A spectral printing model converter is used to convert ink amount data to spectral reflectance of a color patch to be printed according to the ink amount data. A plurality of sample ink amount data each representing a set of ink amounts of plural inks is provided, and each sample ink amount data is converted into spectral reflectance of a virtual sample patch to be printed with the ink amounts represented by the sample ink amount data using the spectral printing model converter. An evaluation index is calculated for each sample ink amount data, where the evaluation index includes a color difference index and an image quality index of the virtual sample patch to be printed according to the sample ink amount data. The color difference index represents a color difference between a sample color which is calculated from the spectral reflectance and a comparative color which is selected as a basis for comparison. Plural sample ink amount data is then selected based on the evaluation index, and a profile defining correspondence between colorimetric value data and ink amount data is produced based on the selected plural sample ink amount data.

In recent years, the use of color ink-jet printers, color laser printers, and the like as color printers has become widespread. A color printer uses a color conversion lookup table to convert input color image data into amounts of plural inks. In the conventional method for creating a color conversion lookup table, (i) a plurality of color patches are printed, (ii) colors of the color patches are measured to obtain their colorimetric values, and (iii) a lookup table that represents correspondence relationships between color patch calorimetric values and the amounts of ink used to print the color patches is created.
However, calorimetric values are dependent upon viewing condition during color measurement. Accordingly, where a color conversion lookup table has been created so as to give a printout having good color reproduction under a certain viewing condition, it will not necessarily be the case that printouts created using that color conversion lookup table will afford good color reproduction under other viewing conditions. Accordingly, there has for some time existed a need for a color conversion lookup table able to give good color reproduction under various viewing conditions. There has also been a need, when creating a reproduction of a painting or drawing for example, to create a color conversion lookup table that can reproduce as faithfully as possible the color appearance of the original.
The image quality of a printout created using a color conversion lookup table is dependent in large degree to the calorimetric values and ink amounts specified in the color conversion lookup table. In practical terms, it is necessary for a color conversion lookup table to simultaneously afford good reproduction under various viewing conditions, and high image quality in printed output. According, there was a need to create a color conversion lookup table capable of afford good reproduction under various viewing conditions while at the same time printing with high image quality. Such requirements are not limited just to color conversion lookup tables, but are generally desirable in all manner of profiles used for color conversion.

Production of color conversion profile for printing


An environmental resistant spot type coating is provided on a selected, discrete surface area of a high temperature operating article, by applying to the area a layer of at least one of the elements selected from Pt, Rh and Pd, and preferably Pt, to a thickness of about 0.0002" to less than 0.0006" and an average distribution of at least about 0.07 grams per square inch. The layer is heated at about 1800-2050.degree. F. for about 1/2-4 hours to diffuse the element with the surface area. Then the layer is aluminided to provide an average total coating thickness of about 0.001-0.005". The article provided includes an environmental resistant additive coating diffused with the selected discrete area. The coating comprises an outer portion of at least about 17 wt. % of the selected element, and an aluminide of the surface area or substrate. In one form, the outer portion is a two phase outer portion: a first phase of an aluminide of the selected element at a content of at least about 40 wt. % interspersed with a second phase comprising an aluminide in which Al is at least about 20 wt. %. Between the outer portion and the surface area is an inner portion which is a diffusion zone comprising diffused selected element along with an aluminide and/or elements diffused from the surface area.

During the operation of high temperature articles, such as components of gas turbine engines, highly corrosive and oxidizing conditions can be experienced by exposed article surfaces. Therefore, development of the gas turbine art has included development of a variety of coatings resistant to such adverse conditions. Such known coatings include commercially available forms of Codep coating aluminiding, examples of which are included in such U.S. patents as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,598,638--Levine (issued Aug. 10, 1971) and 3,667,985--Levine et al (issued Jun. 6, 1972). Associated with general aluminiding is a localized aluminiding through a patch-type coating such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,047--Grisik, issued Jan. 18, 1977.
Other forms of high temperature coatings used for environmental protection include combinations of metals selected from the platinum group of metals, particularly Pt, Rh and Pd, along with aluminiding. Forms of this combination of coatings are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,819,338--Bungardt et al (issued Jun. 25, 1974) and 3,979,273--Panzera et al (issued Sep. 7, 1976).
The disclosures of each of the above identified patents hereby are incorporated herein by reference.
Coatings of various types, including an overall platinum aluminide coating, have been reported and used as protective coatings for high temperature operating gas turbine engine components such as a high pressure turbine blade (HPTB). However, certain problems have been recognized during manufacture and/or use of such articles. For example, during the service life of a typical HPTB, several partial and at least one full repair generally will be required to extend the useful life of such a component, which originally is relatively expensive to manufacture. Complicating such later repairs can be the application, in original manufacture of the article, of an environmental protective coating, generally referred to as a thermal barrier coating, and based on ceramic type materials such as zirconia, generally stabilized with such materials as yttria. Being ceramic base, such coating has a greater tendency than would a metal base coating to be brittle and to spall if processed subsequently, such as in repair, after initial coating. Therefore, repair of discrete surface areas of a thermal barrier coated article is more difficult. In all cases, a reliable spot-type or discrete surface coating is needed for the repair or to enhance the environmental resistance of localized discrete selected surfaces of a high temperature operating article to which has been applied a surface environmental protective coating.

High temperature alloy article with a discrete protective coating and method for making


The invention is concerned with an Internet telephone system having a client/server architecture and providing voice communication between client stations over the Internet through gateway servers. The system includes a plurality of software modules within each of the gateway servers for performing digital signal processing (DSP), and an account manager placed at an arbitrary location on the Internet for monitoring transactions between client stations to produce billing information. The system is characterized by low latency, full duplex voice communication, and permits telephone to telephone or PC to telephone connections.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an Internet telephone system, and specifically to a system architecture for an Internet telephone operating between a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and the Internet.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Computer networks are often organized according to principles of client/server architecture. Servers are more powerful computers dedicated to managing the network, while clients are less powerful computers, e.g. PC's or workstations, that run applications. Clients rely upon servers for various resources. The most common client/server application is file sharing in distributed storage systems. Data is transferred between the hard disk of a workstation and the server memory. The advantage is that large quantities of data are stored on the server instead of at individual work stations, thereby reducing the workstation memory requirements. Moreover, non-private data is easily accessed by all work stations. In addition to distributed storage systems, print servers and network servers are prevalent forms of client/server architectures. Client/server architectures are also called two-tier architectures. Multi-node architectures that are not client/server architectures are called peer-to-peer architectures; in these, each node has equivalent responsibilities.
Another environment for a client/server architecture involves the Internet as an electronic marketplace. A person wishing to purchase an item on the Internet acts as a client by placing an order and the supplier acts as a server by filling that order. Transactions in the electronic marketplace require accounting and authentication by the server of purchases by the client. Encryption prevents eavesdropping and provides transaction security.
Internet telephony operates according to a number of possible strategies but all utilize digital signal processing (DSP). The most easily implemented Internet telephone systems involve software only, and work with existing modems and voice cards. Software provides DSP functions, which are computationally intensive tasks performed by the CPU of the host computer. However, such systems are not scalable beyond a few ports per system and are therefore applicable to small business gateways only. Moreover, the CPU is loaded down with DSP tasks.
DSP based cards with on-board software are more difficult and expensive to implement, but are scalable with designs including many cards per system, and thus applicable to medium and large size businesses and for inter-office calling over LAN, WAN and the Internet. These systems provide improved performance because they off-load functions such as audio compression/decompression and echo cancellation from the CPU of the host computer. The digital signal processing (DSP) functions are incorporated onto the card and latency (delay) is decreased.
A PBX integrated module is similar to a DSP card except that there is a seamless integration into the PBX phone system. This system is scalable to a higher port density than others, and is therefore applicable to larger business-to-business supersystems that bridge many PBX's and permit low cost international calling through Internet-PSTN gateways.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,916 to Goldhagen et al discloses a client/server architecture for a voice messaging service. Goldhagen et al sends client telephone messages over a PSTN via a server, but the architecture does not provide for sending packet-switched messages over the Internet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,732 to Bottomley et al discloses a gateway architecture for broadcasting digital video over servers on demand. However, Bottomley et al is not concerned with sending voice information between clients in real time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,376 to Espeut et al discloses an architecture for voice messaging systems that receives incoming calls over a public switched telephone network from subscribers utilizing personal computers. Espeut et al sends these messages over a server but is directed to local area networks and does not permit exchange of messages in real time.
The problem to be solved in Internet telephony systems is to combine the features of client/server architectures with digital signal processing to transmit voice information over the Internet. Furthermore, a practical Internet telephone system must have the capability of authenticating and billing callers in real time.
Internet telephone system that links a plurality of client stations to the Internet through a plurality of gateway servers. The system further includes a plurality of software modules performing digital signal processing (DSP) functions within each server. An account manager is placed at an arbitrary location on the Internet for monitoring transactions between client stations and for producing billing information in real time. Each server has hardware permitting Internet and ISDN connections and provides full duplex communication.
The gateway server includes hardware allowing respective Internet and PSTN connections, and software for providing the connections themselves. The software includes the transport, the telephone port, or "teleport," and the session. The transport creates a session upon receiving an incoming call from the Internet, and the session manages the network communication between communication endpoints and establishes identifiers or labels to indicate these endpoints. Also included in the software are the voice port, the wave port and the line port. The voice port selects the forward error correction algorithm, dynamically chooses the codec, and frames and aligns the data packets.
Another feature of the invention is that the architecture enables a dynamic change of codecs from packet-to-packet in one stream of voice data to adapt to changing network conditions. The architecture permits a dynamic change of codecs in combination with changing other factors including the level of redundancy of the error correction, the packet size and packet bundling. The architecture thereby seeks to attain the best speech quality and lowest latency given the level of data loss over the Internet detected by the system.
A further feature of the invention is a technique for eliminating dead air space in the data stream by speeding up or slowing down the data from the buffer while maintaining a constant voice pitch.

