A process and a production installation for producing shell-shaped, fiber-reinforced plastic parts are provided. The plastic parts can be produced efficiently, in an automated manner which is flexible with respect to the process and workpiece and is operationally reliable. A blank of the endless fiber mat corresponding to a workpiece is placed in an automated manner by industrial robots onto a clamping frame surrounding the female mold and is taken over by the clamping frame in a clamping manner and in such a way that it can slide after itself against a defined resistance. Wide-ranging accessibility required for this is created by a horizontally movable unit, comprising a female mold and a clamping frame, being temporarily moved completely out from the forming press and moved back again into the forming press after completion of loading.

The invention relates to a process and a production installation for producing shell-shaped, fiber-reinforced plastic parts, in particular from two-component synthetic resin.
In a contribution at the plastics engineering conference "PUR-Technik 1996" in Munich from 31.01.-1.02.1996, Kleinholz et al. discussed a process under the title "Trägerteile für Automobilinnenverkleidungen aus naturverstärktem PUR-Harz" (supporting parts for automobile interior trim of natural-fiber-reinforced polyurethane resin); the corresponding discourse is printed in the conference report issued at the time (PUR-Technik 1996, VDI-Verlag, ISDN 3-18-234193-6) on pages 17–30. The known process is intended to produce unfinished parts for interior door trim of passenger car doors in which natural fiber mats (flax, sisal, jute and so on) are embedded in polyurethane (PU) as the synthetic matrix resin. The fiber mats are formed by a number of nonwoven fabrics formed from broken down natural fibers, in which the individual natural fibers are contained in a random laid layer, are matted by needles to form a uniform fiber composite and are supplied by the mat manufacturer in storage rolls.
During the production of interior door trim, blank parts made to match the dimensions of the trim concerned are cut off from the fiber mat web and initially conditioned to a specific dry content of the natural fibers. The components for the polyurethane resin, mixed in a defined way, are sprayed onto the flat blank in a specifically set amount per unit area by a robot, it being possible for the resin coating to vary locally according to local component stressing. The resin-coated mat blank is manually placed into the female mold of the open forming press, insert parts consisting of rigid plastic on which fastening points of the interior door trim are formed having previously been placed into the female mold, likewise manually.
During pressing, they are bonded with the unfinished part, the polyurethane resin serving as an adhesive. The pressing operation takes place at temperatures above 100° C. and lasts approximately 40 to 70 seconds. After the pressing, the unfinished part can be removed, but still has to be cooled down to room temperature in a separate cooling device in order to avoid distortion. However, only nonwoven fabrics with high elasticity can be formed without any folds to any appreciable extent by this process. The workpiece produced in the cited literature reference—interior door trim for passenger car doors—does not demand high requirements in this respect. Non-elastic fiber mats of ordered long fibers extending continuously and rectilinearly over the entire fiber mat can at most be formed into workpieces with little profiling by this process. If workpieces with greater profiling are to be produced by this process using non-elastic fiber mats, these fiber mats must be previously processed into preforms adapted to the workpiece in a separate process. However, this presupposes that the fibers of the mats are bonded with polymer at the interstices of the mutual crossing points. However, such encapsulation of the fibers in thermoplastic material makes the fiber mats more expensive.
In the book published by the VDI-Verlag for the Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung (Institute for plastics processing), Aachen, "RTM/SRIM: Serien-fertigung von Faserverbundbauteilen" (RTM/SRIM: Series production of fiber composite components) (ISBN 3-18-990015-9), contribution 2 by A. Bruns "Entwicklung und Produktion von Bauteilen im Harzinjektionsverfahren RTM" (development and production of components by the RTM resin injection process) (pages 28–36) describes inter alia under the heading Anwendungsbeispiele (application examples) an installation for producing outer shells of protective cycle helmets. Reinforcing blanks of a fiber mat of polyethylene fibers are introduced in a dry state into an open female mold of a forming tool. If required, insert parts which reproduce locally finer structures of the later workpiece can be placed in advance into the female mold. By closing the forming tool, the fiber mat blank is draped into the spatial form defined by the form of the tool. In order that the blank can be placed into the form without any folds, it must be provided at suitable points with incisions, or a number of blanks overlapping at the edges, each only partially covering the shell structure, must be used.
After closing the forming tool, a reactive resin mixture of a thermosetting-curable synthetic resin (for example epoxy resin (EP), vinyl ester (VE), unsaturated polyester (UP) and so on) is injected into the fiber structure of the mat, for example by the vacuum injection process, and the placed-in blank parts of the fiber mat are consequently impregnated. The matrix resin can then cure.
To increase annual production, the forming press has three tool sets, so that three helmet shells can be produced virtually simultaneously in one cycle. Moreover, each tool set comprises two lower parts (female mold) and one upper part (male mold), the two female molds of a tool set being able to move from opposite sides of the forming press into the latter, under the male mold. On account of such a configuration of the forming press, during the reaction time of one workpiece, the other female mold can be prepared for a new operating cycle, i.e. cleaned and loaded with new parts. The two female molds of a respective tool set can be alternately brought into the pressing position underneath the male mold, on the one hand, and into a laterally offset preparatory position, lying outside the press, on the other hand. This allows the reaction time of the resin to be used for preparing a new operating cycle. The disadvantage of the known RTM process is that the shell-shaped parts produced with it have an interrupted fiber reinforcement. If it is wished to avoid this, it is necessary—as already explained further above—for separately prefabricated preforms of more expensive fiber mats to be used.
In the same book, mentioned above, contribution 1 (pages 1–27) by Michaeli et al. "Preformherstellung-Umformen" (preform production-forming) is concerned inter alia with the technical aspects of an installation for producing preforms from highly porous mats of synthetic fibers. The mats—in particular loosely beaten woven fabrics or laid scrims of glass fibers or glass fiber rovings—are not only easily bendable but also intrinsically shearable with low resistance. Such a mat adapts itself—in a way similar to a metal sheet in a deep-drawing process—to an amazing extent to spatially defined surface contours if the mat is held under tensile stress from the edge during the forming. To be able to fully utilize the deforming potential of the fiber structures, two-part forming tools comprising a female mold and a male mold are necessary for forming. To be able to stabilize the fiber mats after their forming in the new form, the fibers of such forming mats are doped with a fine powder of a low-melting thermoplastic or a thermally reactive thermosetting material, this material preferably becoming lodged interstitially on the fiber circumference in the region of the crossing points of the fibers.
The binder is thermally activated by heating the mat during the forming and is stabilized by subsequent cooling. The preform produced in this way is stabilized only very weakly in its new shape and must be handled carefully. Its fiber mat is still highly porous and absorbent with respect to a matrix resin. In an example of an installation for the process described in this literature reference, an unwinding station with three storage rolls of fiber mat webs is provided, the individual webs of which run together to form a three-ply web. A shearing cutter beam which extends transversely over the web and can be driven back and forth is used to cut individual blanks to length from the said web in a way corresponding to a desired workpiece. In each case, a blank is heated in a heating station by radiation and/or convection to the softening temperature of the binding polymer, in the heated state is quickly clamped in a clamping frame and both—the clamping frame with the blank—are pushed into the forming press with the female mold and male mold for forming.
The clamping frame for fixing the edge of the mat is adapted to the component geometry and is designed with respect to its edge clamping in such a way that the clamped-in edge of the mat can slide out of the clamping restraint under tension. This is achieved by special friction elements which can be pressed with a defined clamping force, which can be predetermined by pneumatic cylinders, and make it possible for the fiber material to slide after itself during forming. The clamping force must be set such that the fibers do not tear (clamping force too great) and nor do the fiber mats become folded (clamping force too small) during forming. The fiber mat formed into a preform in this way must be kept in the closed tool until the fiber mat has cooled down again and the binding polymer has hardened at the points of intersection. The preform, which now has a certain rigidity of its own, and can be carefully handled manually or, for example, by needle grippers while retaining its form, can subsequently be removed from the lower tool and the clamping frame. Before further processing of the preform, for example in the process described above to form a fiber composite plastic part, the edge of the preform remaining in the clamping frame still has to be trimmed.
In the dissertation by U. P. Breuer: Beitrag zur Umformtechnik gewebeverstärkter Thermoplaste (contribution to the forming technique of fabric-reinforced thermoplastics), VDI Fortschrittberichte (VDI progress reports), series 2: Fertigungstechnik (production engineering) No. 433, VDI Verlag 1997 (ISBN 3-18-343302-8), there is described inter alia a process for producing shell-shaped, fiber-reinforced plastic parts from thermoplastic panels known as 'Organobleche'. This semifinished product comprises sheet-like, virtually endless webs which consist of mats of inorganic fibers—in particular glass or carbon fibers—with a thermoplastic as the matrix resin, and are usually supplied in a coil to the further processor. From this, panels corresponding to the workpiece are cut off to the desired dimensions, heated to the flowing temperature of the thermoplastic matrix polymer and placed into a forming press. To be able to form the heated and softened panels between the female mold and male mold without any folds, it is kept in the stretched state during the forming, the respectively local stress state having to be empirically optimized workpiece-dependently.
Arranged around the female mold is a clamping frame, into which the edge of the softened panel is clamped. The clamping jaws take the form of a multiplicity of narrow rollers, each of which is respectively provided with an adjustable braking device. This makes it possible for the panel to slide after itself out of the edge clamping restraint under an adjustable tensile force during the forming. A disadvantage of this type of edge clamping is that the structural expenditure for this edge clamping is very great and accordingly not only is this quite expensive to produce but frequent disruptions are also likely during operation. What is more, it is not possible for the edge to be firmly held by the braking rollers without a gap. Rather, tension-free strips of varying width between neighboring braking rollers, where folds can form, are constructionally unavoidable.
The process and device shown in DE 198 29 352 A1 for producing shell-shaped moldings from fabric-reinforced plastic are also based on the so-called Organoblech as a preliminary or semifinished product. In the case of the process shown there, the forming operation producing the desired final form in the forming tool is preceded by a preforming step. This is consequently a two-stage forming process with preforming and final shaping. During the preforming, a punch which is brought only very approximately up to the engraving of the forming tool is pressed into the softened plastic panel stretched over the forming tool and the material is consequently made to approximate roughly to the engraving determining the form. Only subsequently is the material completely pressed against the engraving by a vacuum from below and positive pressure from above and the final form produced in this way in the shell material.
The compliant edge clamping of the fabric-reinforced plastic panel provided in the case of this process is also of a two-stage form. To be precise, during the preforming the plastic panel can slide after itself largely without friction out of the edge clamping restraint, whereas during the final shaping a constant tensile stress, counteracting deformation, can be exerted at the edges, allowing deforming largely without any folds. For this purpose, the edge of the panel is clamped between two frames, one of which is fixed in place in relation to the forming tool and the other of which is movable back and forth in relation to the forming tool in the closed state of the press. It is pressed against the lower frame with a force which is predetermined by springs and is small during the preforming and great during the final shaping. With such a pair of frames which can be pressed by spring force, however, only a tensile force that remains the same over the entire periphery of the edge of the panel can be exerted on the plastic panel during the forming. Moreover, this solution cannot be readily transferred to loose fiber mats which, on the one hand, behave anisotropically—unyielding in the direction of the filaments; yielding diagonally to the direction of the filaments—and, on the other hand, are subject to the risk of easily splaying open at the edge.
