This invention relates to molded articles comprising micro cellular polyurethane foams, preferably integral skin foams. These exhibit improved properties and are particularly suitable for soling systems in footwear. The present invention also relates to a process for the production of these molded articles. These molded articles comprise the reaction product of (A) an isocyanate comprising a stable, liquid MDI based prepolymer containing an allophanate-modified MDI, with (B) an isocyanate reactive component, in the presence of (C) at least one blowing agent.

This invention relates to integral skin foams having improved properties, and a process for the production of these foams. These foams are prepared from an isocyanate comprising a stable, liquid MDI based prepolymer containing an allophanate-modified MDI.
Liquid diphenylmethane diisocyanates and their use in the preparation of integral skin foams is generally known in the art. Various types of liquid diphenylmethane diisocyanates include, for example, isocyanate prepolymers, allophanate-group containing isocyanates, carbodiimide group containing isocyanates, biuret group containing isocyanates, etc. These are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,644,457, 4,055,548, 4,115,429, 4,118,411, 4,160,080, 4,261,852, 4,490,300, 4,738,991 and 4,866,103, and GB 994,890.
Integral skin foams prepared from polyurethane are also well known in the art. These are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,523,918, 3,726,952, 3,836,487, 3,925,527, 4,020,001, 4,024,090, 4,065,410, 4,305,991 and 5,166,183; and CA 1,277,471.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,457 discloses room temperature stable liquid isocyanates derived from one mole of diphenylmethane diisocyanate and 0.1 to 0.3 mols of poly-1,2-propylene ether glycol.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,548 discloses liquid isocyanate prepolymer compositions obtained by reacting polymethylene polyphenylisocyanate containing from about 65 to 85 percent by weight of methylene bis(phenyl)isocyanate with a polyoxyethylene glycol having molecular weight of from 200 to 600 in an equivalent ratio of 0.0185 to 0.15:1.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,115,429 and 4,118,411 disclose low temperature (as low as -5.degree. C.), storage stable liquid diphenylmethane diisocyanates which are produced by reacting diphenylmethane diisocyanates having a specified 2,4-isomer content with propylene glycol or poly-1,2-propylene ether glycol.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,852 discloses liquid polyisocyanate compositions comprising (a) the reaction product of 90 to 50% by weight of a reaction product of diphenylmethane diisocyanate and a polyoxypropylene diol or triol having a hydroxyl equivalent weight of from 750 to 3000, said reaction product having an NCO content of from 8 to 26% by weight, and (b) from about 10 to 50% by weight of a diphenylmethane diisocyanate containing from 30 to 65% by weight of diphenylmethane diisocyanate, the remainder being polymethylene polyphenyl polyisocyanate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,300 discloses room temperature stable liquid isocyanates which are derived by reacting diphenylmethane diisocyanate with an aliphatic diol having a pendant aromatic group, e.g., 2-methyl-2-phenyl-1,3-propanediol or phenyl-1-2-ethanediol.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,301 discloses room temperature stable liquid isocyanates which are derived by reacting diphenylmethane diisocyanate with monoallylether of trimethylolpropane.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,991 discloses organic polyisocyanates characterized by allophanate linkages which are prepared by reacting an organic polyisocyanate including 2,4- and 4,4-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate with poly- or monohydric alcohol in the presence of an organometallic catalyst. The catalyst is then deactivated using a compound such as an inorganic acid, organic acid, organic chloroformate or an organic acid chloride. This reference also discloses that flexible foams can be prepared from these allophanate group containing isocyanates. All of the examples relate to TDI based allophanate group containing isocyanates, and only one of these prepares a high resilience flexible foam.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,103 discloses a polyisocyanate composition for use in producing elastomers in a RIM process. This polyisocyanate composition is the reaction product of an alcohol and/or thiol having an average functionality of from about 1.5 to about 4 and an average equivalent weight of at least 500 with at least 2 equivalents per hydroxyl and/or thiol equivalent of an organic polyisocyanate including 4,4- and 2,4-isomers of diphenylmethane diisocyanate. The disclosed reaction is carried out under conditions such that at least about 20% of the initially formed urethane and/or thiourethane groups are converted to allophanate and/or thio allophanate groups.
Another process for the preparation of allophanates which contain isocyanates is disclosed in British Patent 994,890 which relates to the reaction of urethane isocyanates with excess diisocyanate either by heat alone or in the presence of a catalyst such as a metal carboxylate, a metal chelate or a tertiary amine, until the isocyanate content is reduced to that which is obtained theoretically when the complete reaction of the urethane groups is achieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,080 discloses a process for producing allophanate-containing aliphatically and/or cycloaliphatically bound isocyanate groups. In this disclosed process, compounds containing urethane groups are reacted with polyisocyanates having aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic isocyanate groups in the presence of a strong acid. The process is generally conducted at a temperature of from 90.degree. C. to 140.degree. C. for about 4 to 20 hours.
Japanese Patent Application No. 1971-99176 discloses a method of preparing liquid diphenylmethane diisocyanate by reacting diphenylmethane diisocyanate with an aliphatic monovalent alcohol.
Integral skin foams are described and prepared in U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,991. These foams are prepared from a reaction mixture containing a polyisocyanate wherein the isocyanate groups are aliphatically and/or cycloaliphatically bound. These polyisocyanates may contain adducts such as, for example, carbodiimide-, allophanate-, isocyanurate-, uretdione-, biuret-groups, etc. The aliphatic isocyanates used to prepare these foams provide resistance to UV light and to decomposition by heat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,183 also describes integral skin foams. The polyisocyanate composition used therein has an NCO content of about 16 to 25%, and consists of i) from 10 to 100 parts by weight of an isocyanate having an NCO content of about 16 to 22% which is prepared by blending methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) and a carbodiimide group modified methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate), followed by reacting with a polyester diol to form a product. This product is then blended with ii) from 0 to 90 parts by weight of a modified isocyanate having an NCO content of about 18 to 25% which is prepared by reacting methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) with poly-1,2-propylene ether glycol. The presence of the carbodiimide-modified isocyanate in the prepolymer serves to reduce the freezing point.
The integral skin foams of the '183 patent are described as exhibiting improved abrasion resistance. This is contributed to by the use of a polyester in the prepolymer formation. Polyesters, however, add to the cost of the prepolymer and have decreased miscibility (solubility) with polyethers such that the processing of the systems is difficult.
Carbodiimide modified isocyanates are also disclosed as suitable isocyanates for the production of integral skin foams in U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,856. These isocyanates are reacted with an isocyanate-reactive component and a solution of a zinc carboxylate in an aliphatic polyamine. These solutions of zinc carboxylates in aliphatic polyamines and water are essential to the preparation of integral skin foams.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,602 describes a system for the production of polyurethanes with improved low temperature flex-fatigue resistance and green strength. A key component of this system is a dispersion of a polyurea and/or a polyhydrazodicarbonamide in an organic compound. The examples also employ CFC-11 as the primary blowing agent with water as a minor blowing agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,409 describes a process for producing molded polyurethanes with a cellular core and a compact surface zone. These polyurethanes are produced from a system comprising an isocyanate semi-prepolymer containing ester groups which is prepared from a polyester polyol and a branched chain dihydroxy compound containing at least one bonded ester unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,966 describes a polyurethane composition for producing polyurethane articles having a tensile strength greater than or equal to 450 psi and/or a Taber abrasion (mg loss) of less than 200.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,723 describes an improvement over the process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,183. More specifically, the '723 patent relates to the discovery that a particular combination of catalysts improves the ratio of the tensile strength of the skin to the tensile strength of the core of the integral skin foams described in the '183 patent. This catalyst combination comprises: a) a diorganotin sulfide corresponding to a specific formula, b) a tertiary amine, and c) a tin compound capable of catalyzing the reaction between an isocyanate group and an active hydrogen atom, with the proviso that c) is not a diorganotin sulfide as described in a).
Applicants' copending application Ser. No. 08/680,094, filed on Jul. 15, 1996, which is commonly assigned, relates to integral skin foams. These foams are prepared from an isocyanate comprising a stable, liquid MDI based prepolymer containing an allophanate-modified MDI. The integral skin foams of this application had superior abrasion resistance in comparison to integral skin foams made with different isocyanates. These integral skin foams did not, however, exhibit the flexural properties required for footwear applications.
Furthermore, when allophanate-modified isocyanates were used in formulations expected to yield better flexural properties, it was found that certain allophanate modified isocyanate prepolymers were superior to the allophanate modified isocyanates required in this copending application.
The improved abrasion resistance described in the above copending application would, actually, be of little advantage in the present invention, because the systems of the present invention already achieve superior abrasion resistance by other means. On the other hand, the improved flexural properties of the molded articles claimed in the present application are not obvious from, nor would these be expected from consideration of the copending application.
An object of the present invention was to develop a polyurethane integral skin system especially suited for soling or shoe sole (i.e., footwear) applications. This requires that the system possesses superior dynamic flexural fatigue properties. It was preferred that these systems use a blowing agent comprising water.
Another object was to avoid the disadvantages resulting from the use of polyester-extended prepolymers. Such disadvantages include, for example, high viscosities, high costs, and susceptibility to hydrolysis.


