A method for treating chemical or biological materials with a polypeptide derived from a RNA encoded by a cDNA of Arabidopsis thaliana to prevent freezing or heat damage is described In particular, a novel cDNA and polypeptide, COR15, encoded thereby is described.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the use of polypeptides which prevent freezing damage to materials and which are derived from cDNA's of RNA's isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana which have been exposed to near freezing temperatures or which have been treated with abscisic acid. The resulting polypeptides are cryoprotective to chemical and biological materials. In particular the present invention relates to a preferred 15 kilodalton polypeptide, referred to as COR15, which is cryoprotective.
(2) Prior Art
In many species of higher plants, a period of exposure to low non-freezing temperatures results in an increased level of freezing tolerance (Thomashow, M. F., Adv. Genet. 28: 99-131 (1990)). DaVies FASEB Journal 4, 2460-2468 (1990) describes fish antifreeze proteins. Considerable effort has been directed at understanding the molecular basis of this cold acclimation response, yet the mechanism remains poorly understood. A large number of biochemical changes have been shown to be associated with cold acclimation including alterations in lipid composition, increased sugar and soluble protein content, and the appearance of new isozymes (Thomashow, M. F., Adv. Genet. 28: 99-131 (1990); and Steponkus, P. L., Cold acclimation and freezing injury from a perspective of the plasma membrane In Katterman, F. (ed), Environmental Injury to Plants pp 1-16. Academic Press, San Diego (1990)). However, in most cases, the exact role and relative importance that a given change has in cold acclimation remains uncertain. A notable exception regards certain changes in lipid composition. Steponkus and colleagues (Steponkus, P. L., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85: 9026-9030 (1988)) have presented data indicating that specific changes in the phospholipid composition of rye cell plasma membranes dramatically alters the cryobehavior of the membranes and contributes directly to the increased freezing tolerance of acclimated cells.
In 1970, Weiser (Weiser, C. J., Science 169: 1269-1278 (1970)) suggested that cold acclimation might involve changes in gene expression. Since then, it has been clearly established that changes in gene expression occur during cold acclimation in a wide range of plant species (Thomashow, M. F., Adv. Genet. 28: 99-131 (1990) and Thomashow, M. F., et al, Horticultural Biotech 305-314 (1990)). Efforts are now being directed at determining the functions of these cold-regulated genes. One interesting possibility is suggested by the work of Heber and colleagues (Volger, H. G., et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 412: 335-349 (1975); Hincha, D. K., et al., Plant Physiol. Biochem. 27: 795-801 (1989); Hincha, D. K., et al., Planta 180: 416-419 (1990)). These investigators have shown that cold acclimated spinach and cabbage, but not nonacclimated plants, synthesize hydrophilic, heat-stable, low molecular weight polypeptides (10-20 kd) that have cryoprotective properties. In particular, these polypeptides, which have not been purified or individually identified, were reported to be greater than 10,000 times (molar basis) more effective in protecting thylakoid membranes against freezing damage in an in vitro assay than were known low molecular weight cryoprotectants such as sucrose. Whether these polypeptides contribute significantly to the increased freezing tolerance of cold acclimated plants in vivo remains to be determined.
It has been established that Arabidopsis becomes more tolerant to freezing temperatures when exposed to low non-freezing temperatures and that changes in gene expression occur during the cold acclimation process (Gilmour, S. J., et al., Plant Physiol. 97: 745-750 (1988)). It has been reported that polypeptides, 160, 47, 24, and 15 kDa in mass, that share an unusual biochemical property: they remain soluble upon boiling in aqueous solution (Lin, C., et al., Plant Physiol. 94: 1078-1083 (1990)). In addition, it has been found that wheat also has cor genes that encode "boiling-stable" polypeptides and that wheat has a cor gene(s) that is related to Arabidopsis COR47, a cold-regulated gene that encodes a 47 kDa boiling-stable polypeptide (Lin, C., et al., Plant Physiol. 94: 1078-1083 (1990)). It has been suggested it is likely that the boiling-stable COR polypeptides of Arabidopsis and wheat have a fundamental role in plants acclimating to cold temperatures (Lin, C., et al., Plant Physiol. 94: 1078-1083 (1990)). In addition, it has been speculated (Lin, C., et al., Plant Physiol. 94: 1078-1083 (1990)) that these polypeptides might be analogous to the cryoprotective polypeptides described by Heber and colleagues (Volger, H. G., et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 412:335-349 (1975); Hincha, D. K., et al., Plant Physiol. Biochem. 27:795-801 (1989); and Hincha, D. K., et al., Planta 180: 416-419 (1990)).
There has been no suggestion that the genes encoding these cold "regulated" polypeptides might be synthesized and used to protect various materials. The problem has been to provide DNA which encodes the polypeptides.

Method and compositions using polypeptides of arabidopsis thaliana

Board of Trustees operating Michigan State University


A buckle body formed of a resin has a housing having an insertion port on one end, an opening portion on both sides and an engaged portion in an inner part, an insertion member is provided with a pair of flexible insertion leg portions including an engaging portion on one end, an operating rod extended like a cantilever from a tip is continuously provided on the outside of the insertion leg portion and a mechanism capable of suppressing inward and outward deformations of the leg portion within a constant rage is provided, and the operating rod is provided with an operating portion protruded outward from the opening portion disposed on the buckle body at time of an insertion into the buckle body, and the insertion leg portion is deformed by pressing to disengage the engaging portion from the engaged portion, thereby removing the insertion member from the buckle body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a buckle of an insertion type having a housing-shaped buckle body and an insertion member including a leg portion formed by a projection piece for an insertion, and particularly to a buckle for a belt which is generally used in clothes, bags, helmets or sporting goods.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 15, there has conventionally been known a buckle of an insertion type having a housing-shaped buckle body 101 and an insertion member 151 including an insertion leg portion 153. The insertion member 151 is provided with an insertion leg portion 153 on one of the ends of a board 155, in which a projection-shaped engaging portion 157 is provided on both sides of the tip of the insertion leg portion 153, and furthermore, an operating portion 159 overhung toward the side is provided on outside surfaces at both sides of the leg portion. The buckle body 101 is formed by a flat cylindrical box 103 as a whole, in which an insertion port 105 is provided on one of ends and an opening portion 107 cut like a circular arc is provided on outside surfaces at both sides, a projection-shaped engaging portion 157 is provided on both left and right sides of internal surfaces at both sides. When the insertion leg portion 153 is inserted, the engaging portions of the insertion member 151 and the buckle body 101 are respectively engaged, and disengagement can be carried out by pressing the operating portion 159 (for example, see Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2533866).
As shown in FIG. 16, moreover, there has been known a buckle having a first fixing member 201 and a second fixing member 213. The first fixing member 201 has a base portion 221 having a belt attachment hole 223 on one of ends and a cover member 211 having a U-shaped section which includes a pair of engagement projections in an inner part and an engagement hole 207 provided on the tip side of the engagement projection to fit and engage the engagement piece of a horn, and both sides and a front surface which are opened. The second fixing member 213 has a horn 217 provided with an engagement piece 209 which has a circular arc portion bulged outward which can be engaged on the inside with the engagement projection of the cover member 211 on the outside surface of a tip at the front surface of the base portion 203 having a belt attachment hole 215 on one of ends and has a connected portion 205 protruded outward like a hook. The second fixing member 213 is engaged with the opening of the cover member 211 by fitting an insertion engagement piece 209 in the engagement hole 207, and furthermore, a wide press plate 219 having a T-shaped plane is provided on the outside of the center of the horn 217 and the fitting and engaging operation of the engagement hole 207 and the engagement piece 209 can be released by pressing the press plate 219 (for example, see JP-B-55-23601).
Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2533866 (especially, pages 2 and 3, 0012 to 0015, FIGS. 1 to 4) and JP-B-55-23601 (especially, pages 1 and 2, FIGS. 1 to 6) are known as reference documents.
The buckle for inserting the insertion member into the buckle body, which is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2533866, has such a configuration that a pair of insertion leg portions 153 provided in the insertion member 151 are prism-shaped and the engaging portion 157 is provided on both sides of a tip, the operating portion 159 protruded from the opening portion 159 of the buckle body 101 is provided in an outer part on the inside of the engaging portion 157, and the leg portion between the operating portion 159 and the board presses the operating portion 159 to carry out an elastic deformation so that the engaging portion 157 of the tip and the engaging portion 157 are disengaged. In order to carry out a smooth engaging/disengaging operation, the elastic deformable part of the leg portion is formed to be long or thin. The size of the buckle has to be increased so as to form the elastic deformable part to be long. For this reason, it is impossible to obtain a small-sized buckle having a good appearance. As a result that the elastic deformable part of the insertion leg portion 153 is formed to be thin, a problem that the thin portion is firstly broken might occur.
In the buckle for inserting the horn of the second fixing member into the cover member of the first fixing member, which is disclosed in JP-B-55-23601, it is necessary to easily carry out the elastic deformation of the horn 217 in a section provided with the press plate 219 from the base portion 203 of the horn 217 in order to smoothly remove the engagement piece 209 from the engagement hole 207 of the engagement projection provided on the cover member 211 by pressing the press plate 219 having a T-shaped plane which is provided on the horn 217 of the second fixing member 213. Accordingly, as this section cannot be shortened, the size of the buckle is increased because of the long shape and the easy elastic deformation. Moreover, since the cover member 211 has a U-shaped section in which the side surface is opened, corners on both sides of the double-sided plate of an open edge in the opening are exposed. In use, therefore, the cover member is caught on other things so that a smooth operation cannot be carried out. In the case that a twist acts on the double-sided plate in an inserting operation, moreover, there is a problem that a breakage might be caused.


