An ionizing radiation detector employs optical fibers as the medium for sensing ionizing radiation emitted by a radioactive source. Light in the infrared region is pumped continuously through an optical fiber located in an area or region where the unintentional discharge of ionizing radiation may be expected, so that such emission is detected the moment it occurs. The source of optical light emits a constant output within a specific wavelength band which changes only when irradiation of the fibers by ionizing radiation causes their internal color centers to change. The output of the fibers is optically coupled to a photomultiplier via a light pipe. A single light source, detector, and associated electronics complete the system. A hand-held unit unique for remote sensing may house these components. Due to safety conditions, these components are located at a point remote from the position liable to become under the influence of the radiation exposure field. Annealing of that portion of the optical fiber influenced by irradiation field restores the exposed portion of the optical fiber to substantially its previous level of sensitivity thereby reversibly establishing the fiber optic for any subsequent exposure. In response to particle bombardment from a cobalt-60 source, the detector reacts to the energy remaining after passage of the beam through a shielding enclosure, thereby giving a reliable indication of the shielding effectiveness of the enclosure.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new type of sensor for detecting ionizing radiation and, in particular, the invention describes a radiation sensor which employs optical fibers as the sensing medium. The device may be employed in environments considered hazardous to human life or safety due to excessive leakage or dangerous concentrations of ionizing radiation. Measurement of the shielding characteristics of enclosures by determining their mass attenuation coefficients is another desirable application of the present invention.


A clock spring for use with a steering device of an automobile, including a fixed member, a movable member rotatably mounted on the fixed member with a cable accommodating portion defined therebetween, and a cable accommodated in the cable accommodating portion for effecting electrical connection between the fixed member and the movable member. One end of the cable is fixed to the fixed member and led out of the fixed member, while the other end of the cable is fixed to the movable member and led out of the movable member. One portion of the cable is wrapped in one direction on either of the fixed member or the movable member, while the other portion is wrapped in the opposite direction reverse to the one direction on the other of the fixed member and the movable member, whereby an inverted portion of the cable is formed between the one portion and the other portion. The improvement of the clock spring resides in the point that at least one of opposed surfaces of the fixed member and the movable member is provided with an outwardly expanded portion. With this construction, buckling or rupture due to bending fatigue of the inverted portion of the cable is prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clock spring connector for use with a steering device of an automobile, for example, including a fixed member, a movable member, and a cable for effecting electrical connection between the fixed member and the movable member.
2. Description of Related Art
A clock spring connector is generally constructed of a fixed member, a movable member rotatably mounted on the fixed member, a flexible cable connecting the fixed member and the movable member. Such a clock spring connector is used as an electrical connecting device for effecting electrical connection between the fixed member and the movable member adapted to be rotated with a finite number of revolutions as in a steering device of an automobile.
In a known clock spring connector of this kind, a cable accommodating portion is defined between the fixed member and the movable member, and a flat cable formed by laminating a pair of strip films with a plurality of conductors sandwiched therebetween is loosely accommodated in the cable accommodating portion under a spirally wrapped condition. One end of the flat cable is fixed to an outer cylindrical portion formed on either the fixed member or the movable member, while the other end of the flat cable is fixed to an inner cylindrical portion formed on the other of the fixed member and the movable member.
When the movable member of the clock spring connector is rotated, the flat cable accommodated in the cable accommodating portion can be wrapped onto the inner cylindrical portion from the outer cylindrical portion or unwrapped from the inner cylindrical portion to the outer cylindrical portion according to a rotational direction of the movable member. Accordingly, while the flat cable is being unwrapped from the inner cylindrical portion to the outer cylindrical portion, almost no tension is applied to the flat cable, and electrical connection between the fixed member and the movable member rotating relative thereto can be maintained at all times.
The wrapping and unwrapping of the flat cable is carried out by utilizing a difference in diameter between the outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion. Therefore, assuming that a rotational amount of the movable member is fixed, the larger the difference in diameter, the smaller the length of a flat cable that is necessary. However, the diameter of the inner cylindrical portion is dependent upon a diameter of a rotating shaft on which the clock spring connector is mounted, e.g., a steering shaft of an automobile. On the other hand, the diameter of the outer cylindrical portion cannot be made too large because a compact size of the clock spring connector is desirable. For these reasons, the difference in diameter between the outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion cannot be made extremely large. Accordingly, such a clock spring connector generally requires a long flat cable, which is difficult to manufacture as is well known. As a result, a total cost of the clock spring connector is increased.


Secure digital remediation methods and systems are provided for managing a reputation. A method for managing a reputation includes receiving a complaint from a victim regarding an unfavorable item published by one or more third parties, extracting information from the unfavorable item, and providing a communication to the one or more third parties of the complaint including the information, the communication requesting a response from the one or more third parties. The method also includes scoring the unfavorable item on a severity scale based on the information, responses to queries and/or a ruleset to produce a severity score, the ruleset including instructions for responding to the complaint based on the severity score.

Usage of the Internet has become a daily occurrence for many people around the world. Internet usage has been driven to higher and more powerful levels by the likes of major search engines such as Google™ and Yahoo!™. Driving Internet usage even higher has been the advent and rise of social networking sites, such as Facebook™ and Myspace™, as well as personal blogging sites such as Wordpress™, and microblogging sites such as Twitter™ and Tumblr™. Global users of the Internet post information and content daily to such social networking and blogging sites, and other users of the Internet may find information posted using search engines.
As the Internet has grown, social media has grown along with it. No longer bounded by distance and geography, users of the Internet are free to immediately communicate with anyone, anywhere and at any time. However, with this new means for almost instantaneous communication comes a very real price.
Almost all content that is published online, be it a letter to a friend, a photo shared on a social networking site, or a video published and then linked in a blog post, is immortalized online. Without direct action, such published information is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, forever. As un-moderated as the Internet is currently, a problem exists when the information published is unfavorable, damaging, bullying or even defamatory to a person.
Unfavorable information that is published online can be quite damaging to a person. Lies, half-truths and misstated information can have real and serious impacts on a victim, from the loss of a job, the ending of a marriage or other civil union, and even eventual suicide or other self-harming activities.
Attempting to have the unfavorable content removed from the Internet can be a daunting task. One conventional method is a lawsuit, which can be cumbersome, slow and expensive. In suing a publisher of the unfavorable information for defamation or other civil torts, a victim will often need to hire an attorney, pay court and service fees, and wait years for an ultimate resolution of the matter. During this period that the lawsuit is ongoing, the unfavorable information is still online, accessible by anyone with Internet access.

Secure digital remediation systems and methods for managing an online reputation


An electroluminescent display device contains an electroluminescent phosphor sandwiched between a pair of electrodes and a graphic arts element. The device is fabricated by bonding a generic electroluminescent base laminate containing an electrode and an electroluminescent layer, to a custom graphic arts film containing a graphic element and a corresponding electrode. The generic electroluminescent base laminate is made at a first location or time, and the custom graphic arts film is made at a second location or time.

Electroluminescent panels, lamps, and displays are light-emitting displays for use in many applications. Electroluminescent (EL) panels are essentially a capacitor structure with an inorganic phosphor sandwiched between two electrodes. The resistance between the two electrodes is almost infinite and thus direct current (DC) will not pass through it. But when an alternating voltage is applied, the build-up of a charge on the two surfaces effectively produces an increasing field (called an electric field) and this causes the phosphor to emit light. The increase in voltage in one direction increases the field and this causes a current to flow. The voltage then decreases and rises in the opposite direction. This also causes a current to flow. The net result is that current flows into the electroluminescent panel and thus energy is delivered to the panel. This energy is converted to visible light by the inorganic phosphor, with little or no heat produced in the process. Application of an alternating current (AC) voltage across the electrodes generates a changing electric field within the phosphor particles, causing them to emit visible light. By making one or both of the electrodes so thin that light is able to pass through and be emitted to the environment, an optically transmissive path is available.
One particular area in which electroluminescent panels can be useful is in lighted advertising displays at the point of product purchase. In today's competitive global environment, local customization of the advertising display is often desirable to accommodate language nuances, local regulations, and cultural mores. However, prior art displays must be fabricated at a dedicated facility, and variations or changes in the display require costly tooling changes and lengthy lead times. This makes local customization very costly and/or impractical. Additionally, small volumes of a single display are also costly, due to the fixed cost of tooling.

Method of manufacturing customized electroluminescent display


A substrate-feeding device has at least two acceleration devices, which are arranged one beside the other, beneath a storage region, and having a framework and a lifting frame, which lifting frame can be moved relative to the framework. The at least two acceleration devices are arranged for movement jointly with one another, and with the lifting frame. Each of the acceleration devices has at least one body of rotation, which is driven via a common shaft which has at least two shaft portions arranged one behind the other. Directly adjacent shaft portions are arranged in a state in which they are connected in each case, via a coupling. There are subassemblies provided which each have a deflecting device, a shaft portion and at least one transporting belt and which are each one of fastened on the lifting frame, and are arranged for movement jointly with the lifting frame and are connected to one another by virtue of their shaft portions being connected via couplings to form the common shaft. The invention also relates to a sheet-processing machine.