Problematical in the case of all processes based on loose fiber mats is the handling of the fiber mats. Although the relevant installations described are designed in such a way that the mat blanks, originating from at least one wound-up material web, are conveyed along a linear sequence of working stations following directly one after the other, it remains open how this actually takes place. It is conceivable for the blanks to be carried on flat conveyor belts or on a group comprising a number of conveying straps running parallel to one another. If, on the other hand, it is intended for example after heating for the mat blank to be quickly transferred into a clamping frame, this presents considerable constructional and operational problems. Moreover, closely strung-together production lines are, on the one hand, susceptible to faults on account of the rigid sequence of stations, because a fault in any one station shuts down the entire line. Therefore, the availability of such production lines is generally not optimal. On the other hand, a sequence of working stations that is rigidly connected in technical conveying terms is not very flexible and cannot be readily converted to a different product or a modified process sequence.
In the case of manual handling of the blanks, a production installation can indeed be designed and operated flexibly, but the mats or workpieces then have to be handled by people, which is not only monotonous and physically demanding, but is also expensive on account of the high number of personnel used, in particular in multishift operation.
A further problematical point in the case of the known processes or installations is the state at the edge of the blank parts, which is distorted or frayed to varying extents, it being possible for the fibers to be splayed to varying extents, in particular if—as usual—loosely bonded woven fabrics or laid scrims of superficially smooth fibers, for example glass fibers, are concerned. The edges of the blanks are often already splayed directly after cutting if the cutting means has become blunt. Fabric splaying at the edge is also often unavoidable when large blanks are handled manually. However, distorted or frayed edges of the blank parts can lead on the one hand to operational disruptions and on the other hand even to reject parts.
On the basis of the prior art described, it is the object of the invention to present a process and a production installation for producing shell-shaped, fiber-reinforced plastic parts which can be automated more easily without any appreciable restrictions with regard to the extent of workpiece profiling, but at the same time is nevertheless flexible in the constitution of the process and, moreover, is efficient and operationally reliable.
This object is achieved according to the invention with respect to the process by a forming press with a forming tool having a female mold and a male mold, comprising placing a blank cut off from an endless fiber mat and corresponding to a workpiece in an automated manner by an industrial robot onto the female mold, which has been moved out of the forming press and is firmly held there, in such a way that the blank can be fed after itself, by a surrounding clamping frame; spraying the blank placed in the clamping frame over an entire surface area with a specifically set amount of reactive matrix resin in a region covering the female mold by a spraying nozzle guided movably at a distance from the blank; after moving the female mold-clamping frame unit back into the forming press and closing the forming tool, while maintaining a specifically set tensile stress in the blank, draping the blank into the female mold without any folds or incipient tears, the blank is thereby formed into a desired shell form, at the same time the matrix resin is pressed into spaces between fibers and entrapped air is forced out; keeping the resin-impregnated fiber mat in a formed and pressed state for a specifically set time period and, at the same time, curing the matrix resin within the forming tool; and after opening of the forming tool, removing the plastic part and cutting off an edge of the blank lying outside the desired shell form of the workpiece, serving for stretching out the blank during the forming phase, from the workpiece and with respect to the production installation by a forming press which can be opened and closed, with a forming tool comprising a female mold and a male mold, the female mold arranged at a bottom in the forming press being surrounded on all sides by a clamping frame for the fiber mat blank placed thereon, which clamping frame is held in a spatially immovable position in relation to the female mold, a securing plane of the fiber mat blank being received in the clamping frame coinciding at least approximately with a form parting plane of the female mold; the clamping frame being designed in such a way that an edge of the blank placed on the clamping frame can be firmly clamped therewith in such a way that, when tension acts on the blank, the edge can slide out against an adjustable resistance; the female mold and the clamping frame being mounted and guided in a horizontally movable manner as a unit, which can be moved back and forth between a working position, lying in the forming press under the male mold, and a preparatory position lying completely outside the forming press; alongside the forming press, at least one industrial robot being arranged in such a way that the preparatory position of the female mold-clamping frame unit lies within a working range of the industrial robot; arranged within the working range of the industrial robot, provision containers for ready-to-hand provision of insert parts or of locally delimited preforms of fiber mats; the at least one industrial robot being provided with a hard-part gripper, which is adapted to the insert parts to be placed in, or with a textile-part gripper, which is adapted to the preforms to be placed in; arranged alongside the forming press, an unwinding station for at least one fiber mat web, which station has a holding bar, for holding a free end of the web ready, and a cutting-off device, for cutting through a drawn-off portion of the fiber mat alongside the holding bar, the holding bar likewise lying within the working range of the industrial robot; the at lease one industrial robot being provided with a gripper for drawing off a portion from the stored fiber mat web and for handling a cut-off blank; and the at least one industrial robot being provided with a controllable application nozzle for spraying a reactive matrix resin onto a partial preform placed in the female mold, which is located in the preparatory position, or onto the fiber mat blank placed there, the robot-guided application nozzle being assigned a storing and mixing station for individual components of the matrix resin.
Accordingly, a raft of different measures, which however have the common aim of achieving the underlying object, are proposed. Firstly, the production process is simplified in the sequence of steps, in that the forming of the fiber mats into the desired shell form without any folds, on the one hand, and the curing of the impregnated fiber mat in the forming tool, on the other hand, are combined into a single process step. What is more, fiber mats are only handled in the dry state, which is very conducive to a troublefree process sequence. Moreover, the process steps are constituted in such a way that all the components involved, that is any insert parts, partial preforms possibly to be placed in, the blank parts corresponding to the workpiece and the matrix resin, can be handled in an automated manner by industrial robots. The free space required for this purpose above the female mold, at which the handling operations mentioned take place, is created by the female mold being able to move horizontally and by it being temporarily moved out from the forming press.
The advantages which can be achieved with the invention are as follows: simplified and shortened process, flexible constitution of the process sequence, fold-free run of the fiber mat in spite of high profiling of the shell form of the workpiece, high degree of automation, simplified parts handling, avoidance of handling parts wetted with resin, and as a result, higher installation availability.
Of the expedient embodiments constituting the invention, at this point the one in which a portion of a fiber mat drawn off from a storage roll and corresponding to the workpiece is cut off from the wound-up fiber mat web by a high-speed rotating narrow grinding wheel, which is moved parallel to a plane of rotation and along a line between two closely neighboring holding or gripping bars and placed onto the clamping frame and the female mold (process), and the one in which the cutting-off device for the fiber mat is formed by a high-speed rotating narrow grinding wheel, which is displaceable parallel to a plane of rotation of the grinding wheel and parallel to the holding bar which is firmly holding the free end of the fiber mat web, with an adjustable advancing rate transversely over the fiber mat web (installation) are emphasized in particular, that is the cutting of the blanks corresponding to a workpiece from the stored fiber mat web by a high-speed rotating narrow grinding wheel, in particular by what is known as a cutting wheel, as are used in angle grinders for cutting metal parts or stone slabs. This cutting technique in the present application is not only virtually free from wear, but also leads to an always constantly clean cut, i.e. free from fraying and distortion, when cutting fiber mats, even after the wheel has been used for a considerable time. During the cutting of the fiber mat, the fibers are not so much ground through as rather knocked off locally, owing to inertia, on account of the high impact velocity of the abrasive particles of the narrow grinding wheel against the fixedly held fibers. If, when it is used over a considerable period of time, the abrasive particles on the circumference of the grinding wheel have become rounded and/or flattened owing to wear—this is manifested as a matter of course by the resistance during advancement of the grinding wheel increasing—the circumference of the grinding wheel can be roughened again by a dressing operation with a dressing tool, which comprises for example diamond particles, a diamond nonwoven and/or other bonded hard particles. It is conceivable at most that, after being used for a very long time, many such dressing operations may cause the grinding wheel to become worn away. It is readily possible to compensate for this by correspondingly increasing the rotational speed of the grinding wheel, so that it continues to be possible to cut the fiber mats with an approximately constant circumferential speed.
The surprisingly high service life of the cutting elements of the cutting technique proposed here for fiber mats is plausible under closer consideration. The volume wear of the geometrically undetermined "cutting edges"—in truth they are impact edges—of the proposed cutting wheels is inordinately higher than the volume wear of the conventional cutting elements of a geometrically defined form, whether they are rotating or oscillating cutters, oscillating, locally limitedly cutting shears or shearing cutter beams which cut through the entire web width with one stroke. The many abrasive particles on the overall circumference of the grinding wheel with their undetermined cutting edge geometry are available as effective cutting elements for as long as they are not flattened or rounded. In the case of conventional cutting elements, the volume wear is in any event restricted to a very narrow, direct edge region of the cutting edge of a geometrically defined form. This region is only very small, in particular when considering oscillating cutters or shears, which are slowly moved transversely over the width of the fiber mat web and through the latter. As soon as the edge of a defined form is no longer exactly sharp and free from nicks, the cutting elements begin to hook and tear, which is manifested in the form of a distorted, unclean and frayed cut edge. The cutting element then has to be exchanged for a new one.
Since, in the present case, fibers of inorganic material, such as glass fibers, ceramic fibers or carbon fibers for example, are to be used in particular, the question of wearing of the cutting device and a constantly clean cut is of particular significance. When conventional cutting devices are used, such as advancing-movable, oscillating cutters or shears or shearing cutter beams, the aforementioned fibers that are critical in terms of wear lead to relatively rapid wearing of the cutting elements and to tearing at the cut edges, which leads to an unclean deformed and/or frayed cut edge on the fiber mats. Therefore, not only material costs arise on account of the continual renewal of the cutting elements, but in this connection also indirect and direct maintenance costs on account of personnel training and operational interruptions. It is quite obvious that, even irrespective of the present production process constituted according to the invention or the production installation according to the invention, the cutting technique proposed here can be used equally advantageously anywhere where material webs made of inorganic fibers have to be cleanly cut through.
For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned in this connection that textiles and fiber mat webs for reinforcing purposes can be cut off on the basis of fundamentally different methods with an undetermined cutting edge, for example ultrasonic cutting, high-pressure water-jet cutting, with or without particles in the water jet, or laser-beam cutting. The disadvantage of this, however, is the high technical outlay for generating the cutting energy. Moreover, cutting off material webs by means of a high-energy water jet or laser beam appears only to be acceptable in cases where it is a matter of cutting along contours of a complicated form, keeping faithfully to the contour, which is not required however in the application concerned in the present case.
Further expedient embodiments constituting the invention and their advantages can be taken from the respective subclaims; otherwise, the invention is further explained below on the basis of an exemplary embodiment represented in the drawings.

