the main body. A conventional cosmetic compact also has a case for accommodating a puff and a mirror pivotally interconnected to the case.
Typical hinge devices adapted for these devices pivotally connect the main body and the cover in simple manners. When a user releases a lock mechanism between the main body and the cover, the cover is automatically rotated to the closed position by means of, for example, a spring. A user closes the cover against the biasing force by the spring, at which position the cover is locked with the main body by means of the lock mechanism.
The prior hinge device has a stopper for engaging the cover with the main body at the opened position, as well as the lock mechanisms for locking the cover with the main body at the closed position. The stopper is disposed adjacent to the pivot in order to reduce the size of the hinge device, and the cover or the stopper may be damaged because of excessive stress arising from the engagement between the cover and the stopper.
In addition to the above disadvantages, the prior hinge devices have not allowed adjustment of the cover with respect to the main body at any chosen angle. Although the prior hinge devices have performed quite well in the engagement of the cover at the opened and closed positions, an additional engaging means is required to hold the cover at any chosen angle. The need has therefore arisen for a hinge device which allows for a variety of selectively variable rotated positions in which, for example, a movable transmitter of a cellular telephone or a movable liquid crystal display of a electronic data-book can be held and maintained.
Furthermore, it has become increasingly desirable to provide a hinge device which has a biasing means for biasing the cover toward the closed position when it is slightly opened whereas biasing the cover in a direction of the opened position when it is close to the opened position. Particularly, it is desirable to provide a cellular telephone in which the cover is automatically moved to the closed position when a user slightly closes the cover after a call and in which the cover is automatically moved to the opened position when he opens the cover to use the telephone.
However, the prior hinge devices have not provided the above-mentioned function because biasing the cover in both directions of the opened and closed positions is impossible although biasing the cover in one rotational direction is possible.
Some devices employ friction hinge devices as a means capable of locking the cover at any chosen angle with respect to the main body. The prior friction hinge, however, cannot achieve the above-mentioned function because it provides a regular friction force against the cover throughout any angle.


An alignment sensor measures the distortion of a bed shot, and a processing section compares the measured distortion with a plurality of distortions of the current stage shots stored in a memory device in advance to select the most appropriate current stage shot. According to the selected result, a drive control section drives and rotates the motor, changes the relative angle between the projector lens and the reticle to execute exposure process. This provides, in manufacture of semiconductor devices using a plurality of projection aligners, projection aligners and a method of manufacturing semiconductor devices capable of removing limitations on the number of projection aligners and achieving a high throughput in manufacture.

As semiconductor devices are increasingly sophisticated in recent years, extremely fine patterns are formed thereon. However, it is difficult to directly form such extremely fine patterns on a photomask. A solution for this is a projection aligner that includes a photomask having a pattern larger than the actual pattern to be formed on a semiconductor device and projects the pattern of the photomask onto a wafer at a reduced scaling via a projector lens located between the photomask and the wafer.
Although being advantageous in forming fine patterns over the contact aligner that exposes a wafer with a photomask being in direct contact with the wafer, the projection aligner requires an alignment technology, or to be more specific, a technology for optimally adjusting the relative positions of the pattern already formed on the wafer and of a pattern to be formed thereon in a subsequent process.
The alignment process performed by conventional projection aligners is roughly divided into the following three steps.
Step (1): A prealignment section of a wafer loader performs a prealignment process in which the position of the wafer is adjusted by, for example, orientation flat.
Step (2): After the prealignment step, the wafer is loaded on the wafer stage, the focus is automatically set, and then the x- and y-coordinates of the wafer are determined on the wafer stage, using a global alignment mark.
Step (3): A fine alignment process is performed for step and repeat exposure.
In Step (3), Substeps (a) to (f) are executed as below to gauge correction values.
Substep (a): The wafer is measured for a scaling correction value, that is, an enlargement or reduction amount of an area, on the wafer, in which the pattern is already formed. The area will be herein after referred to as a bed shot.
Substep (b): The wafer is measured for an orthogonality correction value, that is, horizontal and vertical displacements of the wafer from the orientation flat.
Substep (c): The wafer is measured for a rotation correction value (rotation value).
Substep (d) : The wafer is measured for offsets in the x and y directions, that is, displacements of the wafer from the bed shot in the x and y directions.
Substep (e): The shot is measured for a scaling correction value. In other words, a pattern area (shot) to be newly formed on the wafer is measured for an enlargement or reduction amount.
Substep (f): The shot is measured for a rotation correction value, that is, for a rotation value of the shot to the bed shot.
The exposure position of the wafer is determined according to the correction values obtained from Substeps (a) to (f). Then alignment is done by means of the scaling correction (see FIG. 16), rotation correction (see FIG. 17), and offset correction.
Nevertheless, since the projection aligner includes a projector lens through which the pattern formed on the reticle is projected onto a wafer, shot distortions due to distortions of the projector lens, on top of the displacements (scaling, rotation, and offset), are inevitable. In other words, the shot projected onto the wafer is distorted by aberration and other deformation of the projector lens. The shot distortion cannot be corrected for by the aforementioned conventional alignment method.
The lens distortion is unique to the projector lens used. If a single projection aligner projects both the bed shot and a shot to be newly formed thereon (hereinafter, will be referred to as a current stage shot), the lens distortion does not vary and therefore results in the same shot distortion, causing no problem. On the other hand, if a different projection aligner is used for each of a series of exposure steps to achieve a high throughput, for example, in mass production of semiconductor devices, adverse effects of the shot distortion become so eminent as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 that the alignment displacement due to the shot distortion needs be reduced.
Conventionally, if more than one projection aligners are used, each projector lens incorporated in the projection aligners is measured for its distortion in advance, and projection aligners with similar lens distortions were grouped together for actual use (grouping).
Here, such grouping of the projection aligners to reduce the effects of the shot distortion caused by the lens distortion limits the number of projection aligners usable for manufacturing semiconductor devices in large quantities and thus presents an obstacle in achieving a high throughput in manufacture.

Manufacturing method of semiconductor devices utilizing alignment of bed shot and stage shot through rotation to almost overlap respective distortions


A heavy duty low-profile watercraft lift (10) for lifting small watercraft into and out of the water adjacent to a dock (12). The lift (10) comprises a single heavy-duty column (22) having a winch (28) mounted on the top thereof for raising and lowering a carriage (26) that is engaged with a track (32) formed on the column (22). Adjustable arms (72) and rails (74) on the carriage (26) enable adjustment to fit a watercraft. Opening (108) allows a pin to be inserted therethrough to hold the carriage (26) in a raised position. The winch (28) can be mounted to any side of the column (22) to meet the needs of a particular installation. The lift (10) of the present invention provides a compact, efficient, and visually appealing dockside lift.

Owners of waterfront property typically own one or more personal watercraft that are utilized for sport and pleasure. These watercraft can include small boats, canoes, dinghies, jet skis, and other powered and non-powered marine craft. Most owners of waterfront property have docks extending from the shore into the body of water to allow easy access to the watercraft. In addition, these docks are used to moor the watercraft for safe storage when not in use.
It is frequently desirable to have a watercraft removed from the water for storage instead of leaving it moored to the dock. For instance, rough weather can cause significant wave action that will force the watercraft to repeatedly crash into the dock. In addition, watercraft such as jet skis are more properly stored outside of the water because their low profile in the water makes them more susceptible to water damage.
A number of devices have been developed to assist the users and owners of these watercraft in lifting the watercraft out of the water. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,187 discloses a hydraulic actuator and lift apparatus that is mounted adjacent to a dock for lifting a small watercraft from the water. As is typical of commercially available lifts today, this device has a rectangular-shaped stationary frame that includes upright legs or rails that are mounted on the dock to extend down into the water. Cross support beams are attached to the rails and to the bottom of the dock to provide rigid support. A hydraulic actuator is mounted to the frame under the water for moving a platform up and down on the frame. While the top of the rails in this patent are substantially flush with the top of the dock, other devices extend the rails above the dock to enable lifting of a watercraft higher than the dock. The drawbacks to these lifts presently in use is that they are complex and cumbersome. Installation frequently requires access to underneath the dock securing the rails to the ground beneath the water, and present an unsightly appearance. Many of these lifts lack the capability of easily adjusting their vertical height to accommodate changes in water levels that can result from tides, run-off, drought, etc. In addition, the actuator mechanism is frequently submerged, reducing its life and making it difficult to adjust or repair the mechanism.