A number of different printing methods are used in printing presses. Non-impact printing (NIP) methods are understood as printing methods that do not require a fixed, that is to say, a physically unalterable printing forme. Printing methods of this type are able to produce different printed images in each printing operation. Examples of non-impact printing methods include ionographic methods, magnetographic methods, thermographic methods, electrophotography, laser printing, and in particular inkjet printing methods. Such printing methods typically involve at least one image producing device, for example at least one print head. In the inkjet printing method, such a print head is configured, for example, as an inkjet print head and has at least one and preferably a plurality of nozzles, by means of which at least one printing fluid, for example in the form of ink droplets, can be transferred selectively onto a printing substrate. Alternative printing methods, such as intaglio printing, planographic printing, offset printing and letterpress printing methods, in particular flexographic printing, use fixed printing formes. Depending upon the size of the print run and/or other requirements such as print quality, a non-impact printing method or a printing method that uses a fixed printing forme may be preferable.
The precise matching of a printed image on the front and back sides of a printing substrate that is printed on both sides is referred to as register (DIN 16500-2). In multicolor printing, the merging of individual printed images of different colors in precise alignment to form a single image is referred to as color registration (DIN 16500-2). In inkjet printing, as with other processes, appropriate measures must be implemented to maintain color registration and/or register. In particular, it is important for the relative position between print head and printing substrate to be known and/or kept constant. Registration is also referred to as color register. In the following, the term register mark will therefore also be understood as referring to a registration mark, i.e. a mark for checking color registration or color register.
Sheet-fed printing presses are known. However, conventional transport systems cannot always be used with particularly thick sheets.
From DE 10 2015 111525 A1, a sheet-fed printing press is known, which operates according to the principle of offset printing and which is equipped with additional inkjet printing elements that have print heads and dryers, which are optionally arranged so as to be movable. Drives for transporting sheets are not described.
From DE 102 27241 A1, a drive system of a sheet-fed printing press is known, in which drive control units act as module control units.
From DE 10 2011 088776 B3, a printing press that has inkjet print heads and dryers is known. The transport of printing substrate and drives provided for said transport are described only in connection with a web-fed printing press.
EP 0669208 A1 discloses a sheet-fed printing press having drive motors for cylinders and the capability of positioning said drives axially.
EP 0615941 A1 discloses a sheet-fed printing press having individually driven acceleration means.
From DE 697 21715 T2, a method and a device are known, in which mailpieces, in particular postcards, are singulated and fed to an inkjet print head. The mailpieces are accelerated to a first speed by a primary acceleration means and are accelerated to a second speed by a secondary acceleration means. The two acceleration means are driven by a common drive. A motor controller controls this drive as well as a drive that transports the mailpieces past the print head module. The mailpieces are decelerated by the secondary accelerator as needed in order to increase the gap between a mailpiece and the mailpiece that precedes it. Because of the common drive, decelerating this secondary acceleration means also necessarily decelerates the first acceleration means.
US 2001/0022422 A1 and US 2013/0216291 A1 each disclose a method and a copying machine by which paper sheets are removed from a pile from above, singulated, and fed to a printing couple.
US 2002/0180138 A1 discloses a method and a device in which checks are singulated and marked. A primary acceleration means is operated more slowly than a secondary acceleration means. The checks are decelerated or accelerated by the secondary acceleration means as needed in order to adjust the gap between a check and the check that precedes it. At the same time, the primary acceleration means is decelerated or accelerated in the same ratio.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,539 A discloses a substrate supply system having an acceleration means for singulating sheets from the bottom side of a sheet pile.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,162,834 B1 discloses a substrate supply system having acceleration means that are positioned beneath a storage area provided for a sheet pile, and having a lifting frame that is movable with respect to a vertical direction.
From DE 22 25 666 A, a device having crossing, height-adjustable conveyor belts is known.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,472 A1 discloses a substrate supply system in which, as the primary acceleration means, two bars are pivoted against a bottommost sheet, thereby lifting said sheet on one side while at the same time pressing it against stops, causing it to deform and to move forward until it is gripped by a roller nip and transported further.
JP H04-12 940 A discloses a substrate supply system by means of which cards in the format of telephone cards can be singulated from the bottom of a pile. Two rollers are used for this purpose, which are arranged on a common shaft and can be brought into contact with the underside of the pile by means of a pivoting movement.
Known from JP H11-292 320 A is a substrate supply system for a printer, by means of which paper sheets can be transported. A shaft section supports two semicircular contact members that are intended for removing paper sheets from the top of a pile. The shaft section as a whole, together with the two contact members, can be separated from a shaft section that is connected to a gear train.
DE 692 08 010 T2 discloses a substrate supply system of a printing or copying device, which system comprises a conveyor belt guided around a pivotable support member. By selecting the pivot position of the support member, the conveyor belt can be brought into contact with sheets of a pile.
From JP S58 135042 A a substrate supply system for a copier machine is known, in which, beneath a storage area for sheets, a lifting frame supports a plurality of conveyor belts that can be driven jointly via a shaft and is arranged pivotably in a stand, in order to influence the length over which the conveyor belts can come into contact with sheets.
Known both from EP 1 500 617 A2 and from U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,563 A is a substrate supply system having conveyor belts that are mounted via shafts and deflection means arranged thereon. Two lateral bearings of each of these shafts can be adjusted thereon. Two lateral bearings of each of these shafts can be adjusted independently of one another in terms of their vertical position, in order to adapt to different sheet thicknesses. A center part of the shaft, which supports all the deflection means, can be separated as a whole from lateral edge pieces of the shaft, which are connected to the bearings, in order to replace said deflection means.

Substrate-feeding device and a sheet-processing machine


A hand-held electronic device having a rolled-up screen comprises a flexible screen which can be partially received within a casing by a reeling mechanism in such a manner that the displaying function can still be performed by the flexible screen partially exposed outside the casing. When the flexible screen is pulled out and entirely exposed outside of the casing, the entire flexible screen can be used for image-displaying. Thus, advantages in both the high displaying quality of a large screen and excellent portability of a small-sized hand-held electronic device can be attained.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hand-held electronic device having a rolled-up screen, and more particularly to the hand-held electronic device having a rolled-up screen that is applicable to a cellular phone or a tablet computer, for which, while a flexible screen thereof is at an initial position by having the flexible screen to be reeled inside a casing via a reeling mechanism, the cellular phone or the tablet computer can perform as a normal cellular phone or tablet computer, and for which, while the flexible screen is at an extended position by having the flexible screen to be pulled out of the casing, the cellular phone or the tablet computer can perform as a device having a broad display screen.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently, the hand-held electronic device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, a GPS guide apparatus, a tablet computer and palm-size electronic play machine is usually equipped with a fixed-size display screen; in particular, a small-size display screen. Such an electronic device having a small-size screen is good in portability, but is ill in the limited display area, by which the image resolution and the applicability of a touch screen are problems. On the other hand, though the display screen can be enlarged so as to enhance the display area, the entertainment quality and the touch-control operability, yet the whole volume occupation is then too large to be in the field of portability or hand-holding. For example, the touch-control display screen for the smart phone has been increased from the 3″ screen. the 4″ screen, and finally to the 5″ screen. In spite that the display screen has been made broader so as to ensure a better screen displaying and the viewing quality, yet such a size for the hand-held electronic device is too much for the female customers. Definitely, for those female customers, the definition of the portable electronic device with an enlarged display screen might not be equal to the hand-held device anymore.
Recently. various flexible screens have been developed, such as Korean Samsung's flexible AMOLED. Japan TDK's flexible OLED, Korean LG Display's plastic electronic paper screen, and Taiwan ITRI's touch AMOLED ultra-thin film screen and so on. Based on the modern technology, the thickness of the flexible touch screen can be down to 0.3 mm, and the flexible touch screen can be rolled into a cylinder with a radius at least less than 2.5 mm. Nevertheless, for the smart phones equipped with the flexible screens, the current development is still stayed in the stage of a prototype model with a flexible screen. Though the flexible screen is introduced to the smart phone, yet the concept of flexibility is at the device body itself, not at the size of the display screen. Namely. though a larger-sized flexible screen can be applied to a smart phone. yet such a bigger size in the screen does only result in a cumbersome machine for the smart phone, which is definitely away from the original design concept in hand-holding and portability.

Hand-held electronic device having rolled-up screen and display method thereof


A magnet fastener assembly includes a base, a magnet carrier held in the base and a magnet held in the magnet carrier. The base includes a one-piece body having an upstanding doghouse on a support. The support is made from a first material and the doghouse is made from a second material. The first material has more flexibility than the second material and the second material has a greater rigidity than the first material.