Method and device for producing shell-shaped, plastic parts reinforced with fibre mats


A Rifaximin polymorphic mixture of α/β form in a relative ratio of 85/15±3 and a process for its preparation. The polymorphic mixture of Rifaximin is for use as a medicament, in particular in the treatment of traveler's diarrhea and hepatic encephalopathy. A pharmaceutical composition comprises the polymorphic mixture of Rifaximin as active ingredient, in particular, a solid formulation, more in particular, a film coated tablet. A polymorphic form of crude wet rifaximin and of purified wet rifaximin their use are used as intermediates in a process for the preparation of Rifaximin polymorphic mixture of α/β form in a relative ratio of 85/15±3.

Rifaximin (compound identified by CAS registry number 80621-81-4) is a non-absorbable semisynthetic rifamycin antibiotic disclosed for the first time by Alfa Wasserman on 1981 (BE888895); this compound is currently utilized in therapy for the treatment of traveler's diarrhea and hepatic encephalopathy. Pharmacokinetics studies carried out on Rifaximin confirmed that this compound is not absorbed from the intestine to any significant amount (Cellai, L.; Cerrini, S.; Brufani, M.; Marchi, E.; Mascellani, G.; Montecchi, L. Structure-activity relationships in 4-deoxypyrido(1′,2′-1.2)imidazo(5.4-c) rifamycin SV derivatives. Chemioterapia (1983), 2(5. Suppl.: Mediterr. Congr. Chemother., Proc., 3rd, 1982), 53-4).
The structural formula of Rifaximin is the following

