An apparatus for treating bone pathologies with acoustic waves includes a source of focused acoustic waves, a system for displacing the focus of the acoustic waves, and a system for locating the boundary surface between the bone to be treated and surrounding tissue. The locating system generates signals corresponding to the position of the boundary surface. A control unit, which operates the focused displacing system, is supplied with the signals identifying the position of the boundary surface, so that the focused displacing system is controlled to maintain the focus substantially at the boundary surface, independently of the position of the acoustic wave source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for treating bone pathologies with acoustic energy, administered by acoustic waves.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recent experiments have shown that the healing process for certain bone pathologies can be accelerated, beneficially influenced, or initiated by applying acoustic energy, particularly focused shockwaves, to a bone region. Such treatment is described in PCT Application WO88/09190, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,501. As described therein, such treatment has heretofore been implemented using lithotriptors, also known as extracorporeal shockwave devices (ESWD). These are shockwave therapy devices which are normally used for the purpose of treating stone pathologies, for example, nephrolithiasis, with focused shockwaves.
In treating bone pathologies, particularly pathologies in a region of the long bones of the extremities, with focused shockwaves, it is necessary, while retaining the acoustic coupling of the therapy apparatus with the body part to be treated, to execute a relative motion between the focus of the acoustic waves and the body part to be treated, such that the focus of the acoustic waves is moved along the zone requiring treatment. When treating the fracture of a long bone, for example, this means that the focus of the acoustic waves must be moved along the fracture break. In order to maintain the stress to the patient, resulting from the application of acoustic energy, at as low a level as possible, it is preferable to irradiate the bone with acoustic shockwaves which proceed to the treatment location along a direct path. This means that the acoustic waves, for example, should not be required to initially propagate through a bone wall disposed diametrically opposite the location to be treated, because this would result in excessively high acoustic losses. It is thus necessary to move the therapy apparatus around the body part to be treated, for example, in an approximately circular motion. A further problem is that the distance of the bone from the surface of the body part to be treated is not constant, so that the spacing of the focus from the surface of the body part must be constantly adjusted, by setting different spacings, during the displacement of the focus and the body part containing the bone requiring treatment relative to each other.
These requirement are extremely difficult to satisfy with a lithotriptor, because the patient support as well as its adjustment possibilities are adapted for a different type of treatment. Moreover, the adjustment possibilities of the shockwave generator and of the locating system are designed for charging the patient with shockwaves in the trunk region, and once alignment of the patient and the shockwave generator relative to each other has been achieved, the located position is essentially retained, and is varied only for the purpose of making corrections and small adjustments as may become necessary because of changes in the position of the calculus occurring during the treatment. Therefore, treatment of bone pathologies can only be implemented in a complicated fashion using conventional lithotriptors, and thus involves risks for the patient due to the danger of incorrect operation of the treatment apparatus as well as due to locating errors.

Apparatus for treating bone pathologies with acoustic energy


This invention relates to a compact, fully portable processing system for collection, sterilization, deodorization and eventual disposal of urine. The system is comprised of several detachable components which include male and female urine receptacles, an electric motor and fan assembly or any other suction source for providing the forced air flow required for urine entrainment; and a liquid collection bottle or reservoir. Optional but desirable features may include a gas/liquid separation or demisting element and a deodorizing filter. The system is self contained and readily disassembled for easy cleaning. It is readily adapted for home, hospital, and automobile usage. This invention has utility wherever rest room facilities are not conveniently available or where individuals are bedridden or immobilized.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a compact, fully portable processing system for the collection, sterilization, deodorization and eventual disposal of urine. Entrainment by a forced air stream is utilized to convey urine from the user in an arbitrary position--standing, sitting or prone to a suitable collection container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The collection of urine is a process that has been extensively studied in conjunction with bedridden and incontinent individuals. Bed pans, diapers and/or catherization devices are generally utilized for those confined to beds for reasons of illness and disabilities. All of these practices have their drawbacks in view of suitable comfort and sanitary practices. Bed pan positioning is often difficult and urine collection is often not complete. Diapers are time consuming to attach and are costly. Furthermore, continued usage often leads to skin rashes, chaffing discomfort and potential infections. Catherization devices are most often prescribed for incontinent individuals. However, catherization devices run the risk of infection that can lead to undesirable side effects requiring medications and additional hospitalization confinement.
The prior art describes a variety of devices and processes to facilitate the withdrawal of urine from the body and disposal of the withdrawn urine. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,270,539, 4,904,248 and 5,053,027 identify a variety of non-invasive devices that are worn and supported either by waist belts or held in place by supporting underwear garments. These devices are dependent on gravity for urine drainage into a collection bag, and therefore do not allow a user position where the urethra is not physically higher than the collection device. A urine aspiration system for the management of urinary incontinence is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,166. Urine is collected in an absorbent pad which is connected to a vacuum source to remove urine from the pad to a collection container. The hydrophobic nature of the pad's cover contacting the body facilitates drying of the body surface in contact with the device within a short time period. The disposable pad must be changed frequently to satisfy sanitary concerns and to maintain the pad's absorptive capacity and sanitary properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,359 describes a therapeutic bed pan that is situated within the top surface of a mattress. The pan is covered with a perforated cover to permit urine collection within the pan. A vacuum source is activated to drain the bed pan to a collection vessel for eventual disposal.
Vacuum suction devices are described by the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,968,046 discloses a urine receptacle which is emptied by the vacuum from an aspirating water jet. The aspirated stream of urine and air mixes with the water jet and is discharged into a drainpipe. However, the teaching is useful only where a user has access to a plumbed water system with provision for an aspirator system emptying into a drain, and cannot be considered "portable." U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,916 identifies a urinal system containing a cup shaped receptacle, a suction source as separate entities. U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,933 is similar in concept to U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,916; however, the suction source and collection container are described as separate entities that are connected with appropriate plumbing lines within a common housing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,933 describes an anti-spill feature that is effective only if the suction source is not active. U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,939 describes a similar system whose suction source is activated by a urine detecting element.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,968,046 and 3,114,916, 4,360,933 and 4,531,939 which rely on suction means for urine transport, disclose a variety of receptacle configurations, suction sources and collection containers. The prior art does not disclose a means for minimizing leakage at the body/receptacle interface and the importance of forced air entrainment at the base (lower contact end) of the receptacle. Several of the prior art practices as noted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,281,655, 4,631,061, 5,002,541 and 5,195,997 result in urine contacting the body prior to its conveyance to a remote collection container. Means for disengaging the fine urine droplets from a relatively high velocity air flow and removing urine related odors in the effluent air discharged to the surroundings are not addressed. Furthermore, the suction and collection means are not contained within a compact single assembly.
There exists a need for placing an orifice at the lower end of the receptacle in physical contact with the user to admit a wiping entrainment air to remove urine which might otherwise remain against the users or spill. It is functionally important that the ratio of air-to-urine flow be high. This facilitates drying the skin which has been in contact with the urine and more efficiently transports urine to the collection container so that fewer (if any) urine solids or salts are left behind to irritate the skin. A high air-to-urine flow ratio also requires a more efficient means for urine disengagement and demisting such as is taught by this disclosure.
There currently exist limited portable and self-contained urine collection systems for use within the inside of confined automotive interiors. The need for portable and self-contained urine collection hardware for travel usage is particularly desirable in situations where limited rest room facilities or long auto confinements are encountered.
The need for improved urine collection techniques for bedridden or incontinent people takes on an added importance due to an increasing elderly population, a greater dependence on home care and nursing home confinements and all situations where movement away from the bed is burdensome.
What is needed in the art is a compact and self-contained system which facilitates urine collection, sterilization, deodorization and eventual disposal in a sanitary and non-invasive manner for those who are bedridden, immobilized or where rest room facilities are not conveniently available for those confined to automobiles. It is an object of the present invention to satisfy these needs by providing for a leak-free urine collection device which prevents the carryover of fine droplets of urine and removes urine related odors with minimal discomfort regardless of whether the user is in an upright, seated or prone orientation. The teachings of this invention are believed to be a distinct improvement over prior art devices.