Magnet fastener assemblies may be utilized to attach the headliner to the roof sheet metal substrate of a motor vehicle. In certain motor vehicles, the design and shape of the headliner may incorporate variations in contour and/or thickness. In the past this has typically necessitated the design and use of multiple magnet fastener assemblies in order to properly connect the headliner to the roof sheet metal substrate.
This document relates to a new and improved magnet fastener assembly and base for a magnet fastener assembly. That base includes a relatively rigid upstanding tower or doghouse to hold the magnet carrier of the magnet fastener assembly. That relatively rigid upstanding doghouse is provided on a relatively flexible support that has the necessary flexibility to conform to the contour of the headliner including any variations in contour or thickness. Accordingly, a new and improved magnet fastener assembly provides versatility that accommodates many variations in the headliner. Consequently, for many applications the new and improved magnet fastener assembly may be utilized to connect a headliner to a roof sheet metal substrate where multiple magnet fastener assemblies of different designs would have been required for this purpose in the past. Accordingly, the new and improved magnet fastener assembly saves time in vehicle design, saves cost, reducing the number of molds for each program, and simplifies assembly and installation of the headliner.

Magnet fastener assembly and base therefor with relatively rigid upstanding doghouse on a relatively flexible support


A structure for controlling fluid flow from a sample receiving pad into a lateral flow assay test strip, including: a lateral flow assay test strip; a sample pad abutting the lateral flow assay test strip; a pinch wall positioned to direct fluid flow from the sample pad to the lateral flow assay test strip; a top support structure positioned on top of the test strip; and a bottom support structure positioned underneath the test strip, wherein each of the top and bottom support structures comprise a plurality of separate spaced-apart support ribs positioned along the length of the test strip.

Lateral flow assay test strips are widely used in a variety of different applications. The most common problem with using lateral flow assay test strips is ensuring an optimal amount of fluid sample flows therethrough. Specifically, it is important to ensure that the test strip receives enough fluid such that it is fully saturated (so that fluid flows fully through the length of the test strip). However, it is also important that the test strip not be flooded (such that fluid may seep away from the test strip by capillary action, thereby reaching other parts of the interior of the device).
Moreover, it is also desirable that the fluid sample passes through the test strip as a uniform front without advancing faster along either the sides or the middle of the test strip. Furthermore, a common problem with lateral flow assay test strips is that fluid may flow (or simply gather) along the top or bottom surfaces of the test strip (thus partially bypassing the reaction occurring within the test strip itself). Lastly, fluid samples may splash onto the test strip from a sample receiving pad, producing undesirable results. Specifically, such splashing onto the test strip may result in flooding (with capillary flow away from the test strip).
In accordance with the present invention, a system is provided for supporting a test strip for use in a fluid analyte meter such that fluid flow is controlled both as fluid initially enters the test strip from a sample pad, and also as the fluid moves through the test strip itself. Thus, the present system overcomes the above identified disadvantages that are common to many existing lateral flow assay handling systems.

Mechanical cartridge with test strip fluid control features for use in a fluid analyte meter


A method for the preparation of tertiary-hydrocarbylsilyl compounds. The method comprises contacting a mixture comprising diethylene glycol dibutyl ether, and a Grignard reagent described by formula RMgX with a silicon compound described by formula R.sup.1.sub.a SiX.sub.4-a, where R is a tertiary-hydrocarbyl group comprising four to about 20 carbon atoms, each R.sup.1 is an independently selected substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon group comprising one to about 20 carbon atoms, each X is an independently selected halogen atom, and a is an integer with a value of zero to three, in the presence of an effective amount of a copper compound catalyst. The present invention provides a method for making sterically hindered organosilicon intermediates useful in the pharmaceutical industry.

The present invention is a method for the preparation of tertiary-hydrocarbylsilyl compounds. The method comprises contacting a mixture comprising diethylene glycol dibutyl ether, and a Grignard reagent comprising a tertiary-hydrocarbylsilyl group with a silicon compound in the presence of a copper compound. The present invention provides a method for making sterically hindered organosilicon intermediates useful in the pharmaceutical industry.
It is known that copper cyanide as a catalyst in tetrahydrofuran or diethyl ether may be used to prepare sterically hindered tertiary-hydrocarbylsily compounds. However copper cyanide is a known irritant that is highly toxic and presents several environmental hazards.
Shirahata, U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,386, teaches a method for the preparation of tert-hydrocarbylsilyl compounds by reacting a Grignard reagent with a silicon compound in the presence of a cyano compound or a thiocyanate compound. The major drawback with this method is that the catalysts used are highly toxic and are irritants.
Kubota et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,727, teach a method for preparing a tertiary hydrocarbon-silyl compound prepared by reacting a hydrogen halogenosilane, in which hydrogen and halogen atoms are directly bonded to the silicon atom, with a tertiary alkyl Grignard reagent in the presence of a copper compound and/or a quaternary ammonium salt. This method is to preparing the less sterically hindered Si-H containing chlorosilanes.
The present invention provides a method for preparing highly sterically hindered tertiary-hydrocarbylsilyl compounds using a Grignard reagent in the presence of a copper compound avoiding many of the above discussed problems. In addition, the method provides for a two-phase system from which the tertiary-hydrocarbylsilyl compound can be easily separated. Furthermore, the present method provides a substantial reduction in the amount of solvent used and increases the production equipment volumetric efficiency resulting in decreased production cost. The tertiary-hydrocarbylsilyl compounds prepared by the present method are useful, for example, as intermediates in the preparation of silylating agents, steroids and prostaglandins.

Method for preparation of tertiary-hydrocarbylsilyl compounds


This invention is directed to compounds of the following formula: wherein when a is 0, b is 1 or 2; when a is 1, b is 1, m is from 0-3, X is O or S, Y is halogeno, R1 is hydrogen C1-4 alkyl, R2 is hydrogen, C1-4 alkyl, or optionally substituted propargyl and R3 and R4 are each independently hydrogen, C1-6 alkyl, C6-12 aryl, C6-12 aralkyl each optionally substituted.

Dementia exists in several forms including static dementia, Alzheimer's-type dementia, senile dementia, pre-senile dementia and progressive dementia. One of the common pathological features of several types of dementia is the lack of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This has led to the development of acetylcholine esterase inhibitors for use in the treatment of dementias such as the compound tacrine. A summary of the different approaches to and progress made in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease may be found in Drugs of the Future (1995) 20(11): 1145-1162.
Recently, compounds that in addition to inhibiting acetylcholine esterase, possess inhibitory activity against monoamine oxidase type A (MAO-A) have been developed. The perceived benefit of having the anti-MAO-A activity is stated to be an anti-depressant effect (European Patent Publication Nos. 614,888 and 664,291).
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,387,133, 5,453,446, 5,457,133 and 5,519,061 all disclose that the compound (R)-N-propargyl-1-aminoindan, a highly selective monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) inhibitor is effective in the treatment of dementias of the Alzheimer type and memory disorders. There is no indication given therein that the compound might have acetylcholine esterase inhibitory activity. Furthermore, the compound is only very weakly active as a MAO-A inhibitor.
PCT International Publication No. WO95/18617 discloses various aminoindan derivatives that are active in a variety of CNS disorders including dementias of the Alzheimer type. There is no indication given therein that any of the compounds disclosed might have acetylcholine esterase inhibitory activity.

Abstract: This invention is also directed to the use of these compounds for treating depression, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Tourette's Syndrome, Alzheimer's Disease and other dementia's such as senile dementia, dementia of the Parkinson's type, vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia.

Abstract: This invention is further directed to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of the above-defined compounds and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

Yissum Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Technion Research and Development Foundation, Ltd.


A styrene random copolymer includes at least one unit of styrene derivative and at least one unit of macromonomer. The at least one unit of styrene derivative is polymerized from a styrene derivative monomer of formula (1). The at least one unit of macromonomer is polymerized from a macromonomer of formula (2).