Thin steel strip is passed through a pinch roll stand comprising pinch rolls to a rolling mill comprising a pair of work rolls and upper and lower backing rolls. Strip passes through the bite between the work rolls and strip squeezing forces are applied between the work rolls to reduce the thickness of the strip. The pinch rolls apply tension to the strip passing to the work rolls. In order to minimize generation of crimping defects in the strip, the tension applied by the pinch rolls is high enough to ensure no part of the strip entering the work rolls is in longitudinal compression such as to exceed the buckling stress of the strip. The applied tension is sufficiently low as to produce no more than 1% strip elongation through creep. The strip may be hot rolled by the work rolls at a temperature in the range of 700° C.–1200° C.

This invention relates to the hot and warm rolling of thin strip typically above 700° C. It has particular, but not exclusive, application to in-line rolling of thin steel strip produced by direct casting with a twin roll caster where shape correction of the strip is important.
Recent developments in twin roll strip casting have enabled steel strip to be produced to thickness of the order of less than 5 mm and typically 3 mm and less. Such strip can be further reduced in thickness by reduction in an in-line hot rolling mill as it is produced from the caster. It has been found that when hot rolling such strip to further reduce the thickness significant defects can be generated in the strip due to crimping of the strip material on entry to the work rolls of the mill. Such crimping defects may be relatively minor and appear as curved lines seen on the surface of the strip. However, particularly when rolling very thin strip, the crimped parts of the strip may become folded over prior to rolling so that parts of the strip become heavily reduced and split with resulting very severe defects.
Such crimping defects have been found to be due to variations in the strip thickness and the resulting reduction across the width of the strip. Typically, the center part of the strip may be subjected to higher percentage reduction than the strip edges, or "waves" may occur across the width of the strip. The latter manifests as "waves" along the length of the strip. The action of reduction through the rolling mill creates more backwards slip in the thicker portions of the strip relative to the thin portions of the strip. The thicker parts of the strip will therefore be subject to lengthwise compression whereas the thinner parts will be subjected to tension, and that will cause buckling. The buckles are then rolled into the strip to create downstream shape defects. In extreme cases the strip may completely fold over at the buckles and the folded over material is rolled-in to produce severe defects. Where variations in strip thickness across the strip width are localized to small parts of the strip width, the result can be localized crimping of the strip. The extent of the crimping is related to the size of the difference in thickness across the strip width and the extent of the strip width affected by the difference in reduction.
We have found that crimping during hot rolling of thin steel strip of less than about 3 mm thickness can be substantially controlled by ensuring that the strip entering the rolling mill is subjected to tension within specific limits. More specifically, we have found it is possible by applying certain tension that buckling of the strip of the kind which will initiate crimping can be avoided, while at the same time, maintaining the tension below an upper limit to avoid excessive strip creep (leading to necking or tearing) that will damage the strip.
An illustrative embodiment of the invention provides a method of shape correction by hot rolling of thin steel strip of the type most typically produced by direct casting using a twin roll caster, comprising feeding the strip through a roll bite between a pair of work rolls, applying strip squeezing forces between the work rolls to reduce the thickness of the strip, and applying tension to the strip passing to the work rolls sufficiently high to ensure no part of the strip entering the work rolls is in longitudinal compression such as to exceed the buckling stress of the strip and sufficiently low as to produce no more than 1% strip elongation through creep. The tension allowable to produce no more than 1% elongation through creep was determined as described in "Effect of Carbon Content on Plastic Flow of Plain Carbon Steel at Elevated Temperatures", P. J. Wray, American Society for Metals and the Metallurgical Society of AIME, Vol 13 (January 1982).
While the strip may be in excess of 2.5 mm thick prior to rolling, it may also have a pre-rolling thickness of as low as about 0.5 mm or less.
The strip may be hot rolled at a temperature of at least about 700° C. The strip may also be hot rolled up to a temperature of about 1200° C. The degree of reduction of the strip thickness through the work rolls is generally about 35% or less, and is determined usually by the customer choice of thickness in the final strip.
The applied tension may be such as to limit the strip elongation through creep to no more than 0.5%.
Preferably, the variation in strip thickness reduction across the strip imposed by the work rolls is sufficiently small to prevent strip shape defects and surface creasing downstream of the work rolls of more than 200 I-units. However, in some circumstances, the variation in reduction may be such as to permit downstream shape defects and surface creasing of up to 400 I-units. The produced strip will vary in shape defects across its width; these I-unit figures are the worst case shape defects and surface creasing of the strip. The rolled strip so produced is typically additionally processed after cooling in a commercial skin pass mill to produce flatter strip with shape defects and surface creasing below 100 I-units.
I-units are a measure of the flatness of the strip produced. I-units are determined by the equation:I-units=(h/l)2×24.649where "h" is the peak to peak amplitude, and "l" is the distance between peaks (i.e. wavelength) of the shape defects in the strip. Sometimes by convention in operation 24.649 is rounded to 25 in use of this equation in determining the I-units.
The tension is typically applied to the strip by passing it through a pair of pinch rolls in advance of the work rolls, but additional pinch rolls may be also be used downstream of the work rolls to maintain tension across the work rolls. The greater the tension at the work rolls the lesser the rolling load to achieve a given reduction.


The present invention relates to an improved method for the serum-free production of an immortalized human cell line stably transfected under serum-free conditions with a specific vector carrying the gene coding for the protein of interest. Furthermore the invention relates to a production cell line obtained by said method, a production method for said protein of interest utilizing said production cell line, and the specific vector carrying the gene of interest itself.

The recombinant production of human proteins is generally performed by cultivation of stably transfected eukaryotic and preferably mammalian cell lines and isolation of the protein from the culture broth. In case the recombinant proteins are intended for pharmaceutical applications, it was for a long time general practice to employ non-human cell lines in order to exclude the risk of copurifying infectious agents which may be harbored and expressed by human cells.
In the production of some human proteins, such as human blood clotting factor VIII, the use of non-human cell lines were found to entail certain disadvantages, e.g. unsatisfactory secretion levels of the expressed protein into the medium. It is believed that this may be due to slight differences within different types of mammalian cells concerning intracellular pathways for protein translation and modification, which also might have an effect on the biological activity of the expressed polypeptide. Apart from this, there were concerns that therapeutic proteins purified from non-human expression systems are contaminated with cellular components which can give rise to antigenic reactions in the patients. Also a concern was the non-human glycosylation pattern found on human proteins recombinantly produced in non-human expression systems. It is thought that this increases the likelihood of antigenic reactions in the patient. Furthermore, biological stability and efficacy of blood proteins such as clotting factors is substantially influenced by their N-glycosylation pattern. Especially peripheral and terminal monosaccharides are important, because they are detected by specific receptors from cells which are responsible for their degradation. Clotting factors, for example, carry sialic acid residues as terminal monosaccharides. Modification on the composition of sialic acids in the antennae of glycoproteins can result in heterogenous glycosylation patterns. Thus, biological stability and efficacy is crucially involved when modification occurs. Hence, it is an important consideration in the production of recombinant clotting factors to evaluate the influence of glycosylation from non-human production cell lines versus human cell lines.
On the other hand, general methods for high level protein expression of a desired gene comprising immortalized, stably transfected mammalian cell lines expressing viral transcription activator proteins were made available (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,712,119). These cell lines can be transformed with a vector construct where a suitable viral transcription promoter is operatively associated with a DNA sequence defining a gene of interest, the transcription activator proteins provided by the cell lines activate the viral transcription promoter and hence initiate the expression of the gene of interest. As important as the cell line is the vector used for the introduction of the recombinant gene into an immobilized production cell line. A wide variety of vectors were utilized for translation of mammalian proteins, (for example, Witsch-Baumgartner, M et al. Am. J. Genet (2000). 66, 402-412 cloned DHCR7 cDNA into pCI-neo mammalian expression vector and expressed in the HEK 293 cells; McGarvey, T. W. et. al. Oncogene (2001) 20, 1041-1051 cloned TERE1 gene into the pTARGET mammalian expression vector and expressed in the human bladder transitional cell carcinomas; and Lin Lin et. al. J Biol Chem (2002) 277 (44) 41872-8 cloned the AchR gene into mammalian cell expression vector pEF6/myc-His vector and expressed it in 293 cells). A recently developed very potent vector which has proven to be capable of over-expression of recombinant proteins is the so-called pcDNA™3.1 vector of Invitrogen. Li J. et al., Life Sci. 2004 Apr. 16; 74(22):2693-705 have successfully over-expressed histone deacetylases using pcDNA 3.1 in HEK 293 cells. The cells were stably transfected and cultured in the presence of serum. Yuan-Gen Fu. et al., World J Gastroenterol 2003 have produced recombinant Caspase-3 using a pcDNA 3.1(+) based eukaryotic vector on gastric cancer cell line SGC7901 transiently transfected with said vector and cultured in the presence of serum. Ma H. et al., Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2000 December; 41(13):4232-9 examined the lack of stable protein and loss of enzymatic activity expressing Lp82 and Lp82-related proteins subcloned into pcDNA3.1 vector using COS-7 as cell line. The cells were transiently transfected and cultured in the presence of serum in the medium. Thioredoxin overexpression prevents NO-induced reduction of NO synthase activity in lung endothelial cells. Zhang J. et al., Am J Physiol. 1998 August; 275(2 Pt 1): L288-93 disclose the overexpression of thioredoxin gene in cultured porcine pulmonary artery endothelial cells by transient transfection of these cells with pcDNA 3.1 vector. The transfected cells were cultured in medium supplemented with serum. Shinki T. et al., Proc Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1997 Nov. 25; 94(24):12920-5 compared a full length cDNA for the rat kidney mitochondrial cytrochrome P450 mixed function oxidase, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1alpha-hydroxylase with vitamin D-deficient rat kidney cDNA and subcloned it into mammalian expression vector pcDNA 3.1 (+) and transiently transfected the vector into COS-7 transformed monkey kidney cells. The transfected cells were cultured in medium supplemented with serum. Zhang et al., Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica 2004, 36(10): 707-712 disclose the transfection of human embryonic kidney 293 cells with pcDNA containing a gene coding for the humanized 520C9 single chain Fv antibody/human interleukin-2 fusion protein. Supernatant was taken after having cultured the cells for three days in serum-free SFM II media. The resultant fusion protein possessed binding specificity against p185 (promising target for antibody therapy in breast cancer) and retained the important immuno-stimulatory activities of IL-2. Chen, J. Z. et al., Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2004 August; 36(8):1554-61 over-expressed Bim proteins, which are essential factors for apoptosis, using HEK 293 cells transfected with pcDNA-Bim alpha3.
A further measure for increasing the safety of recombinant proteins for pharmaceutical applications is the use of serum-free medium in the culturing process, as the use of serum represents a safety hazard as well as a source of unwanted contaminations. Such serum-free cultivation has the drawback that the yields of the production process are generally significantly reduced. A further safety concern is the use of serum when transfecting the host cells as a regular way in the practice, as the use of serum in the transfection procedure may cause unwanted biological material to be integrated into the cells which later on contaminated the product expressed by the cells in the production process. While some of the available methods for the production of recombinant proteins (including those mentioned above) do allow serum-free cultivation, serum-free stable transfection of human cells is not known. In the 19th ESACT Meeting, Harrogate, 5-8 Jun. 2005 the serum free transfection of CHO cells was suggested by Kuchenbecker et al.
Thus, it is desirable to develop an effective and safe method to produce human recombinant proteins.