A sheet supply apparatus is provided which controls vertical movement of a sheet support tray so that a position of an upper surface of stacked sheets on the support tray is adjusted to a height located below a separation air outlet, wherein adsorption is possible at the height and so that a fall region, in which a pressure difference with respect to a separation region is generated, is formed below the separation region in which the separation air blasted from the separation air outlet is blasted along the sheet adsorbed on the adsorbent surface.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a sheet supply apparatus wherein sheets placed on a sheet plate are adsorbed onto an adsorbent surface by air and are fed out, particularly to a sheet supply apparatus wherein a space not exposed to separation air is formed on the lower side of the region to which the separation air is blasted to the sheets adsorbed onto the adsorbent surface, between the sheets placed on the sheet plate and adsorbent surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A pneumatic sheet supply apparatus has been used as a sheet supply apparatus for an image forming apparatus in a photocopier and other devices. In the pneumatic sheet supply apparatus, air is blasted on the lateral end faces of the stacked sheets so that a sheet is raised, and the raised sheet is adsorbed onto the adsorbent surface of a punched belt or the like equipped with an air inlet for drawing in air. Then the belt is driven and rotated so that the sheet is conveyed.
In such a pneumatic sheet supply apparatus, when two or more sheets that are stuck to each other have been adsorbed onto the adsorbent surface, it is necessary to use a separation mechanism for separating these sheets.
In a well known separation mechanisms for an air supply mechanism, air is blasted on the end of the adsorbed sheets, and the sheets are separated by the air inserted therebetween. However, separation is difficult in the case of thin plain paper and recycled paper. Blasting of air alone often fails to separate sheets, and the problem of multiple sheet feed has been raised in this conventional mechanism.
To assist the separation effect by air blasting, one of the techniques known in the conventional art uses protrusions from the adsorbent surface (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Sho 61-254438). In this method, one topmost sheet to which the suction force is directly applied is adsorbed onto the adsorbent surface so as to wrap around the protrusions. On the other hand, the suction force is not directly applied to the sheets having been adsorbed by being entrained by the topmost sheet. Thus, these sheets are stopped at the position where they have come in contact with the protrusions, or are adsorbed on the adsorbent surface with gradual deflection. In this manner, more accurate separation can be achieved by using the differences in postures between the topmost sheet, and second and later sheets.

Sheet supply apparatus, sheet supply unit and image forming apparatus with blasting separation air outlet

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


The liquid crystal display device has a liquid crystal panel, a light guiding plate for illuminating the liquid crystal panel, a bezel covering a periphery of the liquid crystal panel, a frame on which the liquid crystal panel is mounted, a screw for securing a side wall of the bezel to the frame, and a rear cover having a portion which extends from a back side of the light guiding plate beyond the position of the screw and which has a hole through which the screw passes. A portion of the side surface fixing mechanism in the vicinity of the fixing screw is reinforced by the portion of the rear cover which is coupled with the side wall of the bezel and the side wall of the frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel, in which a liquid crystal is inserted between a pair of substrates, and a lighting device. The liquid crystal panel includes a pair of polarizers. The lighting device constitutes a front light or a back light and includes a light guiding plate.
The liquid crystal panel and the lighting device are provided in a housing. The housing is comprised of, for examples, a bezel that covers the periphery of the liquid crystal panel and a rear cover (chassis) that accommodates the lighting device. Provision is also made of a frame on which the liquid crystal panel is placed and which is secured to the rear cover.
In order to reduce the size of the liquid crystal display device, the size of an outer peripheral portion of the liquid crystal display device is reduced and a side surface securing mechanism is adopted, in which the side wall of the bezel is secured to the chassis or the frame by screws (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-99394, No. 11-305209, and No. 2001-305984, for example). In the side surface securing mechanism, the side wall of the bezel is provided with holes and the side surface of the chassis or the frame is provided with threaded holes. The screws are inserted through the holes of the side wall of the bezel and threaded into the threaded holes of the side wall of the chassis or the frame.
However, in the side surface securing mechanism, holes are pierced in the side wall of the bezel, threaded holes are provided in the chassis or the frame, and these members are fastened by the screws, so the fastening portions of the bezel and the chassis or the frame are subjected to stress, and a problem arises in that the strengths of the fastening portions of the bezel and the chassis or the frame are reduced.

Liquid crystal display device with reinforced side


A fixing device in an image forming apparatus includes a rotatable fixing member; a plurality of heat sources to heat each area of the fixing member in a longitudinal direction thereof; a pressure member configured to contact the fixing member and forming a nip in association with the fixing member; a nip forming member disposed inside the fixing member and opposite the pressure member to form a fixing nip; a temperature controller to detect temperature at each area of the fixing member and control the temperature via lighting control performed by the heat sources; and a plurality of temperature sensors to detect temperature of the fixing member or the pressure member in each heating area heated by the plurality of heat sources. When a sheet size set by the image forming apparatus and an actually conveyed sheet size are different, operating speed of the device is adjusted.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a facsimile machine, a printer, or a multi-function apparatus having one or more capabilities of those devices.
Related Art
Demand for faster, more energy-efficient image forming apparatuses such as printers, copiers, and facsimile machines is acute. In these types of image forming apparatuses, an unfixed toner image is formed on a recording medium via image forming processes employing an image transfer method or a direct method. The recording medium may include a recording sheet, a printed sheet, a photosensitive sheet, an electrostatic recording sheet, and the like. Similarly, the image forming processes include electrophotographic recording, electrostatic recording, magnetic recording, and the like.
As a fixing device to fix an unfixed toner image, various types of fixing devices are used including a contact heating method from a heat-roller method, a film- or belt-heating method, and an electro-magnetic induction heating method.
Using such a thin fixing belt with a low thermal capacity can drastically reduce the amount of energy necessary for heating the fixing belt, and warm-up time or a first-print time can be reduced. Herein, "warm-up time" means a length of time that the fixing device takes to heat up from room temperature to a predetermined printing temperature when the power is turn on; i.e., a reload temperature capable of performing printing. "First-print time" means the time it takes from receipt of a print request and preparation for printing to completion of a printing operation and sheet discharge. The first-print time is also requested to be short. In addition, in accordance with the higher printing speed of the image forming apparatus, the number of prints per unit time increases and a required heat quantity drastically increases. In particular, upon the start of continuous printing, thermal capacity is inadequate and a so-called temperature drop occurs, which is a problem.
The warm-up time can be shortened with so-called SUrface Rapid Fixing (SURF) technology using a ceramic heater, by which a compact and efficient fixing device is realized compared to the belt configuration. However, SURF locally heats a nip portion alone and other parts are not heated. Accordingly, the belt is coolest at an inlet to the nip portion and defective fixing may occur as a result. In high-speed apparatuses in which the belt rotates fast and heat is discharged from the belt at portions other than the nip, defective fixing tends to occur more frequently.
To solve these problems, for example, JP-2007-334205-A proposes a structure using an endless belt, in which the whole belt can be heated, the first-print time from the heating standby time can be reduced, and the thermal capacity deficiency during high-speed printing is remedied, thereby obtaining optimal fixability even though mounted in a high-performance apparatus.
FIG. 1 shows an overview of the fixing device of JP-2007-334205-A. A metallic, thermally conductive pipe 2 disposed in an interior of an endless belt 1 as a fixing belt, is fixed to the fixing device so as to guide moving of the endless belt 1. A heat source 3 inside the conductive pipe 2 heats the endless belt 1 via the conductive pipe 2. The fixing device further includes a pressure roller 4 including a metal roller 4a and an elastic layer 4b and contacting the conductive pipe 2 via the endless belt 1 to thus form a nip N. The endless belt 1 moves cyclically together with the rotation of the pressure roller 4. With this structure, the entire endless belt constructing the fixing device can be heated, the first-print time from the heating standby time can be shortened, and the heat shortage in the high-speed printing can be eliminated.
Use of a structure to directly heat the endless belt enables to further save the energy and shorten the first-print time from the heating standby time. However, in a fixing device with a low thermal capacity, when sheets with a size different from the size set by the image forming apparatus is conveyed, the fixing device is not prevented from being heated excessively, thereby damaging the fixing member.
The above-described malfunction occurs due to inconsistent fixing control. Namely, although the fixing control should be performed based on the actual sheet conveyance condition, the image forming apparatus instructs the fixing device to operate under the conditions set for a different sheet size. As a result, temperature rise occurring at untargeted end portions cannot be prevented, and thus, the fixing device is heated exceeding its upper temperature limit and is eventually damaged. In such a case, the fixing control should be changed so that the end temperature rise does not occur. However, in the conventional method, the temperature rise is not detected and prevented.
More specifically, even though the image forming apparatus can set the sheet size for the sheets for fixing to be performed by the heat source disposed in the center and another heat source disposed nearer to the end than the center, because in actuality, the sheet does not pass through the heating area to be heated by the heat source disposed nearer to the end, the size of the sheet that passes through only the heating area heated by the inner heat source is set. As a result, the fixing device is damaged.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus including same