System architecture for internet telephone


An objective is to provide an image forming method and an image forming apparatus exhibiting neither failure in lack of line image nor image defect in halftone images, together with extremely high image quality and longer lifetime. Disclosed is an image forming method possessing the steps of evenly charging an organic photoreceptor; conducting a light exposure process; conducting a developing process to visualize the electrostatic latent image formed on the organic photoreceptor to form a toner image; transferring the toner image into a transfer medium; and conducting a cleaning process to remove a residual toner from the organic photoreceptor, the method further comprising the step of replenishing a developing device with a developer comprising toner and carrier, wherein the organic photoreceptor comprises a surface protective layer containing a filler, and the carrier is mixed with the toner, after attaching a lubricant onto a carrier particle in advance.

A two-component developing method has been used widely as an excellent developing method in an electrophotographic developing method, but it still has some problems even today. Among the problems, there is a strong demand for a two-component developer which can be used for a long time and their properties are constant and stabilized for their total service period.
Also proposed has been a photoreceptor possessing a surface protective layer in which particles are dispersed for longer lifetime of the photoreceptor as a promising approach to obtain high image quality and longer lifetime in the entire conventional image forming processes. Further, concerning measures of high image quality and failure in lack of line image, the following proposals are given since contributions from the photoreceptor surface are high.
(1) A lubricant is coated on the photoreceptor surface in order to enrich lubrication of a photoreceptor.
(2) A lubrication providing material is added into a photoreceptor surface protective layer solution to conduct coating.
(3) A lubricant released from toner is brought into the photoreceptor surface in which particles are dispersed.
However, regarding (1), it reflects unfavorably upon measures of downsizing of apparatuses as well as energy saving.
Regarding (2), it is difficult to distribute a material exhibiting a lubrication effect evenly on a surface protective layer with a conventional immersion coating method, and the outermost surface portion of the surface protective layer becomes low in concentration. Therefore, the photoreceptor surface needs to be mechanically polished by the aftertreatment process or the like to expose the material exhibiting a lubrication effect on the photoreceptor surface, whereby high cost can not be avoided (refer to Patent Document 1, for example).
For this reason, it is proposed that particles made of a lubrication providing material (fluorine resin particles, for example) are dispersed on the photoreceptor surface by a CSH coating method (a slide hopper coating method) to disperse particles evenly on the outermost surface of the photoreceptor, but scratches are easily generated, whereby failure in streak-shaped noise is generated, though extension effects from the lubrication providing material are highly produced.
Regarding (3), there appear problems such as lowering of electrification, generation of powder smoke and so forth when an addition amount of a lubricant into toner is too much since the addition amount is limited, though a certain level of a releasing property is effective. Further, a supplying amount of a lubricant into the photoreceptor surface is changed when a print ratio during image formation is varied, whereby the releasing property of the photoreceptor surface is varied, resulting in unfavorably influenced image quality.
On the other hand, in recent years, studies on small sized toner particles have been actively done for the purpose of obtaining high image quality. In this case, there were problems such as lowered toner fluidity, lack of stability in frictional electrification with carrier and so forth. In order to solve these problems, the amount of external additives added for obtaining the toner fluidity tends to be increased. However, in the case of a large amount of external additives, the amount transferring into carrier during storage as well as developing treatment is also increased, whereby stable images tend to be difficult to be obtained for a long duration since charge providing performance of carrier is lowered for the foregoing reason, and there appears a large difference of developer properties between at the initial stage of developer preparation and after aging of the developer.
Consequently, proposed is a developing system (so-called trickle developing system) in which when toner is newly supplied in response to toner consumed via development, carrier is added, and carrier in a developing device is interchanged little by little by gradually removing a usually excessive amount of developer to stabilize developer concentration via suppression of change in electrification (refer to Patent Document 2, for example).
In the foregoing trickle development, the fluctuation of the amount of charge has been tried to be suppressed by gradually replacing the carrier with a fresh carrier. However, in combination with the toner having a small diameter, a phenomenon in such a way that the amount of charge sometimes becomes smaller is often generated. This reason might be considered as follow; in the case of the toner having a small diameter wherein the surface area per a unit volume is large, the amount of external additives to be added is large, and thereby, the amount of the external additives transferred to the newly supplied carrier is also large, resulting in decrease of a charge providing property of carrier.
Specifically, when printing of many sheets consuming a large amount of toner is carried out, the amounts of toner and carrier to be supplied become greater, and the charge providing property caused by transfer of external additives to the newly supplied carrier is easy to be generated, whereby undesired image fog or unevenness in image density were often generated.    (Patent Document 1) Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 5265243    (Patent Document 2) Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 2-21591

Image forming method and image forming apparatus

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


A control system for a ground working vehicle. The control system may include a handle assembly including a handle member extending upwardly and rearwardly from a chassis of the vehicle. The control system may also include a speed control apparatus including a control grip operably connected to, and translatable along, the handle member. Translation of the control grip may activate a transmission to move the chassis in the forward direction when the control grip is translated downwardly along the handle member towards the chassis. Further, the control system may include a lockout apparatus movably attached to a handle member. The lockout apparatus may be adapted to selectively and physically restrict movement of the control grip relative to the handle member.

Self-propelled walk-behind mowers are commonly used by homeowners and landscape professionals alike. Walk-behind mowers are adept at both mowing lawns with numerous obstacles (e.g., trees, shrubs, flowerbeds, and the like) that necessitate intricate trimming maneuvers, and mowing lawns that may otherwise be ill-suited to high-speed riding mowers. Moreover, walk-behind mowers are often used when mowing areas with steep slopes.
Many walk-behind mowers have a propulsion system that propels the mower at a variable ground speed. Typically, a control system is located on a handle of the mower that allows the operator to engage and disengage the propulsion system and to select a desired ground speed. One type of control system includes a handle grip that slides up and down relative to the mower handle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,083 to Stalpes et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,540,131 to Stover et al. (which are both herein incorporated by reference) describe a handle grip that: slides forwardly down the mower handle to increase ground speed; and rearwardly up the mower handle to decrease ground speed. As a result, the slidable handle grip may automatically adapt the ground speed of the mower to the speed of the walking operator.