A method to assess oxidative stress in vivo by measuring the amount of free, esterified and glucuronidated forms of isoprostanes (8EPGF2) in a biological sample which contains the isoprostanes is disclosed. The method further includes determining the amount of total isoprostanes present in the sample. This amount is compared with a control sample. The oxidative stress is determined through the comparison wherein the amount of isoprostanes increase in the sample isolated from an organism undergoing oxidative stress compared to the control. Alternatively the method of the present invention provides for only the measurement of the glucuronidated form wherein the amount of glucuronidated isoprostanes increase in the sample isolated from an organism undergoing oxidative stress compared to the control.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method to analyze in vivo oxidative stress status in an organism by measuring glucuronidated forms of isoprostanes isolated from the organism and determining a total isoprostane profile including the glucuronidated form.
2. Description of Related Art
Oxidative stress, i.e. free radicals derived from oxygen, when occurring in vivo in biological systems, including cells and organisms, disrupts cellular structures and functions and contributes to disease development and aging. It would be useful to determine the oxidative stress level in vivo so as to provide a measure of the potential for disease development Halliwell, et al 1987!.
Isoprostanes are a novel class of prostaglandin-like compounds formed in vivo or in vitro by a non-cyclooxygenase-dependent free-radical catalyzed mechanism Morrow, et al, 1990a!. In normal humans, levels of free (non-conjugated) form of 8-epi-prostaglandin F.sub.2.alpha., (8EPGF2) measured by gas chromatograph and mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) provide a normal range from 5-50 pg/mL plasma and 500-3,000 pg/mg urinary creatinine, respectively Morrow, et al, 1990a; 1990b; Morrow and Roberts, 1991!. The in vivo concentration of 8EPGF2 increases dramatically in animal models of lipid peroxidation Awad, et al 1994!, a model oxidative stress.
F.sub.2 -isoprostanes are formed from bicycloendoperoxide intermediates. Analogous to cyclooxygenase derived compounds the endoperoxide intermediate products of prostaglandin synthase (prostaglandin G.sub.2 and prostaglandin H.sub.2) are unstable and can also undergo non-enzymatic rearrangement to PGD.sub.2 and PGE.sub.2 (t1/2=.about.5 minutes in aqueous solution). Therefore, the possibility that the bicyclic endoperoxide precursors of 8EPGF2 undergo rearrangement to D-ring and E-ring isoprostanes was investigated and found that the D.sub.2 /E.sub.2 -isoprostanes are in fact formed in vivo in addition to F.sub.2 -isoprostanes Morrow, et al 1994!. In contrast to 8EPGF2, free D.sub.2 /E.sub.2 -isoprostanes were not detectable (<5 pg/mL) in the circulatory system of untreated rats, but were found at significant levels in rats treated with CCl.sub.4 to generate free radical induced lipid peroxidation Morrow, et al 1994!.
Therefore, measurement of isoprostane concentrations correlate with free radical production and this measurement has significant diagnostic potential for assessment of oxidative stress and disorders such as hepatorenal syndrome Awad, et al, 1994!, atherosclerosis Morrow, et al, 1995!, and carcinogenesis Takahashi, et al, 1992!. High concentration of serum 8EPGF2 was found, in part, to be responsible for the kidney failure due to the intense vasoconstriction of renal arteries in hepatorenal syndrome patients Awad, et al, 1994!. Free isoprostanes have been measured in plasma and urine as a relative measure of oxidative stress in vivo.
However, in any assay for isoprostanes all forms of the isoprostanes need to be considered and their metabolites may need to be considered. Assays for the free form are known. However, there is a concern about measurements of only the free (non-conjugated) form being completely representative. A significant portion Morrow et al, 1997! of the free form in urine is probably derived locally from the kidney and does not represent systemic oxidant stress. For other body fluids isoprostanes may also be esterified to phospholipid Morrow et al, 1997!, and both free and esterified increase in oxidant stress. Therefore it is apparent that measurement of only the free form may provide an incomplete picture of oxidant stress in vivo.
8EPGF2 has a vasoconstrictor property Morrow and Roberts, 1991; Morrow, et al, 1994!, which may be, in part, mediated by binding to the thromboxane receptor Fukunaga, 1993! or a distinct 8EPGF2 receptor Rich and Singh, 1979!. Thus, any structural change of 8EPGF2 due to esterification or conjugation will be expected to affect binding of the 8EPGF2 to the receptors.
Free isoprostanes have been measured by mass spectrometry Morrow, et al, 1990a; 1990b; Morrow and Roberts, 1991; Awad, et al, 1994!. This method is not well suited for routine clinical determinations due to:
(a) sample preparation for GC/MS is long and tedious, PA1 (b) this method assesses only free isoprostanes, and PA1 (c) it is not practical to measure all the possible
8EPGF2 metabolites using GC/MS. Recently, free 8EPGF2 in serum and urine specimens were measured using an ELISA. However this assay again does not provide a complete picture of oxidative stress since the assay does not measure all forms and metabolites of the isoprostanes which is necessary to provide a complete profile or better representation of oxidative stress in vivo.


An automobile may include a vehicle frame, a body supported on the vehicle frame and defining a passenger compartment and a console assembly positioned within the passenger compartment. The console assembly may include: (A) a console frame having at least a first tubular portion and a plurality of legs where each leg is supported on the vehicle frame; (B) an outer shell connected to the console frame for use in covering the console frame; and, (C) an armrest supported on the console frame and adapted to support a person's arm.

A. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to the art of methods and apparatuses for automobile consoles, and more specifically to an automobile console having a console frame formed of one or more tubular members.
B. Description of the Related Art
It is well known in the automotive industry to provide a vehicle with a console positioned between two seats. These known consoles either have no rigid frame structure or include a frame structure formed of flat steel stampings or castings. An example of such a frame structure is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,976 to Doughty et al.
While many known console frame structures work well for their intended purpose, consoles continue to get larger and taller and often are used as armrests. These factors may tend to increase the forces exerted on console frame structures. The console assembly of this invention overcomes these difficulties and provides a console frame with sufficient strength and rigidity to withstand these forces.

Automotive console assembly with tubular frame


A fiber optic track lighting system comprises an elongated track channel having a generally U-shaped cross-section on a longitudinal axis. The U-shaped channel has a base portion joined to the proximal edges of first and second depending legs having parallel distal edges including an inward-facing longitudinal groove along each edge. A plurality of luminaire holders have opposed edges slidably engagable into the respective inward-facing longitudinal grooves to hold a fiber optic luminaire on an optical axis parallel to, and positionable along, the longitudinal axis of the track channel. Fiber optic light guides receive light from a remote source of illumination, extend a distance within the track channel to a light-emitting end. An optical element retained in each luminaire intercepts the emitted light, producing a substantially collimated light beam along the optical axis. A mirror intercepts the collimated beam and reflects the light beam away from the optical axis and out of the channel between the depending legs. In the preferred embodiment the mirror reflecting the light beam is positionable by rotation about the optical axis of the respective luminaire and also positionable by rotation transversely to said optical axis.