The present invention relates to a styrene/macromonomer random copolymer. More specifically, the present invention relates to a styrene/macromonomer random copolymer that has excellent melt flowability as well as good heat resistance, chemical resistance, dimensional stability, elongation, flexural strength, impact strength, compatibility, and electrical properties. The present invention includes a method of preparing the styrene copolymer. Also, the present invention relates to a styrene/styrene derivative/macromonomer random terpolymer and a method of preparing the terpolymer.
In general, a styrene resin is prepared by radical polymerization. Since a styrene resin prepared by radical polymerization has an atactic structure as a whole, it has poor heat resistance and chemical resistance. A styrene resin with stereoregularity is prepared in the form of an isotactic structure or a syndiotactic structure. The former is polymerized by using a Ziegler catalyst and the latter is polymerized by using a uniform catalyst consisting of a titanium compound such as halogen titanium, alkoxy titanium, etc. with an alkylaluminoxane.
The styrene resin having a syndiotactic structure has good heat resistance and chemical resistance, but, on the other hand, it has poor impact strength. In order to overcome these shortcomings, methods of mixing a rubber, an inorganic filler, etc. have been attempted, such methods have limited usage. Further, since the melting point of the styrene resin is about 270xc2x0 C. and the degradation temperature is 310xc2x0 C., it is not easy to carry out such a process.
Recently, macromonomers with polymerization activity at the end of the chain have been developed and applied to various uses. The present inventors have developed a styrene/macromonomer random copolymer that has excellent melt flowability as well as good heat resistance, chemical resistance, dimensional stability, elongation, flexural strength, impact strength, compatibility, and electrical properties, which are required for engineering plastics. Further, the present inventors have developed a styrene/styrene derivative/macromonomer random terpolymer having excellent melt flowability as well as impact strength and other physical properties.
A feature of the present invention is the provision of a styrene random copolymer having excellent melt flowability, which is prepared by copolymerization of a styrene derivative monomer and a macromonomer and which is useful for engineering plastics having good heat resistance.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a styrene random copolymer prepared by copolymerization of a styrene derivative monomer and a macromonomer, which has good heat resistance, chemical resistance, dimensional stability, elongation, flexural strength, impact strength, compatibility, and electrical properties.
A further feature of the present invention is the provision of a method of preparing the styrene random copolymer prepared by copolymerization of a styrene derivative monomer and a macromonomer.
A further feature of the present invention is the provision of a styrene random terpolymer having excellent melt flowability, which is prepared by polymerization of a styrene monomer, a styrene derivative, and a macromonomer and which is useful for engineering plastics having good heat resistance.
A further feature of the present invention is the provision of a styrene random terpolymer prepared by polymerization of a styrene monomer, a styrene derivative, and a macromonomer, which has good heat resistance, chemical resistance, dimensional stability, elongation, flexural strength, impact strength, compatibility, and electrical properties.
A further feature of the present invention is the provision of a method of preparing the styrene random terpolymer by polymerization of a styrene monomer, a styrene derivative, and a macromonomer.
The above and the other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the ensuing disclosure and appended claims.
The styrene random copolymer according to the present invention is produced by copolymerization of a styrene monomer and a macromonomer, thus having at least two repeating units, the styrene derivative with a syndiotactic structure and the macromonomer. The macromonomer has polymerization activity via an ethylenically unsaturated group, such as a vinyl group, at the end of the chain. The repeating units of styrene derivative, and more particularly at least 50% syndiotacticity. The amount of macromonomer is about 0.1% to about 50% (0.1xcx9c50%) by weight based on the weight of the random copolymer. The melting point of the copolymer is 150xcx9c272xc2x0 C., and the weight average molecular weight is in the range of about 50,000 to about 2,000,000 when it is measured by gel permeation chromatography.
Thus, according to one aspect of the present invention, a styrene random copolymer is provided that includes at least one unit of styrene derivative and at least one unit of macromonomer, the at least one unit of styrene derivative being polymerized from a styrene derivative monomer of formula (1), the at least one unit of macromonomer being polymerized from a macromonomer of formula (2).
In the forgoing formulae,
R1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, and alkyl groups with 1xcx9c20 carbon atoms, R2 is at least one selected from the group consisting of saturated hydrocarbons with 1xcx9c20 carbon atoms, aromatic groups, and cycloalkyl groups with the proviso that R2 is not xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94C6H4xe2x80x94, R3 is a saturated hydrocarbon group with 1xcx9c10 carbon atoms, X is at least one ion polymerizable monomer unit selected from the group consisting of monomers of formulae
R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, and R9 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, alkyl groups with 1xcx9c20 carbon atoms, and alkoxy groups with 1xcx9c20 carbon atoms, R10, R11, R12, R13, R16, and R17 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups with 1xcx9c20 carbon atoms, R14 and R15 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl groups with 1xcx9c20 carbon atoms, R18 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl groups with 1xcx9c4 carbon atoms, R19 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups with 1xcx9c4 carbon atoms, and l is the degree of polymerization for X and is an integer from about 10 to about 1,000.
The amount of the macromonomer is 0.1xcx9c50% by weight based on the weight of the random copolymer, and the weight average molecular weight of the random copolymer ranges from about 50,000 to about 2,000,000.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the styrene random copolymer is prepared by polymerization of a styrene derivative monomer and a macromonomer in the presence of a catalyst comprising a transition metal compound, more particularly a Group IV transition metal compound, and an alkylaluminoxane.
Further, the present invention includes a styrene random terpolymer that is copolymerized from a styrene monomer, a styrene derivative, and a macromonomer, thus having at least three repeating units, the two styrenes with a syndiotactic structure and the macromonomer. The macromonomer has a polymerization activity viaan ethylenically unsaturated group, such as a vinyl group, at the end of the chain. The repeating units of the styrene, and more particularly have at least 50% syndiotacticity. The amount of macromonomer is about 0.1 to about 50% by weight based on the weight of the random terpolymer. The melting point of the terpolymer is 150xcx9c272xc2x0 C., and the weight average molecular weight is in the range of about 50,000 to about 5,000,000 when it is measured by gel permeation chromatography.
Thus, in accordance with an additional aspect of the present invention, there is provided a styrene random terpolymer comprising units of styrene monomer, units of styrene derivative, and units of macromonomer, the units of styrene monomer being polymerized from a styrene monomer of formula (1s), the units of styrene derivative being polymerized from a styrene derivative monomer of formula (1), the units of macromonomer being polymerized from a macromonomer of formula (2),
said terpolymer being represented by formula (III):
In the foregoing formulae, R1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, and alkyl groups with 1xcx9c20 carbon atoms, R2 is at least one selected from the group consisting of saturated hydrocarbons with 1xcx9c20 carbon atoms, aromatic groups, and cycloalkyl groups with the proviso that R2 is not xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94 or CH2xe2x80x94C6H4xe2x80x94, R3 is selected from the group consisting of saturated hydrocarbons with 1xcx9c10 carbon atoms, m is a degree of polymerization for the styrene monomer and is an integer of about 400 to about 20,000, n is a degree of polymerization for the styrene derivative monomer and is an integer of about 5 to about 200, o is a degree of polymerization for the macromonomer and is an integer of about 1 to about 20, l is the degree of polymerization for X and is an integer of about 10 to about 3,000, and X is at least one ion polymerizable monomer unit selected from the group consisting of monomers of formulae (A) to (K):
R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, and R9 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, alkyl groups with 1xcx9c20 carbon atoms, and alkoxy groups with 1xcx9c20 carbon atoms, R10, R11, R12, R13, R16, and R17 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups with 1xcx9c20 carbon atoms, R14 and R15 are the same or different and chosen from hydrogen and alkyl groups with 1xcx9c20 carbon atoms, R18 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl groups with 1xcx9c4 carbon atoms, and R19 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups with 1xcx9c4 carbon atoms.
The amount of the macromonomer is 0.1xcx9c50% by weight based on the weight of the random terpolymer, and the weight average molecular weight of the random terpolymer ranges from about 50,000 to about 5,000,000.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the styrene random terpolymer is prepared in the presence of a catalyst comprising a transition metal compound, more particularly a Group IV transition metal compound, and an alkylaluminoxane.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration and not limitation. Many changes and modifications within the scope of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.

Styrene/macromonomer random polymer having excellent melt flowability and impact strength and method of preparing the same

Abstract: In formulae (1) and (2),

Abstract: X is at least one ion polymerizable monomer unit.


A method and device for alternatingly operating one of several reels arranged following a continuous strip rolling mill, wherein the continuously arriving rolling stock is cut into coil weights of desired lots by means of flying shears provided at the exit of the rolling mill. At least one driver is arranged following the flying shears, wherein the rolls of the driver can be displaced in such a way that the plane extending through the two axes of the rolls can be pivoted from an essentially vertical position such that a normal extending relative to this plane is pivoted in the direction toward the first of the following reels

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of alternatingly operating one of several reels arranged following a continuous strip rolling mill, wherein the continuously arriving rolling stock is cut into coil weights of desired lots by means of flying shears provided at the exit of the rolling mill. The invention also relates to a device for operating reels in accordance with the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Continuous rolling mills which are fed continuously with rolling stock from continuous casting plants, or continuous rolling trains in which the rolling stock lots arriving from a roughing train are connected to each other in front of the first stand of the train, are known in the art. A driver is usually arranged following the continuous rolling mill, wherein a required strip tension at the output of the continuous rolling train is adjustable by means of the driver. Flying shears as well as another driver are arranged following the first driver. The continuously arriving rolling stock is divided by means of the flying shears into such lengths that, after the lots have been wound up, desired coil weights are obtained. A second reel is provided in order to be able to wind up the strip beginning which follows after a relatively short time period the strip end of the strip wound onto the first reel after the transverse cutting of the strip. This is necessary because, as a rule, it is not possible to stop the strip beginning and to pull the previously wound coil from the first reel and subsequently to start winding again onto the first reel.
Turning reels, in which the strip beginning is wound onto the reel in one position of the reel, have also already become known in the art. As soon as the strip rests against the reel without slip, the reel can be moved during its reeling operation into the coil removing position and the second reel of the turning reel is rotated from this position into the position for starting reeling. However, since turning reels are very complicated, they are very expensive and cannot always be used economically following continuous rolling trains.
Separately arranged reels, to which the rolling stock beginning is fed through switches, have also become known. In order to prevent the switches from permanently resting against the rolling stock, the switches must be switched very quickly precisely within that period of time after the end of the rolled strip has passed the switch and before the new beginning of the rolled strip enters the switch. Because of the high outlet speeds of continuous rolling trains, it is necessary to use very fast and complicated rolling switches. However, such switches fail because of the very high outlet speeds of thin strips used today and because of the very short time period between the new strip beginning and the preceding strip end.