Portable system for the collection of urine


In a method of forming a beam, data signals and pilot signals are generated by despreading signals that are received by a plurality of antennas, the received signals including a modulated data signal and a modulated pilot signal, respectively. A first covariance matrix is calculated for the pilot signals. A second covariance matrix is calculated for averages of the pilot signals. A weight vector is calculated based on the first and second covariance matrices. A beam forming output signal for forming a beam is generated based on the data signals and the weight vectors. Therefore, an optimal beam may be accurately formed.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for forming a beam. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for forming an optimal beam with high accuracy.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a mobile communication system, the user capacity of the system is inversely proportional to the amount of interference caused by undesired users. Therefore, the undesired users must be excluded from the mobile communication system. To this end, an apparatus may be introduced to form an optimal beam directed toward a desired user or terminal. A beam forming apparatus, for example, equipped in a base station, receives multiple signals that are transmitted from many terminals and/or other base stations. Therefore, the beam forming apparatus needs to select a signal that is transmitted from a terminal of the desired user among the received multiple signals.
One beam forming apparatus calculates weight vectors for forming the optimal beam using data included in the received signals. However, in general the base station cannot obtain correct information concerning data streams included in the data signals. Therefore, the calculated weight vectors cannot achieve a high accuracy. Thus, a need exists for a beam forming apparatus capable of forming the optimal beam with accuracy.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a method and an apparatus for forming an optimal beam with high accuracy.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a beam. In the method, data signals and pilot signals are generated by despreading received signals at a plurality of antennas. Each of the received signals includes a modulated data signal and a modulated pilot signal. A first covariance matrix for the pilot signals is calculated. A second covariance matrix is calculated for averages of the pilot signals. A weight vector is calculated based on the first and second covariance matrices. A beam forming output signal for forming a beam is generated based on the data signals and the weight vector.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for forming a beam. The apparatus comprises a despreading unit configured to generate a plurality of data signals and a plurality of pilot signals by despreading a plurality of received signals, wherein each of the received signals includes a modulated data signal and a modulated pilot signal; a weight calculator configured to calculate a first covariance matrix for the pilot signals, to calculate a second covariance matrix for averages of the pilot signals, and to calculate a weight vector based on the first and second covariance matrices; and a beam forming unit configured to generate a beam forming output signal based on the data signals and the weight vector.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for forming a beam. The apparatus comprises a despreading unit configured to generate a plurality of data signals and a plurality of pilot signals by despreading a plurality of received signals, each of the received signals including a modulated data signal and a modulated pilot signal; a weight calculator configured to calculate a first covariance matrix for the demodulated pilot signals, to calculate a second covariance matrix for averages of the respective pilot signals, and to calculate a weight vector using the first and second covariance matrices; and a beam forming unit configured to generate a beam forming output signal using the data signals and the weight vector.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication system including an apparatus for forming a beam. The system comprises a plurality of terminals configured to modulate data signals and pilot signals to generate transmitted signals including a modulated data signal and a modulated pilot signal; and a base station configured to generate a beam forming output signal. Beneficially, the base station comprises a plurality of antennas for receiving the transmitted signals; a despreading unit configured to generate a plurality of despread data signals and a plurality of despread pilot signals by despreading the received signals; a weight calculator configured to calculate a first covariance matrix for the despread pilot signals, to calculate a second covariance matrix for averages of the despread pilot signals, and to calculate a weight vector using the first and second covariance matrices; and a beam forming unit configured to generate the beam forming output signal for forming the beam using the despread data signals and the despread weight vector.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication system including an apparatus for forming a beam. The system comprises a plurality of base stations configured to modulate data signals and pilot signals to generate signals including a modulated data signal and a modulated pilot signal; and a terminal configured to generate a beam forming output signal. The terminal may comprise an antenna for receiving the received signals; a despreading unit configured to generate a plurality of despread data signals and a plurality of despread pilot signals by despreading the received signals; a weight calculator configured to calculate a first covariance matrix for the modulated pilot signals, to calculate a second covariance matrix for averages of the despread pilot signals, and to calculate a weight vector using the first and second covariance matrices; and a beam forming unit configured to generate the beam forming output signal for forming the beam using the despread data signals and the despread weight vector.