Due to this lack of systemic absorption Rifaximin has no application outside the gastrointestinal tract and has an excellent safety profile.
Literature data confirm that this substance may be isolated in different crystalline forms identified with the letters of the Greek alphabet: the α, β, and γ forms were disclosed on 2004 (EP1557421 by Alfa Wasserman), the ε and δ forms on 2006 (EP1698630 by Alfa Wasserman), the ζ, η, α dry, ι forms on 2009 (W02009108730 by Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.), K and  forms on 2011 (WO2011153444 by Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.). Moreover it is known that Rifaximin may exist in an amorphous form (W02008035109 by Cipla Limited) and in an amorphous halo form (W02011080691).
Rifaximin in the polymorphic form α (the crystalline form present on the market with the trade name of Xifaxan®) is considered a non-absorbable drug, however the results of more recent pharmacological studies (see for example G. C. Viscomi et al. Crystal forms of Rifaximin and their effect on pharmaceutical properties Cryst Eng Comm, 2008. 10. 1074-1081) suggest that some of the above listed crystalline forms, for example the γ and the δ forms could be significantly absorbed.
Moreover, the above cited literature data indicate that the known polymorphic forms of Rifaximin may easily change their polymorphic form if exposed to different values of relative humidity: for example the anhydrous α- and δ-forms can be obtained by drying the monohydrate β-form at different temperatures (30-65° C.) under vacuum and the anhydrous α form can be transformed into the corresponding monohydrate β form at a relative humidity of 56% after 40 hours (EP 1557421).
The present inventors found that in particular the crystallization and drying conditions (using traditional static or dynamic drier, like a biconical drier) described in EP 1557421 showed to be critical since they did not consistently afford the desired α or α/β mixtures but the undesired γ polymorphic form or other polymorphic mixtures.
The control of the obtained solid state of Rifaximin polymorphic forms is usually performed by DRX spectroscopy, since the traditional differential calorimetry analysis (DSC) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) are not able to discriminate and to quantify these polymorphs; also the water content, as determined by Karl-Fisher, can give only indirect information on the solid state since cannot discriminate between adsorbed water and water in the lattice. Moreover, more than one hydrate and anhydrous forms for Rifaximin have been described.
The conversion of these polymorphic forms is therefore critical and need to be taken into account in order to guarantee the "consistency" of the crystalline form in the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and in the drug product (Guidance for Industry ANDAs: Pharmaceutical Solid Polymorphism Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls Information. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) July 2007).
It should be pointed out that the "consistency", namely the reproducibility of the polymorphic form, is very important, especially in view of the regulatory requirements.
Finally, also for the preparation of the drug product the stability of the polymorphic forms of Rifaximin (for example film coated tablets) is critical. The present inventors have experimental evidence that the wet granulation procedures and tableting might modify the initial solid state of this API: for example the wet granulation procedure of Rifaximin α form, a procedure that provides the use of purified water as binding agent, afforded a sensible amount of Rifaximin β form (<50%) as result of a change in the solid state of this API from anhydrous (α form) to hydrate (β form).
These findings indicate the need of putting appropriate manufacturing procedures in place to consistently yield Rifaximin of the appropriate solid state suitable to minimize changes of the solid state during the preparation of the drug product.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Polymorphic mixture of rifaximin and its use for the preparation of solid formulations


Embodiments of the invention are concerned with displaying a data set within a display area of a display device, where the data set includes a plurality of groups of elements, each of the groups including a higher-level element and one or more lower-level elements. Each element may for example form part of a Document Object Model for an HTML document.

Internet browsers are known which may be configured to display a portion of a data set, such as a data set relating to a HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML) document, within a display area of a display device. Only a portion of the data set may be displayed within the display area at any one time, as there may not be sufficient space within the display area to display the entire data set.
When displaying a data set, an internet browser processes the data set in order to identify and subsequently display elements of the data set that are located within the portion to be displayed; however this typically requires that the browser processes all elements in the data set, despite the fact that only a subset of the data set will be rendered.
The present invention aims to provide an improved method for displaying a selected portion of a data set within a display area of a display device.

Displaying selected portions of data sets on display devices

Abstract: Elements are processed to identify and render one or more elements in the display area. An element is identified if the region it occupies corresponds with a selected portion of a layout area of the data set. Groups of elements are processed differently in dependence on whether a higher-level element of a group has a pre-defined spatial relationship with respect to one or more lower-level elements in the group, allowing the invention to efficiently process elements which are members of groups for which the pre-defined spatial relationship has been identified.


A disk spacer for a gas turbine engine includes a rim, a bore, a web and a load path spacer. The web extends between the rim and the bore. The load path spacer is positioned between the rim and the bore.

This application relates generally to a gas turbine engine, and more particularly to a disk spacer for a rotor assembly of a gas turbine engine that provides anti-vortexing features.
A gas turbine engine channels airflow through its core along a desired flow path. Many sections of the gas turbine engine must be cooled to ensure reliable performance and efficiency. For example, the turbine section of the gas turbine engine may require cooling airflow from a compressor section of the gas turbine engine. Cooling airflow of this type may be provided by extracting bleed airflow from the core flow path of the compressor section.
Anti-vortex tubes are used to provide radial inflow of bleed airflow extracted from the core flow path of a compressor section. The anti-vortex tubes reduce vortices within the bleed airflow that reduce the radial inflow of the conditioned bleed airflow. The anti-vortex tubes act as an impeller to raise the pressure of the bleed airflow and prepare the bleed airflow to cool portions of the downstream sections of the gas turbine engine.
The anti-vortex tubes are typically mounted to one or more rotor disks of a rotor assembly and therefore increase the weight carrying load of such rotor disks. The increased weight of the rotor disks may reduce the fatigue life of such components.

Rotor assembly disk spacer for a gas turbine engine


The invention provides compounds of formula (I) wherein R1, R3, L1, L2, G1, G2, A and m are as defined in the specification and optical isomers, racemates and tautomers thereof, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof; together with processes for their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their use in therapy. The compounds are inhibitors of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1.

Modulation of prostaglandin metabolism is at the center of current anti-inflammatory therapies. NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors block the activity of cyclooxygenases and their ability to convert arachidonic acid into prostaglandin H2 (PGH2). PGH2 can be subsequently metabolized by terminal prostaglandin synthases to the corresponding biologically active PGs, namely, PGI2, thromboxane (Tx) A2, PGD2, PGF2α, and PGE2. A combination of pharmacological, genetic and neutralizing antibody approaches demonstrates the importance of PGE2 in inflammation. The conversion of PGH2 to PGE2 by prostaglandin E synthases (PGES) may therefore represent a pivotal step in the propagation of inflammatory stimuli.
Microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) is an inducible PGES after exposure to pro-inflammatory stimuli. mPGES-1 is induced in the periphery and in the CNS by inflammation and represents therefore a target for acute and chronic inflammatory disorders.
PGE2 is a major prostanoid driving inflammatory processes. The Prostanoid is produced from arachidonic acid liberated by Phospholipases (PLAs). Arachidonic acid is tranformed by the action of Prostaglandin H Synthase (PGH Synthase, cycloxygenase) into PGH2 which is a substrate for mPGES-1, that is the terminal enzyme transforming PGH2 to the pro-inflammatory PGE2.
NSAIDs reduce PGE2 by inhibiting cyclooxygenase, but at the same time reducing other prostanoids, giving side effects such as ulcerations in the GI tract. mPGES-1 inhibition gives a similar effect on PGE2 production without affecteing the formation of other prostanoids, and hence a more favourable profile.
By blocking the formation of PGE2 in animal models of inflammatory pain a reduced inflammation, pain and fever response has been demonstrated (see e.g. Kojima et. al, The Journal of Immunology 2008, 180, 8361-6, Xu et. al., The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 2008, 326, 754-63).
In abdominal aortic aneurism, inflammation leads to connective tissue degradation and smooth muscle apoptosis ultimately leading to aortic dilation and rupture. In animals lacking mPGES-1 a slower disease progression and disease severity has been demonstrated (see e.g. Wang et. al. Circulation, 2008, 117, 1302-1309).
Several lines of evidence indicate that PGE2 is involved in malignant growth. PGE2 facilitates tumour progression by stimulation of cellular proliferation and angiogenesis and by modulation of immunosupression. In support of a role for PGE2 in carcinogenesis genetic deletion of mPGES-1 in mice supress the intestinal tumourogenesis (Nakanishi et. al. Cancer Research 2008, 68(9), 3251-9). In man, mPGES-1 is also upregulated in cancers such as clorectal cancer (see e.g. Schröder Journal of Lipid Research 2006, 47, 1071-80).
Myositis is chronic muscle disorder characterized by muscle weakness and fatigue. Proinflammatory cytokines and prostanoids have been implicated in the development of myositis. In skeletal muscle tissue from patients suffering from myositis an increase in cyclooxygenases and mPGES-1 has been demonstrated, implicating mPGES-1 as a target for treating this condition (see e.g. Korotkova Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2008, 67, 1596-1602).
In atherosclerosis inflammation of the vasculature leads to atheroma formation that eventually may progress into infarction. In patients with carotid atherosclerosis an increase in mPGES-1 in plauqe regions have been found (Gómez-Hernández Atherosclerosis 2006, 187, 139-49). In an animal model of atherosclerosis, mice lacking the mPGES-1 receptor was found to show a retarded atherogenesis and a concommitant reduction in macrophage—derived foam cells together with an increase in vascular smooth muscle cells (see e.g. Wang Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences 2006, 103(39), 14507-12).
The present invention is directed to novel compounds that are selective inhibitors of the microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 enzyme and would therefore be useful for the treatment of pain and inflammation in a variety of diseases or conditions.

