A wave energy generator includes a float for floating on the surface of a body of water. An electrical energy generator that is capable of generating usable electrical energy from the kinetic energy of waves is mounted to or otherwise engaged with the float. The electrical energy generator includes a housing, a coil of electrically conductive material, a reciprocally movable electromagnetically active mass, and springs for connecting the mass to the housing. The electrical energy generator may optionally include spring adjustment means engaged with the housing, means for constraining non-linear motion of the electromagnetically active mass, and/or means of mitigating motion retardation of the electromagnetically active mass within the housing.

Mechanical energy comprises a number of forms of energy including, but not limited to kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of a mass in motion. Kinetic energy is manifested in the motion of fluids which have mass and in masses moved by moving fluids. Fluids comprise liquids and gases, for example, air and water are both examples of fluids. Both air and water are put into motion by common atmospheric and hydrospheric phenomena. Such motion appears, among other things, as wind, waves, tides, seiches, and currents.
It is sometimes desirable to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. An example is the conversion of kinetic energy into electrical energy as the kinetic energy of a mass moves a magnetic field relative to a conductive coil thereby converting the kinetic energy of the mass to electrical energy by action of electromagnetic induction.
The world is becoming more dependent on energy sources. As a result of this increasing dependence, traditional energy sources are becoming exhausted. There have been efforts made to develop renewable and sustainable alternative sources of energy. Some of these alternative energy sources include solar power, wind power and hydropower.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved device to convert the kinetic energy manifested in waves into electrical energy in order to maximize the amount of electrical energy that may be generated for use.


This disclosure relates to compositions of isolated polypeptides and methods of their use for the treatment and prevention of disease or disease symptoms associated with MARCKS phosphorylation and/or dissociation from the cell membrane, including but not limited to allergic inflammation, asthma, chronic bronchitis, COPD, infection, hyper-reactivity, cystic fibrosis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis, acne, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Allergic asthma is still a primary public health concern. Airway remodeling, mucous cell metaplasia and persistent inflammation and hyper-reactivity are common features of allergic asthma. Most of these events are regulated by a complex series of interplays between the surrounding cells/tissues and the cytokines/mediators that are present in the airway lumen and walls. Various signaling pathways and mechanisms have been identified and useful for therapeutic application. Despite the progress, treatment of asthma continues to be a challenge, especially in patients with severe and difficult-to-treat asthma and there is a need in the art for effective treatments. This disclosure satisfies this need and related advantages as well.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Suppression of allergic lung inflammation and hyperreactivity

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA


A multidirectional camera mount allows quick, easy and safe rotational adjustment of camera orientation and/or position. An upper side of the multidirectional camera mount can include upper mounting tabs attached to a camera, camera housing or other device. A lower side of the multidirectional camera mount can include lower mounting tabs which can be affixed to various objects, while static or during numerous physical activities. The multidirectional camera mount can allow the upper mounting tabs to rotate relative to the lower mounting tabs.

Many individuals have found it desirable to record their activities, hobbies, events, and film productions. Conventionally, cameras are mounted in a fixed position, allowing only a certain field of view of any one direction at a time. Problems with many conventional camera mount systems is that they leave the camera locked/facing one direction with no simplified method for changing the camera angle/direction to obtain different angles of footage. Many camera mount systems have locking mechanisms, thumb screws, ball joints and other components that must be adjusted or manipulated with two hands to alter the camera orientation. In order to change the camera angle, the user must loosen the locking mechanisms, readjusting the camera angle and then tightening the locking mechanisms.
Some mount systems provide a mounting point that leaves the camera facing n degrees from where the camera is intended, which means having to use extra parts or components to obtain the correct camera angle/direction, in relation to how it is being mounted/affixed. Under various operating conditions this is cumbersome, time consuming, and sometimes even unsafe. Though many mounts are functional with commercial success, there has been a long standing need for improvement.


A linear and symmetrical gigaohm resistive load structure for an integrated circuit is implemented using a thin film accumulation mode MOSFET configured as a split gate symmetrically off device. Preferably, the resistive load structure comprises two thin film accumulation mode field effect transistors connected in series with a common node and separate gate electrodes. The thin film devices are provided with undoped or lightly doped polysilicon channel regions to provide a desired gigaohm resistance value. By connecting each of the two gate electrodes to the respective source terminals, a two terminal gigaohm resistor structure is produced in which one of the devices is always in the high impedance OFF state regardless of the terminal voltages. The split gate structure allows the integration of the device with minimal metallization interconnect and only two terminals.

Highly resistive loads are required in various applications for VLSI digital and analogue integrated circuits. For example, gigaohm resistors may be used as pull-up resistors in memory devices to limit power consumption.
In a known method of providing a linear resistor for a MOS, Bipolar, or Bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS) silicon integrated circuit, a layer of polysilicon is deposited over a thick layer of dielectric, for example, a field oxide provided on a semiconductor silicon substrate. The polysilicon layer is patterned to define a resistor structure and then selectively doped by ion implantation. Typically, the polysilicon resistor structure comprises heavily doped end regions forming ohmic contact electrodes, and a resistive region extending between the contact regions in which the dopant concentration is sufficient to provide a desired resistance value. Low and medium valued resistors for applications in MOS and bipolar digital and analogue integrated circuits (ICs), are typically formed by adjusting the resistivity by selectively doping the layer of polysilicon, e.g. by ion implantation, to obtain n- or p -type ohmic resistors. Advantageously a polysilicon resistor structure can be completely isolated by a layer of dielectric, e.g. silicon dioxide, to reduce potential shunting of the resistor by parasitic current leakage paths. Resistors as described above having low to medium resistance value ranges (i.e. 10-1000 ohm/sq) are linear over a wide voltage range.
Polysilicon resistors may be implemented in any of the four or five layers of polysilicon commonly used in CMOS or BiCMOS processes. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,678 to Winnerl et. al. entitled "Method of making an integrated circuit comprising load resistors arranged on the field oxide zones which separate the active transistor zones", resistors are formed in a polysilicon layer which forms gate structures of MOS transistors. In another example, described in European Patent Application 0316104A to Hunt et. al. entitled Improvements in Integrated Circuits , a common polysilicon layer is used to provide polysilicon resistors and polysilicon emitters of bipolar transistors.
Amorphous silicon may be used as an alternative to polysilicon, for example as described in a U.S. Pat. No. 047,826 to Keller et. al. entitled "Gigaohm load resistor for BICMOS process" a gigaohm resistor is fabricated from a layer of 1500.ANG. to 2500.ANG. of CVD or sputtered amorphous silicon, heaving heavily doped O+ or N+ head regions which are silicided to form contacts. The resistivity of the amorphous silicon layer is adjusted by ion implantation and is independent of the polysilicon layers forming the gate of CMOS transistors, emitters of bipolar transistors or first capacitor plates. In the latter example, the amorphous silicon layer also formed a second plate of a capacitor or a fuse.
Although highly value resistive loads in the 100k.OMEGA. range may be fabricated reproducibly using conventional CMOS and bipolar CMOS processes, a number of problems arise in using known processes for fabricating gigaohm resistive loads using undoped or very lightly doped polysilicon. The latter is susceptible to process induced damage and defects, which degrade quality, create leakage paths and lead to poor reliability. Non-linearity of conventional known high value polysilicon resistors has restricted use of gigaohm resistors to the leakage current type circuit applications, for example, in high density static random access memories (SRAMS).
In fabricating high value resistances from polysilicon with sheet resistance in excess of megaohm/sq charges are found to be associated with isolating dielectrics, typically deposited oxides, and traps may be generated due to etch damage or exposure of the dielectric to plasma radiation. These charges and traps tend to cause surface conduction modulation in the underlying polysilicon layer and create leakage paths, resulting in resistance degradation. Thus polysilicon and amorphous silicon gigaohm resistors formed as described above, are susceptible to processing or radiation induced surface charges and defects, which may result in highly non-linear current voltage characteristics and significant die-to-die and wafer-to-wafer sheet resistance variability. Resistor performance may be unsatisfactory for analogue circuit designs where gigaohm resistors are required having high linearity and symmetric current-voltage (I-V) characteristics.