Track lighting is well known in the art, as exemplified by the Inventor's U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,822,292, 4,812,834, D318,742, D318,143, and others. Track lighting is widely used because of its extreme versatility and its ability to accommodate changes, wherein a lighting fixture may be positioned at any point along the track and may be aimed in any direction from its attachment point. However, track lighting has has several significant disadvantages. The first such disadvantage is that the track fixtures generate substantial amounts of heat in the room, as well as radiant infrared heat in the light beams. The second significant disadvantage of track lighting is that, although the track itself is very compact, usually no more than a one-inch-high by two-inch-wide cross-section, all the fixtures hang downward from tracks on the ceiling 6 to 10 inches, providing an unattractive, cluttered ceiling appearance.
The clutter of the depending track liught fixtures may be eliminated by the use of small strip lights, in which a miniature track supports many tiny light bulbs aling its length. This approach is exemplified by systems such as shown in the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,743. These systems are very limited in wattage, as the lamp heat is not readily dissipated; so they are incapable for use as general illumination.
Fiber optic lighting is also a known art, as exemplified by the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,399. Such fiber optic systems overcome the track lighting disadvantage of excess heat in the room by placing the light source outside the room. The other track lighting disadvantage, having many unattractive depending light fixtures on the ceiling, is partially overcome by the unusually small size of fiber optic luminaires, such as those shown in the applicant's pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/746,749.
It is known to mount fiber optic luminaires in fixed locations inlight bars, as shown in the Churchill U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,535. However, such presently-known fiber optic mounting channels must be very deep in order to accommodate the bend radius of the fiber optic light guides, as shown. Further, in order to provide optical control, the luminaires depend from the light bar, as seen in the Churchill patent.
The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a fiber optic track lighting system that retains all of the light guides and the fiber optic luminaires hidden within a small channel that is no larger than conventional lighting track, without any external fixtures. It is a further purpose of the invention to provide a fiber optic track lighting system in which each fiber optic luminaire may be aimed, both longitudinally and transversely with repect to the track.


An apparatus may include a first storage location to store a key value of an activated correlated data values (CDV) pair and a second storage location to store a correlated value corresponding to the key value. An apparatus may also include a first storage location to store an instruction to activate a CDV pair and a second storage location to store an instruction to deactivate the CDV pair. A system may comprise a processor to fetch and execute a native instruction set including an instruction to activate a CDV pair and an instruction to deactivate the CDV pair, as well as a memory to store a table that includes the CDV pair. A machine-readable medium may include instructions causing a machine to perform a method comprising activating a CDV pair and performing a first task using the correlated value in parallel with a second task using the key value.

Generally, there has been a need for increasing the speed at which computer programs are executed. A computer typically has at least one processor running instructions that make up a computer program. In what is known as sequential or serial processing, the instructions that make up a computer program are executed one at a time by a processor of a computer. That is, a first instruction is executed, then a second instruction is executed, and so forth, until the program is finished. Therefore, in sequential or serial processing, the execution speed of programs can be increased by increasing the speed at which the processor of the computer executes instructions.
In another type of processing, known as parallel processing, increased program execution speed is achieved by executing program instructions in parallel with one another. Thus, for example, a first instruction may be executed by a first processor of the computer at the same time a second instruction is executed by a second processor (or, a different part of the first processor), then a third instruction may be executed by the first processor at the same time as a fourth instruction is executed by the second processor (or, the different part of the first processor), etc.
Parallel processing is not as commonly-used as sequential processing. Computer programmers, for example, are typically not as experienced in developing computer programs that take advantage of parallel processing as they are in writing programs that are to be processed sequentially. Thus, there has generally been more emphasis placed on increasing the speed of processors themselves to achieve increased execution speed of computer programs, rather than on utilizing parallel processing to achieve increased execution speed of computer programs.

Parallel processing apparatus, system, and method utilizing correlated data value pairs


The present invention relates to an azo compound represented by the following formula (1) [wherein, A represents a naphthyl group having a substituent, R1 to R6 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having a carbon atom number of 1 to 5, an alkoxy group having a carbon atom number of 1 to 5, a sulfo group, or an alkoxy group having a sulfo group and a carbon atom number of 1 to 5, and X represents a benzoylamino group having a substituent, a phenylamine group having a substituent, a phenylazo group having a substituent, or a naphthotriazole group having a substituent] and a salt thereof. A neutral color polarizing plate and a color polarizing plate for a liquid crystal projector being excellent in polarization performance and durability and having less color leakage in a visible light region can be provided.

The polarizing plate having light transmission/shielding function and also a liquid crystal having light switching function are fundamental components of display devices such as liquid crystal displays (Liquid Crystal Display: LCD). The application field of this LCD has been also extended from small instruments such as initial electronic calculators and clocks to laptop personal computers, word processors, liquid crystal projectors, liquid crystal televisions, car navigation systems and indoor-outdoor measurement instruments, and the like. In addition, it can be also applied to a lens having polarization function, and has been applied to sunglasses with improved visibility and also, in recent years, polarized glasses for 3D televisions, and the like. As above, the application of the polarizing plate is widely broadened and it is used under broad conditions from low temperature to high temperature, from low humidity to high humidity, and from low light amount to high light amount, so a polarizing plate having high polarization performance and excellent durability is required.
At present, the polarizing film is manufactured by dyeing, with iodine or a dichroic dye as a dichroic coloring matter, a polarizing raw film such as a film formed by stretching and orienting polyvinyl alcohol or a derivative thereof or a polyene-based film formed by producing a polyene by dehydrochlorination of a polyvinyl chloride film or by dehydration of a polyvinyl alcohol-based film and then orienting the polyene, or manufactured by allowing iodine or a dichroic dye as a dichroic coloring matter to be contained in the polarizing raw base. Among them, the iodine-based polarizing film using iodine as a dichroic coloring matter has excellent polarization performance but is vulnerable to water and heat, and thus it has a problem with its durability when used in the state of high temperature and high humidity for a long period of time. Some solution methods have been considered, such as treatment with formalin or an aqueous solution containing boric acid and use of a polymer film having a low water-vapor transmission ratio as a protective film, in order to improve durability, but their effects are not sufficient. On the other hand, the dye-based polarizing film using a dichroic dye as a dichroic coloring matter is excellent in moisture fastness and heat fastness as compared with the iodine-based polarizing film but generally has insufficient polarization performance.
In a neutral-color polarizing film formed by adsorption of a few kinds of dichroic dyes into a polymer film and by orientation, if light-leakage (color-leakage) of a certain wavelength in a wavelength region of a visible light region occurs in the state where two polarizing films are superposes so that their orientation direction are orthogonal (in the orthogonal position), the hue of a liquid crystal display could change in a dark state when the polarizing film is provided on a liquid crystal panel. In order to prevent discoloration of a liquid crystal display due to color leakage in a certain wavelength in the dark state when a liquid crystal display is provided with a polarizing film, the transmittance ratio in the orthogonal position (orthogonal transmittance ratio) in the wavelength region of the visible light region must be uniformly reduced in a neutral color polarizing film formed by adsorption of a dichroic dye into a plural kinds of polymer films and by orientation.
In the case of a color liquid crystal projection-type display, i.e., a color liquid crystal projector, a polarizing plate is used in its liquid crystal image formation part. Previously, an iodine-based polarizing plate having good polarization performance and exhibiting neutral gray was used. However, the iodine-based polarizing plate has a problem of insufficiency in light fastness, heat fastness and wet-heat fastness because iodine is used as a dichroic coloring matter as described above. In order to solve this problem, a neutral gray polarizing plate with a dye-based dichroic coloring matter being a polarizer has been increasingly used. For this neutral-gray polarizing plate, coloring matters of three primary colors are usually used in combination in order to averagely improve the transmittance in all visible light wavelength regions and polarization performance. For this reason, a neutral gray polarizing plate using a dichroic dye as a dichroic coloring matter does not have sufficient light transmittance, so there is a problem that the light source intensity must be higher in order to meet market needs of a brighter projection image in a color liquid crystal projector. In order to solve this problem, three color dye-based polarizing plates corresponding to three primary colors, i.e., for blue channel, green channel and red channel, have been used instead of the neutral gray polarizing plate.
However, reduction in brightness cannot be avoided due to considerable absorption of light by a polarizing plate, enlargement of an image having a small area of 0.5-3 inches to a few dozen-hundred inches, and so on, and therefore as its light source, one having higher luminance is used. Additionally, further improvement of brightness of a liquid crystal projector is firmly required, and as a result, intensity of a light source used has been increasingly enhanced, which also involves increase in light and heat on a polarizing plate.
The dye used for manufacturing the above-described dye-based polarizing film includes, for example, water-soluble azo compounds described in Patent Literature 1 to Patent Literature 7, and the like.
However, conventional polarizing plates containing the above water-soluble dye have yet to sufficiently satisfy market needs from the viewpoint of polarization properties, absorption in wavelength region, hue and the like. In addition, for the three color dye-based polarizing plates for blue channel, green channel and red channel corresponding to three primary colors for a color liquid crystal projector, there is no polarizing plate having brightness and polarization performance and being good in all of durability under high temperature and high humidity conditions and also fastness to light exposure for a long period of time, so improvement of conventional polarizing plates is desired.    Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent No, 2622748 A    Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No, 2001-33627 A    Patent Literature 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-51645 A    Patent Literature 4: WO2005/075572 A    Patent Literature 5: WO2007/148757 A    Patent Literature 6: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-327858 A    Patent Literature 7: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-255846 A    Patent Literature 8: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-075719 A    Non-Patent Literature 1: Dye Chemistry; written by Yutaka Hosoda