A laser tracking processor is provided for integrating measured target-reflection signals used in directional control. The integration is performed to distinguish pulses reflected from the target against a noise background. The processor includes an optical detector, an accumulator, a correlator, a phase-lock loop and an integrator array. The optical detector receives the measured signals distributed among several guidance channels. The accumulator sums the measured signals as a combined signal for all the channels. The correlator temporally identifies an event that occurs to indicate a target-reflection pulse within the combined signal. The phase-lock loop synchronizes the event with a clock reference to produce a pulse window within which to search the combined signal for the pulses. The integrator array superimposes the measured signals within the pulse window for each channel to produce channel-specific integrated pulse signals. The processor can further include a sum integrator, a noise comparator and a reset trigger. The sum integrator superimposes a temporal sequence of combined signals from the accumulator as sum integration signals. The noise comparator determines whether the sum integrated signals exceed a noise threshold to set a detection satisfaction condition. The reset trigger initializes the temporal sequence of the integrator array and the sum integrator in response to the detection satisfaction condition, so that as the processor approaches the target, the guidance system can receive updates from the measured signals after becoming distinguishable above the noise.

The invention relates generally to pulse laser tracking. In particular, this invention provides signal integration to distinguish a weak measured pulse reflected from a target against strong background noise.
A missile or projectile aimed at a target may include a targeting laser designator and a detector to receive reflected laser energy from the target. That reflection may be used to provide course correction information for terminal guidance to the target.
Historically, the development of laser guided weapons began in the early 1960s. Two methods of missile guidance included a beam-rider that follows the laser beam to the target and semi-active guidance that directs to the reflected energy off the target. Semi-active guidance was and remains preferred over the beam-rider due to the former's advantage in releasing the weapon from a location beyond the target's line-of-sight.
Initially, guidance processors for laser guidance weapons used analog electronics. Inertial sensors were bulky and expensive and thus not employed for these purposes. Even had inertial sensors been available, the computations involved in strap-down guidance would have been impossible in the volume and weight constraints available in a missile or bomb. With the advent of expendable, miniature and powerful processors, as well as inexpensive tactical-grade sensors, guidance algorithms can be much more capable and robust. Some guided weapons use the Global Positioning System (GPS) for positional updates at a one-second rate.
Over the past several years, the armed services have indicated a desire to replace the wavelength used by laser-guided weapons from the non-eye-safe 1.06 μm (1060 nm) near-infrared wavelength to the eye-safe 1.54 μm (1540 nm) mid-infrared eye-safe wavelength. The longer wavelength has the additional advantages of (a) corresponding to less atmospheric attenuation, and (b) greater sensitivity for its detectors. Despite these advantages, converting to the longer wavelength has encountered opposition because of sunk costs associated with the existing designators and munitions that employ the shorter wavelength. The anticipated cost of replacing both munitions and designators is considered prohibitive, thereby rendering equipment conversion impractical under conventional circumstances.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A method and system for preserving document integrity between potentially partially incompatible versions of a program module by maintaining forwards compatibility and backwards compatibility. Version (n') of the program module is released after version (n). A "saved by version (n)" bit may be activated any time that version (n) saves a file. The "saved by version (n)" bit indicates to subsequently-released versions, such as version (n'), that the file has been saved by version (n) and, based upon this information, appropriate action should be taken by the subsequently-released version. A "warning from future version" bit may be activated to indicate that a feature or features of the subsequently-released version is not supported by version (n). Based upon receiving this bit, version (n) may open the file with these features disabled or may take some other appropriate action.