High value resistive load for an integrated circuit


A donor element useful in an assemblage for imaging by exposure to light comprises a support layer formed by a stretching process, a light-to-heat conversion layer disposed adjacent the support layer containing a light absorber, and a transfer layer disposed adjacent the light-to-heat conversion layer opposite the support layer. The light-to-heat conversion layer is coated on the support prior to completion of the stretching process.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a donor element for use with a receiver element in an imageable assemblage for light-induced transfer of material from the donor element to the receiver element.
2. Description of Related Art
Donor elements for use with a receiver element in an imageable assemblage for light induced transfer of material from the donor element to the receiver element typically include multiple layers. The layers can include but are not limited to a support layer, a light-to-heat conversion (LTHC) layer, and a transfer layer. Typically a support layer such as a 50 μm polyethylene terephthalate film is sequentially coated with a LTHC layer precursor, the precursor is converted to a final LTHC layer by drying, and subsequently a transfer layer precursor is coated above the LTHC layer opposite the support layer and converted to a transfer layer by drying.
Materials can be selectively thermally transferred to form elements useful in electronic displays and other devices and objects. Specifically, selective thermal transfer of color filters, spacers, polarizers, conductive layers, transistors, phosphors and organic electroluminescent materials have all been proposed. Materials such as colorants can be selectively thermally transferred to form objects such as a proof copy of a reference image.
There remains a need for improvements in thermal transfer imaging donor elements in the effectiveness and selectivity of moving transferable material from a donor element, and in the effectiveness and selectivity of depositing and adhering and fixing transferred material to a receiver. Improvements in thermal transfer imaging donor elements that decrease unintended transfer of layers to a receiver element are sought. Improvements in thermal transfer imaging donor elements that improve the handling characteristics and damage resistance of the donor element are sought.
There remains a need for improvements to thermal transfer donor elements and improvements in their use with receiver elements in an imageable assemblage, in order to improve at least one of thermal transfer efficiency, independence of thermal transfer efficiency from any variation of heating, independence of thermal transfer efficiency from any variation of environmental conditions such as humidity and temperature, completeness of mass transfer, freedom from unintended mass transfer, clean separation of mass transferred and unimaged regions of the donor, and smoothness of the surface and edges of mass transferred material.
Films such as polyethylene terephthalate have long been coated with materials such as antistats and adhesion modifiers. There is a continuing need for improvements of formulations in this area to provide films with improved properties and utility.
Examples of known donor elements and their conventional use are described by U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,884 (Wolk, et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,792 (Blanchet-Fincher, et al.).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,884 of Wolk, et al. provides a method for patterning oriented materials to make organic electronic displays or devices. The method includes selective thermal transfer of an oriented electronically active or emissive material from a thermal transfer donor sheet to a receptor. One method for providing an oriented light emitting polymer transfer layer is to coat an orientable light emitting polymer onto a donor sheet and to stretch the resulting transfer sheet in an orientation direction. In this method, the orientable light emitting polymer can be solubilized by addition of a suitable compatible solvent, and coated onto the donor sheet by spin-coating, gravure coating, mayer rod coating, knife coating and the like. The solvent chosen preferably does not undesirably interact with (e.g., swell or dissolve) any of the already existing layers in the donor sheet. The solvent can then be evaporated from the coating to make a fully formed donor sheet. The donor sheet can then be stretched or tentered in a selected direction to align the molecules of the orientable material of the transfer layer. This method may be suited to lamination transfer methods where an orientable transfer layer is coated onto a donor substrate, the composite article is stretched or tentered to orient the orientable transfer layer, and the transfer layer is transferred in its oriented state to a receptor by applying heat and/or pressure. In this way, the entire transfer layer, or large portion thereof, can be transferred in one exposure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,792 of Blanchet-Fincher, et al. discloses donor elements comprising an ejection layer, a heating layer, and a transfer layer. The ejection layer can have additives, as long as they do not interfere with the essential function of the layer. Examples of such additives include coating aids, flow additives, slip agents, antihalation agents, antistatic agents, surfactants, and others which are known to be used in formulation of coatings.


An agricultural vehicle having a cooling system comprising a fan. The cooling system is housed in a bonnet of the vehicle. When the bonnet is closed it forms a part of a fan shroud of the fan and directs air in a direction parallel or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

Field of Invention
The invention relates to an engine cooling system on an agricultural vehicle, more specifically the invention relates to a fan shroud of the cooling system on the vehicle.
Description of Related Art
Agricultural vehicles, such as agricultural tractors require a number of radiators in order to cool working media, such as a water cooler for the engine, a transmission oil cooler, a hydraulic oil cooler, an intercooler and possibly a condenser for an air-conditioning system. It is common practice to arrange the radiators in series one after the other under the vehicle bonnet so that air from a fan positioned at the front of the vehicle drives air through the radiators. Radiators in this arrangement may result in a high resistance to air flow which can necessitate a larger fan, or can interrupt the air flow resulting in the radiator overheating.
To concentrate the flow of air from the fan to the first radiator, that is the first radiator downstream of the fan, the fan is usually provided with a fan shroud which projects in a direction towards the radiators. The fan shroud typically borders the circumference of the fan and extends a short distance parallel or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. With this arrangement, the fan shroud can be ineffective since there is a gap between the fan shroud and the radiator.
Moreover, in order to conduct maintenance or cleaning of the area between the fan shroud and the radiator of such cooling arrangements, the whole bonnet hood must firstly be removed or lifted which can be inconvenient as not all parts of the bonnet may be moveable. Secondly the fan shroud must be removed.


A coordinative control method for adjusting the back and knee bottom sections of an adjustable bed or the like, and a computer program for implementing the method, are provided. Specifically, a method for adjusting the back and knee bottom section is provided, in which the angular positions thereof are adjusted according to a preset action pattern. The initial starting positions of the adjustable sections are taken into account, and adjusted to a position corresponding to the closest point on a curve representing angular movement of the sections during the adjustment process. Then, the sections are adjusted in a manner that prevents exertion of uncomfortable pressure upon the torso of a user, and prevents sliding of a user relative to the foot of the bed.

In recent years, many adjustable medical beds and general (long term care) beds have been available, allowing positional adjustment of the bottom sections thereof (i.e., angular/inclination adjustment of the adjustable bottom sections, so as to lift the back and knees) have been commercially available. Such beds have included versions designed to allow a user to lift and lower the back lifting portion (i.e., the adjustable section of the bed supporting the back) and the knee lifting portion (i.e., the adjustable section of the bed supporting the legs/knees), based on various action patterns. However, when the positions of bottom sections of such conventional beds are adjusted, the adjustment process is not always begun from the initial state, i.e., the state in which the sections of the bed are positioned so as to lie flat.
Actually, often, users start the adjustment process from a state wherein the back bottom section and the knee bottom section of the adjustable bed are already at an elevated position. Therefore, when conventional computer-controlled adjustable beds are adjusted according to a predetermined action pattern, starting from an already adjusted position (i.e., inclined position), it is necessary to first quickly adapt the positions of the bed sections to the action pattern.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,209 discloses a control means provided as a storing means for storing preferred positions of the back bottom member and knee bottom member, so that the back and knee bottom members can be controlled to travel to the positions stored in the storing means. However, in the '209 patent, the storing means only stores data concerning the final positions at which the back bottom member and the knee bottom member are inclined after having been controlled by the control means. The continuous positions and path (i.e, the intermediate positions) which the back bottom member and the knee bottom member are to pass before they reach the final positions are not stored in the control means.
Such conventional curves are illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, together with the path of travel, when the controller directs movement of the back bottom members to a desired final position. It has been found that when raising and lowering adjustable bed sections in conventional adjustable beds, users are frequently subjected to discomfort from pressure exerted on their abdominal sections, and slide relative to the bed during the movement process, all of which are undesirable in hospital and treatment settings. For example, patients that are recovering from abdominal surgery can be put at great risk of injury and pain if the adjustable bed upon which they are placed is adjusted in an improper manner that exerts harmful pressure upon their incision, operable area, etc.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve these problems by providing a coordinative control method for the back and knee bottom sections of a bed or the like having back lifting and knee lifting functions, and computer program for implementing same. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method, and computer program for implementing same, operable to coordinatively raise and lower the back and knee bottom sections of an adjustable bed according to a predetermined action (preset action pattern) from any arbitrary position.

Coordinative control method for adjusting the back and knee bottom sections of an adjustable bed, and computer program for implementing same


For a digital imaging device having automatic gain control, a system and method have been provided for noise compensation in low-light conditions. The method comprises: receiving digital image information; compressing the image information; supplying the compressed image information; monitoring an automatic gain control signal; comparing the monitored gain control signal to a predetermined threshold gain value; in response to monitoring a high gain control signal, selecting a low-light processing algorithm; and, in response to the low-light algorithm, controlling the volume of the supplied compressed image information. Selecting a low-light processing algorithm includes selecting an algorithm that limits decreases in the compression ratio by changing parameters in a compression algorithm. Alternately, the low-light processing algorithm, prior to compressing, filters noise from the received digital image information. Subsequent to filtering noise from the received digital information, an approximately constant compression ratio is maintained.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to digital image processes and, more particularly, to a system and method for limiting the volume of image information that is compressed when a camera with automatic gain control is operated near, or at full gain.
2. Description of the Related Art
The digital compression of images is becoming more and more popular with the rise of Internet and other bandwidth limited communications channels. There are currently many applications where images are being captured with a CCD, CMOS, or an analog output camera, digitized, compressed, and either sent live to recipients, or stored for future use.
Most conventional cameras implement an automatic gain control feature that permit images to be captured in varying light conditions. Unfortunately, when the gain is near, or at maximum gain, a certain amount of video noise is introduced to the captured image. Compression algorithms are less effective when an image contain a large amount of random noise. When compressed, the resulting output file is very large and contains noise as well as image information. The creation of the additional volume of compressed data is process intensive, without the benefit of adding useful information. In applications where the storage capacity or the bandwidth used to send the series of images through a communication channel is a precious commodity or is otherwise limited, the system suffers with increased storage requirements or communication delays without a corresponding benefit.
For example, when a video camera with automatic gain control and compression is deployed to record real-time images in an outdoor location, the output data initially consists of high quality images with little or no noise, and the compression ratio is high. As darkness falls, the camera gain increases to adapt to the new lighting conditions. The increase in camera gain results in an increase of video noise in the image, causing the compression ratio to drop and the size of the compressed data to grow. The increase in the amount of compressed data impacts storage requirements and communication delay without improving the image quality.
It is known for digital imaging processing equipment to implement image correction algorithms, or to adjust compression parameters in response to an analysis of the captured image information. However, such image analysis processes are computationally intensive and difficult to implement in real-time with economy.
It would be advantageous if a low-light compensation algorithm could be implemented without resort to a complex analysis of the image information.
It would be advantageous if the amount of digital image information that is compressed could be limited as a digital camera gain approaches the maximum value.