An electrical box support is provided having a set of struts telescoping one within the other to accommodate the length for attachment to studs of different spacings. Each strut has a face suited for mounting an electrical box and has a series of inwardly directed, uniformly and relatively closely spaced detents. The detents serve both for releasably locking the length of the support and for guiding the entry of screws used to attach the box to the support. Each strut has an end tab adapted for bending to mount to the studs in a position established so that a mounted electrical box appropriately meets the surface of a wall board to be installed. Bending in a controlled straight line is accomplished by the formation of discontinuous score lines.

This invention relates to an electrical box support constructed of telescoping struts having means to releasably lock the struts and at an outer end of each strut a studengaging tab that can be bent to conform to different box depths.
The terms xe2x80x9cboxxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9celectrical boxxe2x80x9d as used herein are intended to refer to a junction box, receptacle box, switch box, terminal box, connector box or the like as are known in the electrical trade. The teachings of the patents described below are given for background and are deemed to be incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,506,330 issued in 1924 recognized the need for an electrical box support capable of accommodating an electrical box of a known depth and studs of different spacing. The ""330 patent teaches the practice of forming an electrical box support from a pair of telescoping, channel formed struts, each having a face to which the box could be attached. The ""330 patent also teaches bending the ends of the support to form right angled tabs for mounting the box support to and between adjacent studs. The ""330 patent box support however required that adjustments for boxes of different depths be made by locating the bent ends of the box support at different locations on the sides of the studs.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,789,124 issued in 1931 also recognized the need for adjusting the length of an electrical box support by bending the ends of the support to accommodate to studs of different spacing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,233,334 issued in 1941 also recognized the need for an electrical box support capable of accommodating electrical boxes of different depth and mounting to studs of different spacing. The ""334 patent teaches the practice of forming an electrical box support from a single bar having a face to which the box could be attached. The ""334 patent also teaches bending the ends of the support to form right angled tabs for mounting the box support between and to adjacent studs. The electrical box support of the ""334 patent however was not adjustable lengthwise and also required that adjustments for boxes of different depths be made by locating the bent ends of the box support at different locations on the sides of the studs.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,788,188 issued in 1957 illustrates in one embodiment an electrical box support constructed of a pair of struts which telescope within each other so as to be able to adjust to different spacings between the studs and providing a face to which the box could be attached. In the mentioned embodiment, the ""188 patent also illustrates the practice of prebending the ends of the telescoping struts to form tabs useful for attaching the box support to and between adjacent studs. In another embodiment, the ""188 patent illustrates an electrical box support formed from a single flat sheet with bendable tabs at each end each having a plurality of grooved, embossed or etched lines at different locations along which each tab can be bent in the field to form a flange at right angles to the plane of the sheet. Thus, the ""188 patent can also be construed to teach the practice of being able to form an electrical box support either with prebent tabs or with flat tabs adapted to be bent in the field.
With regard to the practice of providing lines of weakened metal, bend points, a line of holes or the like in an electrical box support, to facilitate bending or breaking of the metal along a particular line, reference is also made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,922, issued in 1983, for an electrical outlet box support. The ""922 patent illustrates a pair of weakening lines used to facilitate bending of a portion of the support; U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,453, issued in 1984, also illustrates an electrical box support in which a plurality of parallel lines of holes are used to facilitate breaking of excess metal; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,235, issued in 1987, also describes an electrical receptacle subplate having two pairs of such bend lines.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,800,813, issued in 1931, illustrates use of a lengthwise V-groove in the strut of an electrical box support and of a series of preformed holes to facilitate insertion of nails, screws or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,990, issued in 1990, recognizes use of pilot holes to facilitate the starting and use of metal screws for securing the box to a face on one of the telescoping struts. The electrical box support described in the ""990 patent comprises a pair of telescoping struts adapted to be mounted between two spaced-apart wall studs. Each strut comprises an elongate web of sheet metal forming a front face of the strut, a pair of side walls extending rearwardly from the side edges of the web, and a channel formed inwardly of the web running substantially the full length of the web between the side edges of the web. Inwardly turned flanges connect to the side walls and define the bottom of the channel. Pilot holes are spaced along the web at relatively closely spaced and regular intervals whereby an electrical box may be attached to the strut in a selected position lengthwise of the strut by placing the back wall of the box flush against the front face of the web over the channel and then fastening the box to the strut by using screws threaded through selected pilot holes.
Applicant""s prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,111, issued in 1995 for a Bracket For Anchoring Apparatus Between Wall Studs, also illustrates a feature of interest to the present invention, namely, the use and advantage of detents. As disclosed in the ""111 patent, detents are used rather than holes to facilitate installation of self drilling sheet metal screws for attaching apparatus to the bracket. So far as applicant is aware, the ""111 patent is the only known prior art reference which illustrates the use and advantage of detents in an electrical box support though it has been known to use a series of holes to facilitate insertion of nails, screws and the like as seen for example in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 1,800,813, issued in 1931 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,990, issued in 1990.
With the above as background, it is to be noted that use of the telescoping type electrical box support has introduced a problem in that the known struts which telescope one within the another often come loose before being installed because of the typical free-sliding fit between the telescoping struts of the support. Thus, if an installer, for example, is on a ladder and is in the process of installing a telescoping type electrical box support of conventional construction, the typical telescoping struts particularly when held vertically because of their relatively loose sliding fit are apt to separate and permit one of the struts to fall, thus risking harm to both people and objects below.
With regard to the need for establishing a relatively tight fit between struts of a telescoping type electrical box support, U.S. Pat. No. 2,788,188, issued in 1957 describes a telescoping type electrical box support but specifically refers to the sections of the support being xe2x80x9crelatively slidable.xe2x80x9d U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,002, issued in 1957, refers to the relation between two struts forming a telescoping type electrical box support as permitting xe2x80x9crelatively free-sliding movement.xe2x80x9d U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,959, issued in 1995, describes a telescoping type electrical box support in which mention is made of the two sections of the support xe2x80x9cnot being readily separablexe2x80x9d. The ""959 patent however does not show nor do any of the other mentioned patents show, any kind of releasable locking mechanism which would permit telescoping struts once assembled to be held vertically without separating and yet be readily adjustable lengthwise by manual pressure applied to the struts. In dealing with this same problem, B-Line Systems, Inc. has recently started marketing a telescoping type electrical box support formed with inner and outer sections and with pilot holes in each section such as shown in B-Line""s Patent 5,209,444, issued in 1993, and a resilient finger (not shown in the ""444 patent) formed intermediate the length of the outer section and having a protrusion which resiliently engages and slides on an opposite surface of the inner section apparently for the purpose of reducing any tendency of one section to slide on the other. However, the sections are never releasably locked as with the present invention.
The term xe2x80x9cstudxe2x80x9d as used herein is intended to include structural members in a building surface, including wall studs, joists, rafters, etc. The term xe2x80x9cwallxe2x80x9d as used herein is intended to include ceiling surfaces as well as vertical walls.
Therefore, the object of the invention is to provide a further improved telescoping type electrical box support which accommodates and can be field bent to accommodate boxes of different depths, can be adjusted to different stud spacings, and, of particular importance to the invention can while being installed, maintain a relatively tight but releasably locked engagement between the telescoping struts. Other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.
The improved electrical box support of the invention comprises in a first embodiment at least two and in a second embodiment three struts that are assembled in telescoping relation to accommodate different stud spacings and also having means to accommodate different depths of electrical boxes. The box support assembly of the invention is formed of outer and inner struts with a series of interengaging detents, i.e. conical or hemispherical shaped depressions, so that the struts can be moved to relative positions in which the outer strut detents engage and nest into opposed inner strut detents to releasably lock the struts comprising the two-strut assembly together at some selected length. The outer strut can be manually moved relative to the inner strut to temporarily disengage the detents and change the releasably locked length of the box support assembly. One end of the outer strut and an opposed end of the inner strut are formed with a tab that is adapted to be bent for mounting to adjacent building studs at a depth appropriate to accommodate an electrical box to be mounted thereto.

Abstract: A second embodiment of the invention is formed with two struts having end tabs and a third strut having no end tabs and engaging the other two struts. Either one or both of the struts with end tabs can be moved to change the length of the assembly. The assembly length is releasably locked by a series of mating detents.