Azo compound and salt thereof, and dye-based polarizing film and polarizing plate containing the same


A tunable current mode integrator for low-frequency continuous-time filters that requires a reduced amount of area when implemented in an integrated circuit (IC). The integrator includes input and output transistors, and cross-coupled current mirrors, integration capacitors, and operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) that form a feedback structure with the input transistors. Input currents are converted to small current swings within the OTAs, and are subsequently integrated by the capacitors. Resulting integrated voltages are converted to output currents by the output transistors.

The present application relates generally to low-frequency continuous-time filters, and more specifically to integrators for low-frequency continuous-time filters that can be implemented in integrated circuits.
In recent years, there has been an increasing need for continuous-time filters that can be implemented in integrated circuits (ICs). By implementing functional circuit components such as filters in ICs, significant reductions in the size, cost, and complexity of a target system can be achieved. A conventional continuous-time filter implementable in an IC is the transconductor-capacitor (gm-C) filter, in which "gm" represents the transconductance of a transconductor and "C" represents the capacitance of a capacitor. The conventional gm-C filter includes one or more gm-C integrators. Each gm-C integrator typically operates in the current mode, i.e., both the input and output signals of the gm-C integrator take the form of currents. Such gm-C filters have been widely used in low-voltage high-frequency applications such as cellular telephones. For example, in cellular telephones, integrated gm-C filters may be employed to reconstruct received signals, and to perform anti-aliasing prior to signal transmission.
Not only is there a need for integratable continuous-time filters in high-frequency applications, but there is also a need for integratable continuous-time filters in low-frequency applications. Such low-frequency applications include biomedical systems that sense and process bioelectrical signals and that require filters having cutoff frequencies below 100 Hz; speech recognition systems and sound detecting/processing devices such as hearing aids that require filters operating in the audio frequency range; and, seismic and machine surveillance systems that require low-frequency filters for monitoring and for analyzing signals with frequencies typically ranging from about 0.1 Hz to 100 Hz. Low-frequency signal processing is also employed in some medium to high-frequency applications such as averaging filters in root mean square (RMS) detectors, automatic gain control (AGC) circuits, and phase locked loop (PLL) circuits.
However, using gm-C filters in low-frequency applications can be problematic, especially when implementing the filters in an IC. This is because in low-frequency applications, it is generally desirable to use gm-C filters that have a low transconductance. For a typical gm-C integrator, however, the transconductance of the transconductor is inversely proportional to the capacitance of the capacitor. As a result, as the transconductance of the gm-C integrator is reduced, the amount of area required to implement the capacitor is increased, thereby reducing the amount of area available for the gm-C filter and other circuits in the IC. Although the larger capacitance of the low-frequency gm-C integrator may be implemented using one or more components external to the IC, such use of external components typically increases the size, cost, and/or complexity of the target system.
It would therefore be desirable to have an integrator suitable for use in low-frequency continuous-time filters and implementable in an IC that avoids the shortcomings of the above-described conventional gm-C integrator.

Tunable current-mode integrator for low-frequency filters


In a locking slide fastener slider, an upper wing has on its lower surface a central ledge extending from a guide post to the rear end so as to define a pair of side recesses one on each side of the central ledge. The central ledge has a large-width portion extending from around a base of the guide post and terminating midway to the rear end an intermediate tapering portion contiguous to the large-width portion, and a small-width portion extending from the tapering portion to the rear end. An inclined slope is formed along the boundary of the central ledge and one of side recesses. A locking-pawl-insertion through-hole extends transversely from the central ledge into one side recess across the slope.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a locking slide fastener slider of automatic, semi-automatic or manual type, and more particularly to the shape of a locking-pawl-insertion through-hole, which is part of a locking mechanism on a slider body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In some of conventional locking sliders of the automatic, semi-automatic or manual type, a locking-pawl-insertion through-hole in the form of a square slot is located in a central ledge extending on the lower surface of an upper wing from a guide post to the rear end of a guide channel in which a pair of rows of fastener elements is to be guided. And in others of the conventional locking sliders, such locking-pawl-insertion through-hole is located in one of opposite side recesses, one on each side of the central ledge, in the lower surface of the upper wing.
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 57-7313 discloses a locking slider as shown in FIG. 11 of the accompanying drawings of the present specification. In this slider, a square locking-pawl-insertion through-hole 15' is located about a center of a central ledge 10' on the lower surface of an upper wing 2', and a plate-like locking pawl 21' is automatically inserted into a space between adjacent legs of one of opposed rows of fastener elements being coupled together in a guide channel 6' of a slider body 1' to temporarily stop the sliding of the slider.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,901,803 discloses a locking slider as shown in FIG. 12 of the accompanying drawings of the present specification. In this slider, a rectangular locking-pawl-insertion through-hole 15" is located in one of opposite side recesses 9" at a position toward the rear end of the guide channel 6", off a central ledge 10" on the lower surface of the upper wing 2", and a longitudinally elongated locking pawl 21" is inserted into the locking-pawl-insertion through-hole 15" to automatically press the legs of one of opposed rows of fastener elements being coupled together in the guide channel 6" of a slider body 1", thus temporarily stop the slider.
In either locking slider of the above-named publications, partly since the locking pawl presses the legs of the coupled fastener elements or is inserted into a space between adjacent legs at a position in the central ledge or in the one side recess to automatically stop the sliding of the slider, and partly since the locking-pawl-insertion through-hole is located in a flat area, possible influence on the fastener elements due to the locking-pawl-insertion through-hole would not be very much.
Whereas in the locking slider according to this invention, the locking-pawl-insertion through-hole is located in and across the boundary between the central ledge and one of opposite side recesses in the guide channel. Either of the above-named prior art publications is totally silent about this concept. Still, with a hypothetical combination of the locking-pawl-insertion through-holes of these prior art forms, a squared step was created in the locking-pawl-insertion through-hole at the boundary between the central ledge and the side recess and due to this stepped locking-pawl-insertion through-hole, the frictional resistance of the fastener elements would become large so that smooth sliding of the slider could not be realized and the fastener elements would be damaged by the locking-pawl-insertion through-hole. Having the surfaces of the legs of the fastener elements with scratches, the slide fastener would be unsightly.