Digital image system and method for noise compensation


A method for configuration of an Auxiliary Processing Unit (APU) of multiprocessor system is presented. The multiprocessor system has at least a Main Processing Unit (MPU) coupled to the APU via a communication link. The APU has at least a first memory and a second memory. The method includes a plurality of steps. At step the first memory is divided into an application sector, a boot sector and a common sector. At another step interrupts of the APU except interrupt/s that is/are being received via the communication link are disabled. At a further step interrupt vector/s pertaining to the communication link is/are mapped to the boot sector of the first memory. At another step a configuration code is received selectively into the application sector of the first memory and into the second memory. At a further step the interrupt/s that is/are being received via the communication link are disabled. At a further step the common sector of the first memory is updated from the second memory.

A multiprocessor system (hereinafter "system") includes a number of processing units. For configuring these units, a communication link, with each unit, capable of interacting with resources external to the multiprocessor system is required. Often extra real estate on silicon is required to provide these communication links. In many cases, not all the processing units of the system are required to interact with the resources external to the system. In such cases, the sole purpose of the communication link remains limited to configuration of the processing unit. Providing for a communication link on the silicon for a single purpose is not only area inefficient but also, expensive affair.
Moreover, upgradation of these systems may involve updating of on board memory where the non-volatile code resides. This updating of on board memory may result in loss and/or alteration of data that may be required by the processing unit which is being upgraded.
Therefore, such systems are difficult to reconfigure for new functionalities and require use of sophisticated programming techniques, like JTAG (Joint Test Action Group), spy Bi-ware, Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) based programming etc.
In a typical example, when the processing unit is a microcontroller, size of onboard memory may present constraints to the upgradation process. In addition, handling of interrupts may be a difficult task while reconfiguration/upgradation of the microcontroller. These complexities generally make it difficult for an end user to reconfigure or upgrade the processing unit and invoke requirement of a service person to handle the matter.

Method for configuration of a processing unit


An apparatus is provided that includes a terminal, a detection unit configured to detect movement of a user, and a control unit to control operation of the terminal so that operation and functions corresponding to a number of times the movement is detected. Accordingly, it may be possible to intuitively input operation instructions of the terminal, give cognition of the intuitive and sensuous terminal to the user since the operation instructions of the terminal are input in an input manner by operation struck with a hand two or three times such as clicking or double clicking.

1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a terminal to easily input operation instructions, a vehicle having the same, and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A/V (Audio/Video) devices are often used in vehicles to improve the convenience of a driver during vehicle operation. Typically, A/V devices consist of a radio, a cassette/compact disc player, a video player, and a navigation device. The terminal has a display unit which displays information via an image or video.
Navigation devices which are incorporated into the A/V devices typically analyze and interpret information such as speed information, position information, and travel range information of the vehicle using a positioning system such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) and a digital map in order to provide a driver with directions based on the above said information.
Typically, a passenger in the vehicle may operate the terminal such as the navigation device by a remote device or a button input method. Regardless, the passenger is able to identify the current operational state of each device in the vehicle via the terminal and input operational instructions through the display unit thereof.
Terminals such as A/V devices are now being manufactured as a touch screen so that the input unit may be conveniently operated by the user without hindering the drivers operating abilities. Such a terminal typically has a menu activation button image displayed on the display unit.
As such, the user is able to change the operational state of the terminal by touching the menu activation button image displayed on the display unit. In this case, information corresponding to the changed operational condition is displayed on the display unit of the terminal.
Moreover, a terminal such as the A/V device further may include a physical button inputs which are installed to both sides of the display unit in order to rapidly move to a specific menu without having to move through the touch screen selections. If the physical button inputs are installed on the terminal, however, the display unit is decreased in size in order to fit the terminal in the designated space within the dash of the vehicle and thus it may be difficult for the user to identify/see information displayed on the display unit while driving.
In addition, if the physical button inputs are installed on the terminal, there is needs for a PCB (printed circuit board) corresponding to each of the physical button inputs, a button lighting LED (light emitting diode) for identification of a physical button input at night, and a button mechanism. This creates an increase in manufacturing cost of the terminal which is often passed on to the consumer.

Terminal, vehicle having the same, and control method thereof


In an image sensor, a light receptor has a shield film formed substantially centrally in a light receiving area on each of a plurality of light receiving devices, except those disposed at opposite ends of each sensor IC, for adjusting the quantity of light received by each light emitting device. The result is that fluctuation of sensitivity and resolution failure, which might occur during the production of sensor ICs to be used as the light receptor, can be eliminated.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image sensor, and more particularly to an image sensor, for use in a facsimile machine, an image scanner, an optical character reader, etc., which comprises a light emitter for applying light to an objective, a condenser lens for condensing the reflected light from the objective, and a light receptor for receiving the light from the condenser lens.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a typical conventional image sensor. The image sensor generally comprises a transparent cover (glass cover) 11 mounted on an upper portion of a frame 10, and an illumination base plate 13 mounted fixedly in the frame 10 and supported by a support strip 18. The illumination base plate 13 has a light emitter in the form of an array of light emitting devices 12 for applying light to a document or writing W as an objective placed on the transparent cover 11. Also disposed in the frame 10 is a rod-shape condenser lens 14 for condensing the light reflected from the document W and a sensor base plate 17 on which a light receptor in the form of a sensor IC 16, including at least one array of light receiving devices 15 is mounted.
In such an image sensor, the document W is brought into contact with the transparent cover 11 as conveyed by a platen roller 20 supported on an electric equipment such as a facsimile machine. The light from the light emitting devices 12 is applied to the document W on the transparent cover 11 at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the transparent cover 11. The applied light is reflected from the document W perpendicularly to the plane of the transparent cover 11. The reflected light is condensed by the condenser lens 14 and is then received by the sensor IC 16, which is disposed immediately under the condenser lens 14, where the light is converted into electrical signals.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sensor IC 16 is a multitip type in which the light receiving devices 15 are arranged in the direction of scanning. In the sensor IC 16 of FIG. 2, there are provided, for example, 64 light receiving devices a1-a64 for 64 pixels. The reflective light from the document is converted into electrical signals by the light receiving devices a1-a64. The opto-electrically converted charges are inputted to a shift register 16a from electrodes E1-E64 and are then outputted as successive electrical signals.
At that time, for realizing a light receptor of both a high sensitivity and a high resolution, it is necessary to join and arrange the sensor ICs 16 in a line at high density. When dicing the sensor IC into a desired size in the Y direction, it has been a common practice to previously provide the sensor IC with a cutting margin so that the light emitting device contiguous to the cutting portion is prevented from being broken due to cracks developing from the cutting portion in the X direction. Consequently, considering the cutting portions and the joining portions of the individual sensor ICs, it has also been a common practice to define the scanning dimension of the sensor IC 16 such that the length (pixel width) of the two light emitting devices a1 and a64 at opposite ends of the sensor IC in the X direction is slightly smaller.
It is common knowledge that the distances between the individual light receiving devices 15 of the sensor IC 16 can not be made too short as its non-illustrated tight reinforcing pattern and wiring pattern are tight or dense.
Yet, if only the opposite end pixels adjacent to the cutting portion are reduced in width, the light receiving sensitivity from the opposite light receiving devices a1 and a64 will be lowered. To obtain an average sensitivity of all the light emitting devices, it is only necessary that the Y-direction pixels of the light receiving devices a1 and a64 are lengthened, thus lowering the resolution in the sub-scanning direction (Y direction) considerably. Specifically, the staggered Y-direction lengths of the light receiving devices cause some unrecognizable images so that resolution failure between the pixels (i.e. leaving part of the image blank) will occur. Consequently the pixel width of the light receiving devices at the opposite ends must be reduced. This reduction in the pixel width would, in turn, cause the irregular sensitivity so that even if a uniform quantity of reflective light strikes the entire light receptor, the image signals of the light receiving devices a1 and a64 at the opposite ends would be impaired in characteristics, compared to the image signals of the other light receiving devices a2-a63.
In the sensor IC 16 of FIG. 3, all the light receiving devices (b2-b63) except the opposite-end light receiving devices b1 and b64 are provided respectively with shield films 19 near the opposite side in the primary scanning direction (X direction) to adjust the light-receiving sensitivity of the sensor IC, thus retarding fluctuation of sensitivity of the entire light receptor. This causes the Y-direction pixel length of the light receiving device with the shield film 19 to be substantially shorter than that of the light receiving device without any shield film 19, thus lowering the sub-scanning-direction resolution of the receiving devices b2-b63. The image passing over the shield films 19 of the light receiving devices b2-b63 would be left blank at these portions to impair the inter-pixel resolution. This problem would also occur if the shield film 19 is situated near the opposite side in the sub-scanning direction (Y direction).