Most modern application program modules, such as word processing program modules, are enhanced by designers from time to time to add features to the program module and to correct bugs in the program module. An enhanced or corrected program module is typically assigned a new version number to indicate that changes have been made to the program module. For example, the first version of a program module may be labeled version 1.0 and a later-released version that corrects some of the bugs in version 1.0 may be labeled version 1.1.
Adding new features to a program module or correcting bugs in a program module may require a change in the format of files saved by the program module. The file format is the structure that defines the manner in which the file is stored and laid out on a computer screen or in print. A file format may be fairly simple and common, such as the file format for files stored as ASCII text. A file format may also be quite complex and include various types of control instructions and codes used by printers or other external devices. Some further examples of file formats include Rich Text Format (RTF), Document Content Architecture (DCA), Data Interchange Format (DIF), Drawing Interchange Format (DXF), Tag Image File Format (TIFF), and Encapsulated PostScript Format (EPSF). Different versions of an application program module will typically have slightly different file formats due to added features or corrections of bugs in more advanced versions.
Any program module that changes its file format when releasing a new version has to deal with compatibility issues between different versions of the program module. More particularly, compatibility issues mean backwards compatibility and forwards compatibility. In describing backwards compatibility and forwards compatibility, it is helpful to consider two versions of a program module which will be referred to as version (n) and version (n'). For sake of example, version (n) is a version of a program module that has been released prior to version (n'). Backwards compatibility is the ability of version (n') of a program module to read files created by version (n) of the program module. In other words, backwards compatibility is the ability of a version of a program module to read files created by prior-released versions of the program module. On the other hand, forwards compatibility is the ability of version (n) of a program module to read files created by version (n') of the program module. In other words, forwards compatibility is the ability of a version of a program module to read files created by subsequently-released versions of the program module.
All program modules should have strong backwards compatibility because, at the time version (n') is released, the software designers theoretically know all there is to know about version (n). Thus, backwards compatibility is sometimes simply an issue of writing conversion code. However, if version (n) includes serious bugs in writing or saving files, then it may be difficult to write conversion code because, in essence, all of the serious bugs must be replicated in the conversion code. Thus, there is a need in the art for a method and system for providing backwards compatibility that does not require writing complicated and detailed conversion code.
In addition to seeking backwards compatibility, software designers seek forwards compatibility because breaking forwards compatibility makes it difficult for users to have mixed shops. A mixed shop is an environment in which users are operating different versions of a program module. For instance, in a mixed shop, some users may be using version (n) of a program module, some users may be using version (n') of the program module, some users may be using version (n") of the program module, etc. If a program module is not forwards compatible, then a user operating version (n) may not be able to read files that have been edited by a user operating version (n'). Thus, forwards compatibility is particularly important to mixed shop users.
To maintain forwards compatibility, some program modules have internal mechanisms that allow a version to recognize that a given file is too "advanced" to be opened. Typically, forwards compatibility is maintained by storing a version stamp, or other similar data property, with a file. The version stamp indicates which version of the program module last stored the file.
A version of a program module also typically includes a numerical value which indicates the highest version stamp that a file can have and still be opened by that particular version. This numerical value will be referred to herein as the "too advanced" value. If the version stamp of a file is higher than the "too advanced" value, then it is too "advanced" for that particular version to open. For example, suppose version (n') of a program module stores files with a version stamp equal to 100. Before version (n) attempts to open one of these files, version (n) compares its "too advanced" value with the version stamp of the file, i.e., 100. If the "too advanced" value of version (n) is less than this version stamp, then version (n) cannot open the file. On the other hand, if the "too advanced" value is greater than or equal to the version stamp, then version (n) can open the file.
Typically, if a file is determined to be too "advanced" to be opened, a separate external converter is used to convert the file to an older format, i.e., a less "advanced" file format, which can be opened. Although the version stamp technique and external converter work well in many instances, it is not without its drawbacks.
One drawback of the version stamp technique is that even slight changes in the file format results in a higher version stamp. This new version stamp may be so large that previous versions of the program module may not be able to read files with the new version stamp. Thus, an external converter must be used to convert these files to a less "advanced" file format. The need to use external converters can be annoying to users, especially in mixed shops in which conversion of files may need to be performed frequently. Thus, there is a need in the art for a method and system for providing forwards compatibility that does not require the use of an external converter.
Another drawback of the version stamp technique is that the decision that a file stored by a new version can not be opened by an older version may be too harsh in certain circumstances. For example, it may be possible that the older version could open a file created by a newer version if certain features are disabled. In this example, insisting on converting a file with an external converter may be too harsh because the older version could instead simply disable certain features and open the file. Thus, there is a further need in the art for a method and system for providing forwards compatibility that accommodates minor changes in file format.
Another problem is that every version release has bugs. The program designers may decide that, for feature X, the bugs are sufficiently rare or unimportant that version (n) may confidently be released with feature X as is. However, the same program designers may anticipate that, in version (n'), feature Y might be implemented and depend on feature X. Therefore, it can be anticipated that the same bugs that were rare or unimportant in version (n), plus others that are not known, may turn out to be a problem in version (n'). Thus, two different versions of a program module may be incompatible with respect to certain features. There is a need in the art for a method and system that allows version (n) to signal to version (n') that version (n) has edited a document, thus possibly corrupting the feature as far as version (n') is concerned. There is still a further need in the art for a method and system for version (n') to signal to version (n) that the document was edited by version (n') and certain features may be corrupt as far as version (n) is concerned.

Method and system for preserving document integrity


Disclosed is a novel HIV gene comprising a set of open reading frames encoded with the template as the plus strand of the proviral DNA, and located in the region of HIV-1 long terminal repeat. The genes encode a set of antisense proteins, (HAPs) as well as smaller proteins, related to, and containing structural motif resembling that of chemokine proteins. Depending upon the ribosomal frameshift, a plurality of proteins may be translated from the antisense RNA. The smaller proteins have similarity with chemokine SDF-1 and may play a role as a cofactor with gp120 in the binding to and entry of HIV to a target cell.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel gene of HIV, the virus causing AIDS, which encodes a protein having an amino acid sequence that is closely related to the chemokine family of proteins. More particularly, the invention relates to a novel HIV protein that may be a cofactor for binding to the chemokine receptor on human cells during the entry phase of infection.
2. Description of the Background and Related Art
1. The Chemokine Receptors as Coreceptor for HIV Infection
Efficient entry of HIV into target cells is dependent upon a high affinity binding of the viral envelope glycoprotein, gp120, to the amino terminal domain of CD4, a protein expressed on the surface of the domain of CD4, a protein expressed on the surface of the target cell. While CD4 is the primary virus receptor, CD4 alone is not sufficient for virus entry. Chemokine receptors have been identified as the coreceptors involved in the entry of HIV into target cells.
Macrophage-tropic ("M-tropic") HIV-1 use the β-chemokine receptor CCR5, and less often receptor CCR3, as their coreceptor (Choe et al., 1996, Cell 85:1135-1148; Dragic et al., 1996, Nature 381:667-673; Deng et al., 1996, Nature 381:661-666). Mutations in CCR5 appears to confer resistance to infection by M-tropic HIV-1 viruses in vivo and in vitro (Samson et al., 1996, Nature 382:722-725). T-tropic (lymphotropic strains which grow in cells including transformed T cell lines) HIV generally use the α-chemokine receptor CXCR4 (also known as fusin, SDF-1 chemokine receptor, LESTR; Feng et al., 1996, Science 272:872-877). CXCR4 also can function as the primary receptor for HIV-2 entry and infection of human CD4-negative cells (Endres et al., 1996, Cell 87:745-756). Dual-tropic primary HIV-1 isolates, that can infect both macrophages and T cells, can use either CCR5 or CXCR4 (and possibly CCR3 or CCR-2b) as the coreceptor involved in virus entry (Doranz et al., 1996, Cell 85:1149-1158). There is evidence suggesting that the structure of the gp120 V3 loop influences the ability of HIV to bind the chemokine receptors on the target cell (Choe et al., 1996, supra; Doranz et al., 1996, supra).
2. HIV Secondary Structures
Single stranded RNA form localized regions of secondary structures such as hairpin loops and pseudoknot structures (Schimm, 1989, Cell, 58-9-12). A RNA population was isolated that bound to HIV reverse transcriptase and that has a pseudoknot consensus (Tuerk et al., 1992, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA. 59:6988-6992). Pseudoknots are structures in which there is an intramolecular base pairing of the "loop" sequence of an RNA hairpin to sequences either 5′ or 3′ to that hairpin. Pseudoknots are generally formed in nucleic acid sequences of about 30 to 60 nucleotides. Such intramolecular base pairing is key to the translation of RNA since the presence of pseudoknots can lead to frameshifting either in the 5′ or the 3′ direction (generally designated as −1 or +1) or for allowing read-through. Translational frameshifting allows the expression of alternative translational products in a predictable stoichiometry (ala retroviral or HIV gag-pol fusion peptide); to allow the expression of alternative enzymatic activities; or as a mechanisms for autogenous control (see Farabaugh, 1996, Microbiol Rev. 104).
3. Chemokines
Chemokines are a superfamily of soluble proteins that are involved in immune regulation and in inflammatory processes (such as leukocyte recruitment). Generally, chemokines range in size from about 70 to about 100 amino acids, and in molecular size from about 8 kilodaltons (kD) to about 11 kD. Chemokine like proteins have also been described that are membrane bound (Pan et al., 1997, Nature, 387:611). The chemokines share related primary structure, particularly with a conserved motif of four cysteine residues. Early classification of chemokines was based on whether the first two cysteines are adjacent to each other ("CC chemokines"), or are separated by one amino acid ("CXC chemokines"). More recently, chemokines with a single "C" motif (for example lymphotactin) and "CXXXC" motif (for example, neutotactin) have been described. The α-chemokine receptor CXCR4 has been identified as a coreceptor required for HIV entry. The only known natural ligand for CXCR4 has been identified as the CXC chemokine SDF-1. SDF-1 has been shown to inhibit infection of CXCR4 and CD4 expressing cells by T-tropic HIV-1 strains (Oberlin et al., 1996, Nature 382:833-835). Thus, modified versions of chemokines are being tested to determine whether they may be used to block chemokine receptors from binding by HIV.
Kaposi's sarcoma is an AIDS-related malignancy. The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KHSV, human herpesvirus 8) has been shown to encode a chemokine receptor ("GPCR") that is analogous in sequence and chemokine specificity to CXCR2 (Arvantikas et al., 1997, Nature 385:347-349). This is not the only instance in which a virus has apparently pirated a cellular gene encoding either a chemokine or a chemokine receptor. KSHV and Molluscum contagiosum have open reading frames that encode CC chemokines; and Herpesvirus Saimiri, human cytomegalovirus, KSHV, Equine herpesvirus-2, Swine pox virus, and capripox virus have open reading frames encoding chemokine receptors (Murphy, 1997, Nature 385:296-299; Neote et al., 1993, Cell 72:415-425).
4. HIV Proteins
The HIV genome is known to contain 8 open reading frames on the minus strand of the double-stranded DNA intermediate. From the HIV double-stranded intermediate, and from the HIV promoter located in the 5′ LTR, mRNAs of plus strand polarity are transcribed from the minus strand DNA template (see Definitions section herein). Depending on the processing of the transcript, the mRNA may then be translated into one or more viral proteins including Gag, Pol, Vif, Tat, Vpu, Vpr, Rev, Env, and Nef. Additionally, ribosomal frameshifting is employed to enable gag pol protein. Effective transcription from the 5′LTR HIV promoter is dependent on the presence of Tat for transcriptional activation that dramatically increases the levels of viral mRNAs. A possibility was raised that the plus strand of the viral DNA contains a long open reading frame (ORF), located in the region of the genome complementary to the env gene sequence, that may encode a viral protein of 190 amino acids and a molecular mass of 20 kilodaltons (Miller, 1988, Science 239:1420-1422). However, it is not apparent whether this possibility was confirmed, such as by the demonstration of the putative protein or its respective mRNA. In fact, it is noted in the publication that it is possible that the ORF does not represent a true gene sequence. The possibility that bidirectional transcription occurs in HIV was further evaluated by Michael et al. (1994, J. Virol. 979-87).
Accordingly, there has been and continues to be a long-felt need for the identification of novel HIV proteins which play a role in AIDS pathogenesis, and thus may be important targets of therapeutic intervention.