Serum-free stable transfection and production of recombinant human proteins in human cell lines


A cloud-based training tool for coaching and reinforcement of defensive driver skills and knowledge is disclosed. The cloud-based training tool for coaching and reinforcement of defensive driver skills and knowledge is unlike anything in its field. The cloud-based training tool for coaching and reinforcement of defensive driver skills and knowledge uses a scoring system that provides accuracy on knowledge and skills.

Embodiments of the invention described in this specification relate generally to input-based training and knowledge systems, and more particularly, to incident evaluation, training, and correction processes and an incident evaluation, training, and correction system with a cloud-based training tool for coaching and reinforcement of defensive driver skills and knowledge.
Manual input of data is typically needed before creating and compiling data analysis reports. However, this manual process is time consuming and prone to error. Many systems use check marks for binary input (e.g., YES or NO, marked manually in form).
Therefore, what is needed is a way to reduce the process of manual input from creating and compiling data analysis reports and provide an effective evaluation, training, and correct behavior reinforcing mechanism to drivers and other workers or agents in various environments.

Incident evaluation, training, and correction processes and system with a cloud-based training tool for coaching and reinforcement of defensive driver skills and knowledge


To suppress decreases in spectral usage efficiency, even in the case of not using a reference signal in demodulation of uplink control information, a user terminal according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized by having a control section that determines whether or not to use a predetermined resource in transmission based on uplink control information to notify, and a transmitting section that transmits a signal in the predetermined resource when it is determined that the predetermined resource is used in transmission, where the predetermined resource is one of a first resource that is not allocated to another user terminal and a second resource that is allocated also to another user terminal.

In UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) networks, for the purpose of higher data rates, low delay and the like, Long Term Evolution (LTE) has been specified (Non-patent Document 1). Further, for the purpose of wider bands and higher speed than LTE (also referred to as LTE Rel.8 or 9), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced, also referred to as LTE Rel.10, 11 or 12) has been specified, and successor systems (e.g., also referred to as FRA (Future Radio Access), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), 5G+ (plus), NR (New Radio), NX (New radio access), New RAT (Radio Access Technology), FX (Future generation radio access), LTE Rel.13, 14 or 15 onward, etc.) to LTE have been studied.
In LTE Rel.10/11, in order to widen the band, introduced is Carrier Aggregation (CA) for aggregating a plurality of component carriers (CC: Component Carrier) Each CC is configured with a system band of LTE Rel.8 as one unit. Further, in CA, a plurality of CCs of the same radio base station (called eNB (eNodeB), Base Station (BS), etc.) is configured for a user terminal (UE: User Equipment).
On the other hand, in LTE Rel.12, Dual Connectivity (DC) is also introduced where a plurality of cell groups (CG: Cell Group) of different radio base stations is configured for a UE. Each cell group is comprised of at least a single cell (CC). In DC, since a plurality of CCs of different radio base stations is aggregated, DC is also called inter-base station CA (Inter-eNB CA) and the like.
Further, in LTE Rel8-12, introduced is Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) for performing downlink (DL) transmission and uplink (UL) transmission in different frequency bands, and Time Division Duplex (TDD) for switching between downlink transmission and uplink transmission temporally in the same frequency band to perform.
Furthermore, in LTE Rel.8-12, retransmission control of data is used based on HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest). The UE and/or the base station receives receipt confirmation information (also referred to as HARQ-ACK, ACK/NACK, A/N, etc.) on transmitted data, and based on the information, determines retransmission of the data.

User terminal and radio communication method


The present invention provides a document processing device including: a general feature vector memory that stores feature vectors of a shape for each of plural characters; an input unit that optically reads in a document; a extracting unit that extracts feature vectors from the shapes of characters in a document read in by the input unit; a general shape recognition unit that estimates a character for which the feature vectors of its shape extracted by the extracting unit, based on the feature vectors extracted by the extracting unit and the content stored in the general feature vector memory; and a specific feature vector memory that stores the feature vectors extracted by the extracting unit in association with an estimation result of the general shape recognition unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to technologies which improve precision of recognition when recognizing characters in image data achieved by optically reading a document.
2. Description of Related Art
OCR (Optical Character Recognition), which is a technology for recognizing characters in image data achieved by optically reading a document, is in common use. A variety of technologies have been proposed in the OCR field in order to improve precision in recognition of characters.
It is known to provide a technique for improving precision in recognition by updating a recognition dictionary based on correcting operations by a user. With this technique, characters that could not be recognized or were incorrectly recognized are corrected by correcting operations by a user, whereby a feature vector of a character shape registered in a feature vector database for corrected characters is updated to reflect a feature vector of the character shape when the corrected character is recognized.
It is known to provide a technique for improving precision in recognition by updating a recognition dictionary after performing grammatical analysis. With this technique, a grammatical analysis is performed on recognition results, characters are identified that need to be corrected to grammatically correct characters, and a recognition dictionary is updated to enable recognition of grammatically correct characters without grammatical analysis.
It is known to provide a technique for improving precision in recognition by correcting recognition results performed through a grammatical analysis, using an appearance frequency of words for the correction. With this technique, if, during the grammatical analysis of the recognition results, plural words in a character string in the recognition results are possible candidates, then one word is chosen based on the frequency of appearance of the various words in the recognition results.
In OCR of printed documents, it may be possible to increase the recognition precision by using for the character recognition a feature vector database that is adapted to the fonts used for the printing. For example, the number of fonts that are used in a limited environment, such as a company or a department, are limited, so that it is possible to prepare a feature vector database that is sufficiently adapted to the fonts used for printing. The recognition precision of documents within that limited environment will then improve if such a feature vector database is used.
Moreover, in OCR of handwritten documents, it may be possible to increase the recognition precision by using for the character recognition a feature vector database that is adapted to the authors of those documents. For example, the number of persons that prepare handwritten documents within the above-mentioned limited environment is limited, so that it is possible to prepare a feature vector database that is sufficiently adapted to the authors of those documents. The recognition precision of documents within that limited environment will then improve if such a feature vector database is used.
Moreover, as above-described technology, if a grammatical analysis is added, then it may be possible to improve the recognition precision by performing a grammatical analysis that is adapted to the above-noted limited environment. For example, if uncommon words that are used within this limited environment are registered in a dictionary for grammatical analysis, then it is possible to reduce the number of unknown words (not registered words), which are a reason for a lowered precision in grammatical analysis, thereby increasing the recognition precision. For example, it is also conceivable to increase the recognition precision by registering the usage frequency of the various words used in the above-noted limited environment in the dictionary for grammatical analysis, and to perform the grammatical analysis based on these usage frequencies.
Thus, it is possible to increase the recognition precision by performing a recognition process that is adapted to the characteristics of the documents subjected to OCR. However, in any of these cases, it is necessary to register, in advance, information that is adapted to the characteristics of the documents subjected to OCR in a dictionary used for the recognition. Furthermore, in order to attain a dictionary that is sufficiently adapted to the limited environment, a large amount of information that is adapted to the characteristics of the documents subjected to OCR within the limited environment has to be collected in advance. So far, no technique for collecting this information efficiently has been proposed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and provides a technique for the efficient collection of data that contributes to an improvement of estimation accuracy when estimating characters in image data obtained by optically reading a document within a limited environment, without requiring any additional effort.