Bis-(sulfonylamino) derivatives for use in therapy


A gravimetric blender including a frame, a weigh bin, a device connected to the frame for sensing weight of the bin and any material contained therein, a mix chamber below the bin, connected to the frame, a piston for selectably releasing material in the bin downwardly into the mix chamber and an elastomer connecting a sensor device to the frame and damping transfer of vibration and shock motion therebetween. The method includes metering solid resinous materials until preselected weight of the respective materials are at the weigh station, metering liquid color until a pre-selected weight of color is at the weigh station, and providing the metered solid resinous materials and metered liquid color material to a mixing station for manufacturing processing via molding or extrusion.

This invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for providing precisely measured amounts of granular materials and, optionally, precisely measured amounts of coloring agent(s), particularly pigment in liquid form, preparatory to further processing of the combined granular materials and, optionally, liquid coloring agent(s), and specifically to weigh scale blenders, optionally in combination with color addition pumps, providing precisely measured amounts of plastic resin material, and, optionally liquid coloring agents, and mixing these components prior to supplying the blended mixture to plastics manufacturing and processing equipment such as plastic injection molding, compression molding and extrusion equipment.


Systems and methods are disclosed for providing wireless communications through, for example, a utility pole mounted antenna. The disclosed systems and methods may include receiving first data from a wire line network at a transceiver placed at a location on the wire line network. The location may be a place where the wire line network is present, where electrical power for the transceiver is present, or where a service provider of the wireless communications has a legal right to locate the transceiver. Furthermore, the disclosed systems and methods may include transmitting the first data wirelessly from the transceiver through an antenna wherein the transceiver and the antenna are located on a utility pole. Moreover, the disclosed systems and methods may include receiving second data at the transceiver wirelessly from a wireless device.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to methods and systems for providing wireless communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing wireless communications through, for example, a utility pole mounted antenna.
II. Background Information
Wireless is a term used to describe radio transmissions via the airwaves. Wireless is a very generic term that may refer to numerous forms of non-wired transmission, including amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM) radio, television (TV), cellular telephones, portable telephones, and wireless local area networks (LANs). Various techniques are used to provide wireless transmission, including infrared line of sight, cellular, microwave, satellite, packet radio, and spread spectrum. In some situations, in order to provide wireless communications, service providers must build large transceiver towers such as cellular telephone towers for example. Thus, the conventional strategy is for the service provider to invest large amounts of time and money to construct large transceiver towers. This often causes problems because the conventional strategy may be cost prohibitive or may not result in placing a tower in a needed location due to government regulations or due to land not being available at the needed location.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for methods and systems for providing wireless communications more optimally. Furthermore, there is a need for providing wireless communications through, for example, a utility pole mounted antenna.

Methods and systems for providing wireless communications through a utility pole mounted antenna


Provided are a chemical compound of an isocitrate dehydrogenase inhibitor, and an application thereof, belonging to the field of medicinal chemistry; specifically provided is the chemical compound represented by formula I,

Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) is a rate-limiting enzyme of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and there are three members in this family: IDH1, IDH2 and IDH3. With NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, coenzyme I) or NADP+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, coenzyme II) as cofactor, IDH catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate to form α-ketoglutarate (α-KG), and meanwhile, NADH (reduced coenzyme I) or NADPH (reduced coenzyme II) are generated repspectively. IDH isozymes have three forms: NADP-dependent IDH1 located in cytoplasm, NADP-dependent IDH1 located in mitochondria, and NAD-dependent IDH3 located in mitochondria. The gene of IDH1 is located on chromosome 2q33.3, and the protein localizes in the cytoplasm and peroxisomes; the gene of IDH2 is located on chromosome 15q26.1, and the protein localizes in the cellular mitochondria.
IDH2 mutations have been identified in a variety of cancers, such as glioma, glioblastoma multiforme, acute myeloid leukemia (AML). IDH2 mutations include R140 and R172, etc., which occur at or near the critical residues of the active site (see L. Dang et al., Nature, 2009, 462, 739-44). Studies have shown that IDH2 mutations present in cancer cells result in gaining a new ability to catalyze the NAPH-dependent reduction of alpha-ketoglutarate to R(−)-2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG). High levels of 2-HG have been detected in tumors containing the mutations. For example, high levels of 2-HG have been detected in the plasma of AML patients containing mutant IDH (see S. Gross et al., J. Exp. Med., 2010, 207(2), 339). It is believed that the production of high level of 2-HG caused by IDH2 mutations contributes to the formation and development of cancer (see L. Dang et al., Nature, 2009, 462, 739-44). Thus, treatment of the cancer characterized by the presence of mutant IDH2 by inhibiting the mutant IDH2 and its nascent activity has entered the field of drug researchers. Developing a safe and effective IDH inhibitor has become an important way to treat cancer.
At present, research on drugs that inhibit mutant IDH2 for the treatment of cancer has achieved some success. However, there is still a need to develop more superior IDH2 inhibitors for the treatment of diseases associated with IDH2-mediated events.

Chemical compound of isocitrate dehydrogenase inhibitor, and application thereof

Abstract: or its isomer, pharmaceutically acceptable salt, crystal, solvate, or prodrug, as well as their preparation methods and pharmaceutical compositions containing said chemical compound, and an application of said chemical compound or composition. The chemical compound has very good ability to inhibit mutant IDH2 enzyme activity and to inhibit mutant IDH2 neoplastic cells, and may be used for preventing and/or treating a tumor characterized by the presence of mutant IDH2.

NANJING SANHOME PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.


A mid-infrared system for optical probing is disclosed that comprises a mid-infrared fiber laser based on cascaded Raman wavelength shifting, a sample volume, and a detector or detection system. The cascaded Raman wavelength shifting process in optical fibers involves the emission of a plurality of optical phonons for at least some of the pump photonics involved in the process. As one example, using the cascaded Raman wavelength shifting process a pump laser wavelength between 1 and 2 μm can be shifted down to between 2.5 to 10 μm. In one embodiment, the mid-infrared fiber laser comprises a pump laser with a wavelength between 1 and 2 μm, one or more stages of cascaded Raman oscillators implemented in fused silica fiber, and one or more stages of cascaded Raman oscillators implemented in mid-infrared fiber that transmits beyond 2 μm. Examples of mid-infrared fibers include chalcogenides, fluorides and tellurite fibers. The output wavelength from the mid-infrared fiber laser is at an exemplary wavelength longer than 2.5 μm. The mid-infrared optical probing system can be used in applications such as semiconductor process control, combustion monitoring for engines, and defense or homeland security applications such as chemical sensing and infrared counter-measures.