An information processing apparatus accesses to each of a plurality of access destinations via communications between the information processing apparatus and the server. And the apparatus decides a time-out time corresponding to each of the plurality of access destinations based on a communication count, with the server, for access to each of the plurality of access destinations. When accessing to an access destination of the plurality of access destinations via the communication with the server, the apparatus controls the communication to reach a time-out according to the time-out time which is decided and corresponds to the access destination.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for acquiring data from a Web server, an information processing method, and a storage medium storing a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an arrangement for acquiring information via a gateway/relay processing device upon acquiring information by establishing connection to a network such as the Internet is known (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-197124). In such arrangement described in this literature, for example, the gateway/relay processing device makes packet communications with a cellular terminal in a packet cellular system, and makes packet communications with a terminal via a satellite in a satellite packet system. In this case, a relay processing device sets a time-out time in communications between the gateway/relay processing device and terminal depending on whether a terminal used in communications is the cellular terminal or the terminal which makes communications via the satellite.
When a client device uses Web services from Web servers, access destinations are different depending on Web services to be used by the user of the client device, and response times from the Web servers are different in some cases.
However, in such arrangement, a time-out time in communications between the Web server and client device is often set to be constant. In this case, the client device reaches a time-out in the constant time irrespective of Web services. For example, in the aforementioned related art, the server sets a time-out time according to a client device type, but access destinations to be accessed by the client device are not taken into consideration. For this reason, even if one client device uses various Web services, a time-out time between that client device and the server is unwantedly constant.
As described above, when a time-out time between the client device and server is constant, the time-out time has to be set under the assumption of a Web service that requires a longest response time from the Web server in consideration of, for example, ensured acquisition of information from the Web server by the client device. For this reason, even when a Web service used by the user requires a shorter response time from the Web server, the client device has to reach a time-out after waiting for a response from the server over more than an enough time.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method and storage medium storing program


In one embodiment, a first network device detects load information transmitted by a second network device and selects one of a plurality of modes of communication responsive to the detected load information. The modes of communication include at least a first mode of communication that is selected responsive to a relatively low load condition and a second mode of communication that is selected responsive to a relatively high load condition. In each of the modes particular information is to be transmitted from the first network device to the second network device including at least one identifier and associated data, and in different ones of the modes different portions of the particular information are transmitted from the first network device to the second network device using different channel arrangements. The first and second network devices may comprise, for example, respective sensor and access point nodes of a wireless network.

In communication networks, load can vary significantly over time. This is particularly true in machine-to-machine (M2M) communication networks. Such networks may be configured, for example, to support wide area communication of sensor data to Internet-based applications. M2M communications span multiple vertical industries such as transportation, healthcare, utilities, retail, industrial monitoring, banking, and home automation and include a variety of applications within each vertical.
M2M traffic is typically distinct from consumer traffic and is characterized by more frequent but short lived transactions with small payloads. For example, a fleet management application can require transmission of location information every 20 seconds by each vehicle to a central application server with each transaction involving a payload of less than about 500 bytes. Similarly, reporting of health data such as blood pressure or heart rate by medical devices usually involves payloads less than about 200 bytes.
Many communication networks, including mobile cellular networks such as fourth generation Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular networks, are designed for handling consumer communication applications such as voice, video streaming, video conferencing, web browsing and file transfers where the communication sessions are long lived. Thus a typical session involves establishment of dedicated radio bearers by first using a common random access channel to send relevant control information such as identity of the mobile device followed by actual transmission of higher layer signaling messages and then application data over scheduled dedicated resources. However, use of this current cellular communication technology for M2M applications can result in a disproportionately large amount of signaling traffic relative to data traffic.
LTE networks and other conventional wireless networks such as IEEE 802.11n networks have mechanisms such as rate adaptation and scheduling for dynamically allocating resources to serve multiple users. However, these mechanisms and the underlying techniques for establishing traffic channels via random access channels are designed to operate under a relatively narrow range of load conditions. For very low loads, the network resources are underutilized, and for very high loads, the network resources are insufficient and an excessive number of users may be dropped. While these networks can adapt the transmission rate to meet different link conditions, they do not adapt efficiently to meet widely varying load conditions.
Also, current network design is often focused on maximizing throughput. However, if the application is such that each node needs to only send a small amount of data, as in the above-described M2M communication context, throughput is not necessarily the most meaningful metric.

Load-dependent transmission in communication networks


A system is disclosed for assembling and balancing automotive wheels. Each wheel includes a wheel rim having a valve stem opening and a tire adapted to be mounted on the rim. The circumferential position and magnitude of any tire imbalance is marked on the tire. A plurality of valve stems is also provided wherein the valve stems vary in weight from each other. The tire is positioned with respect to the rim so that the valve stem opening is substantially diametrically opposed to the circumferential position of the tire imbalance and a valve stem having a weight substantially the same as the magnitude of the tire imbalance is then positioned in the valve stem opening. The tire is then inflated thus completing the assembly and balancing of the tire.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine and system for assembling and balancing automotive tires.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In the manufacture and assembly of automotive wheels, a tire is typically mounted to a rim and then inflated in order to form the automotive wheel. Due to the manufacturing process for manufacturing tires, the tires almost always have some tire imbalance. This tire imbalance must be corrected before mounting the wheels on the automotive vehicle.
Traditionally, lead weights have been attached to the rim of the tire to offset any imbalance of the tire. However, the use of lead is undesirable due to the potential environmental hazards of lead.
For this reason, it has been proposed that lead weights used on tires be covered by a plastic or teflon material in order to seal the lead. Such a system, however, has not proven wholly effective in use since the plastic or teflon coating is easily damaged, either during assembly of the weight onto the tire rim or during use of the vehicle and thus also exposes the lead to the environment.


A napkin holder is disclosed comprising a freestanding base (4) and spaced apart vertical wall members (6,8) which define a channel (18) therebetween for receipt of a vertical stack of napkins. The wall members comprise intersecting first and second panels (10,12 and 14,16) which form an obtuse angle such that the stack of napkins in the channel form an obtuse angle and remain in an upright condition.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates generally to devices intended to hold a vertical stack of sheet stock in an upright condition, and more particularly to devices such as napkin holders.
2. The Prior Art
Devices such as napkin holders are well known commercial products. Typical holders comprise a base from which spaced apart vertical walls extend upward. The walls define a channel therebetween, open at opposite ends and terminating at a bottom floor, for receiving a vertical stack of napkins. The walls are spaced apart a distance sufficient to create a channel wide enough to receive a vertical stack of napkins, approximately one to two inches in depth.
While the above-described existing napkin holders work well, certain shortcomings exist therein. First, while the holder channel is wide enough to receive a sufficient number of napkins initially, and adequately functions to maintain the napkins vertical, after withdrawal of a number of napkins the stack tends to double over. This is because, as napkins are withdrawn, the stack diminishes in depth to substantially less than the one to two inch width of the channel. The napkin stack thereupon slides downward along the bottom floor until its bottom edge contacts the bottom edge of an opposite vertical wall. The weight of the stack presses the stack against the bottom channel floor and the stack assumes a C-shape which makes it more difficult to withdraw the next napkin.
Secondly, if the vertical holder walls are less than half the height of the napkin stack, the stack will tend to hang over the top of one of the vertical walls, making it relatively more difficult to grasp and withdraw one of the end napkins.
Other known napkin holders incorporate a mechanism such as a pressure plate for pressuring the stack of napkins against one of the vertical walls. Such holders are, however, substantially more expensive, require assembly, and are more difficult for the end user to use.