A wind turbine generator including a nacelle having reduced size and weight is provided. The wind turbine generator includes a nacelle disposed on a tower. The nacelle includes a main shaft that is connected to a rotor head equipped with blades and that integrally rotates with the rotor head, a gearbox that increases the rotational speed of the main shaft and that outputs the resulting rotational speed, and a generator driven by the output from the gearbox. In the wind turbine generator, a drivetrain extending from the main shaft to the generator via the gearbox is disposed in the rotor head.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wind turbine generator for generating electric power with a windmill which converts wind, which is a natural form of energy, into a rotational force.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-381564, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
Wind turbine generators for generating electric power using wind power, which is a natural form of energy, are known. Such a wind turbine generator includes a nacelle disposed on a tower. The nacelle includes a rotor head equipped with blades, a main shaft connected to the rotor head so as to integrally rotate with the rotor head, a gearbox connected to the main shaft that rotates upon receiving the wind power supplied to the blades, and a generator driven by a shaft output from the gearbox. According to the wind turbine generator having this structure, the rotor head equipped with the blades, which convert wind power into a rotational force, and the main shaft rotate to generate a shaft output. The rotational speed is increased via the gearbox connected to the main shaft and the resulting shaft output is transmitted to the generator. Consequently, the shaft output obtained by converting the wind power into the rotational force is used as a driving source of the generator, and thus power generation can be performed using the wind power as motive power for the generator.
In the above-described known wind turbine generator, the rotor head is disposed at the front end of the nacelle, and the gearbox and the generator are placed on a nacelle bed provided behind the rotor head of the nacelle and in a casing forming the upper space of the nacelle bed (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-304094).
As described above, according to the structure of the known wind turbine generator, a rotational torque is transmitted from the rotor head provided at the front end of the nacelle to the main shaft, the rotational speed is increased with the gearbox, and the motive power is then transmitted to the generator for use. As a result, the drivetrain inevitably becomes long in the shaft direction. However, in the known structure, the gearbox and the generator, which are connected at the rear end of the main shaft, are placed in the casing provided behind the rotor head, and the inside of the rotor head is not used as a space for the drivetrain. Therefore, in order to obtain a space for placing the gearbox and the generator, the dimensions of the nacelle bed and the casing part of the nacelle must be increased particularly in the shaft direction, thereby increasing the size of the whole nacelle. Such an increase in the size of the nacelle increases the weight of the nacelle bed and the casing, resulting in an increase in weight of the nacelle itself.
Furthermore, since recent wind turbine generators tend to increase their output by increasing the size thereof, the sizes of components such as the rotor head, the main shaft, the gearbox, and the generator also increase, resulting in an increase in weight. In the same structure as that of the known wind turbine generator, in particular, since the overall structure of the nacelle, including the nacelle bed and the casing, further increases, it is inevitable that the weight of the whole nacelle drastically increases. The increase in weight of the nacelle has a significant undesirable effect on, for example, the design strength of the tower and production costs because the nacelle is a structure provided on the upper part of the tower. From this standpoint, it is desirable that the dimension of nacelle in the shaft direction be as small as possible so as to reduce the size and the weight of the whole nacelle.


In an embodiment, a processor-readable medium stores code representing instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to access a list of print jobs for printing. The processor further determines a healthy area of a transfer media. For each job in the list, the processor calculates an image risk area (IRA) based on the healthy area, and ranks each job in a print order according to its IRA.

Some printing devices, including liquid electro-photography (LEP) printing devices, employ image transfer media such as image transfer blankets. An image transfer blanket receives images formed on a photo imaging member, or from an inkjet system or other digital means, and transfers the images onto print media, such as cut sheet media or a continuous media web. Blanket wear mechanisms related to the printed images and the types of media substrates being used, cause the blanket to wear. As the number of same printed images increases, the blanket wear increases and eventually appears as a defect on other printed images. In order to avoid this adverse impact on print quality, printing device operators often replace image transfer blankets at regular intervals once the number of printed images increases beyond a certain threshold level. Furthermore, if blanket wear begins to cause defects on the printed images prior to reaching the threshold, device operators are likely to replace the image transfer blanket even sooner. Unfortunately, replacing image transfer blankets is expensive and reduces printer output efficiency because of the time involved in the replacement.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.