A computer-implemented method includes setting a first region on a display, the first region including a first character string, setting a second region, the second region including the first region, and dynamically generating a second character string in response to a user specifying an arbitrary position outside the first region and within the second region, the second character string is generated by changing a representation of the first character string depending on a distance between the first region and the user specified position.

The present invention generally relates to generation of character strings techniques, and more particularly, to a method, system and computer program product for dynamic generation of character strings.
Character strings are generally inputted to a computer by means of a keyboard or by selecting, using a pointing device, a desired character from a plurality of characters displayed on a screen.

Dynamically changing words based on a distance between a first area and a second area

International Business Machines Corporation


A dispensing container for selectively holding and dispensing products has a resiliently deformable main panel with a centrally disposed pivot emboss extending longitudinally there along. One end of the pivot emboss terminates at a pivot panel located on the main panel. The container includes a spout panel positioned distally from the pivot panel with spout panel being at least partially selectively opened by deformation of the main panel along the pivot emboss. Deformation of the main panel may be imparted by inward squeezing motion to the sides of the container, which in turn causes the main panel to outwardly deform along the pivot emboss, resulting in opening of the spout.

The present invention is directed to a container, and in particular to a dispensing container that includes an integrated spout to facilitate selective opening.
Containers are known for use with a wide array of consumer products, including dry goods, liquids, and medicines. A common approach to sealing such containers is by use of a screw cap structure. Another known approach to sealing such structures without the use of a screw cap is by way of a gable top carton, such as has been commonly used for liquid dairy product cartons.
Screw top containers may be difficult for some individuals to open, such as those with reduced hand strength. Screw top containers also typically utilize a plastic cap system that is not environmentally friendly. Gable top cartons may also be difficult for some individuals to open, particularly when the carton is being opened for the first time. Moreover, the gable top construction creates a less efficient packing volume structure, which in turn impacts the storage, shipping, and stocking of products contained therein.


The present invention is called a document customizer. The document customizer captures and records changes made to an electronic and/or physical footprint of a data warehouse engagement by a knowledgeable field practitioner. The document customizer starts with a “system-of-record” document which defines the starting system parameters of the data warehouse, as initially delivered to the customer (i.e., Logical Data Model, Physical Data Model, Metadata and system configuration templates). The document customizer allows the practitioner to archive and document the modifications made to the system-of-record and creates an on-line environment to document and time-stamp the modifications made to the data warehouse. The document customizer then creates a “current” system-of-record document. Provisions are included to make additions and modifications to the (new) current document to allow text comments and notes to be input.

A data warehouse can be used to store vast amounts of information or data including transactional/operational data. Data warehouse professionals including implementers and developers implement and maintain the data warehouse.
Data warehouse professionals also perform processes, referred to as a business data discovery process and a data discovery process, throughout the life of the data warehouse to ascertain the customer specific information/data required to build, run and maintain the data warehouse. The business discovery process is used to identify and record a set of specific customer related business problems. The data discovery process is used to establish customer related data available to solve such problems. The results from the business discovery process and the data discovery process each form an essential foundation of information upon which the data warehouse is built and operated.
During the business discovery process, the data warehouse professional identifies the customer's business goals, objectives, and problems to determine the types of problems that should or can be solved using the data warehouse. The data warehouse professional identifies the nature and availability of all data/information relating to the customer that can potentially serve as a basis for business analysis after being warehoused. The data discovery process is used to identify quantitatively and qualitatively the data sources of the customer's transactional/operational business related data. Data for the data warehouse is typically copied or derived from these data sources.
Exemplary data discovery information includes the types of devices serving as data warehouse data sources and the geographical locations of such devices, who administers the data source devices, the frequency with which the data source devices are updated or backed-up, the logical description of data stored by the data source devices and the access techniques or data transfer methods used to communicate data to and from the data source devices, and the business rationale for using such data (determined from the business discovery process). Data discovery information also includes defining the data or what the data means to the customer. For example, an end date in a billing table could mean the last date of service of the last date the customer was billed or both.
Data warehouse professionals typically perform the business discovery process and the data discovery process through a series of engagements with the customer. An engagement is a personal interaction between the data warehouse professionals and the customer, wherein the data warehouse professional solicits the business discovery information and the data discovery information from the customer and seeks to document relevant, discovered information. An engagement can last up to several months enabling the data warehouse professionals to gather the large amount of discovery data required to build and run a large data warehouse.
During a data warehouse engagement, many interactions occur between the customer and the data warehouse professionals. The information flow between the customer and the data warehouse professionals are intensive and spontaneous. Critical information and learned knowledge which are a result of these engagements may be lost if an automated process is not used to capture the transactions. To the inventors' knowledge, no such tool exists for documenting the engagement process used in creating and maintaining the data warehouse.

Method of generating user customized document incorporating at least a portion of discovery information recorded in the system of record database in data warehouse environment


A visored headwear is disclosed which has a first visor portion which is operatively associated with the headwear and wherein a second visor overlies the first visor and is positionable in a rearward position relative to the first visor to provide a neck shading.

Headwear, such as visored caps and clip on type visors have been in ubiquitous use for some time and these caps and headwear, while offering shading for the eyes and the like have been lacking in the ability to allow for protecting the neck portion of the wearer when the need arises.
There have been various suggestions of caps having a pivotal bill and even some with various appurtenances to achieve protection from the sun by various means.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,364 directed to a BASEBALL-STYLE CAP HAVING A ROTATABLE BILL, is directed to the baseball style cap which includes a crown portion and a bill that is rotatable about a generally horizontal, rotational axis such that the bill projects outwardly from the crown portion and is repositionable, along the outer periphery of the crown portion, from a forward eye shading position to a rearwardly directed neck shading position.
However, this prior art cap suffers from several deficiencies in that one is not able to shade both the frontal portion of the wearer's head and the rearward portion at the same time.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,677,187 to Libson directed to a SUN VISOR, is directed to a headpiece having a visor front and a detachable visor which, in one position may overlie the front visor and when detached may be positioned in order to shade the neck of the wearer.
Each of these prior art devices suffer in several respects in that either expensive fastening members are required or the headwear themselves do not achieve the attributes that one would desire in a headwear that would provide for having the ability to carry a visor in an unobtrusive manner and yet be able to position it so as to give the shading qualities desired.
Additionally, some of the prior art headwear has not allowed for a visored headwear that has an open crown to allow for the ease of wearing of women's hair affixed in a ponytail or the like.