Propulsion control lockout and ground working vehicle incorporating same


Method and system of determining a location of a wireless transmitting device, such as a cellular phone, a wireless PDA or a radio tag, and guiding the searching personnel to physically reach the wireless transmitting device are disclosed that employ a “Movable Detection Station” and a “Guiding and Reference Device”, and optionally a “searching robot”. The movable detection station is carried on board of a moving platform, such as a police car, an ambulance or a fire truck, or carried by searching personnel. The guiding and reference device is a handheld device including a display device that displays position and guiding information to a user, and a reference wireless transmitter that works with a movable detection station. A searching robot is a robot with a reference transmitter installed on it.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to wireless systems and, in particular, to determining the location of a wireless transmitting device, and to guiding the search for said wireless transmitting device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless devices include cellular, PCS (Personal Communication Systems), cordless and satellite phones, wireless PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and laptop computers, two-way pagers, radio tags, etc. Collectively these are referred to herein as "wireless devices".
The need for locating, tracking and searching for wireless devices is increasing. Applications include:
Emergency Response:
A notable emergency response service is the enhanced 911 (E911) service mandated by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) for all cellular licensees, broadband Personal Communications Service (PCS) licensees, and certain Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) licensees in the United States. E911 service is to provide the operators at the PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) with information such as calling number, location of serving base station, and caller's Automatic Location Identification (ALI) in longitude and latitude. This automatic information enables the PSAP operators to dispatch emergency response teams for wireless 911 callers in the similar fashion as for the wire line 911 callers. The location accuracy and reliability required by FCC have been revised several times since their first release, compromising what is needed and what is possible. At the time of this invention, the requirements are                For handset-based solutions: 50 meters for 67 percent of calls, 150 meters for 95 percent of calls;        For network-based solutions: 100 meters for 67 percent of calls, 300 meters for 95 percent of calls.
Pursuit of Criminals:
To allow law enforcement agencies to track and locate wanted criminals who use wireless devices; to allow the public to report information about offensive callers' identification and location.
Tracking of Fraudulent Calls:
Cellular telephone fraud causes huge revenue losses to the service providers. Real-time location of fraudulent calls will help stop the spread use of "cloned" phones.
Recovery of Stolen Vehicles and Valuable Goods:
Wireless devices attached to the protected objects will enable the tracking and recovery thereof.
Target Monitoring and Searching:
Wireless devices attached to the targets can enable the monitoring and searching of such targets, as children, patients, herds, parolees and probationers, controlled materials and equipment, or toxic waste containers.
Depending on the application, wireless location systems face various technological challenges. Achieving high location accuracy anywhere, anytime, under diversified terrain conditions, and at a low cost is a challenge common to many location applications. Particularly for conventional E911 technologies, the prior art solutions are divided into two major categories: network based and handset based. In network based prior art solutions, location accuracy is sensitive to multipath propagation, number of available detection stations, and geographical geometry of the target in relation to the available detection stations. In handset based prior art solutions using GPS, location accuracy is susceptible to blockage in dense urban areas and inside buildings. The handset based prior art solutions also have problems to provide E911 service to legacy devices already in use. To achieve a required accuracy throughout coverage areas and terrains, the cost is often found far beyond the acceptable limit for operators and many end users. In addition, the prior art E911 solutions do not address the need to guide the search for the target on site.

Method and system for determining a location of a wireless transmitting device and guiding the search for the same


A pull-out recliner is disclosed to include a rear recliner frame unit equipped with a front pair of wheel assemblies and a rear pair of wheel assemblies, a front recliner frame unit coupled to the rear recliner frame unit and movable in and out of the rear recliner frame unit between the received position and the extended position, a rear cushion fixedly mounted on the rear recliner frame unit, a front cushion, and a movable rack affixed to the front side of the front cushion and pivoted to the front side of the front recliner frame unit such that the front cushion is kept in flush with the rear cushion when the pull-out recliner is extended out, or stacked on the rear cushion when the front recliner frame unit is received in the rear recliner frame unit.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recliner, typically referred to as mechanic's creeper, and more particularly, to an expandable pull-out creeper practical for use during a car repair work that has two recliner cushions sliding one under the other and conveniently receivable to save storage space.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
A conventional creeper for use during repair work is a mobile board on which the mechanic lies when examining or repairing the chassis of a car or the bottom parts of a machine. A creeper for this purpose generally comprises a narrow elongate recliner body equipped with wheels. Because conventional creepers for this purpose are commonly not collapsible, they occupy much storage space when not in use. Therefore, it is inconvenient to keep, transport, and store this kind of creepers.

Mechanic's creeper with pull-out expansion


A golf club number computing device for computing a best golf club number for a player which includes range finding means for finding the range from a player to a hole, computing means, data input means connected to the computing means for receiving range data and player personal data, memory means in the computing means, data tables in the memory means holding golf club number data related to the range data and player personal data, and display means connected to the computing means for displaying a computed best golf club number from the data tables.

During play golf players are constantly faced with the problem of selecting a best possible golf club to be used for each stroke. It is well known that the range from the ball to the hole is an important consideration in selecting the best club, but other factors such as the player's skill and personal "fitness" also are important considerations.
It follows that a player, under the strain of attaining a best possible score sometimes misjudges the playing circumstances and selects a club that may not be the best possible selection for the particular circumstances.
Inventors have in the past disclosed devices that are helpful in determining the distance from the ball to the hole. U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,839 shows an electronic range finder that can be used to obtain the distance to the hole by means of a pulsed beam of light directed at the flag in the hole which the player wishes to reach. U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,692 discloses a somewhat similar system, but based on a radio beam directed at the flag.
None of the prior art devices, however, provide the player with a device that is capable of receiving and taking other factors into account, such as the player's experience, skill and personal "fitness", and is capable of issuing a suggestion as to the best possible choice of club to be used for the stroke.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a small, lightweight computing device that a player can bring along and be used to determine the distance to a hole, and is capable of receiving other data in order to determine a best possible selection of a club.


An ink jet recording ink comprising water, a coloring material such as carbon black, (a) a dispersant containing at least one of a sulfonic acid group, sulfuric ester, and salt thereof, such as a polystyrenesulfonate polymer, and (b) a dispersant above-mentioned dispersants is preferably from 0.1 to 20 parts by weight based on 10 parts by weight of the coloring material. Further, the pH, surface tension, and viscosity of the ink are preferably from 7.0 to 10.0, from 30 to 65 mN/m, and from 1.0 to 10.0 mPa.multidot.s, respectively. Dispersion stability for a long period of time is improved, kogation in the thermal ink jet method is prevented, and excellent fixation on paper is obtained containing a carboxyl group or salt thereof, such as a styrene-maleate polymer, wherein the ratio by weight of (a) to (b) is from 1:5 to 1:100.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel ink jet recording ink, used in a method for ink jet recording, and an ink jet recording method.
2. Description of the Related Art
So-called ink jet printers capable of recording images on paper, cloth, or a film by discharging a liquid or molten solid ink through nozzles, slits, a porous film, and the like have advantages of small size, low cost, low noise, and the like, and have been widely put on the market as black monochrome or color printers. Among them, a so-called piezoelectric ink jet method using a piezoelectric element or a so-called thermal ink jet method, which conducts recording by applying thermal energy to form liquid drops, has many advantages such as high-speed printing, high resolution, and the like.
Many characteristics are required of ink jet recording ink. Among them, the following characteristics are important:
(1) Excellent images free of omissions and unevenness are obtained irrespective of printing speed and printing pattern. PA0 (2) In the thermal ink jet method, there is no kogation due to temperature change on a heater which forms and develops bubbles at high temperatures, and there is no short-circuiting of acting electrodes in the heater portion that would prevent the heater from operating (fail) by eroding a material usually in contact with an ink. PA0 (3) The ink can be stored for a long period of time. PA0 (4) The formed images have excellent storage stability. PA0 (5) The formed images have excellent fixing properties.
There have conventionally been many suggestions that have been carried out to provide the above-mentioned characteristics.
Among conventional ink jet recording inks, an ink using an aqueous dye as a coloring material is mainly used. However, it has problems in water resistance and lightfastness, and the storage stability of images is not necessarily satisfactory. On the other hand, an ink using a pigment as a colorant can improve water fastness and lightfastness, and can provide an image having high optical density and no blotting. Therefore, this ink is very promising and there have recently been many suggestions concerning the ink which have been put into practice. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 56(1981)-147871 suggests a recording liquid comprising an aqueous medium containing at least a pigment, a high-molecular dispersant, and a nonionic surfactant. Further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,085,698 and 5,221,334 suggest the use of a block copolymer comprising hydrophilic polymer portion-hydrophobic polymer portion or hydrophobic polymer portion-hydrophilic polymer portion-hydrophobic polymer portion as a dispersant for a pigment. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,133 suggests the use of a specific pigment, water-soluble resin, and solvent. However, in the conventionally suggested inks, stability for a long period of time, including environmental changes, may not be easily attained. Further, when a metal or metal oxide exists on an ink flow route in a cartridge-constituting material or print-head-constituting material, a pigment is deposited on them, and consequently, stable ejection is liable to be disturbed (namely, clogging) and excellent fixation cannot be provided on various papers. Particularly, in the ink jet recording method, there is a disadvantage that the pigment deposited on a heater comprising a metal such as tantalum causes kogation due to temperature rising in printing and remarkably shortens the life of the print head.