Ranking print jobs based on transfer media healthy area


In a music reproducing apparatus for converting audio data into audio data of different data format so as to reproduce it, gapless reproduction and cross-fade reproduction are performed in a switching manner, and generation of a noise at time of the gapless reproduction is repressed. When a reproducing section performs the gapless reproduction, a converting section performs conversion into PCM data to be reproduced latterly using a buffer used for conversion into the PCM data to be reproduced formerly. Further, when the reproducing section performs the cross-fade reproduction, the converting section generates a buffer different from the buffer used for the conversion into the PCM data to be reproduced formerly in a storage section, and performs the conversion into the PCM data to be reproduced latterly using the generated buffer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a music reproducing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A music reproducing program that allows a smartphone or a tablet PC to function as a music reproducing apparatus is present. The mainstream of audio data to be reproduced by the music reproducing apparatus is PCM data that is encoded by a PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) system in which a sampling frequency is 44.1 kHz and the number of quantum bits is 16 bits. In recent years, there have been DSD data that is encoded by a 1-bit DSD (Direct Stream Digital) system in which a sampling frequency is 2.8224 MHz (=44.1 kHz×64) as audio data. However, since a lot of smartphones that function as the music reproducing apparatus cannot directly reproduce DSD data, the music reproducing program occasionally allows the smartphones to convert DSD data into PCM data and reproduce the PCM data. The DSD data is converted into the PCM data by a low-pass filter process for converting DSD data into multi-bit PCM data of high sampling frequency (2.8224 MHz), and a thinning process for thinning out the multi-bit PCM data of high sampling frequency into PCM data of low sampling frequency (44.1 kHz). In the low-pass filter process, a buffer is generated for data delay.
JP 2007-179604 A discloses an apparatus for performing gapless reproduction for reproducing two audio data sequentially and seamlessly so that a soundless portion is not generated between an audio caused by the audio data to be reproduced formerly and an audio caused by the audio data to be reproduced latterly. Further, JP 9-282800 A discloses an apparatus for performing cross-fade reproduction for reproducing two audio data while performing fade-out and fade-in so that while an audio of the audio data to be reproduced formerly is being faded out, an audio of the audio data to be reproduced latterly is faded in.
In smartphones that cannot reproduce the above DSD data, DSD data should be converted into PCM data also in the gapless reproduction and the cross-fade reproduction. When the gapless reproduction is performed, a conventional music reproducing program generates a new buffer at the time of converting the audio data to be reproduced latterly separately from the buffer generated at the time of converting the audio data to be reproduced formerly. For this reason, a noise is generated between the audio of the audio data to be reproduced formerly and the audio of the audio data to be reproduced latterly at the time of the gapless reproduction.


There is provided a method and server for estimating an uncertainty parameter of a sequence of computer-implemented models comprising at least one machine learning algorithm (MLA). A set of labelled digital documents is received, which is to be processed by the sequence of models. For a given model of the sequence of models, at least one of a respective set of input features, a respective set of model-specific features and a respective set of output features are received. The set of predictions output by the sequence of models is received. A second MLA is trained to estimate uncertainty of the sequence of models based on the set of labelled digital documents, and the at least one of the respective set of input features, the respective set of model-specific features, the respective set of output features, and the set of predictions.

Improvements in computer hardware and technology coupled with the multiplication of connected mobile electronic devices have spiked interest in developing solutions for task automatization, outcome prediction, information classification and learning from experience, resulting in the field of machine learning. Machine learning, closely related to data mining, computational statistics and optimization, explores the study and construction of algorithms that can learn from and make predictions on data.
The field of machine learning has evolved extensively in the last decade, giving rise to self-driving cars, speech recognition, image recognition, personalization, and understanding of the human genome. In addition, machine learning enhances different information retrieval activities, such as document searching, collaborative filtering, sentiment analysis, and so forth.
Machine learning algorithms (MLAs) may generally be divided into broad categories such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning and reinforcement learning. Supervised learning consists of presenting a machine learning algorithm with training data consisting of inputs and outputs labelled by assessors, where the goal is to train the machine learning algorithm such that it learns a general rule for mapping inputs to outputs. Unsupervised learning consists of presenting the machine learning algorithm with unlabeled data, where the goal is for the machine learning algorithm to find a structure or hidden patterns in the data. Reinforcement learning consists of having an algorithm evolving in a dynamic environment without providing the algorithm with labeled data or corrections.
Generally, models in machine learning models are prone to errors and may output imperfect predictions, such as predicting a quantity in a regression problem that is different to what was expected, or predicting a class label that does not match what would be expected.
Many applications of machine learning depend on good estimation of the uncertainty: forecasting, decision making, learning from limited, noisy, and missing data, learning complex personalised models, data compression, automating scientific modelling, discovery, and experiment design.
In some fields, uncertainty estimation is critical: for example in medical diagnosis, MLAs may be used for automated cancer detection, or in autonomous vehicles, cars maneuvers may be directed based on obstacles detected by the computer vision algorithms. Thus, quantifying uncertainty, especially when sequences of MLAs are used, may be critical, but also difficult to perform, due to the propagation of the uncertainty between the models, which may cause the output prediction to be
Uncertainty may be divided into two types: aleatoric uncertainty, which is irreducible, and epistemic uncertainty, which is attributed to an inadequate knowledge of the model, and which may be reduced by adding or changing parameters of the model, adding or changing features used by the model, and gathering more data for training the model.
While some techniques have been developed to quantify uncertainty of a machine learning model, there is a need for quantifying uncertainty when a sequence of machine learning models is used.

Method of and server for training a machine learning algorithm for estimating uncertainty of a sequence of models


A photodetector includes: a silicon layer of a first conductivity type; a first semiconductor layer that is provided in the silicon layer, of a first conductivity type, and having an impurity concentration higher than a carrier concentration of the silicon layer; a second semiconductor layer provided on the first semiconductor layer, of a second conductivity type, and forming a pn boundary with the first semiconductor layer; a third semiconductor layer provided in the silicon layer, of a first conductivity type, having an impurity concentration higher than that of the silicon layer, and separated from the first semiconductor layer; a first electrode connected to the silicon layer; and a second electrode connected to the second semiconductor layer.

In recent years, as one of devices for realizing automatic driving, an in-vehicle light detection and ranging (LIDAR) has been developed. An in-vehicle LIDAR is configured to include a laser oscillator that oscillates an infrared laser, a scanning optical system that scans an infrared laser, a photodetector that detects infrared light reflected from a target, a control circuit, and the like. As a result, it is possible to identify a shape of or a distance from a faraway target. As a photodetector, a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) can be used.