Image sensor with plural centrally located sensor masks


An advertising display device for mounting on a bottle or other similar container, which includes a box having at least three flat walls, an open bottom and an openable top surface, the top surface having a central opening for permitting the passage therethrough of a bottle cap and a bottom of said walls being shaped to provide at least three points for contacting a shoulder of said bottle.

The present invention relates to device for advertising on a bottle or other container.
Various types of advertising devices for placement on a bottle or other container are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,999,011 issued to Wasser discloses a four-sided truncated pyramidal-shaped advertisier adapter to be fitted around a bottle neck and held in place by the square upper opening engaging the neck of a bottle. The latter advertiser is made from a strip by folding the latter along fold lines and gluing the ends. The sides of the advertiser extend out beyond the body of the bottle and, therefore, do no permit packaging the bottles in larger boxes with the advertiser in place. Moreover, the unit is easily misaligned by slight jarring and can easily be bent, torn or distorted by accidental handling as there is not means of reinforcing the device so that it will maintain its shape despite such action.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,132,236 issued to Greene on Oct. 4, 1938 discloses an advertising hanger or display consisting of folded section of thin cardboard stock with a circular opening to permit passage therethrough of a bottle top and a clip portion for holding a booklet and another folded flat portion for displaying a message. The Greene advertiser is relatively fragile and has no means for reinforcing the structure to resist accidental bending or tearing.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,536,445 issued to Maupai on May 5, 1925 discloses a more rigid structure for fitting over a bottle neck having side-wing members interlocking with the body of the display. However, the display has only one surface and extends beyond the confines of the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,473,313 issued to Piatt on Nov. 6, 1923 discloses a bottle advertising display which has two advertising surfaces available that are suspended from a bottle neck engaging center portion. However, the display surfaces are attached to the central portion by twisted, relatively thin connecting regions that are susceptible to tearing. Moreover, the displays extend out from the confines of the body of the bottle, making stacking of the bottles in a box with the displays in place impractical.
Consequently, known advertisers have only a limited number of separate message bearing surfaces available, are usually fragile, cannot be packed in a box with several other containers with the advertiser mounted on the bottle or container or must be adjusted into position by the uncertain bending of the cardboard material from which the advertiser is generally made.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved bottle advertiser. It is another object to provide an advertiser which has at least three separate surfaces available for advertising. It is yet another object of the invention to provide an advertiser which occupies relatively little space so that it can be shipped when installed on a bottle or other container. It is yet another object of the invention to provide an advertiser which is shaped to allow it to be stacked.


Human lipocortins III, IV, V and VI, DNA sequences and recombinant DNA molecules that are characterized in that they code for these human lipocortins. Hosts transformed with these sequences may be employed in the processes of this invention to produce the human lipocortin molecules of this invention. These polypeptides possess anti-inflammatory activity and are useful in the treatment of arthritic, allergic, dermatologic, ophthalmic and collagen diseases.

Lipocortins are a family of proteins that have been implicated in the regulation of various aspects of inflammation [R. J. Flower et al., "Macrocortin And The Mechanism Of Action Of The Glucocorticoids", Advances in Inflammation Research, 7, pp. 61-9 (1984); M. DiRosa, "Role In Inflammation Of Glucocorticoid-Induced Phospholipase Inhibitory Proteins", Prog. Biochem. Pharmacol., 20, pp. 55-62 (1985)]. Lipocortins are believed to exert their anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting phospholipase A.sub.2 [F. Hirata et al., "A Phospholipase A.sub.2 Inhibitory Protein In Rabbit Neutrophils Induced By Glucocorticoids" Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci USA, 77, No. 5, pp. 2533-36 (1980)]. The enzyme phospholipase A.sub.2 acts on membrane phospholipids to release arachadonic acid, a precursor in the synthesis of compounds such as prostaglandins, hydroxy-acids and leukotrienes, that are involved in the inflammatory response.
While many studies have been performed with crude protein preparations, recent studies with purified lipocortins have confirmed that these proteins are potent inhibitors of the production of mediators of inflammation [B. Rothhut et al., "Purification And Characterization Of A 32 kDa Phospholipase A.sub.2 Inhibitory Protein (Lipocortin) From Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells", FEBS Letters, 219, pp. 169-75 (1987)]. Moreover, recombinant lipocortins have been shown to inhibit the action of phospholipase in in vitro assays [G. Cirino et al., "Recombinant Human Lipocortin 1 Inhibits Thromboxane Release From Guinea-Pig Isolated Perfused Lung", Nature, 328, pp. 270-2 (1987); G. Cirino and R. J. Flower, "Human Recombinant Lipocortin 1 Inhibits Prostacyclin Production By Human Umbilical Artery In Vitro" Prostaglandins, 34, pp. 59-62 (1987)] and in an in vivo model of the inflammatory response [G. Cirino et al., "Human Recombinant Lipocortin I Has Acutal Local Anti-Inflammatory Properties In The Rat Paw Edema Test", Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 86, pp. 3428-32 (1989)].
As a result of their demonstrated anti-inflammatory action, lipocortins should prove useful in the treatment of disorders characterized by inflammatory processes. Examples include arthritic, allergic, dermatologic, ophthalmic and collagen diseases. Furthermore, the use of lipocortins may eliminate side effects associated with currently available anti-inflammatory treatments.
To date, related lipocortin proteins with molecular weights of about 70, 55, 40, 30 and 15 kd have been detected in a variety of animal tissues. K-S Huang et al., "Two Human 35 kd Inhibitors Of Phospholipase A.sub.2 Are Related To Substrates Of pp60v-src And Of The EGF Receptor/Kinase", Cell, 46, pp. 191-99 (1986). However lack of structural studies has hampered the precise delineation of the family of lipocortins.
Recombinant DNA technology holds significant promise for progress in this field. In the first place, it will help to define the scope of the family of lipocortins, by allowing elucidation of the primary structure of the member proteins. Second, it is desirable to be able to prepare large quantities of lipocortins using recombinant DNA technology. Although it is possible to purify lipocortins from biological sources, production by recombinant methods is more economical. In addition, recombinant methods allow large scale synthesis of desired fragments or otherwise modified versions of native lipocortins.
Two lipocortin genes have been cloned previously [Wallner et al., "Cloning And Expression Of Human Lipocortin, A Phospholipase A.sub.2 Inhibitor With Potential Anti-Inflammatory Activity", Nature, 320, pp. 77-80, 1986; Huang et al. 1986; C. J. M. Saris et al, "The Sequence Of The cDNA For The Protein Kinase Substrate, p36, Reveals a Multidomain Protein With Internal Repeats", Cell, 46, pp. 201-12 (1986)]. Both encode homologous 38 kd proteins with 50% amino acid homology. These two proteins have been termed lipocortin-I and lipocortin-II by Huang et al., 1986.

DNA sequences recombinant DNA molecules and processes for producing lipocortins III, IV, V and VI


The invention relates to an ion generation device and an ion generation method, and more particularly to a device and a method which generates ions at the low pressure and then said ions can be transferred into the next stage in an off-axis manner. In the invention, ions from electrospray or other types of ion source are generated in the pressure which is lower than atmosphere pressure. A followed ion guide device can then transfer most of said generated ions into next stage in an off-axis manner, while most of neutral noise can be eliminated in this process.