Various laser sources exist for producing radiation in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) region. The earliest mid-IR semiconductor lasers, for example, used lead salts operating at cryogenic temperatures to produce output wavelengths ranging from 3 to 30 μm. These lasers were limited to relatively low output power levels and exhibited wide variations in emission characteristics, particularly from thermal cycling. As a result, researchers began focusing on Antimonide based laser sources, quantum cascade (QC) laser sources, and optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) as more viable alternatives.
Although there has been significant mid-IR laser development in the past few years, particularly in QC lasers and OPOs, a number of problems persist. For instance, OPO's are bulky and require a large pump laser and moving parts. QC lasers have relatively low efficiency, requiring strict temperature control and in some instances cryogenic temperatures for high power operation. QC lasers also operate at wavelengths longer than 4.2 μm near room temperature, and thus do not sufficiently cover the entire mid-IR wavelength range.
In contrast, mid-IR sources based on the cascaded Raman shifting process exhibit some distinct advantages, including the maturity of underlying technology, simple modulation and wavelength tuning, and excellent beam quality with M2<1.4 (using single spatial mode in fiber), where the M2 factor is the beam quality factor, or beam propagation factor, defined as the beam parameter product divided by λ/π These mid-IR sources have been implemented in fiber-based systems that offer additional advantages such as robustness, compactness, lightweight, ease of use, room temperature operation over a flexible repetition rate, a wide wavelength range from 1-6.5 μm or longer, and very high efficiency (close to quantum limit). Compared with QC lasers, cascaded Raman shifting sources offer a larger tuning range, better beam quality, room temperature operation with flexible repetition rate, scalability to high powers, and higher efficiency. Compared with OPO's, cascaded Raman shifting sources offer a more mature underlying technology, better beam quality, the advantages of fiber-based systems, and a wider wavelength range with better efficiency.
While cascaded Raman shifting sources have been proposed, the state of the art sources are limited in operation and commercial application. Some have proposed cascaded Raman shifting apparatuses designed to shift a single pump signal from one mid-IR wavelength to a different mid-IR wavelength. Yet, because of the varying attenuation characteristics of Raman shifting materials, no single material can be used to cover the entire mid-IR spectral range, which limits the reach of Raman sources. Furthermore, even where techniques have been developed to provide numerous Raman orders in a single cascaded Raman stage, the output is limited to the fully converted, final Raman order. That is, effective techniques for taping different Raman shifted orders during the entire conversation process have not been attained. Some have proposed using a coupler with a single Raman process stage, but such configurations nonetheless limit the output from a mid-IR laser source and they limit the applications that might otherwise benefit from such a source. This limitation is particular noticeable in applications like countermeasures where a supercontinuum produced laser source may be undesirable over a discrete characteristic spectrum.

Mid-infrared fiber laser using cascaded Raman wavelength shifting

The Regents of the University of Michigan


A connector for FPC board includes an insulating housing and a cover plate. The insulating housing has a receiving space for receiving an FPC board, a plurality of passageways, and two guiding channels. A plurality of terminals is received in the corresponding passageways. Each terminal has a contact portion and a pressing portion. The cover plate has two rotational shafts put into the corresponding guiding channels, whereby the two rotational shafts are rotatable in and slidable along the guiding channels. When the cover plate is rotated to a horizontal position, the rear end of the cover plate lies to the front of the pressing portions of the terminals. Then, when the rotational shafts together with the cover plate are horizontally slid from front to rear, the cover plate is inserted between the pressing portions and the FPC board, and the pressing portions press the cover plate against the FPC board, and the cover plate presses the FPC board against the contact portions of the terminals. Therefore the FPC board is retained stably in the connector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to an electrical connector for terminating a flexible printed circuit board or the like.
2. The Related Art
Nowadays, Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) boards are widely used in many kinds of electronic devices for their high flexibility and thin structure. Accordingly, connectors for connecting the FPC boards to other electrical components of the electronic devices are mass-employed.
One example of the connectors of the prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2002/0106924 published on Aug. 8, 2002. The connector includes contacts each having a contact portion to be brought into contact with the flexible printed circuit board or flexible flat cable, a block for holding and fixing the contacts therein, and a slider mounted on the block. Two pivotal engagement recesses are formed on the opposite lateral sides of the block. Bearing portions are located in front of the pivotal engagement recesses. The slider comprises camshaft portions pivotally mounted in the pivotal engagement recesses to permit the slider to move pivotally and horizontally relative to the block and an urging portion causing the flexible printed circuit board (FPC) or flexible flat cable (FFC) to urge against contact portions of contacts. Each contact further comprises a guiding portion for guiding the movement of the slider.
In assembly, at first, open the slider and insert the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable between the contact portions and the guiding portions of the contacts. Then, rotate the slider to be closed. Under the engagement of the camshafts and the bearing portions and the guiding of the guiding portions of the contacts, the urging portion of the slider is rotated to a horizontal position and simultaneously move forward between the guiding portions and the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable. When the slider is rotated to a closed horizontal position, the urging portion of the slider is entirely inserted between the guiding portions and the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable. In the result, the guiding portions of the contacts prop downwardly the top surface of the slider and the slider prop downwardly the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable, therefore the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable is mechanically and electrically connected with the electrical connector.
In the assembly of the electrical connector, the urging portion of the slider tends to move rearward because the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable props the urging portions of the slider rearward. However, the bearing portions of the block restrain the camshaft portions from moving rearward, therefore the middle part of the urging portion is prone to be extracted out between the guiding portions of the contacts and the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable so that the urging portion can not effectively prop against the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable. As a result, the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable can not be retained reliably in the electrical connector.
Furthermore, the rotation of the slider and the horizontal movement of the slider happen on the same time, therefore the guiding portions of the contacts are prone to be fatigued for too seriously biased by the urging portion of the slider so that the guiding portions can not effectively prop against the urging portion of the slider, with the result that the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable can not be retained stably and reliably.
Hence, an improved connector for connecting an external FPC board is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

Connector for flexible printed circuit board


The invention provides a method for inband emergency notification for voice calls by multiplexing at least one emergency signal within an audible data stream and transmitting the audible data stream from a telematic communication unit to a mobile vehicle communication system. The mobile vehicle communication system decodes the emergency signal from the audible data stream and provides an emergency service as a function of the emergency signal.

Telematic communication units (TCUs), such as cellular phones, personal data assistants (PDA's), Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, and on-board Vehicle Communication Units (VCU's), used in conjunction with a Wide Area Network (WAN), such as a cellular telephone network or a satellite communication system, have made it possible for a person to send and receive voice communications, data transmissions, and facsimile (FAX) messages from virtually anywhere on earth. Such communication is initiated at the TCU when it is turned on, or by entering a phone number to be called, or in many cases, by pressing a preprogrammed button on the TCU or speaking a voice command causing the TCU to automatically complete the process of dialing the number to be called. A radio communication link is established between the TCU and a Wide Area Network (WAN), using a node of the WAN near the TCU. In cellular telephone systems, a node is commonly referred to as a "cellular base station" of a "wireless service provider". Once the radio communication link between the TCU and the cellular base station has been established, the base station may utilize a combination of additional cellular stations, conventional telephone wire line networks, and possibly even satellite systems to connect the TCU to the requested number or service.
Wireless communication services, such as navigation and roadside assistance for TCU users, have greatly increased in recent years. More specialized services are now offered for VCU users, and may aid motor vehicle operations and include services that provide location, destination, and emergency information. Emergency assistance may include an emergency ambulance service that is initiated if a TCU vehicle is involved in an accident and the driver does not respond to a voice request after the accident.
Existing telematics systems have limitations when attempting to handle emergency/collision requests. Currently, telematics system hardware attempts to complete an emergency/collision call in a data mode. If the attempt fails, the hardware will attempt to initiate a fail-to-voice (FTV) call. The FTV call is initiated knowing that the elimination of data exchange increases the likelihood of reaching the wireless service provider.
Despite the benefits of making a FTV call, disadvantages remain. Due to the lack of data exchange, the need for (or lack of) emergency services by FTV must be ascertained through verbal communications with the customer. Unfortunately, the ability for this verbal communications to occur can be compromised by audio or microphone systems damaged during collision, customer inability to communicate due to injuries, or microphone unavailable due to lack of power based on vehicle architecture. In the case of a loss of verbal communication, it will appear that the customer is not on the line and the service provider may terminate the call without the knowledge that an emergency condition exists.
Thus, there is a significant need for a method and system for providing inband emergency notification for wireless audible communication that overcome the above disadvantages and shortcomings, as well as other disadvantages.