A solid state radiation sensor, in which an electrode is disposed on each side of a recording photoconductive layer, and charges generated in the recording photoconductive layer by the irradiation of radiation, with a predetermined bias voltage being applied between the electrodes, are detected as electrical signals. Here, a predetermined region is provided between the electrodes, and the average density of an alkali metal in the predetermined region is greater than or equal to 10 times the average density of the alkali metal in the area between the electrodes other than the predetermined region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid state radiation sensor, suitable for use with an imaging apparatus using radiation, such as X-rays or the like, and a manufacturing method of the sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of medical X-ray imaging, X-ray imaging panels (solid state radiation sensors) are known. The X-ray imaging panel uses an X-ray sensitive photoconductive layer as a photoconductor, in order to improve diagnostic capabilities with a reduced amount of radiation received by a subject, and an electrostatic latent image formed by the X-rays on the photoconductive layer is read out by light or multitudes of electrodes and recorded. The method described above is superior to the known image projection method called indirect imaging using TV camera tube, in that it may obtain higher resolution.
The X-ray imaging panel described above includes therein a charge generation layer that receives X-rays and generates charges corresponding to the received X-ray energies, and the generated charges are read out as electrical signals. The photoconductive layer described above functions as the charge generation layer. Generally, materials such as amorphous selenium (a-Se), PbO, PbI2, HgI2, BiI3, Cd(Zn)Te, and the like are used for the photoconductive layer.
The use of amorphous selenium may readily provide large surface area through a thin film forming technique such as vacuum deposition method and the like, but the resultant photoconductive layer have many structural defects because of its amorphous nature, so that the sensitivity of the photoconductive layer is likely to be degraded. Consequently, it is customary that an appropriate amount of impurity is doped in the amorphous selenium in order to improve the performance. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030223534 describes a recording photoconductive layer formed of amorphous selenium doped with an alkali metal of 0.01 to 10 ppm. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-244492 describes a recording photoconductive layer formed of amorphous selenium doped with Na of 70 ppm as the alkali metal. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,989 describes a recording photoconductive layer formed of amorphous selenium doped with Na of 100 ppm.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,072 describes an X-ray image detector that includes a semiconductor layer with a thickness in the range from 0.5 to 2 μm formed of selenium doped with an alkali metal of 20 to 200 ppm that conducts electrons without conducting holes. Still further, the Canadian Patent No. 2184667 describes an X-ray image multilayer plate that includes a semiconductor layer having unipolar buffer layers, each with a thickness of 0.5 and 10 μm formed of selenium doped with an alkali metal.
As a result of committed study, the inventors of the present invention have found that the electron mobility is improved if a predetermined region between electrodes of the solid state radiation sensor has a higher alkali metal density than the other region. The amorphous selenium doped with an alkali metal like that described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030223534 may cause local crystallization, and the use of such amorphous selenium for the photoconductive layer may cause an image defect with time.
The present invention has been developed in view of the circumstances described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a solid state radiation sensor that includes a recording photoconductive layer having a predetermined density distribution of a doped alkali metal, less structural defects, and high electron mobility, and a manufacturing method of the solid state radiation sensor.

Solid state radiation sensor and manufacturing method of the same


Medical device polymeric tubing segments suitable for forming catheter shafts or as balloon parisons are formed with discrete regions having different orientation relative to each other. Wall thickness may also be varied of the length of the segment.

Medical devices comprising catheter shafts and catheter balloons are used in an increasingly widening variety of applications including vascular dilatation, stent delivery, drug delivery, delivery and operation of sensors and surgical devices such as blades, and the like. The desired physical property profile for the balloons used in these devices vary according to the specific application, but for many applications a high strength robust balloon is necessary and good softness and trackability properties are highly desirable.
Commercial high strength balloons having wall strengths in excess of 20,000 psi, have been formed of a wide variety of polymeric materials, including PET, nylons, polyurethanes and various block copolymer thermoplastic elastomers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,421, Levy and U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,260, Saab describe PET balloons. U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,244, Pinchuk et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,468, Kaneko, describe polyamide balloons. U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,239, Gahara, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,180, Anderson et al describe balloons made from polyurethane block copolymers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,383, Wang et al and U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,356, Wang et al, describes balloons made from polyether-block-amide copolymers and polyester-block-ether copolymers. U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,522 Simhambhatla, et al, describes balloons made from polyester-block-ether copolymers of high flexural modulus. U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,400, Kaneko, describes balloons made from polyarylene sulfide. All of these balloons are produced from extruded tubing of the polymeric material by a blow-forming radial expansion process. U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,069, Nobuyoshi et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,877, Hamilton et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,086, Hamlin, describe still further materials which may be used to make such balloons.
Different balloon materials provide different properties. In general, materials with high elongation and low flexural modulus give relatively greater resistance to pin hole formation and to winging upon deflation and also provide better trackability through body lumens, but such materials tend to give balloons with lower burst strengths and higher distensibility. Conversely, polymer materials with relatively high tensile strengths and hardness tend to give balloons with low distension and high burst strengths, but at a sacrifice of susceptibility to pin holing, winging and/or loss of trackability.
A variety of blow forming techniques have been utilized. The extruded parison may be radially expanded as is into a mold or by free-blowing. Alternatively, the parison may be pre-stretched longitudinally before expansion or reformed in various ways to reduce thickness of the balloon cone and waist regions prior to radial expansion. The blowing process may utilize pressurization under tension, followed by rapid dipping into a heated fluid; a sequential dipping with differing pressurization; a pulsed pressurization with compressible or incompressible fluid, after the material has been heated. Heating may also be accomplished by heating the pressurization fluid injected into the parison. Examples of these techniques may be found in the patent documents already mentioned or in U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,313, Noddin et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,246 Sahatjian, U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,190, Tennerstedt, U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,110, Wang et al.
Following blow-forming the balloons may be simply cooled, heat set at a still higher pressure and/or temperature or heat shrunk at an intermediate pressure and/or temperature, relative to the blow forming temperature and pressure. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,340, Wang et al, EP 540858 Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., WO 98/03218, Scimed Life Systems.
It has been recognized that a single die can be used to produce different tubing diameters by varying the draw down ratio, but, at least since the advent of PET balloons, relatively low draw down ratios have been recommended to provide an amorphous state and thereby facilitate the subsequent blow-forming step. See S. Levy, "Improved Dilatation Catheter Balloons," J. Clinical Engineering, Vol. 11, No. 4, July-August 1986, 291-295, at p 293.
Thus a great deal of attention has been paid to blow forming processing conditions and to balloon materials. Until recently less attention has been paid to extrusion conditions for preparing the polymer tubing used as the parison.
In commonly owned copending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/087,653, filed Feb. 28, 2002, incorporated herein by reference, it is disclosed that improved balloon properties can be obtained by controlling the parison extrusion in a manner which restricts the elongation of the parison material in the longitudinal direction. The application discloses that decreasing the gap between the extrusion head and the cooling bath tank can lower parison elongation by shortening the quench time. Quench time can also be shortened by increasing the line speed.
For catheter shafts, it has long been recognized that the proximal shaft portion should have high torqueability and therefore should be relatively stiff, whereas the distal shaft portions desirably should have high flexibility. It is also desirable that the transition to high flexibility be gradual to minimize kinking and to more effectively transfer push and rotation forces to the end of the catheter. Typically this will be accomplished by a combination of structural features, including reinforcement in the proximal region, a more distal transition to unreinforced polymer, and/or a change of polymer material in a distal region. However, other techniques which allow smoother transitions, greater variation in shaft properties, cheaper or faster manufacture, or the like, remain desirable.

Medical device tubing with discrete orientation regions


This invention discloses a method for detecting the presence of a moving object in a detection area, including emitting a sequence of bursts of ultrasonic energy into the area, receiving ultrasonic energy reflected from within the detection area, in response to the sequence of bursts, and generating a sequence of signals respectively responsive thereto, comparing each signal in the sequence with a preceding signal, to find a variation in the signals over the sequence of bursts, and analyzing the variation in the signals to determine the presence of the moving object. Apparatus for detecting the presence of a moving object in a detection area is also disclosed.

Ultrasound-based intrusion detectors are well known in the art. Common detectors of this type simply sense and alarm on variations in constant ultrasonic wave fields that are incident thereon. Such variations are generally indicative of a motion within the detector's field of view. When the variation exceeds a preset threshold, the detector issues an alarm.
Simple ultrasound detectors of this type, however, are highly prone to false alarms due, for example, to air turbulence, detector vibration or swaying motion of inanimate objects. The detection threshold may be raised to reduce the false alarm rate, but generally at the expense of reduced detection efficiency. There is, therefore, a recognized need for more sophisticated ultrasound intrusion detectors, capable of discriminating between the actual movement of an intruder and sources of spurious disturbances in ultrasound signals.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,045, to Stockdale, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes an intrusion detection system with turbulence discrimination, based on the Doppler effect. Doppler ultrasound signals are received from an area under surveillance. Signals generated due to movement of an intruder in the area are assumed to produce a relatively constant Doppler shift, dependent on the velocity of the intruder's movement, whereas those due to turbulence have a generally random Doppler profile. A threshold is set in the system so as to discriminate against such randomly-shifted signals.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,035,798 and 4,319,349, to Hackett, which are incorporated herein by reference, describe intrusion detection systems, based on the Doppler effect, using modulated ultrasound transmitters. In the '798 patent, the transmitter is modulated by keying it on and off at a controlled modulation frequency. In the '349 patent, the frequency of the transmitter is modulated between two frequencies offset above and below a reference frequency. In both patents, Doppler echoes that are received from the detection area of the system are identified by virtue of their being modulated at the same frequency as the transmitted ultrasound radiation. The modulation may be useful in discriminating against spurious Doppler signals due, for example, to a telephone bell ringing in the vicinity of a detector, but not against other types of disturbances, such as Doppler echoes from swaying objects.
A further problem of ultrasound detection systems is that interfering signals may reach the detector from objects outside a distance range of interest. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,717, to Terry, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes apparatus for measuring distances to objects using pulsed ultrasound signals. The apparatus includes circuitry for eliminating spurious echoes from objects outside a desired distance range by setting a threshold signal level and by timing the interval between the transmission of an acoustic signal and the receipt of an echo signal from an object, so that echoes from objects outside the range are ignored.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,973, to Meier et al., which is also incorporated herein by reference, describes a space surveillance system including one or more ultrasonic sources. Each source defines the area of a monitored space, dependent generally on the dimensions and ultrasonic wavelength of the source. A foreign object within the area triggers an alarm, and the system discriminates between objects within the area and those outside. The sources may be driven in either continuous or pulsed mode and at constant or modulated frequency.
U.K. patent application GB 2,115,151A, to Excell et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a Doppler ultrasound movement detection system, for use particularly in safeguarding a selected area that is not bounded by walls. A transmitter sends periodic bursts of ultrasonic signals into the area, and a receiver receives ultrasonic signals reflected from objects in the area. The phases of the transmitted and reflected signals are compared to provide a reference signal. Doppler components in the reference signal are indicative of motion in the detection area, and successive reference signals are compared to control an alarm. The reference signals are gated so that reflections from outside the selected area are disregarded.