The present disclosure relates to a photovoltaic system and, more particularly, to a supporting device for a solar panel employed in a photovoltaic system. A supporting device for a solar panel includes a buoyant member including an upper body in which a plurality of protrusions are formed upwardly and first and second props are formed on the protrusions to prop a solar panel, respectively, and a lower body in which a wing part is formed to be protruded from the side thereof and a lower surface is formed to be protruded downwardly, and a connector formed to have a box shape and connecting the buoyant members in a vertical direction or horizontal direction, wherein the buoyant members are coupled to the connector as the wing parts are coupled to the connector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a photovoltaic system and, more particularly, to a supporting device for a solar panel employed in a photovoltaic system.
2. Background of the Invention
In general, a photovoltaic system (or a solar photovoltaic power generation system) is a system that generates power by converting photovoltaic energy into electric energy using a solar cell.
Power generation efficiency of a photovoltaic system greatly relies on a quantity of radiation of solar light, and an influence of a temperature needs to be considered. In order to enhance power generation efficiency of a photovoltaic system, a large quantity of radiation of solar light is provided, a large site is required, and a rather cold area is advantageous. Thus, in most cases, small-scale photovoltaic systems are installed in land due to difficulty in selecting a site, or the like, so recently, photovoltaic systems are installed on the water to enhance efficiency. In many cases, photovoltaic systems are installed on the roof in land and installed on the water having a low water level and a low wave height.
A solar module essential in a photovoltaic system generally include solar cells and supplies electricity through a connector band and an inverter. Here, a solar cell module is fixedly installed in a structure formed of steel, iron, aluminum profile, or the like, and may be classified as a fixed type solar module, a single axis type solar module, a biaxial solar module, and the like, according to a structure scheme.
In order to support a solar module, a support structure is required, and for water adaptation, a support structure using a buoyant member to utilize characteristics of a water environment has been developed. For example, WO2012/139998 entitled 'Panel Supporting Device' may be referred.
In this invention, a plastic case 2 composed of a bottom wall 3, an upper wall 4, and side walls 5, 6, 7, and 8, has a space including air therein so as to float on the water upon receiving buoyancy, and a unit is provided in the upper wall 4 to support the solar module.
Also, a connection member 30 is provided to connect a plurality of plastic cases 2 horizontally and vertically. The connection member 30 serves as a connection passage allowing an operator to step on and pass by for maintenance or management.
However, in this invention, elastic fixing members 61, 62, 63, and 64 for installing the solar module in the plastic case 2 are slide type members, causing difficulty in maintenance. The reason is because, when the operator steps on the connection member 30, it is sagged between the modules.
In addition, an airtight space is formed between a lower portion of the plastic case 2 and a water surface, allowing floating matters to be accumulated therein.


A method is disclosed for synthesizing high-silica molecular sieves having the CHA crystal structure using a structure directing agent comprising a cation derived from 1-adamantamine, 3-quinuclidinol or 2-exo-aminonorbornane. The synthesis is conducted in the absence of fluorine.

Chabazite, which has the crystal structure designated "CHA", is a natural zeolite with the approximate formula Ca6Al12Si24O72. Synthetic forms of chabazite are described in "Zeolite Molecular Sieves" by D. W. Breck, published in 1973 by John Wiley & Sons. The synthetic forms reported by Breck are: zeolite "K-G", described in J. Chem. Soc., p. 2822 (1956), Barrer et al.; zeolite D, described in British Patent No. 868,846 (1961); and zeolite R, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,181, issued Apr. 17, 1962 to Milton. Chabazite is also discussed in "Atlas of Zeolite Structure Types" (1978) by W. H. Meier and D. H. Olson.
The K-G zeolite material reported in the J. Chem. Soc. Article by Barrer et al. is a potassium form having a silica:alumina mole ratio (referred to herein as "SAR") of 2.3:1 to 4.15:1. Zeolite D reported in British Patent No. 868,846 is a sodium-potassium form having a SAR of 4.5:1 to 4.9:1. Zeolite R reported in U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,181 is a sodium form which has a SAR of 3.45:1 to 3.65:1.
Citation No. 93:66052y in Volume 93 (1980) of Chemical Abstracts concerns a Russian language article by Tsitsishrili et al. in Soobsch. Akad. Nauk. Gruz. SSR 1980, 97(3) 621–4. This article teaches that the presence of tetramethylammonium ions in a reaction mixture containing K2O—Na2O—SiO2—Al2O3—H2O promotes the crystallization of chabazite. The zeolite obtained by the crystallization procedure has a SAR of 4.23.
The molecular sieve designated SSZ-13, which has the CHA crystal structure, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,538, issued Oct. 1, 1985 to Zones. SSZ-13 is prepared from nitrogen-containing cations derived from 1-adamantamine, 3-quinuclidinol and 2-exo-aminonorbornane. Zones discloses that the SSZ-13 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,538 has a composition, as-synthesized and in the anhydrous state, in terms of mole ratios of oxides as follows:                (0.5 to 1.4)R2O:(0 to 0.5)M2O:W2O3:(greater than 5)YO2 wherein M is an alkali metal cation, W is selected from aluminum, gallium and mixtures thereof, Y is selected from silicon, germanium and mixtures thereof, and R is an organic cation. As prepared, the silica:alumina mole ratio is typically in the range of 8:1 to about 50:1, higher mole ratios can be obtained by varying the relative ratios of reactants. It is disclosed that higher mole ratios can also be obtained by treating the SSZ-13 with chelating agents or acids to extract aluminum from the SSZ-13 lattice. It is further stated that the silica:alumina mole ratio can also be increased by using silicon and carbon halides and similar compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,538 also discloses that the reaction mixture used to prepare SSZ-13 has a YO2/W2O3 mole ratio (e.g., SAR) in the range of 5:1 to 350:1. It is disclosed that use of an aqueous colloidal suspension of silica in the reaction mixture to provide a silica source allows production of SSZ-13 having a relatively high silica:alumina mole ratio.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,538 does not, however, disclose SSZ-13 having a silica:alumina mole ratio greater than 50.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,709,644, issued Mar. 23, 2004 to Zones et al., discloses aluminosilicate zeolites having the CHA crystal structure and having small crystallite sizes (designated SSZ-62). The reaction mixture used to prepare SSZ-62 has a SiO2/Al2O3 mole ratio of 20–50. It is disclosed that the zeolite can be used for separation of gasses (e.g., separating carbon dioxide from natural gas), and in catalysts used for the reduction of oxides of nitrogen in a gas stream (e.g., automotive exhaust), converting lower alcohols and other oxygenated hydrocarbons to liquid products, and for producing dimethylamine.
M. A. Camblor, L. A. Villaescusa and M. J. Diaz-Cabanas, "Synthesis of All-Silica and High-Silica Molecular Sieves in Fluoride Media", Topics in Catalysis, 9 (1999), pp. 59–76 discloses a method for making all-silica or high-silica zeolites, including chabazite. The chabazite is made in a reaction mixture containing fluoride and a N,N,N-trimethyl-1-adamantammonium structure directing agent. Camblor et al. does not, however, disclose the synthesis of all- or high-silica chabazite from a hydroxide-containing reaction mixture.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention relates to an elevator system for use during an emergency. The elevator system comprises two elevator shafts constructed adjacent to each other. Each elevator shaft houses an elevator car. The elevator system operates without the use of a building's power source by incorporating a primary pulley system to move the elevator cars. Generally, the elevator cars work in tandem such that as one elevator car goes up its respective elevator shaft, the other elevator car will go down its respective elevator shaft. Moreover, a secondary pulley system and a gear system are employed to also facilitate movement of the elevator cars without using the building's power supply.

Generally, elevators provide a method of transportation for moving persons or objects between floors of a building. These elevators include cars which travel within an elevator shaft. The cars are connected to a counterweight by hoist cables, all of which are oriented vertically within the shaft. Movement to a desired floor is achieved by electrically powered motors. These motors rely upon the building's power source and are controlled by electrical systems within the building.
During an emergency situation, such as an earthquake, fire or terrorist attack, the power within the building is often disrupted. Therefore, the conventional elevator system becomes unreliable. As a result, travel between floors during the emergency is reduced to the use of stairs, ladders or articulated arms. If the floor involved is relatively high (e.g. 50-100 floors), or if there are floors above a fire, ladders and articulated arms may not be able to reach the desired floor from the exterior of the building. Accordingly, the stairs may be used for persons to evacuate the building. However, considering that the evacuating persons will start from a relatively high floor, it will be hard-pressed and time consuming for the persons to walk down the stairs to safety.
Moreover, in the absence of conventional elevator service, emergency workers such as firefighters must hand carry any firefighting equipment to the affected area. This drastically reduces the amount of equipment than can be carried and the speed with which it can be deployed.
Therefore, there is a need for an elevator system which provides a reliable independent means to transport persons and objects between floors of a building during an emergency.