Since electrospray ionization (ESI) technology was invented by John Fenn in 1984, the electrospray ion source has become the most commonly used ion source in the mass spectrometry field due to characteristics of the ESI such as low ionization energy, easy generation of multiple-charged ions, and easy integration with a liquid chromatograph. It is an important topic in the field on how to improve sensitivity of an electrospray ion source region.
The current limiting factors to sensitivity of electrospray mass spectrometry are mainly from the following aspects. 1. The quantity of generated ions is small. The ion generation process involves forming, evaporation, and Coulomb explosion of spray droplets. In the process, more charges on droplets can be obtained by adjusting electrochemical parameters, surface tension, droplet radius and the like. However, the most important limiting factor in the process is whether droplet desolvation can be thoroughly performed to release gaseous ions. 2. A huge ion loss happens in ions' transmission. Currently, almost all the commercial instruments carry out electrospray under the atmospheric pressure or under a pressure close to the atmospheric pressure, whereas a mass analyzer needs to work under a higher vacuum, so a series of vacuum interfaces and ion guide devices are required to enable ions generated by electrospray to get into the analyzer. As an atmospheric pressure vacuum interface (usually a capillary or a sampling cone with a diameter less than 1 mm) must be kept small to maintain the vacuum in the next stage, over 90% of the ions are lost on the vacuum interface. 3. Severe noise interference often occurs. The noise in the electrospray source is complex, which include matrix effects resulting from competition of charges by impurities like salt and sugar in a real sample, and neutral molecule noise caused by solvent molecules or clusters that are not fully removed or background gas impurities and the like. The neutral molecule noise greatly degrades the sensitivity of a mass spectrometer.
To solve the problems that the quantity of generated ions is small and the desolvation is insufficient, a common method is to introduce a desolvation gas with a high flow rate and high temperature to facilitate the droplets' desolvation process, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,759,650 and 8,039,795. However, the desolvation gas with a high flow rate leads to high cost, and the high temperature gas may result in evaporation and even boiling of some volatile solvents, or result in thermal dissociation of certain analytes.
To solve the problem of ion loss at the vacuum interface, the electrospray can be run in very low liquid flow rate so called microspray or nanospray, in which the ESI emitter with a small diameter is employed to reduce the spray volume. As a result, the proportion of ions passing through the interface is increased. The capillary or sampling cone with larger diameter is also feasible, along with higher requirement to the pumping capability in the next vacuum stage. U.S. Pat. No. 6,803,565 discloses a method in which the multi-emitter nanospray coupled with multi-capillary interface, and the method is actually a combination of the above two methods. A more effective method is to perform electrospray directly under a low gas pressure. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,838,002, 6,068,749, and 7,671,344 disclose a device and a method for performing electrospray under a low gas pressure. Particularly in U.S. Pat. No. 7,671,344, an ion guide device "ion funnel" with a large ion acceptance area is employed to enable most of the ions can be transported and focused into the next vacuum stage. However, this method cannot reduce the coming along noise. Although the "ion funnel" improves the transmission efficiency of ions, it also brings more noises. Moreover, as collisions between droplets and gas molecules are reduced under the low pressure, the insufficiency of the desolvation process gets more severe. Fewer ions which are released from the droplets and more noise from those undesolved droplets give a much lower signal to noise ratio in mass spectrum.
To reduce the coming noise from an electrospray ion source, U.S. Pat. No. 6,730,904 and No. US2011/0049357 disclose two ion guide devices to guide ions in so called off-axis manner. Through such kind of devices, ions are deflected in an electric field, and neutral molecules are pumped away by a rotary pump along a straight path, to implement off-axis transportation of the ions and reduce the noise caused by the neutral molecules. In addition to the complex structures themselves, such devices currently only have been coupled with an atmospheric pressure ion source instead of a low pressure electrospray interface. Therefore, the huge ion loss on the vacuum interface still exists on those devices. The possible reason for that is the typical working pressure of those ion guide devices is below 3 torr or even lower if with reasonable voltage application under disclosed geometry size, whereas the typical pressure for stable and sensitive electrospray is above 10 torr, from the experience of the inventor.
To sum up, there is in need of a method to solve the factors that limit the sensitivity of electrospray, thereby achieving a higher sensitivity of the mass spectrometer.

Ion generation device and ion generation method


Disclosed are arylazo chromoionophores characterized by the formula: ##STR1## wherein X is hydrogen or a monovalent cation, Y is H or methoxy and R is a ringed aromatic organic structure which affects the optical absorption properties of the compounds. Also disclosed is a method for the detection of calcium ion using these compounds.

Calcium is one of the more important elements found in the body. It is necessary not only for the skeleton but also for cells. There is, on average, about one kilogram of calcium in the human body of which 99% is located in bone with the remaining 1% distributed in plasma, extracellular fluids and intercellular compartments. This small fraction, however, plays a vital role in many biochemical and physiological functions such as a cell regulator and messenger. These functions include bone formation and homostasis, maintenance of cell membrane integrity and permeability, nerve excitation, muscular contraction and blood coagulation together with regulation of many enzyme and hormone reactions.
The concentration of calcium in body fluids, particularly in plasma, needs to be kept within a very narrow range. Its level is controlled by a number of hormones, primarily by parathyroid hormone (PTH), and calcitonin. PTH is released from the parathyroid gland in response to a decrease of calcium concentration in plasma and indirectly promotes calcium absorption in the intestine and renal tubules and increases the calcium mobilization from bone. Calcitonin, which inhibits PTH activity in bone tissue, is secreted by the thyroid gland in response to a rise in calcium ion.
Deviations from normal calcium levels occur in certain diseases. Calcium levels significantly less than normal can be indicative of hypoparathyroidism, Vitamin D deficiency or nephritis. Calcium levels of greater than normal may indicate hyperparathyroidism, Vitamin D intoxication or myeloma.
The normal value of total calcium in plasma is about 2.4 mM/L. Generally, infants have the highest calcium concentration which declines slightly with age.
The determination of calcium in serum began with the gravimetric method in which calcium was precipitated with ammonium oxalate whereupon the precipitate was dried and weighed. This method was improved upon in 1921 when there was reported a technique in which the calcium oxalate is dissolved in acid with the oxalate being determined by titration with potassium permanganate. A modification of this method, in which the washing procedure and temperature were standardized during the titration, was used as the primary procedure for calcium determination. While reasonably accurate, these procedures required large amounts of serum and were time consuming. A more sensitive and rapid complexometric titration was introduced in the 1940's which used murexide as an indicator. Several other indicators, e.g. calcon, calcein, methylthymol blue, eriochrome black T, glyoxal bis-(2-hydroxyanil) and arsenazo III, were subsequently introduced. Regardless of what indicator was used, these complexometric titration methods required a large volume of serum sample, were time consuming and suffered from a poor end-point as well as interferences by metal ions other than calcium.
More recently, the titration method was replaced by a direct spectrophotometric method using various metallochromic indicators, the most popular of which is the ortho-cresolphthalein (CPC) complex method. In this method, calcium combines with CPC in an alkaline solution (pH 10.5 to 12) to form a deep purple calcium-dye complex. The dye's absorbance increases at 575 nm and is proportional to the concentration of calcium in the sample. A disadvantage of this method is the requirement that it be carried out at a pH in the 10 to 12 range. At this pH level, the reagent can absorb carbon dioxide resulting in baseline drift.
Arsenazo III forms colored complexes with many divalent and trivalent cations but can be used to determine micromolar quantities of calcium ion at pH 5.5 without significant interference from magnesium ion. This reagent has a high affinity for calcium ion at the physiological pH, a high extinction coefficient of the calcium-dye complex at 650 nm and exhibits high chemical stability in aqueous solutions. Accordingly it has become a useful tool for determining micromolar concentrations of calcium in single cells. While arsenazo III is widely used by researchers in studies of calcium transport in cells and cell fractions, its utility in clinical chemistry has been limited due to the presence of toxic arsenic moieties and their concomitant safety and environmental concerns.
In Biochemistry 19, 2396 (1980) Tsien reports the preparation of 2-[[2-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)methyl]amino]-quinoline(QUIN1) and its 6-methoxy analog (QUIN2). These compounds are described as having utility as fluorescent calcium ionophores. In a later publication, Tsien et al. describe monitoring the fluoroscence of QUIN2 as being the most popular method for measuring [Ca.sup.++ ]. They go on to point out that, while QUIN2 has revealed much important biological information, its use has some inherent limitations since its preferred excitation wavelength of 339 nm is too low. It is also pointed out that its extinction coefficient (<5000) and fluorescence quantum yield (0.03 to 0.14) are also too low. In addition, autofluorescence from cells requires QUIN2 loadings of several tenths millimolar or more to obtain a satisfactory result. It is also pointed out that QUIN2 signals Ca.sup.++ by increasing its fluorescence intensity without much shift in either excitation or emission wavelengths and that there is a need for an indicator which responds to calcium by shifting wavelengths while maintaining strong fluorescence. Another deficiency reported for QUIN2 is that its selectivity for calcium over magnesium and heavy metal divalent cations could bear improvement. This article goes on to point out that compounds having a stilbene fluorophore and an octacoordinate, tetracarboxylate pattern of liganding groups characteristic of EGTA, [(ethylene glycol bis(.beta.-aminoethyl ether)] and BAPTA, [1,2-bis (o-aminophenoxy) ethanol-N,N,N'N'-tetraacetic acid] are preferable to QUIN2. This preference is based on several factors such as improved selectivity for Ca.sup.++ and the ability of BAPTA and EGTA to exhibit much stronger fluorescence together with wavelength shifts upon Ca.sup.++ binding. The preparation and utility of these compounds is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. 4,603,209 to Tsien et al.
More recently Toner et al. have disclosed chromogenic derivatives of BAPTA and BAPTA like compounds in U.S. Pat. No. 4.795,712. They point out that the fluorogenic compounds of Tsien suffer from the disadvantage of adsorbing in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum, so that normal constituents of body fluids which also adsorb in the UV and short visible wavelengths tend to produce background interference with standard colorimetric equipment and procedures. They go on to say that it would be desirable to have highly selective calcium complexing compounds which would be detectable at longer wavelengths (above 400 nm) and would shift to other wavelengths when complexed with calcium to allow quantitative analysis for calcium without interference from UV and short wavelength visible light-absorbing species.
The present invention is predicated on the discovery that arylazo derivatives of QUIN1 and QUIN2 can be effectively used for the colorimetric determination of Ca.sup.++ since they are highly selective for calcium in media which also contains magnesium ion. Furthermore, these compounds adsorb light at longer wavelengths than do similarly derivatized BAPTAs and exhibit a significantly greater shift in the maximum absorbance of the complexed -vs- non-complexed compound than do the corresponding chromogenic BAPTA compounds.