Document processing device and document processing method


A method for performing a convergence calculation using a projective transformation between images captured by two cameras to observe a flat part of an object in the images, wherein a computational load is reduced while securing a convergence property of the convergence calculation. Initial values (n0(i), d0(i)) are set to values satisfying a limiting condition that should be satisfied by the initial values (n0(i), d0(i)), where the limiting condition is that a plane πa(i) defined by the initial values (n0(i), d0(i)) of given types of parameters (n(i), d(i)) of a projective transformation matrix in the convergence calculation is inclined with respect to an actual plane including the flat part of the object to be observed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projective transformation convergence calculation method for observing a flat part (planar region) of an object in images captured by two cameras by using a projective transformation between the captured images.
2. Description of the Related Art
If there is an object having a flat part in images captured by two imaging cameras and one captured image (reference image) is transformed by an appropriate projective transformation matrix, it is possible to match an image of the flat part of the object in the transformed image with an image of the flat part of the object in the other captured image (standard image). In this case, this type of projective transformation matrix capable of image transformation depends on the spatial posture (for example, a normal line direction) and position (for example, a distance from the optical center of the camera) of the plane including the flat part of the object. In other words, the projective transformation matrix defines the spatial position and posture of the plane including the flat part of the object in the captured images.
As a technique for observing the flat part of the object in two captured images (measuring the posture or the like of the flat part) using the above, there is conventionally known a technique disclosed in, for example, a document titled "Extraction of Planar Region and Obstacle Detection Using Stereo Images" (Akihito Seki and Masatoshi Okutomi, IPSJ Transactions on Computer Vision and Image Media, Vol. 45, No. SIG13 (CVIM10), December 2004) (Nonpatent Document 1). In this technique, a plurality of appropriate templates are prepared for the projective transformation matrix between the images captured by the two vehicle-mounted cameras in order to extract a road plane on which the vehicle is running and the projective transformation matrix capable of the above image transformation is estimated by the convergence calculation with the templates used as the initial values of the projective transformation matrix. Preparing the plurality of templates as the initial values of the projective transformation matrix is, in other words, preparing a plurality of initial values of parameters representing the plane defined by the projective transformation matrix.
The technique disclosed in Document 1 is intended to increase the robustness of the estimation of the projective transformation matrix for the plane to be measured by preparing the plurality of initial values of the projective transformation matrix in the convergence calculation or initial values of the plane to be measured and intended to prevent the dispersion of the estimation or to prevent an inappropriate projective transformation matrix from being estimated (a plane different from an actual plane from being estimated).
The technique disclosed in Nonpatent Document 1, however, is based on a premise that an error in position between the plane defined by the initial values and the actual plane to be measured (an error in distance from the optical center of the camera) is sufficiently small. Therefore, if the error in position between them is relatively large, there is a possibility that the required number of iterative calculations is excessively increased until the projective transformation matrix is well converged or that it is impossible to converge the projective transformation matrix.
Furthermore, the necessity of performing the convergence calculation for the plurality of initial values causes a problem that a computational load is easily excessive until the projective transformation matrix is conclusively determined.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Projective transformation convergence calculation method


The present invention is a fairlead for guiding and securing an anchor chain between an offshore structure and an anchor. The fairlead comprises a fairlead frame, a pivoting latch, and an actuator. The fairlead frame is pivotally mounted to the offshore structure and supports an axle for a chain sheave. The pivoting latch is mounted to pivot on the axle and comprises a tension link with a chain latch and a counterweight for urging the chain latch into engagement with the chain. The pivoting latch is configured to engage the chain only when the chain is traveling in the payout direction. The actuator controls the action of the counterweight.

Offshore structures, such as floating production, drilling or construction platforms or other vessels, are moored in the desired location through the use of chains and/or cables extending between the platform and anchors on the ocean floor. Typically, the method for mooring floating platforms includes extending a chain in a catenary from the ocean anchor to a platform, through a fairlead device secured near the bottom of a platform column, to chain hauling equipment and a chain stopper on the deck of the platform. These elements are used to apply the desired mooring tension and to withstand the higher tensions that may be encountered in weather situations.
Mooring platforms in place at a drilling or production location usually require the presence of multiple chains, fairlead devices, anchors and chain equipment because of the massive size of the platforms. These all compete for space on the limited deck area of a platform, which also usually must be large enough for one or more buildings for housing workers and machinery, one or more cranes, and a drilling tower or production facilities.
Floatation of offshore platforms is often provided by large submerged pontoons. Large diameter columns extend upward from the pontoons to support the deck, and the mooring lines are led out from multiple columns. Thus, fairlead devices are usually secured to the columns of the platform below the waterline. For other vessels that are moored in place, the fairlead may be secured to a hull surface or structure extending from the main surface of the hull, also usually, but not exclusively, below the waterline. The mooring lines, often chains or combinations of wire rope and chain, pass from the anchors, through each of the fairlead devices, to line hauling equipment situated on the deck above.
In a typical installation, the anchor lines are installed by passing a messenger line (i.e., installation wire rope) from the deck, down through the submerged fairlead, mounted on a support column, and out to a pre-installed anchor line secured to the ocean floor. An end connector secures the messenger line to the anchor chain and the anchor chain is hauled back to the platform. The anchor chain passes through the fairlead and continues up to the deck as the chain is hauled in to achieve the desired mooring tension. Thus, one of the requirements of an underwater fairlead is that it be able to pass the chain itself, special connecting links and the messenger line.
Because the chain comes into the fairlead at an angle before ascending essentially vertically to the deck, a sheave is used to change direction. The sheaves used in these chain-mooring applications are usually pocketed wheels, known as wildcats, which receive links of the chain in pockets. This helps reduce the chain stresses in the links resting on the wildcat.
On the deck, the chain hauling equipment pre-tensions the chain up to a predetermined percentage of the chain-breaking load. To relieve the chain hauling equipment of the tension load, a chain stopper or chain latch locks the chain in place at the pre-tension load. In some prior art fairleads, the chain stopper or chain latch is made a part of or connected to the fairlead. In that case, the chain stopper or latch will remain submerged in normal use and during servicing. Thus, it is desirable to have a mechanism that needs little service and is easy to service when required.
There is a need in the art for a fairlead design that is simpler and more reliable than existing designs.


A lift platform includes a base unit (4), a lifting mechanism (8) and an operator cage (14) attached to the lifting mechanism, a set of wheels (16) and a set of static support elements (18). The base unit (4) is constructed and arranged for conversion between a static configuration in which it is supported by the static support elements (18) and a mobile configuration in which it is supported by the wheels (16).

Lift platforms are widely used in the construction industry to allow construction operators to gain access safely to locations at heights of typically up to about 20 meters or more above ground or floor level, and perform construction operations at those locations.
A lift platform usually includes a base unit, a lift mechanism including a boom arm and an operator cage mounted on the end of the arm. The base unit includes a drive motor and a hydraulic drive system for driving movement of the lift mechanism. The operator cage includes a control console allowing the operator to control movement of the cage.
As lift platforms are generally free standing, the base unit must be sufficiently heavy to ensure that the lift platform is stable at all times. Generally, the largest turning moment will occur when the boom arm is at its maximum extension to one side of the base unit and the operator cage is carrying its maximum permissible load. Typically, the base unit might have a weight in the range of 5-6 tonnes.
Some lift platforms, known as mobile lift platforms, are fitted with motorised wheels or tracks that allow the lift platform to be driven from one location to another. This is very useful as it allows the lift platform to be moved easily to new locations as required.
Sometimes, mobile lift platforms are used during the erection of multi storey (steel framed or other) buildings and are lifted by a tower crane onto each successive floor of the building as it is constructed. This allows the operator to take part in construction of the steel framework for the next floor. However, there is a disadvantage with this working method. Each floor of the building is generally constructed by laying a steel deck and then casting a floor slab of reinforced concrete on top of the steel deck. Owing to the weight of a typical mobile lift platform and the fact that this weight is concentrated on a rather small area represented by the "footprint" of the wheels, the concrete must be allowed to harden fully before the mobile lift platform can be lifted into position. This may take several days, delaying construction of the building.
Also, the weight of the mobile lift platform is limited by the lifting capacity of the tower crane, which is typically 5000 kg (although cranes with larger lifting capacities are known). This means that only relatively small, lightweight mobile lift platforms can be used.
These problems can be avoided by using a static base lift platform, such as the DR15 platform from Niftylift Limited. This lightweight lift platform has a base unit mounted on a rigid sled comprising two parallel skids, each with a length of approximately 6 meters. These rails spread the weight of the lift platform, allowing it to be placed directly on a steel floor deck, before the reinforced concrete floor slab has been cast. The lift platform can then be used to erect the framework for the next floor, after which it can be lifted onto that floor allowing the concrete to be laid on the previous floor. The construction process can proceed considerably more quickly as a result.
Another benefit of using static base lift platforms is that they tend to be lighter than similarly sized mobile lift platforms. This permits a lighter steel frame structure to be designed into the building, allowing for more efficient design, lower material content and reduced costs.
Although static base lift platforms provide significant advantages over mobile lift platforms in this situation, one disadvantage is that they generally have little use after the main framework of the building has been constructed. They therefore lack the flexibility of mobile lift platforms and have to be transported away from the building site for use elsewhere, or stored on site causing a significant under use of capital resources.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lift platform that mitigates at least some of these disadvantages.