Provided is an electrical connection box into which a greater number of fuses can be inserted without increasing its size. An electrical connection box for a vehicle includes: an insertion housing into which multiple fuses are to be inserted through an open port on one side; multiple fuse terminals for connecting the fuses in the insertion housing to a substrate; a plate-shaped holding member that opposes the insertion housing from a side opposite to the one side of the insertion housing, and holds the multiple fuse terminals; and a case member that includes a flat plate portion for covering the multiple fuse terminals and has a notch that is formed in the covering portion, the holding member being arranged inside of the notch.

Conventionally, an electrical connection box into which fuses are inserted has been mounted in a vehicle.
JP H9-283004A discloses an electrical connection box including a box main body provided with: multiple fuse fitting portions into which fuses are to be fit; multiple fusible link fitting portions into which fusible links are to be fit; and a main fusible link fitting portion into which a main fusible link is to be fit, wherein the fuse fitting portions, the fusible link fitting portions, and the main fusible link fitting portion are sequentially arranged on one surface of the box main body.
JP H9-283004A is an example of related art.
Due to the number of electronic devices mounted in a vehicle increasing in recent years, the number of fuses needed to control the electronic devices has also increased. However, the amount of space in which an electrical connection box can be arranged is limited. Accordingly, it is necessary to devise a method according to which a greater number of fuses can be inserted while suppressing an increase in the size of the electrical connection box.
However, in the above-described electrical connection box, a case is merely disclosed in which one box body includes multiple types of fuse fitting portions corresponding to multiple types of fuses, and the above-described problem cannot be solved.
The present disclosure has been made in view of these circumstances, and it is an object thereof to provide an electrical connection box into which a greater number of fuses can be inserted without increasing the size.


A cap for an external side view mirror for a motor vehicle which facilitates the ability of an observer to determine the position of the vehicle. To accomplish this, a light-reflecting strip or triangular pyramidal reflector prisms, for example, are applied to the cap.

A cap is known from Ger. Gbm. G 89 14 759.6 which can be slid into place (e.g. in plug fashion) over a stable mounting base on which a rear view mirror is mounted.
In Ger. Gbm. G 94 09 566.3 it is proposed to use a transparent or translucent cap. An illuminating device comprising light-emitting diodes or light reflective materials is provided inside of the external mirror device of the vehicle. This enables accurate determination of the position of a vehicle from an external vantage point, whether the vehicle is stationary or moving. Such a capability is particularly advantageous in the case of two moving vehicles which are approaching each other.
However, the described device is expensive; further, in present-day external mirrors having electrically adjustable mirror elements, the space available to accommodate such illuminating devices, which would be the space between the cap, the mounting base, and the mirror element, is inadequate.
Accordingly, the underlying problem of the present invention is to devise an uncomplicated arrangement whereby an observer can easily determine the position of a vehicle.

Cap for external side view mirror of a motor vehicle


A cutting assembly for a surgical instrument. The cutting assembly comprises a tube assembly having an inner tube adapted to be rotated by a drive assembly, and an outer tube disposed over the inner tube. An aperture within each of the inner and outer tubes may define a cutting window adapted to be applied to a surgical site of a patient. A grip is coupled to the tube assembly and configured to be engaged by a hand of a user. A manually movable member for rotating the outer tube may be provided and rotated with an index finger or a thumb of the hand while the grip is engaged by a web of the hand. A web portion of the grip may be engaged by the web of the hand without being engaged by a palm of the hand. Methods of gripping a cutting assembly are also disclosed.

It is known that medical practitioners have found it useful to use surgical instruments to assist in the performance of surgical procedures. A surgical instrument is designed to be applied to a surgical site on the patient. The practitioner is able to position the surgical instrument at the site on the patient at which the instrument is to perform a medical or surgical procedure. Endoscopic surgical procedures are routinely performed in order to accomplish various surgical tasks. In endoscopic surgery the surgical site is may be accessed via small incisions called portals made in the patient, or through natural openings in the patient such as the nasal cavity in the case of sinus surgery. An endoscope, which is a device that allows medical personnel to view the surgical site, is inserted in one of the portals or nasal cavities. Surgical instruments used to perform specific surgical tasks are inserted together with the endoscope or though other portals. The surgeon views the surgical site through the endoscope to determine how to manipulate the surgical instruments in order to accomplish the surgical procedure. An advantage of performing endoscopic surgery is that it minimizes the amount of damage to surrounding tissues in order to access the surgical site and therefore the amount of the body that needs to heal after surgery. Moreover, during an endoscopic surgical procedure, only relatively small portions of the patient's internal organs and tissue are exposed to the open environment. This minimal opening of the patient's body lessens the extent to which a patient's organs and tissue are open to infection.
The ability to perform endoscopic surgery is enhanced by the development of powered surgical tools especially designed to perform endoscopic surgical procedures. One such tool, for example, is sold by the Applicant's Assignee under the trademark ESSx. This tool is in the form of a cylindrical handpiece designed to be held in the hand of the surgeon. Internal to the handpiece there is a motor. A front end of the handpiece is provided with a coupling assembly for releasably holding a cutting accessory. The types of cutting accessories that are attached to these handpieces include shavers and burs. Integral with the motor and coupling assembly is a mechanism for transmitting the rotary power developed by the motor to the cutting accessory. Often, handpieces are not comfortable to the user, and in many cases do not provide easy rotation of a cutting window of the cutting accessory. A surgical instrument designed to overcome one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages is desired.

Surgical instrument having cutting assembly with grip


Optically active poly(aryl)ether polymers prepared from monomers containing optically pure spirobiindane and/or indane moieties are disclosed. The chiral poly(aryl)ether polymers are of high molecular weight and exhibit high optical rotations. In addition, the polyethers are thermally stable at high temperatures and exhibit excellent hydrolytic resistance making them useful in high temperature processing applications, in the fabrication of optoelectronics devices, and as polarizing coatings and filters.