An ultrasonic surgical instrument includes a body, an ultrasonic supported by the body, a shaft extending distally from the body and defining a shaft axis, a waveguide extending distally through the shaft, and an end effector arranged at a distal end of the shaft. The end effector includes an ultrasonic blade coupled to a distal end of the waveguide and having a primary blade treatment surface configured to treat tissue, and a clamp arm coupled to the distal end of the shaft. The shaft and the waveguide are selectively rotatable relative to one another about the shaft axis through a predefined range of angular motion between an assembly state and an operational state. In the assembly state, the clamp arm and the primary blade treatment surface are rotationally offset from one another. In the operational state, the clamp arm and the primary blade treatment surface are rotationally aligned.

Ultrasonic surgical instruments utilize ultrasonic energy for both precise cutting and controlled coagulation of tissue. The ultrasonic energy cuts and coagulates by vibrating a blade in contact with the tissue. Vibrating at frequencies of approximately 50 kilohertz (kHz), for example, the ultrasonic blade denatures protein in the tissue to form a sticky coagulum. Pressure exerted on the tissue with the blade surface collapses blood vessels and allows the coagulum to form a hemostatic seal. The precision of cutting and coagulation may be controlled by the surgeon's technique and adjusting the power level, blade edge, tissue traction, and blade pressure, for example.
Examples of ultrasonic surgical devices include the HARMONIC ACE® Ultrasonic Shears, the HARMONIC WAVE® Ultrasonic Shears, the HARMONIC FOCUS® Ultrasonic Shears, and the HARMONIC SYNERGY® Ultrasonic Blades, all by Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio. Further examples of such devices and related concepts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,055, entitled "Clamp Coagulator/Cutting System for Ultrasonic Surgical Instruments," issued Jun. 21, 1994, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,873, entitled "Ultrasonic Clamp Coagulator Apparatus Having Improved Clamp Mechanism," issued Feb. 23, 1999, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,510, entitled "Ultrasonic Clamp Coagulator Apparatus Having Improved Clamp Arm Pivot Mount," issued Nov. 9, 1999, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,981, entitled "Method of Balancing Asymmetric Ultrasonic Surgical Blades," issued Sep. 4, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,400, entitled "Curved Ultrasonic Blade having a Trapezoidal Cross Section," issued Oct. 30, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,811, entitled "Blades with Functional Balance Asymmetries for use with Ultrasonic Surgical Instruments," issued Dec. 4, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,082, entitled "Ultrasonic Surgical Blade with Improved Cutting and Coagulation Features," issued Jul. 23, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,773,444, entitled "Blades with Functional Balance Asymmetries for Use with Ultrasonic Surgical Instruments," issued Aug. 10, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,783,524, entitled "Robotic Surgical Tool with Ultrasound Cauterizing and Cutting Instrument," issued Aug. 31, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 8,057,498, entitled "Ultrasonic Surgical Instrument Blades," issued Nov. 15, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 8,461,744, entitled "Rotating Transducer Mount for Ultrasonic Surgical Instruments," issued Jun. 11, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 8,591,536, entitled "Ultrasonic Surgical Instrument Blades," issued Nov. 26, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 8,623,027, entitled "Ergonomic Surgical Instruments," issued Jan. 7, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 9,095,367, entitled "Flexible Harmonic Waveguides/Blades for Surgical Instruments," issued Aug. 4, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; and U.S. Pub. No. 2016/0022305, entitled "Ultrasonic Blade Overmold," published Jan. 28, 2016, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,750,521 on Sep. 5, 2017 the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
While various types of ultrasonic surgical instruments have been made and used, it is believed that no one prior to the inventor(s) has made or used the invention described herein.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.

Ultrasonic surgical instrument with pre-assembled acoustic assembly


A switching device has a bottom conductor, a top conductor, and a device body formed between the top and bottom conductors. The device body has a switching layer that is switchable by means of current passed through the device body and between the top and bottom conductors. A lower via connects the bottom conductor to the device body. The width of the lower via is smaller than a width of the device body.

Current memory technologies, including DRAM (dynamic random access memory), SRAM (static RAM) and NAND Flash, are quickly approaching their scalability limits. Accordingly, there is a strong need for new memory technologies that can meet the performance requirements of future memory applications. Candidates for the next-generation non-volatile storage applications, such as memristors, spin-transfer torque RAM (STT-RAM), phase-change RAM (PCRAM), conductive-bridging RAM (CBRAM), etc., are intended to be made to have a high device density. For instance, such devices may be formed in a crossbar array, wherein each bit at the intersection of a top crossbar wire with a bottom crossbar wire is a switching device. It is a challenge to fabricate such devices in a high density array with high yield and reliable device performance.

Structure of a switching device in an array

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


A common rail fuel injection apparatus (1) for a multi-bank, diesel locomotive engine (10). A common rail (20,22) is disposed proximate each bank (20,22) of cylinders (12) of the engine to provide high pressure fuel (30) to a fuel flow control apparatus (14) associated with each respective cylinder. A plurality of high-pressure fuel pumps (34) provides high-pressure fuel to at least one of the common rails. A fluid cross connection (38) is provided to convey high pressure fuel between the two common rails, thereby providing for the continued delivery of fuel to all cylinders in the event of a failure of one of the high pressure pumps. The high-pressure pumps are motivated by fuel lobes (64) located on camshaft sections (50a, 50b, 50c) adjoined at a gear driven end 58 of the camshaft (50). Camshaft sections (50d, 50e, 50f) adjoined at an idler end (60) of the camshaft carry lower torque loads than those sections having fuel lobes and may be formed from a lower strength material or may have a smaller shaft diameter.

Fuel injection systems are widely used on internal combustion engines, including spark ignition engines and compression ignition (diesel) engines for automobiles, trucks, marine and stationary engines. One such fuel injection system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,421. A common rail fuel system utilizes a fuel accumulator (rail) that is maintained at a high pressure (typically 1,600-2,000 bar) by one or more high-pressure fuel pumps. The fuel injectors associated with cylinders of the engine receive fuel from the fuel rail, with the delivery of the fuel being controlled by a solenoid valve disposed between the fuel rail and the injection nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,851 describes a fuel injection system commonly used on the large displacement, turbocharged, medium speed diesel engines of railroad locomotives provided by the present assignee. Such engines include a plurality of unitized power assemblies each containing a cylinder, a cylinder head, cam-driven intake and exhaust valves, and a fuel injection system including a fuel pump, a fuel injection control solenoid and a fuel injection nozzle. Each fuel pump is driven by a fuel lobe located on the respective camshaft of the engine.

Common fuel rail fuel system for locomotive engine


The present invention relates to a pet door system that has one or more open modes throughout a day wherein a pet can transverse the door for limited duration of time. In one variation, the open mode of the door may terminate upon passage by the pet and the pet may traverse the door at the next open mode. In one variation, the pet door system is controlled by a smart phone and an associated smart phone application.

Pet owners find that it is a nuisance to continually let a pet in and out of the house and frequently provide a door for the pet so the pet can come and go at will. Frequently such doors take the form of a series of triangular flexible members arranged to form an iris. A pet can easily push its way through the center of such an iris and it will spring back to keep out the weather.
One difficulty with such pet doors is that stray pets or other animals will frequently follow the owner's pet into the house or alternatively, come in the house at some opportune time. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide a device which would allow the owner's pet to come and go but which would prevent stray pets and other animals from entering the house.
In accordance with the present invention, a very simple and inexpensive device is desired wherein the owner's pet can come and go from the house, while stray pets and other animals are kept out of the house.

Automatic pet door controlled by smart phone


Devices and methods for the removal of bone implant tips from within a bony structure in a body. The device or method includes a shaft with an internal grasping feature capable of being inserted while remaining in an un-expanded, un-deployed state. This permits a surgeon or operator to insert the device while in a small profile state, avoiding or reducing damage to adjacent bone tissue during insertion. Upon insertion of the shaft to the proper position within a patient's bone, the grasping feature may then be expanded or deployed from the distal end of the shaft by a surgeon or operator using an actuator in a handle attached to the proximal end of the shaft. Following deployment, the grasping feature may be used to manipulate and/or remove a bone implant tip from a patient's bone tissue. Embodiments of the grasping feature include one or more hooks, wires, articulating fingers, and/or net-based designs formed of metal, polymer, composite, or a combination thereof. The grasping feature may also include an adhesive-based design formed of bone cement, protein-based glue, or other adhesive material with the purpose of grasping or manipulating a bone implant tip within bone tissue.