A motor control system uses an incremental encoder that provides a signal indicative of motor position. If an illegal state change is detected in the same sampling interval, an error event is recorded and an error counter is incremented. When the number of counts exceeds a pre-determined threshold, the motor is disabled so that appropriate corrective action can be taken.

The present invention relates to electronic controls for motors and, in particular, to a motor controller that tolerates a pre-defined number of position error events before corrective or remedial action is taken.
Electronic motor controls regulate the electrical power to a motor to control the motor's position and velocity or other dynamic characteristics including torque or force, acceleration, and power efficiency. Typically, a command signal from a user, for example, a desired motor position, is received by control logic in the motor controller which compares this command signal to a corresponding feedback signal (actual motor position) to develop an error signal. The error signal may be further processed and then used to synthesize a high-power drive signal via solid-state semiconductor devices such as MOSFET transistors. These drive signals are applied to the motor windings to move the motor to reduce the error signal, in this example, to bring the motor to the position of the command signal.
The feedback signal may be produced by a position encoder attached directly to the motor or indirectly to the motor through intervening machinery. As is understood in the art, the position encoder may be an absolute encoder, for example, generating a unique code (e.g., a Gray code) defining an absolute position of the motor. Alternatively the position encoder may be an incremental encoder (e.g., providing a pair of quadrature phased sine or square waves) defining a direction and magnitude of change of motor position but not absolute motor position. The signal from an incremental encoder may be converted to a "synthesized" absolute position signal by summing or integrating the increments of motion to a known starting or reference position.
Motor controllers may be used to control DC brushless motors. Such motors typically have a permanent magnet rotor and use a set of commutation switches connected with the rotor to detect the rotor position to switch the stator winding fields in the same manner as would be done by brushes on a standard brush type DC motor. Unlike brushes, however, the commutation switches in brushless DC motors employ non-contacting rotor position sensors, such as Hall-effect sensors, to eliminate the wear, sparking, and friction accompanying the use of brushes. For practical reasons, the circuitry of the motor controller is normally also used to provide a switching of power to the stator windings based on the signal from the commutation switches.
When the motor controller employs an incremental encoder, the incremental signal may drive a "commutation counter", initialized by the commutation switches, then used in lieu of the commutation switches for precise commutation control. The incremental signal may also be used to create a synthesized absolute position signal for feedback control by initializing an accumulating counter (for example, using the commutation switches) and then updating the accumulating counter with the incremental signal.
Motor controller systems employing incremental encoders providing synthesized absolute position offer some advantages over motor controller systems employing absolute encoders. As a general matter, incremental encoders provide equivalent accuracy at lower cost and, as mentioned, can transfer data at higher rates. However, incremental encoders are subject to errors caused by electrical noise that may mask or simulate an incremental "count". Because of the accumulation or summation process used to convert the incremental encoder signal to a synthesized absolute signal, such errors can accumulate over time to fundamentally affect the accuracy of the control system.
It is known in the art to use noise suppression or detection circuitry to monitor the signal from an incremental encoder in an attempt to neutralize or detect noise induced errors. Such techniques are not always effective particularly for high-speed encoders where noise characteristics are very similar to the characteristics of the incremental encoder signal itself. If an electrical noise event occurs at the same time as a normal transition, the encoder signals can change state in an abnormal manner. Most motor controllers detect this abnormal state change. Since an abnormal state change results in uncertainty in the estimated motor position, it is common to terminate operation of the motor if any fault is detected on the assumption that the fault is attributable to actual motor operation not electrical noise notwithstanding that this approach may lead to unnecessary motor stoppage and process downtime. This is preferred over the alternate approach of ignoring the fault altogether.

Motor controller having counter to count position error events and method of motor control using same


A self-threading suture anchor assembly and kit includes a suture anchor having an anchor portion at one end and a drive portion with an eyelet at an opposite end, and an elongated suture threading loop with an elongated, substantially rigid gripping member attached thereto. The threading loop is collapsible, yet it maintains a loop shape. The elongated gripping member acts as a wand for manipulation of the loop. Both the threading loop and the elongated gripping member are adapted to be encased in a removable elongated sheath which extends beyond the ends of the loop and gripping member. The assembly is inserted into a cannulated shaft of a rotatable driver which includes a bone-cutting drive bit adapted for gripping the suture anchor at its drive end and for cutting into bone. The distal portion of the elongated sheath extends through a port in the shaft and is frictionally engageable with the shaft by means of an annular retaining element slidably disposed on the shaft. Removal of the driver from the anchor after installation of the anchor in a bone effects simultaneous removal of the elongated sheath from the threading loop and gripping member, which, when exposed, permit threading of a suture or section of tendon or other soft tissue through the eyelet of the suture anchor.

Suture anchors are widely used in surgical procedures to provide a fixture on or within a bone for attaching sutures or soft tissue segments, such as tendons, thereto. Typical suture anchors have a threaded or barbed distal end which is adapted for penetration into, and relatively secure engagement in, a bone, and an eyelet or other receptacle at a proximal end for passage of a suture or soft tissue segment therethrough.
In many applications, it is useful to be able to install a suture anchor in a bone and then thread a suture through the eyelet of the installed anchor. However, this is difficult to accomplish because of the relatively small size of the suture anchor and the eyelet through which the suture must pass, the fineness and limpness of the suture material, and the confined surgical space at the site of installation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,011 to Greene, Jr. et al. discloses a method and apparatus for threading a suture through the exposed eyelet of a suture anchor after the anchor is installed in a bone. In the Greene, Jr. et al. method, a suture anchor is provided with a portion of a suture-engaging implement pre-installed in the eyelet of the anchor. The suture anchor with the pre-installed suture-engaging implement is driven into a bone so as to leave the eyelet and suture-engaging implement exposed. A suture is then engaged with the suture-engaging implement, which is then pulled through the eyelet to thread the suture through the eyelet. The suture-engaging implement is then disengaged from the suture.
The suture engaging implement of Greene, Jr. et al. is preferably either a thin, flexible tube of a biocompatible material with a flared end for receiving a suture therein, or a loop of a flexible, biocompatible wire. The loop or wire is attached at its ends to a metal knob or gripping member.
The Greene, Jr. et al. method and apparatus present some difficulties in threading the suture anchor after it has been installed in a bone. For example, the metal knob or gripping member is relatively small and thus does not facilitate the grasping and manipulation of the suture engaging implement. In addition, the suture-engaging implement and the attached gripping member do not necessarily fit closely together or otherwise facilitate handling and control of the suture anchor and the suture threading components.


A composite core material and methods for making same are disclosed herein. The composite core material comprises mineral filler discontinuous portions disposed in a continuous encapsulating resin. Further, the method for forming a composite core material comprises the steps of forming a mixture comprising mineral filler, an encapsulating prepolymer, and a polymerization catalyst; disposing the mixture onto a moving belt; and polymerizing said encapsulating prepolymer to form a composite core material comprising mineral filler discontinuous portions disposed in a continuous encapsulating resin.

A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite) is a material made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when combined, produce a material with characteristics different from the individual components. The individual components remain separate and distinct within the finished structure. The new material may be preferred for many reasons: common examples include materials which are stronger, lighter, or less expensive when compared to traditional materials.
Transportation, construction and aerospace are the largest market segments within the composites industry recently, representing 62 percent of its total value. Development of low-cost and high-strength composite material to be used in those industries is important.

Composition and method to form a composite core material

Composite Technologies International, LLC


A trim tab assembly includes first and second shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators and a trim tab substrate which provide elastic/plastic locking in response to an induced strain actuation.

The present invention relates to a rotor blade trim tab, and more particularly to a self locking trim tab.
A rotary wing aircraft typically utilizes multiple rotor blades mounted to a rotor hub. A trim tab extends from the trailing edge of the rotor blade. The trim tab can be bent along its length about a spanwise axis to change the effective airfoil shape and thus change the lift, drag, and pitching-moment coefficients of the rotor blade airfoil at the local spanwise position of the tab. The ability to adjust these local airfoil parameters increases the amount of adjustment available to control global blade characteristics such as pitching moment slope, track, flutter stability, vibrations, and bending mode shapes.
Conventional trim tabs are readily adjustable in a field environment through a hand-held tool. Sections of the tab are manually bent by the operator applying force to the extending handle to set a portion of the trim tab. Each successive trim tab portion so bent is separately measured to determine the degree of bending. Other more sophisticated tools may also be utilized. Although effective, trim tab adjustment may be relatively time consuming even with the appropriate tools.
Trim tabs must hold a set to maintain an adjusted position relative to the rotor blade, provide an acceptable aerodynamic surface, and survive the high-strain environment found at the trailing edge of a rotor blade.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a rotor blade trim tab that is readily set without tools yet will maintain the adjusted position relative to the rotor blade.