Ink jet recording ink and ink jet recording method


An apparatus and a method for resolving locations of two or more substantially simultaneous touches on a touch-sensor device. The method may include detecting presences of two or more substantially simultaneous touches on a touch-sensor device at respective locations on the touch-sensor device, and resolving locations of two or more substantially simultaneous touches on the touch-sensor device. The apparatus may include a first set of sensor elements disposed in a first axis, a second set of sensor elements disposed in a second axis, and a third set of sensor elements disposed in a third axis.

Computing devices, such as notebook computers, personal data assistants (PDAs), kiosks, and mobile handsets, have user interface devices, which are also known as human interface devices (HID). One user interface device that has become more common is a touch-sensor pad (also commonly referred to as a touchpad). A basic notebook computer touch-sensor pad emulates the function of a personal computer (PC) mouse. A touch-sensor pad is typically embedded into a PC notebook for built-in portability. A touch-sensor pad replicates mouse X/Y movement by using two defined axes which contain a collection of sensor elements that detect the position of a conductive object, such as a finger. Mouse right/left button clicks can be replicated by two mechanical buttons, located in the vicinity of the touchpad, or by tapping commands on the touch-sensor pad itself. The touch-sensor pad provides a user interface device for performing such functions as positioning a pointer, or selecting an item on a display. These touch-sensor pads may include multi-dimensional sensor arrays for detecting movement in multiple axes. The sensor array may include a one-dimensional sensor array, detecting movement in one axis. The sensor array may also be two dimensional, detecting movements in two axes.
One type of touchpad operates by way of capacitance sensing utilizing capacitance sensors. The capacitance detected by a capacitance sensor changes as a function of the proximity of a conductive object to the sensor. The conductive object can be, for example, a stylus or a user's finger. In a touch-sensor device, a change in capacitance detected by each sensor in the X and Y dimensions of the sensor array due to the proximity or movement of a conductive object can be measured by a variety of methods. Regardless of the method, usually an electrical signal representative of the capacitance detected by each capacitive sensor is processed by a processing device, which in turn produces electrical or optical signals representative of the position of the conductive object in relation to the touch-sensor pad in the X and Y dimensions. A touch-sensor strip, slider, or button operates on the same capacitance-sensing principle.
Another user interface device that has become more common is a touch screen. Touch screens, also known as touchscreens, touch panels, or touchscreen panels are display overlays which are typically either pressure-sensitive (resistive), electrically-sensitive (capacitive), acoustically-sensitive (surface acoustic wave (SAW)) or photo-sensitive (infra-red). The effect of such overlays allows a display to be used as an input device, removing the keyboard and/or the mouse as the primary input device for interacting with the display's content. Such displays can be attached to computers or, as terminals, to networks. There are a number of types of touch screen technologies, such as optical imaging, resistive, surface acoustical wave, capacitive, infrared, dispersive signal, piezoelectric, and strain gauge technologies. Touch screens have become familiar in retail settings, on point of sale systems, on ATMs, on mobile handsets, on kiosks, on game consoles, and on PDAs where a stylus is sometimes used to manipulate the graphical user interface (GUI) and to enter data.
A first type of conventional touchpad is composed of a matrix of rows and columns. Within each row or column there are multiple sensor elements. However, all sensor pads within each row or column are coupled together and operate as one long sensor element. The number of touches a touchpad can detect is not the same as the resolution of the touchpad. For example, even though a conventional touchpad may have the capability to detect two substantially simultaneous touches with an XY matrix, the conventional touchpad cannot resolve the location of the two substantially simultaneous touches. The only conventional way to resolve the location of a second touch is if the touches arrive sequentially in time. This allows the remaining three potential locations to be evaluated to determine which locations are "actual touch" locations and which are "ghost touch" locations. If both touches arrive or are detected substantially simultaneously, there is no way to resolve which of the two pairs of potential locations are "actual" touches, instead of "ghost" touches. Thus, the conventional two-axis touchpads are configured to resolve only a location of a single touch.
FIG. 1A illustrates a detection profile 100 of a single touch 101 with the first type of conventional touchpad 110 noted above, as detected when scanning the rows and columns of an XY matrix. The location of the touch 101 on the Y-axis is determined from the calculated centroid of additional capacitance (e.g., 1st maximum 121) of the scanned rows in the matrix, and the location on the X-axis is determined from the calculated centroid of additional capacitance (e.g., 1st maximum 131) of the scanned columns of the same matrix. When a second touch 102 occurs, a second maximum (e.g., 2nd maximum 122 and 2nd maximum 132) is introduced on each axis, as shown in FIG. 1B. The second touch 102 possibly introduces two "ghost touch" locations 103, introducing multiple potential touch combinations.
From these dual-maxima, it is possible to infer the following as potential touch combinations that could generate the detected touch response: two fingers, one on each of the black circles; two fingers, one on each of the hashed circles; three fingers, at any combination of the four circles (four possible combinations); four fingers, one at each circle.
Of these seven possible combinations, it may not be possible to determine a) which of them is the present touch type, and b) (with the exception of the four finger combination) where the real touches are located.
A second type of conventional touchpad is composed of an XY array of independent sense elements, where each sensor element in a row or column is separately sensed. Here each row and column is composed of multiple sensing elements, each capable of independent detection of a capacitive presence and magnitude. These may then be used to detect any number of substantially simultaneous touches. The drawback to this second type of conventional touchpad is the sheer number of elements that must be independently sensed, scanned, and evaluated for capacitive presence. For example, the first type of conventional touchpad including an array of ten by ten coupled sensor elements would require sensing and evaluation of twenty elements (ten rows and ten columns) to determine presence and location of touch. This same area, implemented as an all-points-addressable (APA) array (i.e., second type of conventional touchpad), would require one hundred evaluations (10×10=100) to also determine the location of a single touch, which is five times the number of the first type of conventional touchpad.
In addition to the processing and scanning time requirements of the second type of conventional touchpad, there is also the issue of physical routing. In an XY row/column arrangement, it is possible to use the sensing elements themselves as a significant part of the routing (at least for those parts occurring within the touch sensing area). With an APA array, each sensed location requires a separate wire or trace between the sensor element and the controller containing the capacitance sensing circuitry connected to the touchpad. In larger arrays, this can consume large routing resources. When implemented on transparent touch screens (where vias are not normally supported), it may not be physically possible to route all necessary sensor elements to the edge of the sensing grid to allow connection to a capacitance sensing controller.

Multi-axial touch-sensor device with multi-touch resolution


An improved alignment guide for use in the MK-19 grenade launcher of the type having a body member with a centrally located slot defined therein extending to a bowl formed in the body member, the guide being characterized by a lack of upper and lower edge rails and having a single body aperture formed therein between its central screw aperture and the bowl, the body member around the bowl being approximately 0.25 inch thick with a thickened arm provided at the end of the body member beyond the bowl, such thickened arm being approximately 0.5 inch thick, such alignment guide having the same interface dimensions as that of the prior art alignment guide to allow the alignment guide of this invention to be engaged into the receiver of an MK-19 grenade launcher.