Chiral materials exhibiting no center of symmetry are isotropic birefringent materials having a "handed" molecular structure. This handedness makes them optically active and capable of rotating a plane of polarized light transmitted through them. Polarizing coatings and filters comprise birefringent materials capable of transforming light into polarized light. Thus, chiral materials may be used as polarizers in the fabrication of polarizing coatings and filters.
Recently, Pelet and Engheta in IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation 38, 90-98 (1990) have suggested the use of optically active materials in guided-wave structures to produce chiral waveguides. A chiral waveguide, also known as a chirowaveguide, comprises a cylindrical waveguide or parallel conducting plates filled with a homogeneous isotropic chiral material. Applications for chiral waveguides include integrated optical devices, telecommunications electronics systems, printed-circuit elements, and optoelectronics devices.
Organic polymers are known to be compatible with semiconductor electronics technology, can withstand high temperatures during processing, and have a large capacity for engineered properties. In addition, poly(aryl)ethers are a unique class of organic polymeric materials. They are characterized by their excellent mechanical strength per unit weight, high thermal stability, and hydrolytic resistance. Thus, they are often referred to as high performance polymers as compared with polyethylene, polystyrene, polymethylmethacrylate, polybutadiene, etc. Commercially available poly(aryl)ethers include polyphenylene oxide (PPO(.RTM.), polyether ether ketone (PEEK(.RTM.), polyether sulfone (UDEL.RTM.), and polyether imide (ULTEM(.RTM.).
Brunelle et al. disclose in U.S. Re. 34,431 cyclic poly(aryl)ether polymers prepared from racemic spirobiindane compounds. These cyclic polyethers include high molecular weight cyclic polyetherimides, polyetherketones, and polyethersulfones, which can then be converted to linear polymers. The cyclic spirobiindane polyetherimides exhibit high glass transition temperatures, typically greater than 200.degree. C. U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,926 to Patel et al. discloses high molecular weight polyetherketones and polyethersulfones containing derivatives of racemic indane compounds. The racemic indane polyethersulfones were found to exhibit a high glass transition temperature of 215.degree. C.
In general, most applications of synthetic polymers require good thermal stability to withstand high temperature processing, but do not require optical activity. However, for use in the formation of polarizing coatings or filters and for utility as chiral waveguides, birefringent materials having polarizing properties must be employed. Due to the low birefringence of the achiral prior art poly(aryl)ether polymers mentioned above, they are not useful in such applications.
Chiral polyether polymers are typically synthesized by polymerizing optically active monomers having an unsaturated alkene adjacent to the ether oxygen in the presence of a catalyst. The unsaturation is usually due to a carbon-carbon double bond in vinyl, acrylic, or methacrylic derivatives. For example, F. Ciardelli discloses in Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering Optically Active Polymers 10, 463-493 (1987) the preparation of optically active vinyl ethers, alkenyl vinyl ethers, and alkyl vinyl ketones from unsaturated chiral monomers. In addition, Ciradelli discloses the use of chiral cyclic monomers in forming linear optically active polymers through ring-opening polymerization reactions. These chiral polymers have shown utility as chiral reagents and catalysts for asymmetric synthesis, as packing materials for chromatographic columns for enantiomeric resolution, and as chiral materials for the preparation of liquid crystal polymers.
However, the aforementioned optically active polyethers exhibit low glass transition temperatures (<150.degree. C.) and have low thermal stability. Thus, these chiral polymers are not useful in applications that require high temperature processing, such as in the fabrication of optoelectronics devices.
Therefore, a need exists for optically active organic polymers that retain the aforementioned thermal advantages associated with high performance poly(aryl)ether polymers. In addition, a need exists for optically active polymers that can be used as polarizers and that can be used in high temperature processing applications, such as in the fabrication of opteoelectronics devices. Such polymers should have excellent processability and should be tough, durable, thermally stable, and water resistant.
The novel chiral polyether polymers of the present invention meet the above needs. Surprisingly, the present polyethers are not only optically active, but also exhibit excellent hydrolytic resistance and thermal properties, such as high glass transition temperatures or melting points. Thus, unlike known optically active polymers, the present polymers are particularly useful in high temperature processing applications.

Optically active poly(aryl)ethers containing optically pure spirobindane and indane moieties


A foam moulding is proposed having an integrally moulded anchoring element, by means of which the moulding is capable of being connected to other components, in particular to a cover, the anchoring element being a filament (2) of organic material extending parallel to the surface of the cushion.

The mechanical load-bearing capacity of foams is comparatively low, particularly in relation to tensile forces. If foam mouldings are to be connected to other components so as to be capable of bearing tensile loads it is therefore conventional in the state of the art either to undertake adhesion-bonding over a large area or to make use of anchoring elements in order to guarantee distribution of the forces over a wide area and to avoid point-focal loads that would result in fissure of the foam.
Particularly in vehicle construction, cushioning elements frequently consist of a central foam moulding, the surface of which is provided with a cover, usually a fabric or leather. In order to permit fastening of the cover at individual points or along a seam with the foam core there are integrally moulded within the foam one or more wires, to which the cover is connected by means of fastening elements, for example by filaments or hooks. By virtue of a taught connection, indentations are formed in the region of the junction points on the surface of the cushion which improve the fixation of the cover and contribute to the optical and functional design of the surface. With a suitable shape of the foaming tool it is possible to ensure that the points of attachment to the wire are freely accessible through recesses in the moulding, so that establishment of the connection is alleviated. By way of foams, use is made predominantly of polyurethanes which are produced by polyaddition of polyhydric alcohols with polyisocyanates. In this connection a reaction of the isocyanate with the hydroxyl group characterising the alcohol takes place. This state of the art can be inferred from U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,974, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The wires that are customary for anchoring adhere to the foam comparatively poorly--ie, the connection is effected almost exclusively by means of the form closure brought about by the integral moulding within the foam. With a view to achieving an adequate load-bearing capacity a sufficient cross-section of the wire is therefore required which, however, results in an increased weight which is disadvantageous for reasons of energy economy, particularly in vehicle construction. Moreover it is necessary to keep wires of various lengths in stock for different applications, considerably increasing the effort expended on storage. Finally, after they have been used, foam parts are frequently recycled by being shredded into flakes or by chemical dissolution. Both processes are impaired or hindered by metallic anchoring elements, so the wires have to be removed beforehand in elaborate manner.

Foam moulding with integrally moulded anchoring element


Network users are authorized individual access during a log-on session to encrypted content on content media at the user without the necessity of individualizing the content media for the particular user. The content may comprise multimedia data. The content media, which may be mass produced and distributed, includes a computer program which generates a unique configuration identifier upon instantiation of the program to begin a user access session. The program creates a virtual directory structure for the content that is uniquely determined for that session by the configuration identifier. The configuration identifier is uploaded to a remote server which uses the configuration identifier with other information identifying the content media and the user authorize user access. The remote server creates and downloads to a browser of the user an encrypted message containing URLs for accessing the content in the virtual directory structure and containing transformations of a decryption algorithm and decryption keys for the encrypted content. Encrypted multimedia content selected by the user is stored in a temporary file, decrypted in a moving time window, and rendered After rendering, the decrypted portion of the temporary file is scrambled to preclude further access.

This invention relates generally to encryption systems and methods for authentication and access, and more particularly to encryption systems and methods for networks for remotely authorizing local access to digital content stored on content media.
Developers of digital information, for example multimedia information such as streaming video and/or audio information, or of other digital data or code, face a number of significant problems in delivering the digital content to end users and then controlling access to the digital content. Content owners and providers are interested in a distribution mechanism which allows them to efficiently and inexpensively produce and distribute the digital content to end users, while at the same time controlling access and preventing unauthorized copying and use of the digital content. Some content owners who mass produce and distribute content on physical media have relied upon obtaining the agreement of end users to licenses limiting use or copying before authorizing access to the content. While licenses may afford the content owner a legal remedy, they are not effective in preventing unauthorized activities. Once unprotected content has been publicly distributed, it is difficult to prevent unauthorized copying and use of the content. Even encrypted content which requires a key for use may be easily duplicated and used without authorization.
Instead of distributing physical media, some content owners rely upon electronic delivery of content over a network, such as the Internet. This provides a content owner somewhat greater control over the content, since the content owner can require actual identification of the end user and an agreement to license terms before downloading the content to the user. However, once a content is downloaded, the content owner loses the ability to control access to the content.
Controlling access to content may be desirable not only to prevent unauthorized distribution and use by others, but also, as in the case of training materials, to require the user to progress through the content in a controlled and predetermined manner. It may be desirable, for example, to require users to complete chapters in a preassigned order and to perform certain exercises after completing one chapter before going to the next. Although the content owner can regulate this through online delivery of the content, once a content has been delivered to the user, the problems of unauthorized copying and use continue to exist. Moreover, online delivery of broadband content has other problems which favors delivery of content in other forms. Streaming video, for example, may have quality problems due to network or system bandwidth limitations or be incompatible with corporate firewalls which, for security purposes, may block streaming content.
Loss of revenue is another significant problem faced by content owners because of their inability to effectively control access to content following distribution and their inability to monitor and charge for subsequent uses of their content. A training video, for example, has value each time it is used and the content owner has had no effective way of deriving revenue for each use of such content after it has been distributed. Even content delivered on line may be stored, copied and reused once it has been delivered to a user.
It is desirable to provide systems and methods which address these and other problems faced by owners of digital content in distributing and controlling each access to the content, and it is to these ends that the present invention is directed.

Remote access authorization of local content