Photodetector and light detection and ranging

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation


Computing apparatus includes a host processor, which runs a virtual machine monitor (VMM), which supports a plurality of virtual machines and includes a cryptographic security software module. A network interface controller (NIC) links the host processor to a network so as to transmit and receive data packets from and to the virtual machines and includes a cryptographic security hardware logic module, which when invoked by the VMM, applies the cryptographic security protocol to the data packets while maintaining a state context of the protocol with respect to each of the virtual machines. Upon encountering an exception in applying the cryptographic security protocol, the NIC transfers the data packet, together with the state context of the cryptographic security protocol with respect to the given virtual machine, to the cryptographic security software module for processing.

Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) is a network protocol suite that authenticates and encrypts data packets sent over a network. IPsec operates the Internet Layer (referred to generically as the network layer, or Layer 3) of the Internet Protocol (IP) suite, and can automatically secure applications and data transmitted in IP packets. IPsec uses cryptographic security services to support network-level peer authentication, data-origin authentication, data integrity, data confidentiality (encryption), and replay protection. IPsec also includes protocols for establishing mutual authentication between agents at the beginning of the session and negotiation of cryptographic keys for use during the session. The IPsec architecture and operational features are specified in a series of Requests for Comments (RFCs) published on line by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), include RFC 4301, RFC 4303, and RFC 4106.
Specific features of IPsec that are used in popular implementations include the following:                Authentication Headers (AH) are added to IPsec packets to provide connectionless data integrity and data origin authentication for IP datagrams, along with protection against replay attacks. The AH contains a 32-bit sequence number and an integrity check value. To protect against replay attacks, the sequence number is never reused in a given Security Association, and when it reaches its maximum value, a new Security Association is negotiated.        Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) is an encrypted payload format that provides confidentiality, data-origin authentication, connectionless integrity, an anti-replay service, and limited traffic-flow confidentiality. In Tunnel Mode, the entire original IP packet is encapsulated with a new packet header added, and ESP protection is applied to the whole inner IP packet (including the header), while an outer header for network routing remains unprotected.        Security Associations (SA) provide the algorithms and data that are used in deriving and negotiating the parameters necessary for AH and/or ESP operations between a pair of IPsec endpoints. A security association database (SAD) defines the parameters associated with each SA.
Because IPsec is computation-intensive, some authors have suggested offloading IPsec processing from the host processor to a network interface controller (NIC). For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,006,297 describes a method and system for combined security protocol and packet filter offload and onload. This patent describes a NIC that includes a security association database (SADB) comprising a plurality of security associations (SAs), a cryptographic offload engine configured to decrypt a packet using one of the plurality of SAs, a security policy database (SPD) comprising a plurality of security policies (SPs) and a plurality of filter policies, and a policy engine configured to determine an admittance of the packet using one of the plurality of SPs from the SPD and apply one of the plurality of filter policies to the packet.
As another example, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2010/0228962 describes offloading cryptographic protection processing of packet data sent according to a security protocol between a first computer and a second computer via a forwarding device. The forwarding device performs a portion of the processing, and forwards the packet data to a third computer, connected to the forwarding device, for other processing. The third computer may support non-standard extensions to the security protocol, such as extensions used in authorizing and establishing a connection over the secure protocol. The third computer sends the results of its processing, such as a cryptographic key, or a detected access control policy, to the forwarding device.

Offloading communication security operations to a network interface controller


A method for receiving receive data associated with a bi-directional data flow between a first host computer and a second host computer. The first host computer and the second host computer are coupled via a computer network. The method includes storing receive-facilitating parameters employed for the receiving the receive data in a first control block. The first control block is implemented in the first host computer and associated with the bi-directional data flow. The receiving the receive data is performed in accordance with the TCP protocol. The method also includes employing the receive-facilitating parameters in the first control block to facilitate receiving a given portion of the receive data at the first host computer from the second computer. In accordance with this embodiment of the invention, the receiving the given portion of the receive data occurs simultaneously with servicing a transmit request pertaining to transmit data associated with the bi-directional data flow from the first host computer to the second host computer. The transmit data is transmitted using transmit-facilitating parameters stored in a second control block implemented in the first host computer. The transmit data is transmitted in accordance with the TCP protocol.