A moving element having secondary keyboard for a portable electronic device is placed between a first member and a second member of the device for providing different keyboard sets to improve readability of text when in different operating configurations. When the second member slides out laterally relative to the first member, the moving element remains stayed in the first member, not moving with the second member. When the second member slides out vertically relative to the first member, the moving element slides with the second member along the sliding groove on the first member, and the moving element is exposed on top of the second member to present a concise dialing keyboard. The secondary keyboard contacts corresponding buttons of a primary keyboard directly. Thus, there is no need to provide additional circuit module exclusively for the secondary keyboard such that the cost and volume can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The application relates to a portable electronic device, and more particularly, to a portable electronic device having auxiliary input unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the advancement of technology, digital goods have been miniaturized and well-integrated for daily convenience. Mobile computing and communication devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistances (PDAs), or smart phones have gained many advantageous functions over highly integration for single device with multiple functions. In addition to the traditional numeral keypads for dialing telephone number, smart phones of next generation include message service, personal note, e-mail service, scheduling, and web browsing as extra functions, which incorporate input interfaces such as touch screen or additional QWERTY keypads for friendliness. For example, when the back cover of a smart phone slides out vertically, the exposed numeral keypads allow a user to dial a phone number as if he/she is using a common mobile phone. When the back cover slides out laterally (or the display disposed on a front cover further tilting to a specific angle relative to the horizontal plane), the exposed keypads turn out to be an easy-to-input-text QWERTY keypads.
Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is an illustration of a sliding phone 1 according to the previous products with its back cover sliding out vertically to a specific position. FIG. 2 is an illustration of the sliding phone 1 according to the previous products with its back cover sliding out laterally to a specific position. In FIG. 1, a second member 20 slides out along the direction F to the specific position relative to a first member 10 and a first set keyboard 21 disposed on the second member 20 exposes a set of vertical numeral buttons, which are a portion of the first keyboard 21, for dialing purpose. In FIG. 2, the second member 20 slides out along the direction N to the specific position relative to the first member 10 and the first set keyboard 21 is exposed completely. For the first keyboard 21, it has different functions in different configurations, meaning that a plurality of buttons in area An in FIG. 2 are used in both the vertical and the lateral configurations. For the sake of using the symbol/context disposed on the keyboard either in vertical or lateral configuration easily, two sets of text/numeral key on the buttons in area A of said first set keyboard 21 that are readable for the vertical configuration and the lateral configuration respectively are set and cause confusion to a user in either configuration. More specifically, with only one keyboard on the traditional sliding phone, many of the buttons on the single keyboard must contain as many kinds of symbols/text as possible for necessary functions. The only way to fill in all the symbols/text in such limited button area is to reduce the size of each symbol/text for proper arrangement, which inevitably causes messy and crowded presentation and brings to the user a lot inconvenience and confusion.
There are still other kinds of sliding phones in the market that have two separated keyboards, one for the numeral keypad in vertical configuration and the other for a QWERTY keyboard in lateral configuration. Such three-tier sliding phones have at least three members including a display (disposed on the top cover), a first set keyboard (a middle component including the numeral keypads), and a second set keyboard (the back cover including the QWERTY keyboard), each member having separated inner components and circuitry respectively. Although the problem in the prior paragraphs is solved in such three-tier sliding phones, the three-member structure in such sliding phones results in more complicated circuitry, higher cost, and even thicker product size.

Portable electronic device having auxiliary input unit


A lid 3 that closes the upper surface of the opening of a closed-bottom prismatic tubular battery can 1, an electrode body 2 accommodated in the battery can 1, a negative terminal 12 penetratively fastened to the lid 3, an insulating plate 11 placed on the lower surface side of the lid 3, a lead plate 17 placed on the lower surface side of the insulating plate 11, and a negative electrode current collector lead 7 led upwardly of the electrode body 2 are included. The upper end portion of the current collector lead 7 is welded to the lower surface of the lead plate 17 and bent in a position located rather closer to the front wall of the battery can 1. The insulating plate 11 has a lid side insulating portion 22 held between the lid 3 and the lead plate 17 and a front sidewall 25 that extends downwardly from the front end side of the lid side insulating portion 22. In a free state before the battery is assembled, the lid side insulating portion 22 and the sidewall 25 of the insulating plate 11 extend roughly straightly.

The present invention relates to a sealed prismatic battery whose output terminal is penetratively fastened to its lid that closes the battery can opening and in which the current collector lead led from the electrode body is connected to the lower end of the output terminal via a lead plate.
JP 2004-14395 A discloses a sealed prismatic battery including a lid that closes the upper surface of the opening of a battery can having a closed-bottom prismatic tubular shape and a negative terminal penetratively fastened to the lid. The negative terminal is fastened to the lid via insulative packing and an insulator arranged on the upper and lower sides of the lid. A lead plate is connected to the lower end of the negative terminal, and a negative electrode current collector lead led from the electrode body in the battery can is welded to the lower surface of the lead plate.
In assembling the battery, the negative terminal, the insulative packing, the insulator and the lead plate are preparatorily fastened to the lid. Then, after the upper end portion of the negative electrode current collector lead is welded to the led plate in a state in which the electrode body is accommodated in the battery can, the lid is fit into the upper surface of the opening of the battery can, and the outer peripheral edges of the lid are seam welded to the peripheral edges of the opening of the battery can.
When the lid is fit into the upper surface of the opening of the battery can after the negative electrode current collector lead is welded to the lead plate, the negative electrode current collector lead is accommodated in a bent state in the battery can. Therefore, the negative electrode current collector lead is easily brought in contact with the inner surface of the battery can by the bending, and it is concerned that the negative electrode current collector lead is short-circuited with the battery can.
According to JP 2004-14395 A, a side of the negative electrode current collector lead is covered with the sidewall of an insulator having a bracket-like cross section shape, by which the negative electrode current collector lead is prevented from coming into contact with the inner surface of the battery can. However, according to JP 2004-14395 A, the lead plate is also covered with the sidewall of an insulator, and the sidewall of the insulator becomes obstructive, making it difficult to weld the negative electrode current collector lead to the lead plate.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 2 of JP H11-25993 A, it is acceptable to form a frame-shaped spacer separately from the lid, previously accommodate the spacer in the battery can and accommodate the negative electrode current collector lead in the spacer after the negative electrode current collector lead is welded to the lead plate. However, there is a problem that the negative electrode current collector lead is pinched between the upper end of the spacer and the lid in fitting the lid into the battery can, possibly causing a short circuit between the negative electrode current collector lead and the lid.


A mobile switching center is configured with software instructions which allow it to continue to provide at least limited call termination and call origination services for mobile terminals in the event of a failure of a signaling link between the mobile switching center and a home location register and/or a signal control point (SCP) in an intelligent network. For pre-paid callers originating or terminating a call, the mobile switching center marks a call detail record as indicating that the call is a post-paid call. The call detail record is later provided to the SCP after the signaling link has been restored in order to bill the mobile terminal. In one example, the signaling link between the mobile switching center and the home location register or SCP may be a satellite link, which may go down for various reasons such as for maintenances, an unexpected failure, or the orbit of the satellite goes outside the field of reception of an antenna in the signal path.

1. Field
This invention relates generally to the field of wireless communications and more particularly to a method of providing at least limited telephone service for mobile terminals in the event of a failure on a signaling link between a mobile switching center in which the mobile terminals are registered and either a home location register or a service control point (sometimes referred to as a signal control point).
2. Description of Related Art
The international standards document TIA/EIA/IS-41-D sets forth a network architecture for providing mobile telecommunications and networking. Commercial deployments of mobile telecommunications networks in compliance with IS-41 have occurred in North America and elsewhere. Such systems include a wireless communication network infrastructure (e.g., Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) cellular telephone network) which includes a multitude of base transceiver stations and associated antennae for communicating over an air interface with roaming mobile terminals, base station controllers, and mobile switching centers (MSC) which perform switching operations to direct calls to a mobile terminal via a base station controller and a base transceiver station.
Many deployments of IS-41 compliant systems use advanced intelligent networks (such as Signaling System 7 (SS7) networks) to carry signaling and control messages between an MSC and various other signaling points, such as a Home Location Register (HLR) and Service Control Points (SCPs). For example, the MSC may obtain profile information for a roaming mobile terminal from the HLR, such as which features the mobile terminal is allowed to use and whether the mobile terminal can place certain types of calls. As another example, in many situations the user of a mobile terminal is a subscriber to a pre-paid calling plan, and when an MSC is serving a pre-paid mobile terminal, the MSC needs to provide information to an SCP dedicated to pre-paid mobile terminals, e.g., for billing or accounting functions for such subscribers.
It so happens that the communication link between a serving or terminating MSC and the nodes on an intelligent network such as an HLR or pre-paid SCP fails. One example of such failure is where the signaling path between the MSC and the HLR or pre-paid SCP includes a satellite link, and the satellite either goes down for service or maintenance, a malfunction of the satellite occurs, or the orbital path of the satellite is such that it goes out of range of an antenna transmitting signals to the satellite or receiving signals from the satellite.
There is a need in the art for a method of operating an MSC such that when a signaling path between the MSC and a HLR or pre-paid SCP fails, the MSC may continue to provide at least limited telephone service for those mobile terminals that are registered with the MSC, in both serving and terminating capacities. This invention meets that need.