1. Field of the Invention
The structure of this invention is an alignment guide and more particularly relates to an alignment guide for use in an MK-19 grenade launcher for positioning rounds in the receiver assembly for the delinking and pickup thereof by the bolt extractors of such weapon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At the front of the receiver assembly of an MK-19 grenade launchers is an alignment guide which has a slot defined therein that receives the ogive portion of each of the rounds as they are entered into the weapon, such rounds being linked to one another. The rounds are advanced with their ogive portions riding in the slot and with the lengths of their bodies perpendicular to the alignment guide. When each round reaches the position for its delinking, it is positioned in front of a bowl-shaped aperture in the alignment guide, hereinafter referred to as the "bowl." The round is advanced into the bowl and then retracted, causing the round to be delinked from the next adjacent round. The round is retained at its rear rim by the bolt extractors. The edge of the bowl of the alignment guide is sharp due to the fact that the increasing width of the bowl at its top nearly coincides with the outside width of the alignment guide, resulting in an area of stress concentration. After the round is pulled rearward by the bolt extractors, it is moved to its firing position. At the top and bottom of the alignment guide are rail members. A center hole is provided for a spring attachment screw. First and second body apertures are provided on each side of the member containing the center hole. The body of the prior art alignment guide is thickened in most of the area around the bowl which configuration causes the edge of the bowl to contact the ogive of the round. The features of the edge rails, thickened body around the bowl and body apertures are initially cast into the structure of the prior art alignment guide. Because of the thickness and resulting weight of the body of the prior art alignment guide, a pair of elongated slots are cut in the rear of the prior art alignment guide to diminish the weight of the structure. All of the above-mentioned features of the prior art alignment guide necessitate a great deal of machining to be performed on the casting to manufacture such prior art alignment guide.


A brake torque control device obtains inertia torque Tine based upon an equation of motion (Tine=Tw−Ft·Rt) about the rotation of a tire based upon a wheel torque Tw according to a brake torque exerted on the tire, road friction force Ft and a radius Rt of the tire. When the inertia torque Tine exceeds a predetermined reference value, road friction force Ft at this time is set as estimated maximum road friction force Fmax. The instructed brake torque is calculated under the condition that the value that is obtained by adding the predetermined value corresponding to the inertia torque Tine to the torque Fmax·Rt based upon this estimated maximum road friction force Fmax is set as an upper limit value of the instructed brake torque. This allows to clearly set, as one value, the target value of the instructed brake torque upon an ABS control, thereby being capable of more accurately executing the pressure-increasing control and pressure-reducing control of the brake fluid pressure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a maximum road friction force estimating device that estimates maximum road friction force which is a maximum value of road friction force caused between a road surface on which a vehicle runs and a tire of the vehicle, and to a brake torque control device utilizing this maximum road friction force estimating device.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
It has generally been well-known that road friction force (road friction coefficient) caused between a road surface on which a vehicle runs and a tire of the vehicle is changed according to a slip ratio (defined as "(vehicle body speed−wheel speed)/(vehicle body speed)" in this specification) of a tire (wheel), and that it is at a maximum when the slip ratio takes some value (for example, values within 5 to 30%) determined by the road surface or the like. Therefore, it is preferable in an ABS (anti-lock brake system) device that brake torque (accordingly, brake fluid pressure) exerted on the tire is controlled so as to keep the slip ratio of the tire to a value by which the maximum road friction force can be demonstrated, in order to achieve the shortest braking distance of the vehicle.
Therefore, an ABS device disclosed in the patent document 1 described below detects road friction force exerted on a tire and brake torque exerted on the tire respectively by a sensor and calculates a differential parameter that is a value according to a value obtained by subtracting the brake torque from the road friction force and that is a value equivalent to an angular acceleration of the tire. This device monitors the value of the differential parameter for determining that the slip ratio of the tire passes the value by which the maximum road friction force can be demonstrated, as it increases or decreases, whereby control for increasing or reducing the brake hydraulic pressure is executed by turns based upon the result of the determination. In other words, the brake torque exerted on the tire is controlled such that the slip ratio of the tire moves within the predetermined range including the value by which the maximum road friction force can be demonstrated.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. HEI11-115722
However, in the device disclosed above, there may be a case where the slip ratio of the tire falls relatively greatly below the value by which the maximum road friction force can be demonstrated temporarily as a result of the pressure-reducing control of the brake hydraulic pressure, and hence, braking distance becomes long due to the relatively great temporal reduction of the road friction force from the maximum road friction force. Specifically, there is a problem that surplus pressure reduction of the brake hydraulic pressure may be greatly carried out.
This problem can be eliminated if the maximum road friction force that is the maximum value of the road friction force can correctly be estimated. Specifically, if the maximum road friction force can correctly be estimated, pressure-increasing and pressure-reducing controls of the brake hydraulic pressure can be more accurately executed, resulting in that the surplus pressure reduction of the brake hydraulic pressure can be prevented. Accordingly, it has been desired that the maximum road friction force that is the maximum value of the road friction force can correctly be estimated.

Maximum road friction force estimating device and brake torque control device


A computer-implemented method for processing a set of virtual fibers into a set of clusters of virtual fibers, usable for manipulation on a cluster basis in a computer graphics generation system, may include determining aspects for virtual fibers in the set of virtual fibers, determining similarity scores between the virtual fibers based on their aspects, and determining an initial cluster comprising the virtual fibers of the set of virtual fibers. The method may further include instantiating a cluster list in at least one memory, adding the initial cluster to the cluster list, partitioning the initial cluster into a first subsequent cluster and a second subsequent cluster based on similarity scores among fibers in the initial cluster, adding the first subsequent cluster and the second subsequent cluster to the cluster list, and testing whether a number of clusters in the cluster list is below a predetermined threshold.

As digital animation in movies and games has increased in popularity, so has the complexity of the models and the virtual environments in which they interact. Viewers demand continuously increasing visual richness of virtual environments in computer animated scenes, which has led game and movie creators to turn to physical simulation create realistic interactions between objects, such as by using a physics engine to output movements of objects that are consistent with real-world physics. In some ways, this is often a simple problem—how to determine natural-looking movements of a few rigid objects. For other simulations, such as those with many flexible objects, such as hair, fur, or other fibers, the number of degrees of freedom of individual objects or portions of objects is much greater, and typically computer simulation requires a trade-off between realism, resolution, and amount of computing resources available. Because of this trade-off, efficient computer simulation techniques can be important as they might allow for an increase in realism and/or resolution without requiring significant increases in computing resources.
For example, a higher spatial resolution is required to smoothly capture ultra-high resolution interaction of fibers (such as hair) than is typically used if hair were modeled as one large "wig" or "groom" which did not move as it interacted with the environment. When a visual effects ("VFX") shot requires hair to move realistically, the computing resources required to generate the hair can exceed those available. Some algorithms cannot scale to a high-enough number of fibers to allow for realistic simulation of individual fibers required in hair or a furry animal due to the heavy geometry of the models involved. A human groom can contain up to 10,000 or more strands of hair, with each strand potentially containing hundreds of vertices. Modelling each strand of hair as an individual fiber is computationally intensive.
The continuously increasing demand for visual richness of virtual environments has prompted the use of physical simulation to generate an ever larger portion of the final rendered frames. Various tools have been developed to enhance the realism of models, but simulation of individual fibers of hair or fur remains computationally intensive.

Method for computation relating to clumps of virtual fibers


The present invention is directed to complexes represented by the formula: ##STR1## wherein R, R', R.sub.1, R'.sub.1, R.sub.2, R'.sub.2, R.sub.3, R'.sub.3, R.sub.4, R'.sub.4, R.sub.5, R'.sub.5, R.sub.6, R'.sub.6, R.sub.7, R'.sub.7, R.sub.8, R'.sub.8, R.sub.9, R'.sub.9, M, X, Y, Z and n are defined herein for use as contrast agents in diagnostic imaging.