The present invention relates to data communication using a computer network. More particularly, the present invention relates to improved methods and apparatus for transmitting data among a plurality of computer systems.
The use of the transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) to facilitate the transmission of information between two or more computer systems via one or more networks is well known. When a given networked computer wishes to exchange information with another networked computer, a bi-directional data flow is established to allow information to be transmitted from one computer and received by the other computer. Generally speaking, the information is broken into packets to facilitate the transmission process. The TCP/IP protocol suite ensures that the information to be transferred is properly segmented and sent from the transmitting computer as packets, as well as properly received and assembled into the complete data file at the receiving computer.
As is well known, the transmission control protocol (TCP) corresponds to the transport layer (layer 4) of the OSI reference model. The transmission control protocol offers, among others, stream data transfer, multiplexing, full duplex operation, segmentation and reassembly, and efficient flow control. The internet protocol (IP) is a network layer (layer 3) protocol that provides, among others, addressing information and some control information that enables packets to be routed. The IP protocol has two primary responsibilities: providing connectionless, best-effort delivery of datagrams to a network, and providing fragmentation and reassembly of datagrams to support data links with different maximum transmission units (MTU) sizes. Together, these two protocols form the core of the internet protocol suite that enables reliable delivery of data via a network.
When two computers communicate via a computer network using the TCP/IP protocol, a data structure known as a transmission control block (TCB) is typically employed to facilitate data transmission, segmentation, reassembly, retransmission, acknowledgement, and the like of datagrams in the bi-directional data flow between the communicating computers. The TCB is employed to track various parameters associated with the data transmit and receive process for a given data flow. Generally speaking, there is one transmission control block per data flow at each host computer system (i.e., the computer system involved in the communication at each end of a data flow). Each TCB is uniquely identified by its TCP source port, TCP destination port, IP source address, and/or IP destination address.
In the prior art, a transmission control block in a host computer is employed, for a given data flow, to facilitate both the transmission of data from that host computer and the receiving of data into that host computer. FIG. 1 illustrates this situation wherein a TCB 102 is employed to facilitate both the transmission and the receiving of data for host computer 104. Likewise, a TCB 106 is employed to facilitate both the transmission and the receiving of data for host computer 108. However, if a transmission control block is busy servicing a transmission request in a host computer, it is unavailable for use to facilitate the receiving of data in that host computer until the transmit task is finished. Accordingly, a bottleneck exists which limits the transmission bandwidth between the two host computers.
If the data transmission speed between host computer 104 and host computer 108 is relatively low compared to the speed at which data is processed within the host computers, this bottleneck may be tolerable. As the transmission bandwidth between host computers increase, this bandwidth bottleneck increasingly becomes a critical issue. As bandwidth approaches 1 Gbits/sec, 10 Gbits/sec, or even higher for enterprise networking, and up to 40 Gbits/sec or higher among network routers, it is clear that the bandwidth bottleneck needs to be resolved if TCP/IP is to remain a viable protocol suite for networking going forward.
In view of the foregoing, there is desired improved methods and apparatus for relieving the bandwidth bottleneck associated with the prior art transmission control block and for improving the data transmission speeds when two or more computers communicate using the TCP/IP protocol via a computer network.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus and methods for receiving data at high speed using TCP/IP


Provided is an artificial spinal disc including an upper disc formed in a plate shape with top coupled to an upper vertebra, a protruding joint portion protruding from a lower surface of the upper disc, and a lower disc formed in a plate shape with bottom coupled to a lower vertebra wherein the protruding joint portion is seated on an upper surface of the lower disc. According to the foregoing description, the artificial disc is implanted through the lateral or anterolateral approach to the spine, rather than the anterior approach, and such lateral implantation is straightforward.

In general, discs serve as cushions between vertebrae to absorb loads and impacts of the body applied to the spinal column. Discs distribute impacts like springs, hold the vertebrae not to move out of place, separate two vertebrae to prevent nerve compression in the neuroforamina in motion, and help each vertebra to move smoothly.
Meanwhile, since discs frequently absorb and transmit vertically applied loads and impacts, a variety of diseases associated with disc trauma can occur, such as spinal stenosis, osteophyte formation, disc herniation, and nerve root compression. One treatment method for diseases associated with discs involves removal of a damaged intervertebral disc, and implanting an artificial disc in the space between two adjacent vertebrae to restore the function of the spine.
The artificial disc generally should have a proper thickness and anatomic restoration to restore the original height of the intervertebral disc.
Meanwhile, as an example of a conventional artificial disc, Korean Patent No. 10-1964862 discloses an artificial disc for cervical spine including an upper plate, a lower plate and an elastic member, a first groove formed in the shape of a dome on the bottom of the upper plate to receive the top of the elastic member, a circular second groove formed on the upper surface of the lower plate to receive the bottom of the elastic member, a concave portion formed in the shape of a dome recessed downward from the second groove of the lower plate to prevent contact with the bottom of the elastic member, a plurality of upper slots formed on the upper surface of the upper plate in the horizontal direction to prevent anterior movement of the artificial disc, and a plurality of lower slots formed on the bottom of the lower plate in the horizontal direction to prevent anterior movement of the artificial disc.
However, the conventional artificial discs require an intricate manufacturing process due to their complex shapes, and often fail to effectively ensure spinal mobility after surgery.
Additionally, the conventional artificial discs are implanted by the anterior approach to the spine through the abdomen, and since the anterior approach involves abdominal insertion and implantation, the artificial disc passes through the main arteries and the main veins. Thus, there is an increased risk of damage to the major blood vessels during surgery. Furthermore, the implantable artificial disc may migrate forward, causing a serious danger to the vital structures near the spine.

Artificial spinal disc and artificial disc insertion method using the same


Disclosed are immunotherapeutic compositions and methods for preventing and/or treating hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection, including yeast-based HDV immunotherapeutic compositions and methods of use of such compositions to prevent and/or treat HDV infection and symptoms and sequela thereof.