An increasing proportion of individuals worldwide experience fragility fractures due to osteoporosis, in which bone loses both density and structural strength. This is especially true of fractures of the hip, shoulder and spine due to their relatively high content of cancellous, or "spongy," bone tissue, which is particularly susceptible to osteoporosis.
In response to this growing clinical need, numerous devices and improvements pertaining to bone implants have been developed to improve stability and healing in osteoporotic bone following surgical repair of fractures. These devices and improvements can include the use of special bone implant tips, some of which are separable from the main implant. Bone implant tips can be rigid or pliable appliances inserted into a pilot hole in a bone for supporting a bone implant. In the case of separation of the tip from the main implant while within bone tissue, a surgeon may require a special device to aid in extraction of the tip, beyond the typical instruments available in the operating theater. Typical surgical instruments may not have the proper dimensions, grasping strength, or degrees of mechanical freedom necessary to extract a bone implant tip from within a bone, without causing additional incidental trauma to the bone tissue. In addition, bone implant tips are produced in a variety of materials and designs, including softer materials that are not easily extracted by the usual methods and devices. Therefore, a specialized instrument for cases such as the extraction of a soft polymer tip would be of particular utility during surgery.

Surgical extraction device for bone implant tips


An image-retransferable sheet for retransferring an image of an fused ink transferred from an ink ribbon by a heat sensitive transferring method onto an image receiving member is disclosed. The image-retransferable sheet comprises a substrate having a first surface and a second surface which is opposed to the first surface and a layer of a surface treating agent coated on the first surface of the substrate. The layer has an exposed surface and a tensile strength of from 1 kg/cm.sup.2 to 100 kg/cm.sup.2. An ink image is formed on the exposed surface of the layer of the surface treating agent coated on the first surface of the substrate by a heat sensitive transferring method. The ink image is retransferred onto the image receiving member together with the layer of the surface treating agent releasing from the first surface of the substrate by application of pressure to the second surface of the substrate so that the layer of the surface treating agent covers the ink image retransferred on the image receiving member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-retransferable sheet having a layer of a surface treating agent and more particularly to an image-retransferable sheet to which an image including letters, symbols and figures are thermally printed by a heat-sensitive image-transferring type printer and from which the thermally transferred image are retransferred onto a surface of an image-receiving material with pressure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to produce graphic images including letters, symbols and figures by a thermal transferring head equipped in a heat-sensitive image-transferring type printer. The thermal printer uses a thermal ink ribbon and a thermal printer head which presses the thermal ink ribbon and applies heat thereon in order to transfer an image from the thermal ink ribbon onto a recording sheet. The ink ribbon is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,729. However a transferred image of the thermal ink ribbon disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,729 can be formed on the recording sheet which is used in the thermal printer and cannot be used for an image-retransferable sheet to which an image including letters, symbols and figures are thermally printed and from which the thermally transferred image are retransferred onto a surface of an image-receiving material by pressure.
Tape printers, such as those sold under the mark P-Touch by Brother Industries Co., Ltd., have been developed. Such tape printers employ an image-retransferable sheet, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,427 and corresponding unexamined and published Japanese patent application No. 63-128987. Such image-retransferable sheets have a substrate 331 and a release layer 332 supported thereon as shown in FIG. 3B. In the image-retransferable sheet 33, fluorine-based resin films, papers, coated papers, metal foils or plastic films of polyethylene or polypropylene are used as the substrate 331 and the release layer 332 is coated on the substrate 331.
As shown in FIG. 3A, tape printer 30 uses a thermal ink transfer ribbon 31 and a thermal printer head 32 mounted in the tape printer 30. In the tape printer 30, the thermal printer head 32 presses the thermal ink ribbon 31 onto the image-retransferable sheet 33 and applies heat thereon in order to transfer a fused thermal ink image 34 onto the image-retransferable sheet 33. Therefore, the ink image 34 of the ink layer is formed on the release layer 332 of the image-retransferable sheet 33 as shown in FIG. 3B.
Next, the user of the tape printer 30 arranges the image-retransferable sheet 33 so that the ink image 34 and a front side 33A of the image-retransferable sheet 33 face and are placed in close contact with an image receiving member 35. An image of the fused ink 34 is transferred onto the image receiving member 35 by application of pressure to a back side 33B of the image-retransferable sheet 33, in a manner that the image of the fused ink 34 is separated from the front side 33A of the release layer 332 and the fused ink 34 is transferred to a front face of the image receiving member 35. As shown in FIG. 3C, the user forms the image of the fused ink 34 on the image receiving member 35 which the user desires to form thereon.
In the above transferring process from the ink ribbon 31 to the image-retransferable sheet 33 by heat of the thermal head 32, the image of the fused ink 34 is required to be transferred onto the image-retransferable sheet 33 steadily and in the above retransferring process from the image-retransferable sheet 33 to the image receiving member 35 by application of pressure, the image of the fused ink 34 is required to be retransferred onto an image receiving member 35 steadily. To obtain the steady transfer and retransfer, an image-retransferable sheet 33 having the release layer 332 comprising a silicone resin, the release layer 332 having a smooth surface thereon and exhibiting a contact angle with water of at least 95.degree., has been developed.
However, in order to thermally print an image onto the image-retransferable sheet 33 having a water contact angle of at least 95.degree. and particularly not less than 105.degree., it is necessary to reduce the surface tension of the fused ink 34 to wet the sheet 33 and it is further necessary to increase adhesion between the fused ink 34 and the sheet 33 to a level greater than the cohesive force between the fused ink 34 and a base layer of the thermal transfer ribbon 31, such as polyethylene terephthalate film. For the purpose, the temperature of the fused ink 34 must be increased in order to reduce the surface tension of the fused ink 34 when the image is thermally printed on the sheet 33. Therefore, high energy must be applied to the thermal head 32 which is disadvantageous in view of durability of the thermal head 32 and load on a power supply.
Further, ink images formed on a sheet 33 having poor wettability are easily retransferred with little pressure because of poor adhesion to the sheet 33, and a portion of the image which is desired to be left on the sheet 33 is undesirably retransferred to the image receiving member 35, causing stains on the image-receiving member 35. Such easy retransfer is troublesome in handling of the sheet 33.
Furthermore, since the sheet 33 has an extremely small static friction coefficient, the sheet 33 is not easily fixed during retransfer of the thermally printed image from the sheet 33 to the image-receiving member 35, so that the image of the fused ink 34 is retransferred on an undesired portion of the image-receiving member 35 or distorted on the image receiving member 35.
Surface treating agents in the release layer 332 are used in conventional image-retransferable sheets 33 to improve the property of retransferring an ink image from the sheet 33, so that the user can easily retransfer the fused ink 34 on the sheet 33 to the image receiving member 35. However, the release layer 332 is not transferred to an image-receiving member 35 with the image of the fused ink 34. Therefore, the image-retransferable sheet 33 necessarily must have poor wettability, to reduce adhesion between the sheet 33 and the ink image of the fused ink 34. Because of the features of such an image-transferable sheet 33, however, the sheet 33 suffers from various problems, such as reduced capability in receiving an ink image thermally printed or transferred from an ink ribbon 31, increased energy needed for thermally transferring an ink image, and poor resistance to friction of an ink image thermally transferred.