The present invention is a syringe tip cap comprising a bottom portion, a top portion, an annular skirt extending therebetween and a plug that projects proximally from the bottom portion so as to be telescoped into the passage of a syringe tip. The plug provides means to allow air to be vented from the syringe with contacting the user. The syringe tip cap of the present invention also provides the user with an indication by tactile and visual feedback that the syringe has been vented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a syringe tip cap for use in blood collection and transport procedures and more particularly to a syringe tip cap for use with an arterial blood-sampling syringe or whole blood collection syringe.
2. Description of Related Art
Arterial blood samples are commonly obtained from a patient by using an arterial blood gas syringe or a whole blood collection syringe for arterial blood gas or other analytical analysis.
In the field of arterial blood gas syringes, it is important to prevent exposure of a collected blood sample to the atmosphere and to allow for the removal of trapped gases from the syringe once sampling is effected.
Conventional arterial blood gas syringes include a syringe barrel, a syringe tip, a luer connection, a standard needle and a plunger rod with a piston member on the distal end thereof.
When the syringe is being used to draw a blood sample, the needle is conventionally removed after draw and the syringe tip covered by a cap to isolate the sample during storage and/or transportation. Various tip cap structures have been disclosed having features designed to protect both the sample and the technician during capping, transportation and storage. Venting of these prior art structures is performed by inverting the syringe (tip up), removing the cap and visualizing advancement of the blood sample through the tip consequent to pressure applied to the plunger in order to remove any air left in the syringe tip and then transport the sample to the site of analysis.
While recent advances have contributed to improved technician safety during venting, further improvements are needed, particularly for syringe assemblies intended for arterial blood gas analysis, where residual gas left in a syringe after sampling may interfere with the analysis as well as to protect the user from exposure to the blood sample.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Syringe Having Needle Isolation Features


A telephone communications switching system incorporating echo cancellers that may be replaced by other echo cancellers, and a method for replacing such echo cancellers are disclosed. The system comprises a control module for receiving and switching call data; and active and redundant echo cancellers. Under normal operation, an active echo canceller cancels echo in a call. A processor on the control module monitors the system and in the response to a sensed trigger event activates the redundant echo canceller and switches call data at the input of the active echo canceller to inputs of both the active and redundant echo cancellers. The processor then waits a determined amount of time; and thereafter disconnects the output of the active echo canceller from the control module and connects the output of the redundant echo canceller to the control module. By waiting, the processor allows the redundant echo canceller to become ready to cancel echo, before connecting the output of the redundant canceller to the control module. This may reduce the amount of time echo cancelling is not available for the call.

The presence of echo in telephone networks is known and understood.
Echos typically exist as a result of transmitted signals in a telephone network being coupled into a return path and fed back to the sender of the original transmitted signal. The most common cause of such a coupling is an impedance mismatch in a four wire to two wire hybrid. The impedance mismatch causes a reflection of some of the power transferred across the hybrid. A sender will receive the portion of a transmitted signal reflected by the impedance mismatch a short time after sending the original signal. Depending on the delay between the original and reflected signal, the reflected signal will create an echo perceived by the sender.
Echos can be avoided if the impedance of the hybrid exactly matches the impedance of the two wire circuit so that near perfect isolation of the two, two wire branches (or legs) of the four wire circuit can be realized. Such impedance matching is a time consuming manual process and is therefore not commonly used. Further, two wire circuits emanating from hybrids are typically switched connections such as customer sets, so that the impedance of the two wire line connected to the hybrid is rarely matched.
Numerous methods of reducing or eliminating echo are known. For example, telephone network design introduces specific amounts of net loss called via net loss ("VNL") that depends on the length of the link and typically creates end to end attenuation in proportion to the length of the circuit. An echo experiences twice as much attenuation as does a transmitted signal since it traverses twice the distance. Thus, the VNL may be relied upon to sufficiently suppress echos having thirty to forty milliseconds of delay. However, reliance on VNL is not appropriate for echos having longer delays.
Instead, echo suppressors and echo cancellers are typically deployed.
Echo suppressors operate on four wire circuits by measuring the speech power in each two wire portion (leg) of the circuit and introducing a large amount of loss in one leg when the power level in the other leg exceeds a threshold. Thus, a returning echo is essentially blocked by a high level of attenuation. However, an echo suppressor converts a full duplex circuit into a half duplex circuit with the energy sensed being the means of turning the circuit around. As a consequence, echo suppressors tend to clip beginning portions of speech segments. For example when a party at one end of the connection begins talking at the tail end of the other parties speech the echo suppressor does not have time to reverse directions.
A further and much preferred method of reducing or eliminating echo is echo cancellation. An echo canceller operates by simulating the echo path to subtract a properly delayed copy of a transmitted signal from the received signal to remove or cancel the echo component.
In a digital telephone network, echo cancellation is usually accomplished by applying digital signal processing ("DSP") techniques to pulse code modulated ("PCM") voice data. Echos are cancelled close to the point of reflection so that the delays the echo canceller must simulate are minimized.
Known DSP echo cancellation algorithms, as for example disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,522, use call data from a far end caller (ie. call data without echo) and a signal traveling in the opposite direction, including a near end echo, to form a suitable adaptive filter. The filter is modeled by correlating the original signal with the return signal containing echo. The formed filter is suitable for removing the echo component of the return signal without noticeably modifying the remainder of the signal. The filter is updated periodically and is applied to all signals along the return path, destined to the speaker at the far end.
As will be appreciated, the initial formation of a suitable filter takes some time in order to effectively correlate the return signal portion including echo to the originating signal. An echo canceller that has been properly matched to a particular call is said to be "converged". The exact amount of time for convergence will vary from call to call depending on the nature of the echo and the nature of the call. For example, in the presence of an additional signal in the return path, signal correlation and hence echo canceller convergence is difficult, if not impossible. Therefore cancellers converge most effectively in the absence of signals originating at both ends of a call (often referred to as "double talk"). In the absence of significant "double talk", formation of a suitable filter may be much simpler and less time consuming. Present DSP echo cancellation algorithms typically require approximately two to three seconds to form a suitable filter for most calls.
Physically, echo cancellers are usually hardwired in series with trunks connecting telephone switching systems. As well, echo cancellers are typically installed on T1 lines, having twenty-four DS0 channels. As a result, echo cancellers are often bundled in units capable of providing echo cancelling service for a T1 trunk having twenty-four voice channels.
This hardwiring of echo cancellers leads to the problem that a failed canceller may be tantamount to a failed trunk. Some suggested solutions to this problem have involved the use of redundant hardware or hardware bypasses in the event of failure of the echo cancellers. Redundancy, however, is typically limited so that multiple hardware failures cannot be compensated. Moreover, hardware bypasses eliminate the provision of echo cancellation on at least one channel and typically on an entire trunk.
A much improved method of providing echo canceller redundancy is disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/851,026, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Basically, the disclosed method employs a communications switching system capable of switching individual calls to and through individual echo cancellers, in a pool of echo cancellers, as required. In the event a single echo canceller fails, this system could switch a call in need of echo cancellation to another available canceller. The echo cancellers are formed as part of resource modules ("RMs") forming part of a modular communications system. For design reasons, an RM dedicated to providing echo cancelling (known as an echo canceller resource module "ECRM") in the disclosed system typically has two hundred and eighty eight cancellers. Each canceller cancels echo in one direction in a single call. As a result a single ECRM may be associated with up to two hundred and eighty eight calls at one time.
While such a system may be capable of switching individual calls between available echo cancellers across ECRMs in the event of an echo canceller failure, replacement of an entire ECRMs is often desirable. Such replacement may be performed dynamically while the system is in operation. All calls processed by an active ECRM may be switched through a redundant ECRM. That is, an active ECRM is logically disconnected from the system and a redundant ECRM is connected. The dynamic replacement of an active (ie. in-use) ECRM with a redundant (ie. inactive) ECRM is referred to as "sparing" of that ECRM.
However, when calls are switched from echo cancellers on an active ECRM to echo cancellers on a redundant ECRM each newly used echo canceller will need to "converge". As a result, the switching from an active echo canceller to a redundant echo canceller effectively removes echo cancellation from the call for the amount of time required for convergence. In the event of a failed echo canceller, this delay is quite tolerable in view of the benefits provided by replacing the failed canceller.
However, when all calls on a single ECRM are switched to a redundant ECRM, all redundant echo cancellers on the redundant ECRM will need to converge, whether or not the corresponding active echo canceller on the active ECRM has failed. This, of course, will cause the presence of echos for a short period, on all calls associated with the active and redundant ECRMs.
The present invention attempts to overcome some of the disadvantages associated with present methods of replacing or "sparing" echo cancellers in a telephone communication switching system.