Hepatitis D is a disease caused by infection with a small, circular enveloped RNA virus known as hepatitis delta virus (HDV). HDV was first discovered in 1977 (Rizzetto et al., Gut 1977; 18: 997-1003) and was later shown to be the infectious agent of a new form of hepatitis (Rizzetto et al., J Infect Dis 1980; 141: 590-602; Rizzetto et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1980; 77: 6124-8; Wang et al., Nature 1986; 323: 508-14; Mason et al., In: Fauquet C M, Mayo M A, Maniloff J, Desselberger U, Ball L A, eds. Eight Report of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. London: Elsevier/Academic Press, 2005; 735-8). It has been recently estimated that 15-20 million people are infected with HDV, which requires concurrent infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its life cycle, although this number may be underrepresented due in part to the lack of systematic screening for HDV infection in HBV-infected individuals (Pascarella and Negro, Liver International 2011, 31: 7-21).
Hepatitis D viruses are spherical particles that contain a core structure formed from an HDV genomic RNA that is complexed with about 70 molecules of HDAg (in both small and large forms) (Ryu et al., J Virol 1993; 67:3281-7). HDV is believed to enter the cell using the same receptor as HBV, utilizing the HBV envelope proteins as its outer coat. The envelope is comprised of approximately 100 copies of HBV surface antigen proteins (small, middle and large HBsAg). The large HDAg and HBsAg are sufficient to form virus particles, which are not infectious unless HDV RNA is also included, and small HDAg increases the packaging efficiency of the virus (Chen et al., J Virol 1992; 66: 2853-9; Wang et al., J Virol 1994; 68: 6363-71).
Once inside the cell, HDV uses host cellular RNA polymerases. Three RNAs accumulate during virus replication processes. The HDV genome is a circular negative single-stranded RNA of about 1672-1697 nucleotides (Radjef et al., J Virol 2004; 78:2537-44) and contains a ribozyme domain, spanning nucleotides 680-780, and a putative promoter site for HDAg RNA (Beard et al., J Virol 1996; 70: 4986-95). The antigenome, which contains the open reading frame coding for HDAg and a ribozyme domain (Sharmeen et al., J Virol 1988; 62: 2674-9; Ferre-D'amare et al., Nature 1998; 395:567-74) is the perfect complement of the genome and its replication occurs through RNA-directed RNA synthesis without any DNA intermediates (Chen et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1986; 83: 8774-8). The mRNA directs the synthesis of HDAg.
There is only one known protein encoded by the HDV genome, and it consists of two forms, a 27 kDa large (L) HDAg (HDAg-L or L-HDAg) (214 amino acids) and a 24 kDa small (S) HDAg (HDAg-S or S-HDAg) (195 amino acids). The proteins differ by about 19 amino acids at the C-terminus of the large HDAg. The N-terminus of the HDV antigen is responsible for nuclear localization signaling, the middle domain of HDV antigen is responsible for RNA binding, and the C-terminus is involved in virion assembly and inhibition of RNA assembly. HDAg-S is produced in early stages of the viral infection and supports viral replication. HDAg-L is produced later in viral infection, inhibits viral infection, and is required for assembly of viral particles.
HDV infection occurs only in individuals who are co-infected with a different virus, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and more specifically, only in HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive individuals. As discussed above, HDV requires the HBV HBsAg for particle formation and transmission, and so HBV is essential for HDV virion assembly and release. There are two primary known ways in which HDV infects an individual. In the first, called co-infection, HDV and HBV can simultaneously co-infect an individual as an acute infection, and this type of infection results in about 95% recovery of most persons, similar to recovery rates for acute HBV infection alone. The second type of HDV infection, which is more common, is "superinfection", where HDV acutely infects an individual who already has chronic HBV infection. In this case, the HDV infection progresses to chronic HDV infection in about 80-90% of individuals, and it is this chronic HDV infection that is the more severe form of the disease. Therefore, superinfection can be classified as the earlier acute HDV superinfection of a chronic HBV carrier or the later HDV chronic infection. A third, but controversial, form of potential HDV infection, called helper-independent latent infection, was initially reported in 1991, and was described as occurring during liver transplantation (Ottobrelli et al., Gastroenterology 1991; 101: 1649-55). In this form of infection, a patient's hepatocytes might be infected with HDV alone (e.g., during liver transplantation when HBV transmission is prevented by administration of hepatitis B immunoglobulins), but if residual HBV escapes neutralization, or the patient is otherwise exposed to HBV subsequently, the HDV infected cells may be "rescued". This form has been demonstrated in animal models, but such infection of human hepatocytes remains controversial.
Chronic hepatitis D is now considered to be the most severe form of viral hepatitis in humans (for a detailed review of the disease and associated HDV, see Grabowski and Wedemeyer, 2010, Dig. Disease 28:133-138; or Pascarella and Negro, Liver International 2011, 31: 7-21). Individuals chronically infected with HDV have an accelerated progression to fibrosis, increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, and early decompensation in the setting of cirrhosis. The disease may be asymptomatic or present with non-specific symptoms, and the diagnosis may only occur once complications appear at the cirrhosis stage of the disease. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels are persistently elevated in most patients and can be used to monitor the disease. Within 5-10 years, as many as 70-80% of chronic hepatitis D patients may develop cirrhosis (Rizzetto et al., Ann Intern Med 1983; 98: 437-41; Govindarajan et al., Hepatology 1986; 6: 640-4) and 15% within 1-2 years (Saracco et al., J Hepatol 1987; 5: 274-81). HDV infection may also accelerate the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
HDV infection is most prevalent in the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East, Central and Northern Asia, West and Central Africa, the Amazonian basin, Venezuela, Colombia and certain islands of the Pacific, although the virus is present and/or emerging worldwide (e.g., Russia, Northern India, Southern Albania, mainland China, and some Pacific Islands). HDV infection is parenterally transmitted, most typically through drug use or exposure to blood or blood products. Sexual transmission of HDV is less common, and perinatal transmission of the virus is rare.
Regardless of the mode of HDV infection, there is currently no good option for the treatment or prevention of HDV infection. The anti-viral drugs used to treat other viruses that infect hepatocytes (e.g., antiviral drugs for HBV or HCV), are not effective against HDV. Immunomodulatory drugs such as corticosteroids or lemivasole have not been effective (Rizzetto et al., Ann Intern Med 1983; 98: 437-41; Arrigoni et al., Ann Intern Med 1983; 98:1024), nor have thymus-derived peptides (Rosina et al., Dig Liver Dis 2002; 34: 285-9; Zavaglia et al., J Clin Gastroenterol 1996; 23: 162-3). This leaves interferon treatment (e.g., pegylated interferon-α; pegIFN-α) as the only presently approved treatment for HDV infection. However, it is known that HDV can interfere with IFN-α signaling in vitro and indeed, treatment of HDV with pegIFN-α suffers from treatment failures and low response rates. In one prospective trial, only 21% of the patients achieved HDV RNA negativity and only 26% had a biochemical response (Niro et al., Hepatology 2006; 44:713-20), and similar results have been obtained in other trials, where sustained response to therapy (cure) remains very low. Therefore, there is a need in the art for new prophylactic and therapeutic approaches for HDV infection.