Telephony service in event of link failure between mobile switching center and a home location register or a service control point


An image recording apparatus in which ink transfer from a donor sheet to an image-receiving sheet is carried out. The donor sheet has a size larger than the image-receiving sheet. The apparatus includes a rotating drum around which the image-receiving sheet and the donor sheet may be wound and laminated, and a squeeze roller. The squeeze roller has a middle portion with a fixed radius and a smaller radius portion at one or both ends. Outside an area for the image-receiving sheet, the drum has a first protruding mound portion with which the donor sheet is in surface-contact when the sheets are wound around the drum. A boundary of the smaller radius portion and the middle portion is positioned at an image-receiving sheet side of the first mound portion when the sheets are pressed against the drum.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image transfer recording apparatus having a rotating drum around which an image-receiving sheet and a donor sheet having a donor layer are to be wound, and a light source for irradiating the donor sheet with a light beam based on certain image information in order that donor ink in the donor layer can be transferred to an image-receiving layer of the image-receiving sheet. Donor sheets are also called ink-films, donor films or the like, image-receiving sheets are also called image-receiving films, receivers or the like, and donor layers are also called ink-layers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of printing, prior to mass printing at a high speed, to save time and money, a trial printing for proofreading is generally carried out.
There are several types of printers for such a proofreading. Among those printers, a transfer-type image recording apparatus is known in which it enables a colorful image formation although it is relatively simple and small in scale.
The above-type apparatus utilizes image-receiving sheets and donor sheets. In operation, an image-receiving sheet is wound around an exposure drum, and then, a donor sheet is wound therearound.
Thereafter, by laser-exposure, donor ink in the donor sheet is transferred onto the image-receiving sheet to thereby form an image thereon.
To complete a color image formation, the same sequence of processing is repeated with respect to a plurality of colors of donor sheets.
The key to ensuring a reliable ink transfer process is to achieve good adhesion between an image-receiving sheet and a donor sheet. If adhesion is not good due to, for example, air bubbles generated therebetween, the transfer process will be unsuccessful irrespective of how excellent the exposure process may be.
In light of the above-mentioned fact, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an image transfer recording apparatus that enables an excellent adhesion between an image-receiving sheet and a donor sheet.
To achieve the object mentioned above, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image recording apparatus in which ink transfer from a donor sheet to an image-receiving sheet is carried out, the donor sheet having a larger size than the image-receiving sheet, and the image recording apparatus including: a rotating drum around which the image-receiving sheet and the donor sheet can be laminatingly wound in this order; a squeeze roller disposed to releasably press the donor sheet and the image-receiving sheet against the drum, a middle portion in an axial direction of the squeeze roller having a substantially constant radius and a smaller diameter portion at at least one end thereof in the axial direction having a radius smaller than the radius of the middle portion; wherein the drum includes a first protruding mound portion which, when the image-receiving sheet and the donor sheet are wound around the drum, is apart from an edge of the image-receiving sheet substantially by a predetermined distance and is in surface-contact with the donor sheet, and when the squeeze roller is pressing the donor sheet and the image-receiving sheet against the drum, a boundary portion between the smaller diameter portion and the middle portion of the squeeze roller is disposed at a side of the first mound portion at which the image-receiving sheet is disposed.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.


A double entry water bottle carrier (10) for runners includes a base (12) having a belt (14) for securing the base (12) to the runner. A sleeve (20) secured to the base (12) is dimensioned to receive a water bottle (22) and defines a first entry (24) and an opposed second entry (26) at opposed ends of the sleeve (20). A flexible securing strap (32) is secured between opposed interior surfaces of the sleeve (20), and is dimensioned so that a central portion (42) of the strap (32) contacts and secures the bottom surface (44) of the water bottle (32) whether a spout (40) of the water bottle extends out of the first entry (24) or second entry (26) of the sleeve (20).

It is well known that long distance runners frequently utilize water bottle carriers for avoiding dehydration during long runs, especially during hot weather conditions. Such water bottle carriers are generally secured to the runner by a belt for fastening around the runner's waist. The carriers often also have zippered pockets for securing car keys, a wallet, or similar valuable personal property. In order to avoid irritating bouncing, to minimize contact with a runners hands adjacent the runner's abdomen while running, and to facilitate use of a securing buckle on the belt, known water bottle carriers for runners are typically employed with the water bottle positioned within a sleeve adjacent the runner's lower back and with a securing buckle of the belt adjacent the runner's abdomen.
Additionally, while some water bottle carriers support the bottle at ninety degrees or upright, in order to minimize irritating contact between the bottle and the lower back of the runner, it is known to align the sleeve of the carrier so that the bottle is at about a forty-five degree angle to the runner's back bone. This minimizes a vertical extension of the bottle adjacent the concave curve of the runner's lower back as opposed to an upright or vertical disposition. Such off-set or angled-sleeve water bottle carriers are most often aligned so that a top or spout of the water bottle is angled toward the runner's right shoulder to facilitate extraction and replacement of the water bottle by the majority of runners who are right-handed.
Known water bottle carriers also normally include a cushioned base upon which the sleeve is secured. The base usually also has a wide mesh cover for comfort and breathability. The base is typically secured between the bottle within the sleeve and the runner's back to cushion the bottle and avoid irritating rubbing of the bottle against the runner's back. The cushioning base must extend along the curved lower back of the runner a distance that is adequate to protect the runner's back along a complete vertical extension of the bottle within the sleeve. Therefore, the longer the vertical extension of the bottle up the runner's back, the longer the base must extend to protect the runner.
Consequently, there is a need for an efficient water bottle carrier for runners that may be readily used by both right-handed and left-handed runners; that minimizes a vertical extension of the carrier along the concave curve of a runner's lower back; and that does not significantly increase weight, bulk or cost of manufacture of such a water bottle carrier.

Double entry water bottle carrier for a runner


Method of endovascular intervention in neurovascular anatomy of a patient including deploying an anchor of a tethering device in an anchoring vessel of a neurovascular anatomy, the anchor coupled to a tether extending proximally from the anchor. Method includes advancing a guide-sheath over the tether of the tethering device anchored in the anchoring vessel and attached to the tether, the guide-sheath includes at least one lumen and a distal opening from the lumen. Method includes advancing a treatment device through the lumen of the guide-sheath and out the distal opening from the at least one lumen and through an entrance of a target intracranial vessel, and deploying the treatment device at a treatment site within the target intracranial vessel without a combined therapy of two or more anti-platelet therapeutic agents during a peri-procedural period. Related systems, devices, and methods are disclosed.

Vascular disease caused by stenosis or narrowing of a vessel is commonly treated by endovascular implantation of scaffolding devices such as stents, often in combination with balloon angioplasty, to increase the inner diameter or cross-sectional area of the vessel lumen. Other serious vascular defects include aneurysm in which a bulge or bubble protrudes out in a radial direction from the vessel that, if left untreated, may continue expanding until it bursts thereby causing hemorrhaging from the vessel. Endovascular implantation of scaffolding devices in the vessels of the brain can also be used to treat aneurysms to occlude, partially occlude, and/or assist in the implantation of a coil into the aneurysm.
Treating stenoses and aneurysms in vessel of the brain by endovascular implantation of stents and stent-like devices is particularly challenging due, in part, to the tortuosity of the vasculature and the small size of the vessels. Further, the risk of stroke and thromboembolic complications is high due to the release of thrombotic material during delivery of the stent and, in the case of flow diverters for treatment of aneurysm, can block blood flow to branch vessels. Stent length also poses a risk for further thromboembolic complications.
Endovascular access of the neurovasculature requires navigation of vessels, often tortuous and diseased, which can complicate delivery of implants such as intracerebral stents and their delivery systems. Resistance points during advancement of the various implantable devices through the vessel can lead to a chain reaction of events involving the buckling and storage of tension within the catheter length. Further, many cases involve a trial and error iterative process of different constructs of supporting catheters and stiff wires to build a "tower" into the intracerebral vasculature—each iteration involving further guidance and support. This can be traumatic to the vessel through which the devices are passed and ultimately, the entire system can lose column strength and such that the devices fail to traverse to the desired location.
To access the cerebral anatomy, guide catheters and guide sheaths are used to direct interventional devices, such as stents, coils, and flow diverters, to the intracranial treatment site (e.g. stenosis or aneurysm), from the access site. It can be challenging to establish guide or sheath position in a fashion that is stable and provides support for the device delivery. To maneuver the catheters into position, coaxial, triaxial, or quadraxial systems are often used in which a guidewire/microcatheter system is first deployed and coaxial larger catheters are subsequently delivered. The clinical challenge, especially in the octogenarian population, is the elongation of the aortic arch against the fixed thoracic descending aorta, leading to a shifting of all great vessels, especially the brachiocephalic takeoff. Such shifting makes it more challenging to access the anatomy during treatment of, e.g., stroke, aneurysm, and other distally located vascular diseases. As catheters, wires, balloons, stents, or retrievable structures are advanced through the great vessels, they have a tendency to prolapse into the ascending aorta when pushed into a highly angulated and/or tortuous anatomy.