Method and system for sparing echo cancellers


A ceramic heater is provided that includes a power terminal for connecting a resistive heating element to a power source. An intermediate layer is disposed on an AlN ceramic substrate proximate the resistive heating element. The power terminal is bonded to the intermediate layer by an active brazing material. The intermediate layer is formed of Mo/AlN or W/AlN and has a coefficient of thermal expansion between that of the active brazing material and that of the AlN ceramic substrate so that thermal stress generated in the ceramic substrate can be reduced.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
A typical ceramic heater generally includes a ceramic substrate and a resistive heating element either embedded within or secured to an exterior surface of the ceramic substrate. Heat generated by the resistive heating element can be rapidly transferred to a target object disposed proximate the ceramic substrate because of the excellent heat conductivity of ceramic materials.
Ceramic materials, however, are known to be difficult to bond to metallic materials due to poor wettability of ceramic materials and metallic materials. Moreover, the difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the ceramic material and the metallic material is significant and thus a bond between the ceramic material and the metallic material is difficult to maintain.
Conventionally, a power terminal is attached to the ceramic substrate in one of two methods. In the first method, a metal foil is brazed to a part of the resistive heating element to form a terminal pad, followed by brazing the power terminal to the metal foil. The metal foil and the power terminal are brazed to the ceramic substrate in a non-heating zone to avoid generation of thermal stress at high temperatures during operation. Creating a non-heating zone solely for the purpose of securing the power terminal, however, does not seem practical and economical, given the trend of compact designs in many areas including the ceramic heaters.
The second method involves drilling a hole in the ceramic substrate to expose a part of the resistive heating element and placing the power terminal within the hole, followed by filling the hole with an active brazing alloy to secure the power terminal to the resistive heating element and the ceramic substrate. Unlike the first method, the power terminal of the second method is secured to the ceramic substrate in a heating zone. Again, the incompatible thermal expansion among the ceramic materials, active brazing alloy and metallic materials causes thermal stress at high temperatures at the interface between the ceramic substrate and the active brazing alloy, resulting in cracks in the ceramic substrate proximate the hole.

Power terminals for ceramic heater and method of making the same


A system and associated method for replicating data based on capacity optimization. A local node receives the data associated with a key. The local node within a local domain communicates with nodes of remote domains in a system through a communication network. Each domain has its own distributed hash table that partitions key space and assigns a certain key range to an owner node within the domain. For new data, the local node queries owner nodes of domains in the system progressively from the local domain to remote domains for a duplicate of the new data. Depending on a result returned by owner nodes and factors for replication strategies, the local node determines a replication strategy and records the new data in the local node pursuant to the replication strategy.

The present invention discloses a system and associated method for data replication based on capacity optimization utilizing existing replicas. Due to the increase in the amount of data in computing environment and business enterprises, data replication requires mechanisms to reduce data footprint, intra-file and inter-file data redundancy while providing sufficient resiliency to recover the data in cases of failure. Conventional data replication generates multiple unnecessary replicas of the data within a site that is the same as the data and/or across multiples sites.

Data replication based on capacity optimization

International Business Machines Corporation


A reaction force generating member includes: a first dome that gives a reaction force to an operation member according to the depression of the operation member; and a second dome that includes a hemispherical bowl part disposed inside the first dome, and a projection projecting downward from the center of the bowl part and depressing a switch disposed below the operation member.

Conventionally, there has been known a key switch device using a dome rubber arranged between a membrane sheet and a key top (see Patent Document 1; Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2015-133309). The dome rubber includes an outer dome that gives a reaction force according to elastic deformation to the key top, and an inner dome that depresses a contact of the membrane sheet.
In the key switch, the operation force increases until a load which acts on the outer dome of the dome rubber reaches a buckling load of the outer dome. When the load which acts on the outer dome reaches the buckling load of the outer dome, the operation force decreases gradually with the increase in a keystroke. Then, the contact is turned on in a process in which the operation force is decreasing. Therefore, an operator gets a feeling of a click by acquiring a peak (maximum) operation force by the buckling deformation of the outer dome. Since the contact is turned on in the process in which the operation force is decreasing, an operation feeling sufficiently corresponds to a contact depression operation, and hence the operability of the key switch device is improved.

Reaction force generating member and key switch device


A bicycle with simulated motorcycle parts includes a shroud attachable to the bicycle. The shroud has a center portion simulating a gas tank and a rear fender portion extending over the rear wheel. The shroud is configured to fit around the seat tube of the bicycle and preferably completely covers the top tube of the bicycle. In one embodiment, a fairing mounted in front of the handlebars simulates a fairing on a motorcycle.

The present invention relates to a bicycle with simulated motorcycle parts, and more particularly to a shroud or body shell that can fit over the top tube and around the seat post of a child's bicycle to make the bicycle look like a motorcycle.
Over the years, a number of attachments to bicycles to simulate motorcycle parts have been proposed. For example, a simulated gas tank affixed to the top tube of a bicycle has been known.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,210,889 to Lyman discloses a simulated engine which mounts over the rear wheel of a bicycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,498,677 to Bemis et al. discloses a child's walking bicycle that has a body plate mounted between the frame members with an illustration of a motorcycle engine stenciled or printed thereon.
Other attachments to be added to a tricycle for simulating an airplane, rocket ship, submarine or other vehicles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,761,689 to Becker.
A number of design patents disclose bicycles or parts therefore which appear to simulate motorcycles and parts thereof. See U.S. Pat. Nos. D 166,693; D 170,610; D 203,146; D 245,002; D 246,170; D 246,779; D 250,329; and D 291,292. Improvements can still be made, however, to provide simple attachments that can be added to a conventional child's bicycle that will make the bicycle more realistically stimulate a motorcycle.


A medical guide wire which has a core wire having a distal end-side small-diameter portion and a proximal end-side large-diameter portion having a larger outside diameter than the outside diameter of the distal end-side small-diameter portion, and a coil spring installed on an outer periphery of the distal end-side small-diameter portion of the core wire along an axial direction and fixed to the core wire at at least the front end portion and rear end portion thereof. The outside diameter of the proximal end-side large-diameter portion of the core wire and the outside diameter of coil of the coil spring are each at most 0.012 inch. The front end portion of the coil spring is fixed to the core wire by gold-containing solder. The length of a distal end portion stiffened by the gold-containing solder is 0.1 to 0.5 mm. The medical guide wire is high in fixing strength of the coil spring to the core wire and can shorten a shaping length compared with a conventional medical guide wire.

A guide wire for guiding a medical instrument such as a catheter to a predetermined position in a body cavity such as a blood vessel is required to have flexibility at its distal end portion.
Therefore, there is known a guide wire in which the outside diameter of an distal end portion of a core wire is made smaller than that of its proximal end portion, and a coil spring is installed on an outer periphery of the distal end portion (distal end-side small-diameter portion) of the core wire, thereby intending to improve the flexibility of the distal end portion (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
In order to install the coil spring on the outer periphery of the distal end-side small-diameter portion of the core wire, both front end portion and rear end portion of the coil spring are generally fixed to the core wire by solder.
Here, Ag—Sn solder is used as the solder for fixing both front end portion and rear end portion of the coil spring to the core wire because of its low melting point and easy handling.
The solder penetrated into the interior of the coil at both front end portion and rear end portion of the coil spring comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the core wire, whereby the coil spring is fixed to the core wire.
In addition, a distal end tip is formed by any other solder than the solder penetrated into the interior of the coil at the front end portion of the coil spring.
In order to ensure the fixing ability of the coil spring to the core wire, however, it is necessary to sufficiently penetrate the solder into the interior of the coil at the front end portion of the coil spring, which is fixed to a distal end portion of the core wire, which has a minimum outside diameter. Specifically, it is necessary to penetrate the solder (Ag—Sn solder) into the interior of the coil in a range corresponding to about 6 pitches to about 8 pitches of the coil spring.
A portion (including the distal end tip formed by the solder) stiffened by the solder filled into the interior of the coil is formed at the distal end portion of the guide wire produced in this manner.
The length (length correspond to the distal end tip and about 6 pitches to about 8 pitches of the coil) of this distal-end stiff portion is about 0.8 to 1.1 mm.
In order to achieve low invasiveness in a patient, it has been recently desired to miniaturize medical instruments.
With this desire, there has been a demand for making the diameter of a guide wire small, and so the present inventors have come to develop a guide wire having a smaller wire diameter (0.010 inch) than that (0.014 inch) of a conventional one.
The guide wire of 0.010 inch can greatly contribute to the miniaturization of medical instruments such as catheters.
In addition, this guide wire is also good in operability upon accessing, for example, a micro-channel in CTO (chronic total occlusion) lesion.