Method and system for inband emergency notification for voice calls


An automatic icemaker includes a swing arm, an actuator swinging the swing arm, and a transmission section transmitting movement of the actuator to the swing arm. The transmission section includes a cam rotated by the actuator, a pivotally movable lever including an abutting portion abutting the cam and pivotally moved by the rotation of the cam, and a joint member to transmit the movement of the pivotally movable lever to the swing arm. As the swing arm, one of the first, second, and third swing arms is selected and provided. As the joint member, one of the first, second, and third joint members which corresponds to the selected one of the first, second, and third swing arms is selected and provided. At different positions on a board which extends in a vertical direction, the first, second, and third supporting portions support the first, second, and third joint members, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic icemaker provided in a refrigerator that is arranged to repeatedly and automatically make ice.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an automatic icemaker supplies water to an ice tray to make ice, and then drops the ice made within the ice tray into an ice reservoir arranged under the ice tray by means of an ice discharge device. The ice discharge device is arranged to drop the ice in the ice tray into the ice reservoir by turning over the ice tray or scraping out the ice from the ice tray by an ice discharge lever, for example. Then, steps of supplying water, ice making, and discharging ice are repeated.
The above automatic icemaker is provided with an ice level detection device for detecting that the ice level in the ice reservoir is at a predetermined level (typically, a level close to a full level) or higher. When the ice level is detected to be the predetermined level or higher by the ice level detection device, discharging ice is stopped thereafter.
The ice level detection device typically includes a swing arm arranged to swing or pivotally move around a predetermined axis, an actuator arranged to drive the swing arm to swing, and a transmission section arranged to transmit the movement of the actuator to the swing arm. When the swing movement of the swing arm is stopped, i.e., the swing arm has become immovable because of the ice in the ice reservoir, the ice level detection device detects that the ice level in the ice reservoir is at the predetermined level or higher.
Conventional ice level detection techniques using swing arms are roughly classified into three types. In the first one, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,456, for example, the first swing arm is provided to swing in a horizontal plane which passes between the ice tray and the ice reservoir around a vertical first axis. In the second technique, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,563, for example, the second swing arm is provided to swing in a vertical plane passing inside the ice reservoir and outside the ice tray, around a horizontal second axis. In the third technique, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,738, for example, the third swing arm is provided to swing along a cylindrical surface which is arranged around a horizontal third axis as a center and passes outside the ice tray and inside the ice reservoir, around that third axis. One of those three techniques is selected in accordance with the layout of the inside of the refrigerator, the specification of the ice reservoir, and the like.
In case of manufacturing an automatic ice maker, however, the arrangement and operation of the swing arm are different among the ice level detection techniques and it is therefore necessary to design and manufacture an ice level detection device depending on the selected ice level detection method. This is uneconomical.


A disk drive capable of being configured into a plurality of data storage zones, wherein some of the zones have different performance characteristics than other zones; a method for performing such a zoning configuration; and, a host device utilizing such a disk drive. The disk drive comprises a disk having a plurality of sectors for storing data, a head for reading and writing the data, and a disk drive controller for controlling the head, wherein the plurality of the sectors are organized into the plurality of zones. In one embodiment of the present invention, the performance characteristics of the zones are dictated by configuration settings in the disk drive controller. The configuration settings may include settings for a plurality of parameters. In some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of parameters comprises a CCT (command completion time) parameter, a Write Verify parameter, a Write Continuous parameter, a Read Continuous parameter, and an Error Re-allocation parameter. In other embodiments of the present invention, the configuration settings may also include a group of addresses associated with each zone.

1. Field of Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to disk drives capable of being configured into a plurality of data storage zones, wherein some of the zones have different performance characteristics compared to other zones, and methods to perform such zoning configuration.
2. Related Art
Disk drives are widely used in personal computers and other electronic devices for the storage of data. A disk drive typically comprises of one or more disks for the storage of data, one or more heads to read or write the data, and a controller for controlling the movement of the heads. Each disk is divided into sectors, and the sectors can be accessed using an addressing system such as CHS (cylinder-head-sector) or LBA (Logic Block Addressing). In a LBA disk drive, the physical address of each sector is mapped to a logical address.
Typically, disk drives are designed for computer applications where the integrity of the stored data is critical. If a disk drive encounters an error during a read or write operation, the disk drive performs a set of error recovery routines to recover the data. The performance of error recovery can take up to 30 seconds, during which the disk drive is not responsive to commands from the host device. When the disk drive is used in a personal computer, data integrity may be of the utmost importance, and the host device (e.g., the personal computer) may wait for the disk drive to complete its recovery operation.
Disk drives are also becoming increasing popular in other electronic devices, such as digital video recorders (DVR), set-top boxes, digital music players, and the like. In these applications, the data integrity is not as important as the data throughput rate. For example, in a DVR application, an error due to the reading of one block of data may only affect portions of one video frame, which is not noticeable to the end user when viewing the AudioNideo (A/V) data stream at a high frame rate such as 30 frames-per-second (fps). However, since the disk drive is primarily designed for maximum data-integrity protection, the disk drive still undergoes the error-recovery routines whenever it encounters an error, rendering the disk-drive inaccessible for a period of time. In a DVR application, this causes the A/V data stream to be disrupted for up to 30 seconds, during which the end user may see a frozen video screen or a blue screen. During the performance of the error recovery routines, the host device (such as the DVR) cannot do anything to interrupt the disk drive except to power off and back on the disk drive; and such a power reset can still take approximately 10-15 seconds. If the DVR is outputting a video, the video display can be interrupted for 10-30 seconds when the disk drive encounters an error. If the DVR is recording a video, approximately 10-30 seconds of the A/V data stream will be lost.
In addition, some DVR devices are capable of displaying and recording multiple A/V data streams simultaneously. For example, if a DVR is recording 3 A/V data streams and displaying 2 A/V data streams, whenever the disk drive encounters an error with one data stream, all 5 A/V data streams are affected for the 10-30 second period.
Furthermore, home electronic devices, such as DVRs, set-top boxes, digital music recorders, and the like, are typically placed in locations where the ambient temperature is relatively high, and are more prone to vibrations and movements. These factors increase the likelihood of read and write errors for disk drives, which could cause frequent interruptions to the operation of the host device.
Typically, host devices (such as DVRs) also use the disk drive to store critical files, such as firmware, system files, configuration settings, and the like. For these files, the reading and writing of data are not time sensitive, but the data integrity is critical. Therefore, if a disk drive is designed with only the data throughput rate in mind without performing error recovery routines when an error is encountered, the host device could potentially crash or freeze when encountering an error during the reading or writing of critical system files. A write error ignored by the disk drive when writing a critical system file could potentially cause irrecoverable damages to the host device.
In light of the above mentioned problems, there is a need for a disk drive with multiple zones having different performance characteristic for zones used to stored different types of data, with some zones optimized for maximum data throughput rate, and some zones optimized for maximum data integrity protection. Furthermore, it is preferable that the zones be configurable as to their storage capacity and read or write performance characteristics, such that the host device manufacturer or the end user can customize each zone in accordance with the storage and performance needs of the host device.

Disk drives and methods allowing configurable zoning


A method for making an OLED device includes providing a substrate having one or more test regions and one or more device regions, moving the substrate into a least one deposition chamber for deposition of at least one organic layer, and depositing the at least one organic layer through a shadowmask selectively onto the at least one device region and at least one test region on the substrate. The method also includes measuring a property of the at least one organic layer in the at least one test region, and adjusting the deposition process in accordance with the measured property.