Endovascular interventions in neurovascular anatomy


A centrifugal pump system having an impeller rotating with first and second magnetic structures on opposite surfaces. A levitation magnetic structure is disposed at a first end of a pump housing having a levitating magnetic field for axially attracting the first magnetic structure. A multiphase magnetic stator at a second end of the pump housing generates a rotating magnetic field for axially and rotationally attracting the second magnetic structure. A commutator circuit provides a plurality of phase voltages to the stator. A sensing circuit determines respective phase currents. A controller calculates successive commanded values for the phase voltages during a running state in response to a desired impeller speed and an actual impeller phase. The controller has a startup interval during which the commanded values of the phase voltages are determined in response to a pseudo impeller phase and in response to a ramping gain factor.

The present invention relates in general to centrifugal pumping devices for circulatory assist and other uses, and, more specifically, to an improved startup of a magnetically-levitated impeller that avoids excessive wear of the impeller against the housing before levitation is obtained.
Many types of circulatory assist devices are available for either short term or long term support for patients having cardiovascular disease. For example, a heart pump system known as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) can provide long term patient support with an implantable pump associated with an externally-worn pump control unit and batteries. The LVAD improves circulation throughout the body by assisting the left side of the heart in pumping blood. One such system is the DuraHeart® LVAS system made by Terumo Heart, Inc., of Ann Arbor, Mich. The DuraHeart® system employs a centrifugal pump with a magnetically levitated impeller to pump blood from the left ventricle to the aorta. The impeller acts as a rotor of an electric motor in which a rotating magnetic field from a multiphase stator couples with the impeller and is rotated at a speed appropriate to obtain the desired blood flow through the pump.
A control system for varying pump speed to achieve a target blood flow based on physiologic conditions is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,160,243, issued Jan. 9, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The stator of the pump motor can be driven by a pulse-width modulated signal determined using a field-oriented control (FOC) as disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/748,780, filed Jan. 24, 2013, entitled "Impeller Position Compensation Using Field Oriented Control," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The centrifugal pump employs a sealed pumping chamber. By levitating the impeller within the chamber when it rotates, turbulence in the blood is minimized. The spacing between the impeller and chamber walls minimizes pump-induced hemolysis and thrombus formation. The levitation is obtained by the combination of a magnetic bearing and a hydrodynamic bearing. For the magnetic bearing, the impeller typically employs upper and lower plates having permanent magnetic materials for interacting with a magnetic field applied via the chamber walls. For example, a stationary magnetic field may be applied from the upper side of the pump housing to attract the upper plate while a rotating magnetic field from the lower side of the pump housing (to drive the impeller rotation) attracts the lower plate. The hydrodynamic bearing results from the action of the fluid between the impeller and the chamber walls while pumping occurs. Grooves may be placed in the chamber walls to enhance the hydrodynamic bearing (as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,470,246, issued Dec. 30, 2008, titled "Centrifugal Blood Pump Apparatus," which is incorporated herein by reference). The magnetic and hydrodynamic forces cooperate so that the impeller rotates at a levitated position within the pumping chamber. Since the hydrodynamic forces change according to the rotation speed of the impeller, the magnetic field may be actively controlled in order to ensure that the impeller maintains a centered position with the pumping chamber.
Prior to starting rotation of the impeller, the axial forces acting on it are not balanced. Magnetic attraction causes the impeller to rest against one of the upper or lower chamber walls. In many pump designs, it is possible for the impeller to be arbitrarily resting against either one of the walls. When rotation begins, the rubbing of the impeller against the chamber wall can cause undesirable mechanical wear of the impeller and/or wall. The amount of wear is proportional to the rotation angle traversed until the impeller lifts off of the pump housing and to the normal force between the impeller and housing.
In a typical startup sequence of the prior art, the stator coils are energized to produce a strong, stationary magnetic field that rotates the impeller into alignment with a known phase angle. When the impeller moves during alignment, it typically overshoots the desired position due to the strong field and then it oscillates around the desired position until the motion dampens out. Much mechanical wear can occur during this step. Once in the aligned position, the field-oriented control can begin closed-loop control to accelerate the impeller until the bearing forces separate it from the chamber wall. However, the normal force can be high before separation occurs, further increasing the wear.

Startup sequence for centrifugal pump with levitated impeller


A method of enhancing a color temperature of a color image includes calculating gains for input image signals based on a predetermined gain function. A first offset value corresponding to a change in a pedetermined color temperature of output signals is calculated. A second offset value is calculated based on the gains and the first offset value. The second offset value is added to a B signal of the output signals. A compensation gain is calculated in consideration of intensity of the B signal to which the second offset value is added. The compensation gain is added to a G signal. Thus, a desired color temperature can be obtained regardless of the intensities of R, G, and B signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of enhancing a color temperature in a color image, and more particularly, to an apparatus for and a method of adaptively enhancing a color temperature in a specific area of an input color image in a digital TV and computer-based image processor so that a viewer can see a clearer and fresher displayed image than an original image.
2. Description of the Related Art
A correlated color temperature (CCT) of white in an image gives a very high visual effect. For example, in a news-type image, a blue color background with a high color temperature can allow a viewer to see the news being broadcast clearer than an image having a background with a low color temperature.
For a similar reason, in a well-known cleaning method, a fluorescent substance which is added to a general synthetic detergent remains in a piece of cloth after cleaning, absorbs ultraviolet energy of sunbeams, and radiates ultraviolet energy in a blue wavelength range in the visual area, thereby highlighting a cleaning degree of the piece of cloth.
By the same token, the color temperature of a white color area in a displayed image is set to be 9300K in a conventional chromaticity diagram of general televisions, higher than a standard color temperature of 6500K of the general televisions so that a user feels less tired and works with the displayed image efficiently for a long period of time.
Accordingly, the standard color temperature of the televisions is set to 10000K in many Asian countries during manufacturing the televisions so as to increase the color temperature of the white color area of the displayed image, thereby simply obtaining the above-described effect. However, in the image obtained by such method, color temperatures of all color areas increase, thereby causing an image quality of some color areas, for example, skin color, to be lowered too much as compared with an original image.

Apparatus for and method of enhancing color temperature in color image


A system for storing and monitoring grain includes a grain bin for storing grain and a plurality of sensor cables suspended within the grain bin, the sensor cables comprising sensors for sensing one or both of the temperature and humidity of the grain. The system further includes a mobile device for reading codes on each of the sensor cables, wherein the mobile device assigns a cable location inside the grain bin to each of the sensor cables. In a manual setup, the mobile device displays a representation of a cable configuration, displays a request to connect the sensor cables in indicated locations and then assigns the cable locations to each sensor cable.

Grain bins are used to store grain. Measuring the moisture content (relative humidity) of the grain and temperature of the grain is important to know how long the grain can be stored and also to control any climate control devices used to regulate the temperature and/or humidity inside the grain bin.
Temperature and moisture sensor cables are widely used in the agricultural industry for monitoring grain conditions of grain stored inside a grain bin. The sensor cables, which are hung from the inside roof or ceiling of the grain bin, are communicatively connected to a data collection device or local monitoring device which transmits the data, for example wirelessly, to a remote monitoring station or device. Together the sensor cables, data collection device and monitoring device form a grain bin monitoring system. For large grain bins, the grain bin monitoring system requires multiple sensor cables to hang from the roof of the grain bin to obtain temperature and relative humidity values at different locations throughout the grain. These sensor cables are often disposed in a standard geometric pattern. To make the most use of the data, users often associate a given sensor cable with a given geometric position.
In order to indicate the position of the sensor cables, users typically need to either wire a specific sensor cable to a specific location on the data collection device that is reading the sensor cables, or manually indicate to the device which sensor cable is where through an indexing tool. These methods require that the installer climb onto the roof of the grain bin to perform the cable configuration task. Climbing onto the roof of a grain bin is time-consuming and inconvenient.
It would be desirable to simplify and improve the setup of the systems used for measuring temperature and moisture inside grain bins to address at least some of these issues.

Sensor cable setup method and computer-readable medium for setting up sensor cables in grain bin


The present invention relates to a programmable safety system intended to be used for safety functions, in which a fault in a control circuit does not lead to a safety function being disabled, which system comprises monitoring functions containing at least two control units, input terminals separately coupled to both control units, whereby each control unit executes its own instruction set and continuously compares a result from the execution with each other. At least one control unit can access the in and output terminal status of a second control unit and/or a number of flags, and the control units are arranged to monitor the result of respectively executed instruction sets and control that the results of the executions are substantially equivalent.

The requirement for category 4 is found under section 6.2.5 in the EM 954-1 regulations. The main requirement is:
Safety related components in the control system of category 4 shall be constructed so that:                an individual fault in any of these safety related components does not lead to loss of the safety function, and        the individual fault is detected at or before the next time the safety function is demanded, e.g. immediately, at start, at the end of a work cycle.If this is not possible, accumulation of faults shall not lead to loss of the safety function. Category 4 implies that a random (stochastic) fault in the system should not lead to a safety function being left out, and the fault should be detected within one on-/off cycle for the safety function.
If the system can determine that a fault corresponds to a particular safety function, e.g. an input or output, the output is disconnected for the actual safety function. Remaining outputs, which are not affected by the fault, continue to function.
European patent application EP 748 762 relates to a safety system for flow control, in which two processors are arranged which control the flow. Each processor runs its own programmed, in the form of different "firmweare", and controls its own relay. If one of the relays is not controlled in the correct way, the processor linked to that relay ceases its control.