This invention relates to compounds effective as contrast agents in diagnostic imaging. In one aspect, this invention relates to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of human or non-human animal subjects using metal complexes of substituted nitrogen-containing fifteen-membered macrocyclic ligands as contrast agents. In another aspect, this invention relates to manganese(II) complexes of substituted nitrogen-containing fifteen-membered macrocyclic ligands as MRI contrast agents.
X-rays have long been used to-produce images of human and non-human animal tissue, e.g. the internal organs of a patient, the patient being positioned between a source of X-rays and a film sensitive to the rays. Where organs interfere with the passage of the rays, the film is less exposed and the resulting developed film is indicative of the state of the organ.
More recently, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been developed as an imaging technique, i.e. MRI. MRI avoids the harmful effects sometimes attending X-ray exposure. For improved imaging with X-rays, patients have been given enhancers prior to imaging, either orally or parenterally. After a predetermined time interval for distribution of the enhancer through the patient, the image is taken. To obtain a good image it is desirable that the time after the taking of enhancer be kept to a minimum. On the other hand there is a decrease in effectiveness with time, so desirably the decay should be relatively slow so as to provide a substantial time interval during which imaging can be done.
In the NMR imaging process, protons in the water of the body relax via two mechanisms. The respective relaxation times are referred to as T.sub.1 and T.sub.2. The rate at which the relaxation process occurs may be altered for some water molecules by giving values that contrast with the norm.
Compounds that enhance NMR images, referred to as contrast agents, are generally paramagnetic in nature. These may be organic free radicals or transition/lanthanide metals which have from one to seven unpaired electrons.
A necessary prerequisite of any ligand that binds a metal to form a contrast agent is that the resulting contrast agent be stable so as to prevent the loss of the metal and its subsequent accumulation in the body. Other considerations include an ability to reversibly bind water, which in turn increases it contrastability and decreases the dose level required. This ability is clearly important since the interaction between any two nuclear spins through space decreases at a rate equal to the reciprocal of the distance raised to the sixth power.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,447 discloses use of an NMR image enhancer consisting of the salt of an anion of a complexing acid and a paramagnetic metal anion. A preferred embodiment is the gadolinium chelate of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd DTPA), which is now commercially available from Nycomed Salutar, Inc. under the trade name Magnevist for use as an NMR contrast agent. From the data reported therein these appear to perform well. However, this compound is rapidly excreted by the kidneys, making the timing of the injection extremely critical. Furthermore, there is virtually no uptake by any solid organ, such as the heart, pancreas or liver.
However, while a number-of gadolinium contrast agents are known, there remains the possibility that small amounts of free lanthanides are being released, by decomposition of the agent, into the body. Not being a naturally existing metal in the body, little is known about long term effects.
Other nitrogen-containing macrocyclic ligands have been suggested for use as NMR contrast agents. Jackels, S. C. et al, "Aqueous Proton NMR Relaxation Enhancements by Manganese(II) Macrocyclic Complexes: Structure-Relaxivity Relationships", Inorg. Chem., 31, 234-239 (1992) discloses fifteen-membered nitrogen-containing ring complexes. However, these compounds suffer from being insufficiently stable and/or colored, and as such are inadequate for application as MRI contrast agents.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to develop alternative contrast agents which avoid one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages.
It has now been discovered that metal complexes of substituted nitrogen-containing macrocyclic ligands which have increased kinetic, thermodynamic and oxidative stability, and which can be substituted to control lipophilicity, i.e. biodistribution, avoid the problems of the aforementioned contrast agents while providing good contrastability.

Methods of diagnostic image analysis using metal complexes of nitrogen-containing macrocyclic ligands