A security code input may be obfuscated from a thermal imaging device by randomly heating a random set of inputs of an input device. The security code is inputted on an input device, which communicates with a security system to grant or deny access to a user based on an entry of the security code. The input device includes a plurality of hearing elements. The input device may receive an input from the user. A random set of heating elements including one or more heating elements, are generated from the plurality of heating elements. A temperature is determined for the one or more heating elements of the random set of heating elements. The temperature is then applied to the one or more heating elements of the random set of heating elements of the input device.

The present disclosure relates to information security, and more particular aspects relate to access control and authorization.
Security systems may be used to gain access to secured locations or protect secured items. The security system may require a security code that authorizes or denies a user access based on if they know the security code or not. A security device may be used to input the security code. The user may input the security code on the security device to gain access to the secured location or secured items.

International Business Machines Corporation


A body-side cushion structural body attached to a body and a piston-side cushion structural body integrally moving with a piston are disposed outside the body, a cushion rod is disposed on either one of the cushion structural bodies, while a rod fitting hole is disposed in the other cushion structural body, a cushion packing is disposed at a spout portion of the rod fitting hole, and moreover, a throttle valve that discharges air in the rod fitting hole to the outside with flow-rate adjustment is disposed so as to configure an air cushion mechanism that stops the piston in a buffering manner.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air cushion mechanism which can stop a piston at an arbitrary set position in a pneumatic cylinder in a buffering manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an air cushion mechanism for stopping a piston in a pneumatic cylinder in a buffering manner, those for giving a cushion action to a piston by temporarily having compressed air in a discharge-side pressure chamber remain have been known as disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-46500), for example. This type of air cushion mechanism has the discharge-side pressure chamber in a cylinder chamber opened into the air through a throttle valve in the vicinity of a dead end of a piston stroke so as to temporarily seal the discharge air in the discharge-side pressure chamber and to stop the piston in a buffering manner. This is advantageous in that a large impact absorbing capability can be exerted since an impact at the stroke end is absorbed using compressibility of air remaining in the discharge-side pressure chamber.
As the above air cushion mechanism, in the vicinity of the dead end of the piston stroke, means for switching a main discharge system having performed discharge of the compressed air from the cylinder chamber to a cushion discharge system for discharging it to the air from the discharge-side pressure chamber through a throttle valve is disposed, and as the means for switching, a mechanism is widely used such that, in the vicinity of the dead end of the piston stroke, a cushion ring disposed at a distal end of a piston is fitted in a cushion packing at a spout portion in a recess part having the main discharge system formed in a head cover of a cylinder, by which the main discharge system is closed, and the compressed air sealed in the pressure chamber is gradually discharged to the outside through the cushion discharge system opened into the discharge-side pressure chamber.
On the other hand, in the one disclosed in Patent Document 1, a bypass opening/closing valve as means for switching the main discharge system to the cushion discharge system in the vicinity of the dead end of the piston stroke is disposed in a cushion unit disposed on the outside of a body (main body), and the bypass opening/closing valve is operated by a stroke adjusting bolt disposed on a stopper plate on a table driven in synchronization with the piston.
However, in either case, with this type of air cushion mechanisms, since the main discharge system is switched to the cushion discharge system in the vicinity of the dead end of the piston stroke, though a cushion-operation start position of the piston can be adjusted, a final stop position of the piston is set on the basis of a structure in the vicinity of a stroke end of the body, and the stop position of the piston stopped in a buffering manner cannot be set arbitrarily unless the internal structure of the body is changed.
In addition, the prior-art air cushion mechanism is configured so that the piston is stopped in a buffering manner by the internal structure of the body, and in order to stop the piston in a pneumatic cylinder not provided with an air cushion mechanism in a buffering manner, use of a damper made up of a viscoelastic body with relatively small impact absorbing capability has been an only available idea.

Air cushion mechanism of pneumatic cylinder


A small droplet discharging device is provided capable of producing high-density arrays. The droplet discharging device comprises a first substrate comprising a plurality of reservoir chambers for holding a liquid, a second substrate comprising a plurality of discharge units comprising supply openings for receiving a supply of a liquid stored in the reservoir chambers, pressurizing chambers for applying a pressure to the liquid supplied from the supply openings, and discharge openings for discharging the liquid pressurized in the pressurizing chambers to the outside, and a third substrate sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate and comprising channels for connecting the plurality of reservoir chambers with the plurality of supply openings corresponding thereto, wherein the plurality of supply openings provided in the second substrate are arranged such that relative positions thereof have a zigzag disposition.

The present invention relates to a droplet discharging device for discharging liquid drops of a very small amount, an apparatus for manufacturing a microarray and a method for manufacturing a microarray that use this droplet discharging device.
In recent years, decoding the base sequence of DNA and conducting functional analysis of genetic information became an important task, and DNA microarrays have been used as a technique for monitoring the gene expression patterns and screening new genes. With the array, the gene expression quantity is evaluated by preparing a probe DNA, high-density spotting on a substrate such as a slide glass, hybridizing a target DNA having a base sequence complementary with the probe DNA, of the fluorescent labeled target DNA, and observing the fluorescent pattern.
Further, a protein chip in which a protein is applied with a high density onto a substrate by employing the above-described technology has also been developed and used for expression analysis of proteins or analysis of protein interaction.
In order to manufacture such a microarray, a large number of probes have to be placed with a high density on a substrate. A method employing a droplet discharging device, for example, by using an ink-jet system, is such a method for placing a large number of probes on a substrate with a high density.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-286735 discloses a droplet discharging device comprising liquid supply openings arranged in the form of a matrix and connected with respective channels to a plurality of reservoir chambers arranged in the form of a matrix, wherein the arrangement pitch of the reservoir chambers is larger than the arrangement pitch of nozzle holes. With this droplet discharging device, the problem of increasing the degree of freedom in designing the nozzle spacing and the disposition spacing of the corresponding reservoir chambers was resolved by employing a multilayer configuration of channel substrates forming channels connecting the nozzles and the reservoir chambers.
However, because the channels in such a droplet discharging device have a multilayer structure, there is still space for improvement from the standpoint of device miniaturization.


An image diagnostic apparatus includes an examination information acquisition unit and an imaging unit. The examination information acquisition unit searches a medical image server based on patient information to acquire past examination information corresponding to the patient information automatically from the medical image server. The imaging unit performs imaging according to an imaging condition set by referring to the examination information. Alternatively, an image diagnostic apparatus includes an imaging condition setting unit and an imaging unit. The imaging condition setting unit automatically sets or indicates an imaging condition closest to information designating an imaging condition included in examination order information directed to an image diagnostic apparatus made by another maker or a different type of an image diagnostic apparatus made by a same maker. The imaging unit performs imaging according to the set or indicated imaging condition.

Conventionally, for an image diagnostic apparatus such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) apparatus, PAS (programmable anatomical system) information is generated as an imaging plan for each examination order. The PAS information consists of imaging parameters corresponding to each imaging part. Thus, an operator can preset an imaging protocol precedently to a scan by composing PAS information.
When PAS information is made, past examination information and images acquired in the past can be referred to. Patient attribute information, such as a name of patient, and an imaging part for each patient can be obtained as past examination order information through a network from a RIS (Radiology Information System). Further, past examination information can be also obtained by referring to medical records.
On the other hand, image data acquired by various types of modalities are stored in a PACS (picture archiving and communication system) as image data along the DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine) protocol. Accordingly, past examination images can be read from a PACS to an image diagnostic apparatus via a network. Therefore, for a reexamination of a same patient, an imaging plan can be made using past examination information obtained from a PACS.