Full color organic electroluminescent (EL), also known as organic light-emitting devices (OLED), have recently been demonstrated as a new type of flat panel display. In simplest form, an organic EL device is comprised of an electrode serving as the anode for hole injection, an electrode serving as the cathode for electron injection, and an organic EL medium sandwiched between these electrodes to support charge recombination that yields emission of light. An example of an organic EL device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,429. In order to construct a pixilated display device such as is useful, for example, as a television, computer monitor, cell phone display or digital camera display, individual organic EL elements can be arranged as an array of pixels in a matrix pattern. To produce a multicolor display, the pixels are further arranged into subpixels, with each subpixel emitting a different color. This matrix of pixels can be electrically driven using either a simple passive matrix or an active matrix driving scheme. In a passive matrix, the organic EL layers are sandwiched between two sets of orthogonal electrodes arranged in rows and columns. An example of a passive matrix driven organic EL device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,380. In an active matrix configuration, each pixel is driven by multiple circuit elements such as transistors, capacitors, and signal lines. Examples of such active matrix organic EL devices are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,550,066, 6,281,634, and 6,456,013.
In an OLED device, the deposition of the organic layers must be accurately controlled in order to achieve the desired properties of the OLED device such as operating voltage, efficiency, and color. One control technique commonly used for OLED devices that are deposited by evaporation is the use of crystal mass sensor device (also referred to as a quartz oscillator) over the deposition sources to monitor deposition thickness at a location near the substrate. The crystal mass sensor is calibrated to relate the mass of the material deposited onto the sensor to a layer thickness on the device substrate. This technique, however, has the disadvantage that the crystal mass sensor will have a large film build-up in a high volume mass production environment, which can alter the calibration over time and require frequent changing. Another disadvantage is that the crystal mass sensor is located outside the area of the device and therefore must be calibrated to relate to the deposition on the substrate that is in a physically different location. In some deposition systems, such a those which are constructed with a thermal evaporation source, the uniformity of the deposition in the chamber can vary over time, such as when the amount of organic material in the source is depleted. Therefore, this technique has the inherent disadvantage of not being able to measure the actual films being deposited on the substrate.
Another method of monitoring the layer thickness proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,451 is to use an optical measurement system such as an interferometer or spectrophotometer to measure the thickness on a moving member which is in the path of the deposition. The moving member can be, for example, a disc which is rotated or indexed so that the surface is also refreshed to avoid layer build up or to permit the measurement of an individual layer. The member can also be cleaned to permit for improved uptime. This method, however, still has the problem that the measurement device is outside the area of the substrate and requires cross calibration that can vary over time. Inaccuracy of the calibration can result in the thickness of the film being different in the target that might result in sub-optimal device characteristics or manufacturing yield loss. Device characteristics, which might suffer from the film being deposited off target include, for example, emission color, efficiency, and device lifetime.

Monitoring the deposition properties of an OLED


A topical deodorant composition comprising unrefined Shea butter, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch, cocoa butter, coconut oil, lavender oil, Clary sage oil, benzoin gum tincture and vitamin E. The topical deodorant composition controls body odor and improves the moisture, texture and appearance of the skin. To prepare the topical deodorant composition, unrefined Shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil and vitamin E are mixed over hot water at 100° F.-120° F. Cornstarch and sodium bicarbonate are added over hot water at 100° F.-120° F. Subsequently, lavender oil, Clary sage oil and benzoin gum tincture are added. The mixture is removed from heat, cooled to 75° F. and distributed via a glass jar, solid stick or squeezable tube.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a topical deodorant composition, method of its manufacture, and method of use thereof, wherein the topical deodorant composition effectively controls body odor and minimizes skin irritation. The topical deodorant composition comprises a precise mixture of highly effective agents including: unrefined Shea butter, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch, cocoa butter, coconut oil, lavender oil, Clary sage oil, benzoin gum tincture and vitamin E.
2. Description of Related Art
Body odor is most commonly caused by fatty acids on skin and from malodors from bacteria sources. The unpleasant orders are mainly organic molecules which have different structures and functional groups, such as amines, acids, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, phenolics, polycyclics, indoles, aromatics, polyaromatics, etc.
Odor modification, in which odor is changed via chemical modification, is known in the art, the most common of which include sodium bicarbonate to reduce malodor. However, many cosmetics and deodorants often have too much sodium bicarbonate, which makes the deodorant break apart very easily and become dry. On the other hand, many deodorants do not have enough sodium bicarbonate, making the deodorant too smooth and thereby less effective at deodorizing.
Additionally, numerous attempts have been made to conceal body odors through use of perfumes. Not only are such perfumes often inadequate at fully concealing body odors, very often they are irritating to the user's skin. The perfume odor itself may be irritating or offensive to the user's respiratory system and/or olfactory senses, as well as to nearby individuals. Additionally, addition of certain scents to a deodorant may actually reduce odor effectiveness. For example, many cosmetics and deodorants add "lavender 40/42," which is a blend of lavender oils that dilute the amount of linalol present in the oil. Adding lavender 40/42 results in a strong scent in a deodorant, but it is not as effective at eliminating body odor as "pure lavender," which is oil that is not diluted with other substances.
Additionally, many deodorants and cosmetics utilize a variety of oil extracts, which are well known in the art to have certain healing and muscle relaxing properties. For example, a massage emollient teaches melting Shea butter in combination with other oils. Additionally, a cosmetic for ultraviolet protection teaches combining Shea butter, sage extract, benzoin gum and coconut oil. However, most of these products do not contain Clary sage oil, and further are not products that both deodorize and provide therapeutic value.
Therefore, it is readily apparent that there is a need for a topical deodorant composition that is not too dry, easy to apply to the skin, effectively fights odor and combines the appropriate quantities of oil extracts.

Topical deodorant composition, and method of its manufacture and use


A protocol bridge includes a cache for caching data from a plurality of data storage devices, and for servicing data requests from a plurality of initiators. Data is cached for every data access operation such that the most frequently accessed data remains replicated in the cache.

A protocol bridge typically consists of two parts; a front-end that connects to initiator devices (typically storage controllers) and a back-end that connects to target devices (typically data storage devices). The back-end uses a protocol designed for target devices while the front-end uses a protocol designed for initiator devices. The front-end and back-end do not need to use the same protocol; rather, each system component may use whatever protocol is best suited to the attached devices. For instance, the front-send could use Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) while the back end could use Serial Attached SCSI (SAS).
The protocol bridge converts data traffic from one protocol to another so that devices using different protocols may effectively communicate. A protocol bridge may allow various initiator devices to retrieve data from more than one SAS data storage device.
Data storage devices routinely utilize caches to accelerate performance by replicating the most frequently accessed subset of all the data in the data storage device in a memory utilizing data storage technology having improved performance characteristics (such as access time) as compared to the data storage technology utilized to store all of the data in the data storage device.
In a data storage system utilizing a protocol bridge, each data storage device may include a cache to replicate the most frequently accessed data on each the data storage device. Where each data storage device includes a cache, each data storage device must independently determine what subset of data is accessed most frequently. Such methodology may lead to inefficiencies; for example, where data is replicated in two or more data storage devices, and load balancing spreads data access operations across the two or more data storage devices, each data storage device may not recognize that the data is frequently accessed. The total access time for data in such a system may therefore be sub-optimal.
Alternatively, each initiator device may employ a cache to replicate data most frequently accessed by the initiator device from one or more data storage devices connected to the protocol bridge. Where each initiator includes a cache, each initiator must independently determine what data it accesses most frequently. Such methodology may also lead to inefficiencies; for example, each initiator may cache the same data, thus reducing the total amount of cache space available for other data. The total access time for data in such a system may therefore be sub-optimal.
Consequently, it would be advantageous if an apparatus existed that is suitable for caching data from a plurality of data storage devices in a protocol bridge, and making such cached data available to a plurality of initiators.

Multi-protocol bridge with integrated performance accelerating cache

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.