The invention relates to the use of reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols which have been obtained by ring opening of epoxidized esters with carboxylic acids, as polyol component, optionally in admixture with polybutadiene diol, in the production of solid polyurethane materials by casting.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with polyurethane materials and relates to the use of reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols as polyol component in the production of solid polyurethane materials by casting.
Solid polyurethane materials produced by casting are widely known in the prior art. They generally consist of the so-called "casting resin", a compound containing at least two isocyanate group and a polyol component ("hardener"). Mixing of the polyol component with the casting resin containing isocyanate groups produces a reaction mixture which, optionally after the introduction of desired additives, is cast into a mold where it is able to cure during the polyaddition reaction to form polyurethane polymers. A review of polyurethane casting systems can be found, for example, in E. W. Becker and D. Braun "Kunststoffhandbuch", Vol. 7, Polyurethanes, Verlag-Hanser, 1983 or in B. A. Dombrow, "Polyurethanes", 2nd Edition, New York (1965).
Above all, there is a need for polyol components which may be derived from renewable raw materials. Some time ago, the natural product, castor oil, was used as hydroxyl component in the production of polyurethane materials ("Plastics Laboratory"--Princetown University, "Castor Oil Polyurethanes and Applications as Potting Components", U.S.O.T., pages 99 to 165). The low viscosity of castor oil proved to be an advantage by providing for easy processing during the production of the polyurethane materials. Polyurethane materials obtained using castor oil now no longer satisfy present-day requirements in regard to tensile strength, hardness, resistance to thermal deformation and electrical properties.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Accordingly, it is proposed in DE-OS 36 30 264 and European patent application 0 125 579 to use ring-opening products of epoxidized triglyceride oils with monohydric lower alcohols instead of castor oil as the polyol component. However, polyurethane materials based on polyether polyols show a greater tendency towards inflammability and a pronounced tendency towards hydrophilicity. In particular, the tendency towards hydrophilicity leads to increased bubble formation during the processing and/or storage of the polyurethane materials in the presence of atmospheric moisture, so that product quality is reduced.
Improved flameproof behavior and greater stability to hydrolysis is observed in the case of polyurethane materials based on polyester polyols.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,882,249 and 4,025,477 relate to polyurethane materials of which the polyester polyol component has been produced by ring-opening of epoxidized soybean oil with ricinoleic acid (U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,249) or with acrylic acid (U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,477). In both patent specifications, the polyurethane materials are produced by reaction of the isocyanate component with the polyester polyols either with heating or in the presence of an organic solvent. However, relatively high temperatures are undesirable in the production of polyurethane materials because polyurethanes have the characteristic of reversion i.e. back reaction of the urethane bonds to the starting materials. In addition, the use of organic solvents is both ecologically and economically questionable and should therefore be avoided.
In the production of polyurethane materials, the problem of inadequate compatibility of the isocyanate component with the polyol component often arises, so that unwanted separation and clouding can occur in the final polyurethane material. In addition, the production of polyurethane materials requires starting materials of low viscosity so that production and processing can be carried out in the absence of bubble formation.
Accordingly, the problem addressed by the present invention was to enable isocyanate-compatible polyester polyols of low viscosity to be used as polyol component in the production of polyurethane materials by casting. Using polyester polyols such as these, polyurethane materials would even be able to be produced without having to work at elevated temperatures or in the presence of an organic solvent. In addition, polyurethane materials obtained using the polyester polyols in question would be of very low viscosity and would be substantially inflammable and would also show improved properties in relation to polyurethane materials obtained from castor oil.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to the use of reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols, which can be cast at room temperature and which have been obtained by at least partial ring opening of epoxidized esters with carboxylic acids, as polyol component in the production of polyurethane materials by casting.
In the context of the invention, reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols are understood to be ring-opening products of epoxidized esters with carboxylic acids which, on a statistical average, contain more than 1 and preferably more than 1.5 free hydroxyl groups and ester groups per molecule.
According to the invention, it is possible to use esters of epoxidized acids and/or epoxidized alcohols. The production of an ester containing an epoxidized alcoholic component is normally carried out by epoxidation of the unsaturated alcohol after esterification thereof with a carboxylic acid. The production of an ester containing an epoxidized acid component is normally carried out by epoxidation of an unsaturated carboxylic acid after esterification thereof with an alcohol. The production of an ester containing both an epoxidized alcohol component and an epoxidized acid component is carried out by a combination of the above methods. The epoxidation is carried out by methods known per se, for example by complete or substantially complete epoxidation by the process according to DE-PS 10 42 565. Partial epoxidation is also possible when a polyunsaturated compound is present, although in that case the epoxidized esters formed must contain on a statistical average more than one epoxide group per molecule.
It is preferred to use esters of epoxidized carboxylic acids with monohydric to trihydric alcohols containing up to 40 carbon atoms, preferably up to 36 carbon atoms and, more preferably, 1 to 22 carbon atoms. Particularly preferred esters are triglycerides with epoxidized carboxylic acids and, more particularly, with epoxidized fatty acids containing up to 40 carbon atoms, preferably up to 36 carbon atoms and, more preferably, up to 22 carbon atoms. Suitable starting materials for the preferred epoxidized triglycerides are any of the numerous animal and/or vegetable triglycerides with mono- and/or polyunsaturated fatty acid residues, such as palm oil, lard, ground nut oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, train oil, sunflower oil, coriander oil and/or linseed oil. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, epoxidized soybean oil (epoxide oxygen content 5.8 to 6.5% by weight), epoxidized sunflower oil of high and/or low oleic acid content (epoxide oxygen content 4.4 to 6.6% by weight), epoxidized linseed oil (epoxide oxygen content 8.2 to 8.6% by weight) and epoxidized train oil (epoxide oxygen content 6.3 to 6.7% by weight) are used as the epoxidized esters.
According to the invention, the epoxidized reaction components are completely or at least substantially completely ring opened by delayed addition to carboxylic acids introduced beforehand, preferably in accordance with earlier German patent application P 39 35 127.0. According to the invention, monocarboxylic acids are initially introduced for the ring opening reaction. Suitable monocarboxylic acids are synthetic, natural, aliphatic, aromatic, araliphatic and/or cyclic carboxylic acids or mixtures thereof. Monocarboxylic acids or mixtures of saturated, unsaturated, branched and/or unbranched carboxylic acids containing up to 24 carbon atoms and preferably 6 to 18 carbon atoms are preferably used, caprylic acid, capric acid, behenic acid, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and/or linolenic acid being particularly preferred.
The epoxidized reaction components are introduced with delay into carboxylic acids introduced beforehand, preferably in quantities of up to 1:10, more preferably in at most equimolar quantities and, most preferably, in slightly less than equimolar quantities, expressed as mol-% epoxide and based on mol-% acid groups. According to the invention, the delayed addition of the epoxidized reaction component is carried out in such a way as to avoid substantial proportions of unreacted epoxide groups in the reaction mixture. Quantitative determination of the substantial proportions in the process according to the invention is carried out by comparison with the unreacted epoxide groups by the so-called one-pot process. In the one-pot process, the epoxidized reaction components are completely added all at once to the carboxylic acid introduced beforehand. Under the same reaction conditions, i.e. the same type and quantities of epoxidized reaction components and carboxylic acids initially introduced, the content of unreacted epoxide groups in the reaction mixture after addition of the total quantity of epoxidized reaction component is lower by up to 50%, expressed as the epoxide oxygen content in % by weight and based on the reaction mixture as a whole, in the dropwise addition process according to the invention than in the one-pot process. Distinctly lower contents can be obtained if the addition rate is kept very low. For economic reasons, however, the addition should be made as quickly as possible and preferably in 1.5 hours or less. The content of unreacted epoxide groups may be determined by titration using R. R. Jay's method (Analytische Chemie 36 (1964), pages 667 et am).
According to the invention, the epoxidized reaction components are added to carboxylic acids introduced beforehand, the carboxylic acids having been heated to temperatures above 80.degree. C. and below 300.degree. C. and preferably to temperatures above 100.degree. C. and below 270.degree. C. The actual reaction temperature is determined above all by the carboxylic acids introduced beforehand. Thus, reaction temperatures in the lower range are preferred with lower carboxylic acids while reaction temperatures in the upper range are preferred for higher carboxylic acids to ensure that the carboxylic acids are present in the liquid state. The reaction mixture is left to react at the above-mentioned reaction temperatures until an absolute residual epoxide oxygen content in the reaction mixture of less than 1.0% by weight, preferably less than 0.5% by weight and, more preferably, less than 0.3% by weight is reached.
According to the invention, the excess carboxylic acids, if any, are removed from the reaction mixture after the epoxide groups have reacted off to the desired residual epoxide content. The excess carboxylic acids are preferably removed by distillation in vacuo, although they may also be removed by other methods of separation, such as neutralization with a base and, optionally, subsequent filtration. The removal of the carboxylic acids by distillation requires different temperatures according to the carboxylic acids used and the vacuum applied, although they should not exceed the preferred reaction temperatures of up to 300.degree. C.
According to the invention, particularly preferred reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols are those which contain a high percentage of monomeric polyester polyols, the monomers containing on a statistical average more than 1 and preferably more than 1.5 free hydroxyl groups and--adjacent the hydroxyl group--ester groups of the carboxylic acid initially introduced. In addition, the polyester polyol mixtures used in accordance with the invention contain dimeric, trimeric and/or higher condensates which are formed, for example, by epoxide ring opening with ester polyols already present. It is possible by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) (standard: (poly)styrene), to show that the polyester polyol mixtures used in accordance with the invention contain up to 50%, preferably up to 45% and, more preferably, around 40% by volume of
The reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols-preferably used have Hoppler viscosities (DIN 53 015) at 20.degree. C. below 9,000 mPa.s, preferably below 6,000 mPa.s and, more preferably, in the range from 50 to 5,000 mPa.s. These reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols can thus be cast at room temperature (20.degree. C. to 25.degree. C.).
According to the invention, particularly preferred reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols are those which have been ring-opened by ring opening of epoxidized soybean oil epoxide (epoxide oxygen content approximately 6.8% by weight) with head fractionated fatty acid--a fatty acid mixture of C.sub.8 acids and C.sub.10 acids which has an acid value of 300 to 400. The reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols thus produced have Hoppler viscosities at 20.degree. C. of the order of 4,000 mPa.s.
The reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols may either be used individually or in admixture with polybutadiene diols as polyol component in the production of polyurethane casting resins. DE-PS 2 847 383 describes mixtures of polyether/polyester polyols with polybutadiene diol as polyol component in the production of polyurethane materials. However, the polyether/polyester polyols used there have a relatively low equivalent rate of 350 so that relatively short-chain polyurethane materials which are friable and can be disintegrated by hand are obtained using polybutadiene diol and the internal plasticizer, 2-octyl dodecanol, and aromatic diisocyanates.
DE-OS 25 30 676 describes a process for the production of polyurethane materials which may be used, for example, for electrical applications. In this process, polyester polyols, polyether polyols and a polyhydroxy polymer of a 1,3-diene hydrocarbon containing 4 to 12 carbon atoms are used as the polyol component in quantities of 5 to 40% by weight, based on the total weight of the reactants. However, the only suitable polyester polyols based on renewable raw materials which are mentioned are the diglycerides of hydroxyl-containing castor oil, tall oil, soybean oil, linseed oil, etc.
According to the invention, the reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols may be used individually or in admixture with polybutadiene diol as the polyol component; polybutadiene diol may even be the predominant component. The polybutadiene diol is preferably used in quantities of 20 to 80 % by weight and, more preferably, in quantities of 40 to 60 % by weight. The quantities in which the polybutadiene diol are added are primarily determined by the required properties of the polyurethane casting resin. On the one hand, additions of polybutadiene diols improve the elastic properties (measured as the Shore A hardness at 27.degree. C.) of the polyurethane materials. On the other hand, the polybutadiene diol, which in addition is expensive, has a high viscosity (approx. 9,000 mPa.s according to Hoppler at 25.degree. C.), so that the polybutadiene diol content should be as low as possible in the interests of favorable processing.
Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene diol having a average molecular weight of approximately 3,000 and a degree of polymerization of the order of 50 is used in accordance with the invention. The terminal primary hydroxyl groups are mainly in an allylic arrangement. The predominant configuration of the preferred polybutadiene diol is a trans-1,4-isomer which is present in admixture with the other cis-1,4- and vinyl-1,2-structures. The functionality of the polybutadiene diol used is preferably in the range from 2 to 3 and more preferably in the range from 2.2 to 2.6. Polybutadiene diol is commercially available and is marketed, for example, by the American firm Atlantic Richfield Company which, for product information, has published a general brochure on polybutadiene diol in which the properties, configuration data and possible reactions of, polybutadiene diols are described.
One particular advantage of the invention is that the described reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols can be mixed in any ratio with the polybutadiene diols. For example, the viscosity of the polyol component can be determined very effectively through the ratio in which the reaction mixture containing polyester polyols is mixed with the polybutadiene diol. Since the polybutadiene diol used in accordance with the invention basically has a viscosity of the order of 9,000 mPa.s, polyol components having desired viscosity values can be obtained by calculated additions of the reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols having certain viscosities which vary according to the epoxidized esters and ring-opening carboxylic acids.
According to the invention, the reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols are used either individually or optionally in admixture with polybutadiene diols in the reaction with diisocyanates to polyurethane casting systems. To this end, the polyester polyol component or the mixture of polyester polyol components is mixed with the isocyanate components in known manner.
According to the invention, the polyol component(s) is/are used in such quantities that the ratio of hardener OH groups to isocyanate groups is in the range from 1:0.9 to 1:1.3 and preferably in the range from 1:1 to 1:1.2. The isocyanates used may be any compounds containing at least two terminal isocyanate groups which are typically used for the production of polyurethane polymers. Suitable isocyanate components are any aromatic and aliphatic diisocyanates such as, for example, 1,5-naphthylene diisocyanate, 4,4'-diphenyl dimethyl methane diisocyanate, dialkyl and tetraalkyl diphenyl methane diisocyanate, the isomers of tolylene diisocyanate, optionally in admixture, 1-methyl-2,4-diisocyanatocyclohexane, 1,6-diisocyanato-2,2,4trimethyl hexane, 1,6-diisocyanato-2,4,4-trimethyl hexane, chlorinated and brominated diisocyanates, phosphorus-containing diisocyanates, butane-1,4-diisocyanate, dicyclohexyl methane diisocyanate, cyclohexane-1,4-diisocyanate, dimer fatty acid diisocyanate, tetramethyl cyclohexyl diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate and isomers.
According to the invention, aromatic isocyanates containing 2 to 4 isocyanate groups are particularly preferred. Suitable isocyanates such as these are both compounds which contain all the isocyanate groups on an aromatic ring or several aromatic rings conjugated with one another and also compounds which contain the isocyanate groups on several rings attached to one another by alkylene groups, for example methylene groups. 2,4-Tolylene diisocyanate and 4,4'-diphenyl methane diisocyanate ("MDI polymer"), for example, are suitable. In other embodiments, mixtures of 4,4'-diphenyl methane diisocyanate with isocyanates of higher functionality, for example with substituted diphenyl methane diisocyanates, which contain another aromatic ring bearing isocyanate groups as substituent are used as the isocyanate component. Commercially available liquid crude mixtures of diphenyl methane diisocyanate ("MDI polymer") , which still contain oligomeric polyphenylene polymethylene polyisocyanate, are particularly preferred. Of these liquid crude mixtures, those which have an average functionality of 2 to 2.5 isocyanate groups per molecule are preferably used.
In one particular embodiment of the present invention, the polyol component(s) are used in the so-called one-shot process, i.e. the starting materials are directly mixed with one another, generally with simultaneous addition of such auxilaries as blowing agents, catalysts, foam stabilizers and flameproofing agents. Suitable catalysts are any of the catalysts known to the expert for the production of polyurethanes. Particularly suitable catalysts are tertiary amines differing widely in structure, such as diazabicyclooctane (Dabco), triethyl amine and dimethyl benzyl amine. Other suitable additives are known additives of the type typically used in the production of polyurethane materials, including for example fillers, pigments and/or so-called drying agents. According to the invention, the zeolite pastes known to the expert are preferably used as drying agents.
The polyurethane resin mixtures obtained by the use in accordance with the invention of the reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols, optionally in admixture with polybutadiene diols, are liquid and of relatively low viscosity. They may readily be cast into shape and may be cured, optionally at slightly elevated temperatures.
Solid polyurethane materials having excellent hardness, strength and dimensional stability and also electronic volume resistances can be obtained by the use of the reaction mixture containing polyester polyols in accordance with the invention. Accordingly, these polyurethane materials are particularly suitable for applications in the field of electrical insulation. In addition, the new polyurethane materials are obtained from starting materials which emanate from native sources and may be readily obtained therefrom in high yields by inexpensive methods. Polyurethane materials having a wide range of properties can be obtained by variation of the reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols with polybutadiene diols and the diisocyanates.