Image diagnostic apparatus, image diagnostic method, medical image server and medical image storage method


A domain specification system for an LDAP ACI entry provides a system for specifying an ACI domain entry in an access control command line that controls access to a resource. The access control command specifies resources using a Universal Resource Locator (URL) format that contains the name of the resource. A target scope value specifies the scope of access to be granted to a user which can be limited to a single entry, a subtree, or a single level. A search filter is part of the resource specification. The ACI applies only to entries in the subtree rooted at the resource name that match the filter. A list of attributes is also contained in the resource specification and the ACI applies only to attributes in the resource that are named in the list. The access control command specifies the type of access to be granted to a user which includes, but is not limited to: deny, read, write, and any other privileges that the system supports. The access control command also specifies the required user attributes for access to a resource. The directory server matches the required attributes with the accessing user's attributes and grants the type of access listed only if the user has the required attributes.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to accessing resources in a directory structure in a computer environment. More particularly, the invention relates to controlling access to resources within an LDAP directory structure in a computer environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory (such as Netscape Communications Corporation's Directory Server) is a collection of "entries." Each entry has a name (called the Distinguished Name) and a list of attribute values. The entries in a directory are organized in a tree structure, with major groupings that are subdivided into smaller units. A directory might contain several organization entries, each of which contains several organizationalUnit entries. These entries can be further subdivided.
LDAP provides search operations that can be performed over specified portions of the directory tree. Trees and subtrees, therefore, are a natural way to deal with data stored in an LDAP directory.
Entries and attributes correspond to a wide variety of data types such as personnel information, server configuration, business relationships, and user preferences. Since all entries contain important information, a method is required to restrict the availability of specific information to authorized users.
The Netscape Directory Server allows an ACI entry to be created which controls access to data stored in the directory tree. The ACI entry contains rules to determine which users of the directory should be allowed to have access. One of the components of the ACL rule is a description of which entries the rule applies to. The entry is essentially a resource specification (e.g., data, printers, servers, etc.).
The method used to control access in an LDAP system is via Access Control Lists (ACL). The Directory Server Administrator (DSAdmin) creates basic ACL rules that grant specific users access to entries in the directory.
Previous methods required the DSAdmin to specify separate attributes in the command line for a resource which was cumbersome and confusing. An additional problem with previous approaches was that the DSAdmin could not restrict the affect of the ACI to a single node or single level of nodes.
It would be advantageous to provide a domain specification system for an LDAP ACI entry that gives the system administrator the ability to easily specify resources that are accessible by a user. It would further be advantageous to provide an domain specification system for an LDAP ACL rule that allows the system administrator to restrict a user's access to a single node or single level of nodes.

Domain specification system for an LDAP ACI entry


Bisphenols are prepared by. a) reacting a phenolic compound with a carbonyl compound in a reaction mixture, containing the carbonyl compound, a stoichiometric excess of the phenolic compound and a catalyst, to produce a product mixture containing a bisphenol, PA1 b) separating bisphenol from the product mixture to leave a mother liquor and PA1 c) recycling at least a portion of the mother liquor to the reaction mixture.. At least a portion of the phenolic compound is contacted with a strongly acidic cation exchange resin and a strongly basic anion exchange resin before the phenolic compound is used in the reaction step a) and/or at least a portion of the product mixture and/or at least a portion or the mother liquor is contacted with a strongly acidic cation exchange resin and a strongly basic anion exchange resin before mother liquor is recycled to the reaction mixture.

The present invention relates to the preparation of bisphenol of improved purity. Bisphenols are used as a starting material for the preparation of various materials, notably epoxy resins and polycarbonates. Bisphenols are usually prepared by the condensation reaction of an aldehyde or a ketone and a stoichiometric excess of a phenol in a reaction mixture in the presence of a catalyst. The product mixture is usually passed to a crystallization zone wherein a crystalline bisphenol product and a mother liquor recycle stream is produced. The mother liquor contains a major amount of a phenol and is usually recycled to the reaction mixture. However, this condensation reaction using any known catalyst always produces a number of by-products. The product mixture contains, in addition to the desired bisphenol, excess phenol, catalyst, unreacted aldehyde or ketone, water, a variety of by-products, such as 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (hereafter referred to as o,p'-bisphenol isomer), 2,2,4-trimethyl-4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)chroman, trisphenol, polyphenol and unfavorably colored substances. A portion of these by-products in the product mixture originates from the recycled mother liquor. The repeated recycling of the mother liquor typically results in a build-up of by-products in the product mixture. These by-products have an unfavorable influence on the quality of the resins prepared from the bisphenols. It is well known that the production of polycarbonates requires a bisphenol of very high purity.
Accordingly, many suggestions have been made to increase the purity of bisphenols, such as bisphenol A (2,2'-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane), either by separating the by-products from the bisphenol in the product mixture or by purifying the mother liquor to be recycled in order to decrease the concentration of the by-products in the product mixture.
U.S. Pt. No. 4,354,046 relates to process of purifying bisphenol A wherein unreacted phenol, acetone and water is removed from the crude reaction mixture and the remaining crude bisphenol A is mixed with water and toluene. This mixture is heated to form a single liquid phase. The liquid phase is then cooled whereby bisphenol A crystallizes. The remaining liquor is distilled to remove water and toluene. Phenol is added to the remainder. This mixture contains large amounts of the o,p'-isomer of bisphenol A and other by-products. The mixture is passed through a bed of cation exchange resin in acid form to convert most of the by-products to the desired bisphenol A. The effluent from the cation exchange bed can be recycled to the bisphenol reactor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,218 relates to a process of reducing the content of color bodies in the bisphenol A recycle stream. After the separation of the product mixture obtained in the bisphenol A process into a bisphenol A/phenol adduct and a mother liquor recycle stream, the recycle stream is contacted with an acidic cation exchange resin to reduce the content of color bodies contained in the mother liquor stream. The acidic cation exchange resin is periodically reactivated by washing with a phenol/water mixture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,254 teaches that product losses and color formation are sometimes encountered when bisphenol A is produced from phenol and acetone in the presence of a cation exchange resin (which is used as a catalyst). It is taught that the product stream from the reaction is frequently separated into a solid adduct of bisphenol A and phenol and a liquid stream which contains crude bisphenol A and various impurities from which further bisphenol A is recovered by distillation. The U.S. patent further teaches that sometimes substantial product losses occur during this distillation step and that the mother liquor is frequently contaminated with darkly colored materials which are difficult or impossible to remove during bisphenol A purification. In order to suppress such losses and to decolorize the liquid stream which contains crude bisphenol A, the U.S. patent suggests to remove acid impurities from the crude liquid stream by contact with a basic ion exchange resin before further bisphenol A is recovered from the resin-treated crude liquid stream by distillation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,843 teaches a process of producing bisphenols by reacting at least two moles of phenol with acetone in a reaction zone in the presence of an acid ion exchanger, such as a sulfonated ion-exchange resin. The reaction zone effluent is contacted with an acid ion exchanger in metal salt form and/or a weak base ion exchanger. The U.S. patent teaches that the reaction zone effluent is preferably first contacted with an strong-acid ion exchanger before it is contacted with an acid ion exchanger in metal salt form and/or a weak base ion exchanger. After the reaction zone effluent has been contacted with the acid ion exchanger in metal salt form and/or the weak base ion exchanger, water and acetone are removed from the reaction zone effluent and the bisphenol is recovered from the residue of the separation.
German Offenlegungsschrift DE-A-4014992 relates to the production of bisphenols by reaction of a phenol with an aldehyde or ketone. Crude phenol is utilized, which originates from the working up of carbonaceous products, such as brown coal or waste from the hydration of coal or from the working up of waste waters of crackers. Such crude phenol is first activated with a cation exchange resin in acidic form before it is reacted with an aldehyde or ketone in the presence of a sulfonated cation exchanger in acidic form. The resulting reaction mixture is treated with an anion exchanger of weak or average basicity.
Although the purity of the produced bisphenols is considerably improved by the taught processes, their purity is sometimes still not sufficient, especially if the bisphenols are intended to be used for producing polycarbonates. Accordingly, it is still desirable to provide an improved process by which bisphenols can be produced at high purity.