Image-retransferable sheet having a layer of a surface treating agent


A pair of rotatable optical image deflector assemblies is disclosed which are detachably mounted via an adapter bracket to a conventional eye testing apparatus. Each optical image deflector assembly has a fixed light reflecting optical element, and a pivotal reflecting optical element. The optical image deflector assembly directs light onto a peripheral area of a visually sensitive or functional area of the retina which is normal to the central field of the retina. The pivotal optical element scans a pre-set field expanding test chart and projects an image thereof to the visually sensitive or functional area of the retina. The optical image deflector assembly is usable in making prismatic eye glasses to expand the normal central field of view of a person suffering from retinitis pigmentosa or hemianopia. The prismatic eye glasses refract images from a field outside the normal central field of view within and along the peripheral edge of the visually sensitive central area of the retina for expanding the normal central field of view.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to visual examining and sight corrective apparatus, and more particularly to an optical image deflector assembly and method for its use in scanning eyes, locating visually sensitive peripheral areas thereof, and determining corrective prismatic eye glasses adapted to focus light within and along the peripheral edge of the visually sensitive central areas of the eyes for expanding the normal central field of view. More specifically, the invention is directed to prismatic eye glasses and method of making same for persons having retinitis pigmentosa and hemianopia.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 28,921 discloses an automatic visual sensitivity and blind spot measuring apparatus comprising a device for projecting a spot at different locations on a screen to be viewed by the person being tested along with means for the person to indicate Perception of the spot for subsequent evaluation. The device further comprises means for projecting the spot in different positions in the field of vision of the person being tested.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,990,107 relates to a reflectoscope used in the examination of an eye. The reflectoscope comprises mirrors for reflecting an eye focused image around an operator so that the eye can be observed in the correct orientation to prescribe lenses for correcting refractive disfunctions. The image is reflected onto the normally sensitive portion of the eye.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,152 relates to apparatus for moving an image of a target in certain preselected ways to stimulate certain types of eye movements in the subject.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,253 relates to apparatus for presenting test images to a viewer at different distances without modifying the visual angle or acuity of the images.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,151 relates to auxiliary prismatic lenses mountable on an eye glass frame for use by persons having cataracts. The lenses extend the field of view of the person beyond that provided by ordinary lenses by focusing images beyond the range of the normal lenses onto the pupil of the eye.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,442,849 relates to a method for producing a pair of lenses for providing balanced binocular vision to a greater degree than was previously possible. The invention particularly relates to the correction of conventional disorders such as refractive disorders.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,113 relates to eye glasses for improving the vision of people with macular degeneration, optic nerve damage or similar low vision problems, in which their central vision has deteriorated. The eye glasses comprise two lens assemblies, each having a magnifying lens with two convex surfaces and a reducing lens with two concave surfaces. The reducing lens incorporates a prism ring which shifts and focuses a highly intensified light image onto an undamaged peripheral portion of the retina. A disadvantage of these eye glasses is that they are of no value for people suffering from retinitis pigmentose or hemianopia, in which their central vision is good and the peripheral vision is bad, since the shifted image would be focused on a damaged peripheral portion of the retina. Another disadvantage is that the lens do not have a central clear or non-prism area for accommodating the person's good central vision. Also, in those instances where the shifted image would strike the central functional area of the retina, overlapping would occur, resulting in diplopia (double vision).
In addition to the prior art patent literature, an eye disease is known called neovascular senile macular degeneration (N.S.M.D.) in which central vision is greatly impaired, often resulting in blindness by virtue of blood vessels growing into the macula of the eye. The macula controls central vision in the retina, and the rest of the retina is used for peripheral vision. The problem of central vision impairment and blindness due to N.S.M.D. and other problems such as retinitis pigmentosa (tunnel vision) and hemianopia are substantially overcome by the optical image deflector assembly and eye glasses of this invention.
A known eye glass modification intended to expand a person's central field of view for people having retinitis pigmentosa and hemianopia involves the amorphic telescopic lens system, in which one or more telescopes are mounted on each eye glass. The telescopes minify the images so that more information can be seen at one time in the same field. Disadvantages of this form of expanding the field is that multiple images are seen by each eye, and the images are almost twice as small, so that detail is lost. Also, the telescopes extend outwardly a distance from the eye glasses where the force created by the moment of inertia is constantly slipping the spectacles from the nose resting position and falling so that they can be easily damaged. The eye glasses further are not cosmetically appealing, and they are two or more times heavier than normal eye glasses, making them uncomfortable to wear and prone to slip off the wearer's ears due to the force moments generated by the outwardly extending telescopes.
Also known in the prior field expanding art is the use of prisms which are cemented to the temporal edge of the eye glass lenses (base out). The prisms increase a person's efficiency of information processing with reduced fields and normally are not a means for expanding the field. The prisms allow the eye glass wearer to scan the periphery by making small eye movements into the prism to check for objects in the periphery, thereby eliminating the need for inefficient neck movements to accomplish the same task. An exemplary reference of such prism use is disclosed by Dr. Weiss in S, The Optician, Cemented Prism for Severe Field Loss, Volume 163, Jul. 7, 1962. The primary disadvantages of difficulties associated with the use of such prisms are prism blur which may be difficult to tolerate, confusion between frontal and peripheral images, particularly in crowds where people are moving in all directions, diplopia caused by the wearer looking through the edge of the prism, or not suppressing the other eye when one eye is looking through the prism, the necessity for small eye movements into the prism to check for objects in the periphery, resulting in loss of frontal image and a blind spot between the frontal and prism images, prismatic distortions, such as horizontal magnification, curvature of vertical lines, asymmetric horizontal magnification, vertical magnification and change in vertical magnification, with horizontal viewing angle. The prism, when cemented onto the inner surface of the eye glass lens, extends outwardly from the lens and can be hazardous to the eye. The mounting of the prism can be complicated and delicate, due to the lens curvature, and the resulting eye glasses are cosmetically unappealing.
A specialized form of prism known in the art is the fresnel prism. This prism is used for special applications, such as for diagnostic tests. Fresnal prisms are thin sheets of optical plastic composed of multiple prismlets that are pressed into this thin plastic sheet. They are adhered to normal prescription spectacles by capillary action and are subjected to air bubbling during temperature and humidity changes. Fresnel prisms are used in diagnostic and temporary correction and/or preliminary concept of prism requirements for such eye problems as retinitis pigmentosa, strabismus, hemianopia, and macular degeneration, unlike the prescription corrected field expanding glasses herein disclosed, which are clear and transmit or project clear full size images to the retina. The fresnel prisms have poor light transmission and the transmitted or projected images are blurred due to the many prismlets that are pressed into the soft plastic.
The fresnal prisms have a number of other disadvantages. Projection to the retina, especially in crowds as people move in all directions causes multiple images. Double vision results when the right eye looks to the right and the left eye looks through the nasal edge of the left spectacle lens. The multiple prismlets reduce light transmission, which reduces vision and causes night blindness and mobility problems. The multiple prismlets cause many reflections of the same object, especially light bulbs etc., and cause chromatic dispersion. Due to the multiple prismlets, contrast is greatly reduced, and patients are constantly looking through a fine grid. With fresnel prisms the patient must rotate his eye to look into the prism to see the expanded field.
In addition, the fresnel prisms suffer from most of the problems indicated above for prisms generally. In addition, the fresnel prisms suffer from air bubbles when mounted on a surface, are prone to fall off the surface, and subject the viewer to multiple images reflected by the prism rings.
Another known vision-expanding lens in the prior art involves the use of a see-through reflector or mirror, functioning as a beam splitter, mounted on the eye glass frame to extend from the nose at a 45 degree angle to the eye. Disadvantages of this type of vision-expanding lens are that the eye glass user sees two separate images, front and rear, which can be confusing, the mounting of the reflector to the eye glass frame can be complicated and difficult, the reflector extends outwardly from the eye glass lens in an exposed position where it can be readily damaged, and the eye glasses are cosmetically unappealing.
Still another attempt in the prior art to expand the field of view of persons with poor vision involves special high-powered magnifying glasses capable of magnifying an object up to six times, while allowing vision from the side. Disadvantages of this approach are that the eye glasses resemble goggles and protrude nearly three inches from the nose. They must be worn with soft contact lenses, are heavy and cumbersome, and are cosmetically unappealing.
It is clear from the prior art that a strong need exists for eye glasses for expanding the field of view of persons suffering from retinitis pigmentosa and hemianopia without the person suffering the problems and disadvantages of the prior known efforts to expand a person's field of view. This is achieved with the inexpensive, light weight and cosmetically appealing eye glasses of this invention, by refracting images from a field outside the person's normal field of view within and along the peripheral edge of the visually sensitive central functional area of the retina for expanding the central field of view without generating diplopia, distortion and/or blind spots.

Ophthalmic prismatic image relocating eye glasses for persons having retinitis pigmentosa and hemianopia and method for making same