Use of reaction mixtures containing polyester polyols in the production of solid polyurethane materials by casting


A horizontal stand assembly enables a user to mount a target for shooting which can be easily repaired, relocated or stored. The horizontal stand assembly includes a first bracket connected to a second bracket where each bracket has an offset trapezoidal shape with a front angled cavity which angles backward and is offset from a rear angled cavity which angles frontward such that each bracket can accommodate a front post in the front angled cavity and a rear post in the rear angled cavity. Each bracket further comprises a horizontal cavity such that horizontal posts can be placed through each horizontal cavity connecting the first bracket to the second bracket such that the target can be hung from the horizontal posts without deflecting.

Prior to the disclosed invention, target stands were homemade, cumbersome, non-adjustable, heavy, unstable and not durable. Usually a damaged component of a prior art target stand results in the failure of the whole product. Further, prior art target stands cannot be easily repaired, relocated or stored due to their designs, construction and weight. Embodiments of the present invention solve these problems.


A color picture tube is provided with a glass bulb in which the external surface of the effective display area of the face plate is formed substantially flat and a color selection mask, having the curvature projected toward the face plate, provided opposed to the internal surface of the face plate within the glass bulb. Therefore, the external surface is flat, the mechanical shock resistance characteristic is high, a tension can surely be applied to the color selection mask and moreover vibration of the color selection mask can be prevented even if external vibration is applied thereto.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, for example, to a color picture tube of a television receiver for household use, a color picture tube of a computer monitor and color display and a glass bulb for color picture tube used in these color picture tubes.
2. Description of the Related Art
A color picture tube is used in a variety of apparatuses for household use and industrial use such as television color picture tube, computer monitor and color display or the like. In general, a glass bulb forming a color picture tube is formed of a face plate and a funnel and the face plate and funnel are joined with a glass bonding agent. At the internal surface of face plate, light emitting material layer is provided to emit the lights of three colors of red, green and blue. Moreover, a color selection mask is provided opposed to the internal surface of the face plate within the glass bulb.
With enlargement in size of color picture tube, it is requested to use a face plate having a flat surface of a glass bulb in order to satisfy the requirement for distortion-free and more natural display. The color picture tube having such a flat face plate is already known, for example, by the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 7-99030. The color picture tube disclosed in this Japanese patent application is provided with a bulb including a flat glass panel and a flat shadow mask provided opposed to the flat glass panel in this bulb.
However, in the color picture tube having a flat glass panel disclosed in the Japanese patent application laid-open No. HEI 7-99030, it is difficult to give uniform tension in both horizontal direction (X direction) and vertical direction (Y direction) of the color selection mask and a newly designed facilities which are different from the existing one to a large extend will be required. Moreover, it is also difficult to prevent vibration of color selection mask caused by the vibration applied from external side, easily resulting in a problem of deterioration of display quality due to vibration of the color selection mask. In addition, since the thickness of the flat glass panel is uniform, so-called the arch effect is not provided and strength of the glass panel for external mechanical shock is rather low and it is essential to form a thick glass panel in order to acquire the sufficient strength for explosion. When the glass panel as a whole is formed thick as explained above, not only distortion of image increased due to refraction of light at the glass panel but also weight of the color picture tube as a whole is increased. Here, the arch effect means that when the face plate of the glass bulb is projected toward outside, if a mechanical shock is applied to the frame plate from external side, a compressing force is applied to the internal surface of the face plate and thereby the shock resistance property of the face plate is increased. When an external mechanical shock is applied to the face plate of the flat glass bulb, the face plate may be broken easily because a tensile force is applied to the internal surface of the face plate.

Glass bulb for color picture tube and the same tube