Providing an injection mold used for producing a molded resin article which is free of a weld line, irrespective of an injection pressure of a molten resin. At least one protrusion is provided in a first region of a ring runner portion defined by an inner circumferential surface of a first communication hole extending toward a cavity and an outer circumferential surface of a pin member disposed coaxially within the first communication hole, such that the protrusion projects from either one of these surfaces and an end face of the protrusion is held in contact with the other of these surfaces. The first region is a half of a circumference of the ring runner portion and is opposite to a circumferential position at which the first communication hole and a second communication hole extending perpendicularly to the first communication hole communicate with each other, with respect to the pin member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an injection mold and a method of producing a molded resin article, and more particularly to an improvement of an injection mold suitably used for producing a molded resin article including a cylindrical portion or a deep hole portion by injection molding, and a method of advantageously producing such a molded resin article by injection molding.
2. Description of Related Art
As a method of producing a molded resin article, an injection molding method is known and used for producing various kinds of molded resin article. In production of the molded resin article by the injection molding method, there is used a so-called injection mold having a cavity for forming the molded resin article, a runner for introducing a molten resin injected from an injection machine into the cavity, and a gate for communication between the runner and the cavity. The quality of the molded resin article obtained as an end product is highly dependent on arrangement of the gate formed in the injection mold.
Namely, in the production of the molded resin article including a cylindrical portion or a deep hole portion, in a case where the gate is formed at a circumferential position of a cylindrical space of the cavity, which space gives a side wall of the cylindrical portion or the hole portion of the intended molded resin article, for example, the molten resin flowing through the gate into the cavity is circulated through the cylindrical space of the cavity in its opposite circumferential directions, whereby fronts of flows of the molten resin come together within the cavity. As a result, a weld line is likely to be formed in the side wall of the cylindrical portion or the hole portion of the obtained molded resin article, at the circumferential position where the fronts of the flows of the molten resin come together, whereby the molded resin article has a poor appearance.
Under the above-described circumstances, JP-A-59(1984)-143622 discloses an injection mold which permits production of a cylindrical molded resin article by controlling the problem of the poor appearance of the molded resin article due to formation of the weld line or the like, for example. In this injection mold, the runner has: a first communication hole which extends toward the cavity and one of opposite ends of which communicates with the gate; and a second communication hole which communicates with (which is connected to) the other end of the first communication hole remote from the gate, and which extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of the first communication hole. Further, a pin member is disposed within the first communication hole, so as to be spaced apart from an inner circumferential surface of the first communication hole and to extend coaxially with the first communication hole, and such that a distal end portion of the pin member extends through the gate. Thus, a ring runner portion is defined by a cylindrical space between the inner circumferential surface of the first communication hole and an outer circumferential surface of the pin member, which surfaces are opposed to each other, and the gate takes the form of an annular ring gate. In the injection mold described above, the molten resin is introduced through the ring runner portion and through the ring gate into the cylindrical cavity, and flows into the cavity in its axial direction. Thus, this injection mold is intended to prevent fronts of flows of the molten resin from coming together within the cavity, and accordingly prevent formation of the weld line, which would otherwise be caused where the fronts of the flows of the molten resin come together.
However, the inventors of the present invention made various studies on the conventional injection mold constructed as described above, and found that the formation of the weld line in the molded resin article obtained as the end product cannot be sufficiently prevented by using the conventional injection mold.
Namely, in the conventional injection mold, the runner has: the ring runner portion which is defined by the space between the inner circumferential surface of the first communication hole and the outer circumferential surface of the pin member, and which extends toward the ring gate; and a straight runner portion defined by the second communication hole extending in the direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of the ring runner portion. Further, one of opposite ends of the straight runner portion, which is remote from the ring runner portion, communicates with a sprue. Therefore, in the conventional injection mold described above, when the molten resin, which has been injected from an injection machine and flowed through the sprue and the straight runner portion, flows into the ring runner portion at a circumferential position at which the straight runner portion and the ring runner portion communicate with each other, a pressing force generated by a pressure of the injected molten resin is applied to the pin member disposed within the ring runner portion, whereby the pin member is pressed away from the above-indicated circumferential position. At this time, in a case where the molten resin includes a glass fiber or the like and has a low degree of fluidity, the molten resin is injected from the injection machine at a particularly high pressure, so that the pin member is pressed by a high pressure of the injected molten resin, and an axis of the pin member within the ring runner portion may be displaced due to flexural deformation of the pin member, for example. In this case, an amount of flow of the molten resin through the ring runner portion in its axial direction (direction of its extension) toward the ring gate may be uneven in a circumferential direction of the ring runner portion, causing fronts of flows of the molten resin to come together within the cavity, and leading to formation of the weld line in the molded resin article obtained as the end product.

Injection mold and method of producing molded resin article


A shelf assembly has a shelf support bracket and a shelf panel supported by the bracket. A fastening stud projects from the shelf panel into a figure eight shaped aperture in the support bracket. The fastening stud slides relative to the fastening aperture and has a resilient, compressible bushing for latching engagement with the fastening aperture. In one embodiment, the rear edge of the shelf panel is positioned in an open sided channel member of the support bracket. In another embodiment, a spring clip is substituted for the fastening stud and projects from the shelf panel into a fastening aperture in the support bracket, the fastening aperture having a lip for latching engagement with the spring clip.

The present invention relates to shelving assemblies and specifically to a shelving panel and support bracket subassembly which may be used in a display case, in a refrigerator, or on an office partition panel, or the like, where a removable or adjustable shelving panel and support bracket assembly is desired.
A wide variety of shelving assemblies are presently available and may be generally categorized into three groups. First, the simplest type of shelving assembly will typically include a pair of support brackets projecting from a wall surface with a shelf panel placed upon the brackets without secure attachment of the shelf to the brackets. This type of assembly may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,669, entitled SHELF BRACKET STRUCTURE and issued on Sep. 14, 1971, to Asher, for example. However, this simple type of shelving assembly is unstable and susceptible to being dislodged or jarred, spilling items disposed on the shelf.
A second category of shelving assemblies includes modification to the first category by the addition of fasteners for securing the shelf panel to the support bracket. This type of assembly may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,146, entitled SHELF SUPPORTS AND THE LIKE and issued on Mar. 31, 1964, to Fisher, for example. This arrangement adds some stability to the shelving assembly over the first type of shelving assembly. However, these shelving assemblies typically require the use of tools to assemble the fasteners. Further, the fasteners are typically small and easily lost.
The third category of shelving assemblies includes preassembled support bracket and shelving panel units. These units are commonly used with office partition panels and overcome the assembly problems of the second category assemblies. However, these units are typically large and bulky, requiring significant storage space when not in use.


An attractive wake tower assembly that can be readily pivotally mounted on powerboats of various constructions to enable the wake tower assembly to be pivoted from an upstanding to a lowered position. The wake tower assembly is of a high-strength, simple construction that does not interfere with the visibility of the boat operator. In one form of wake tower assembly, the windshield component and the wake tower component are of a novel unitary construction.

This is a Continuation In Part of Application U.S. Ser. No. 11/331,601 filed Jan. 12, 2006 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,219,617, which is a Continuation In Part of application Ser. No. 10/751,218 filed Dec. 31, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,321, which is a Continuation In Part of application Ser. No. 10/401,644 filed Mar. 27, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,888.


Softness retention characteristics of raisins are improved by applying to the surface of the raisins a pure edible polyalcohol humectant, preferably glycerol, at a rate of 20-28% based on the weight of the raisins. The raisins and humectant are then tempered by immersing the raisins and humectant in additional humectant solution at a temperature of 90.degree.-100.degree. F. (32.degree.-44.degree. C.) for a times efficient to enable the raisins to absorb the humectant to an amount of about 10-19% by weight. The raisins are then removed from the humectant solution and thereafter dried to a moisture content of 7-20%.

Fresh raisins and other dried fruits, even when sealed in waxed paper and foil within paperboard containers, progressively lose their softness and become hard, presumably because of moisture losses and chemical changes. The loss of softness or tenderness becomes more pronounced when the raisins are packed with dry food products, such as toasted bran or corn flakes, which have a low moisture content relative to the raisins. In order to prevent rapid loss of moisture from the raisins to the cereal, it previously has been necessary to increase the moisture content of the cereal prior to packaging with raisins. The addition of moisture to the cereal, however, causes a substantial loss of crispness, which is undesirable in many such products.
An alternative method of keeping raisins soft is to employ an edible humectant, such as glycerol. However, the simple topical application of a humectant to a dried fruit, such as raisins, having a relatively tough outer skin does not reliably increase the softness retention characteristics of the fruit under storage conditions, and the fruit will absorb only small amounts of the humectant through the skin. Moreover, any improvement in softness retention resulting from the initial incorporation of a high level of moisture into the fruit is quickly lost during conventional storage.
There are various known methods which involved the treatment of raisins and other dried fruits which involve infusion of edible humectants into said fruits. These methods suffer from one or more disadvantages, including the necessity of a pretreatment step using acids, alkalis, surfactants, and similar additives which necessitate one or more specific removal steps. In other methods of infusion, the total amount of humectant which can possibly be added to raisins is generally below 10% by weight. Still other methods permit the infusion of higher levels of humectant but these methods generally suffer lack of uniformity--i.e. humectant levels vary in an unsatisfactorily broad degree--or the methods call for a process which requires two or three days, or more, for completion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,824 discloses a process of coating a surface of raisins with glycerol and oil in order to improve their bulk handling and bulk transportation characteristics. The surface treatment of raisins which humectant, such as glycerol, has long been known but, as noted above, surface treatment alone does not prevent the undesirable drying out of raisins when packaged With dry products such as ready-to-eat cereals.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,952,112 and 4,103,035 teach methods of treating raisins with glycerol (and other polyalcohol humectants) by a process involving immersion and soaking of the raisins in glycerol or a glycerol-containing solution for a period of about 24 hours. Pretreatment of the raisins is ordinarily required. U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,112 teaches various pretreatment steps which enhance the ability of the raisins to absorb the glycerol during the soaking process. Such pretreatment steps include soaking the raisins in water, application of a vacuum, treating with small amounts of a surface active agent or a weak alkali, etc. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,035 the suggested pretreatment steps include soaking in water and treatment with an acidulating agent. By means of the processes taught in these patents, and with proper choice of reaction times and conditions, it has been possible to attain high levels of glycerol in raisins. However, under industrial conditions, the glycerol content of the raisins has varied considerably. The result is that not all of the raisins attained the desired high levels of glycerol infusion and therefore, when packaged with dry cereals, some of these dried out to an unsatisfactory degree.
More recently, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,917,910 and 5,000,971 disclosed a method of infusing high levels of glycerol into raisins by means of an initial step involving the spraying of glycerol onto a tumbling bed of raisins. It appears, however, that in order to attain a high level of glycerol infusion the raisins have to then be maintained in a static condition for a period of time of about four weeks.
It is the principal object of this invention to provide an improved process for infusing high levels of glycerol into raisins by a method which does not require substantially more than 24 hours of processing time and results in a product having a substantially uniform level of glycerol infusion.

Method for infusing raisins with high levels of humectant