Yeast-based compositions and methods for the treatment or prevention of hepatitis delta virus infection


A high intensity discharge lamp, in certain embodiments, includes a uniquely shaped shoulder and dimensions selected to reduce stress and associated cracking. The uniquely shaped shoulder has a variable diameter, such as, e.g., a cup-shaped geometry, a curved funnel-shaped geometry, or a conical-shaped geometry. The selected or optimized dimensions may include a tip-to-neck distance, a tip-to-wall distance, and an internal diameter of the lamp. The selected or optimized dimensions also may include a uniform wall thickness, an arc gap distance, and an electrode thickness. These dimensions and shapes are selected to reduce undesirably high maximum stresses and temperatures in the lamp. As a result, the lamp is able to provide higher performance with a longer life due to a decreased risk of stress cracking during rapid start up and steady state operation.

The invention relates generally to lamps and, more particularly, techniques to reduce the potential for thermal stresses and cracking in ceramic high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps.
High-intensity discharge lamps are often susceptible to crack formation and failure due to various stresses within the lamp. In certain applications, such as automotive, it is desirable to provide a quick start of the lamp. Unfortunately, this quick start subjects the lamp to severe thermal shock. For example, the quick start causes a rapid increase in temperature and hot spots within the lamp. In turn, the rapid temperature changes and hot spots (i.e., temperature differentials) often lead to the formation of cracks in the lamp. These cracks can reduce the performance of the lamp, and eventually lead to lamp failure. In addition, the liquid dose often penetrates into these cracks and further deteriorates the lamp performance and limits its life. For example, the liquid dose may be corrosive to the material (e.g., metal) in the vicinity of the cracks. These temperature differentials can have more significant effects on lamps with poorly designed geometries, interfaces, and so forth. For example, compressive or tensile stresses can develop in certain geometries and interfaces. Unfortunately, existing lamps often have geometries and/or interfaces that abruptly change, e.g., step from one diameter to another, along a length of the lamp. As a result, the severe thermal shock associated with a quick start of the lamp can lead to significantly higher stresses, hot spots, and susceptibility to cracking in the vicinity of an abrupt change in geometry and/or interfaces.

Ceramic high intensity discharge lamp having uniquely shaped shoulder


A sleeve adapted to be placed over a cable tie, in which the cable tie has an elongated flexible strap, a locking head coupled to the strap, and structure carried by the strap that is adapted to be engaged with the head to lock the strap and head together. The sleeve has an elongated body that defines an open-ended longitudinal cavity that is sized and shaped to accept the strap, so that the sleeve can be removably engaged along the length of the strap, and a pair of spaced protrusions extending from the body so as to define a receiving recess located between the protrusions and the sleeve body.

Cable ties are useful for quickly and securely retaining together two or more items, for example the conductors in a wiring harness. Several examples of cable ties are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,263,231; 5,440,786; and 5,615,455. In a general sense, many cable ties are essentially an elongated tongue with a tip at one end and a locking head at the other end. A series of ratchet teeth is located on the underside of the tongue. The locking head has an integral movable pawl that is hinged at one side of an opening in the locking head. When the tip is inserted in the opening and pulled through the head, the pawl engages with the ratchet teeth to prevent the tip from being pulled back out of the opening.
When a cable tie is used to hold a cable or a brake line or the like in place against another structure, the cable tie is tightened sufficiently for the needs of the situation. This causes a compressive force on the cable or line being held, which can compromise the cable or line. For example, if an electric or fiber optic cable is being held on the outside of a conduit or the like, the compressive force can pinch or tear the cable, which would compromise the cable's integrity. Also, cable ties are sometimes used to hold hydraulic brake lines in place against the underside of a motor vehicle. Flexing and vibration of the motor vehicle undercarriage causes a variation in the compressive stress placed on the line by the cable tie. This can cause the tie to pinch the line so as to cause leakage, or even a break, either of which is entirely unacceptable.


Provided is a material for an organic electroluminescence device having a specific structure in which a dibenzothiophenyl group or a carbazolyl group is bonded to a carbazolyl group at its N-position (9-position) directly or through a linking group. Further provided is an organic electroluminescence device including one or more organic thin film layers including a light emitting layer between a cathode and an anode, in which at least one organic thin film layer contains the material for an organic electroluminescence device of the present invention.

An organic electroluminescence device (hereinafter, "electroluminescence" may be abbreviated as "EL") is a spontaneous light emitting device which utilizes the principle that a fluorescent substance or a phosphorescent substance emits light by energy of recombination of holes injected from an anode and electrons injected from a cathode when an electric field is applied. Since an organic EL device of the laminate type driven under a low electric voltage was reported, many studies have been conducted on organic EL devices using organic materials as the constituent materials. The devices of the laminate type use tris(8-quinolinolato) aluminum for a light emitting layer and a triphenyldiamine derivative for a hole transporting layer. Advantages of the laminate structure are that the efficiency of hole injection into the light emitting layer can be increased, that the efficiency of forming exciton which are formed by blocking and recombining electrons injected from the cathode can be increased, and that exciton formed within the light emitting layer can be enclosed. As described above, for the structure of the organic EL device, a two-layered structure having a hole transporting (injecting) layer and an electron transporting light emitting layer and a three-layered structure having a hole transporting (injecting) layer, a light emitting layer, and an electron transporting (injecting) layer are well known. To increase the efficiency of recombination of injected holes and electrons in the devices of the laminate type, the structure of the device and the process for forming the device have been studied.
As the light emitting material of the organic EL device, a metal complex such as a tris(8-quinolinolato) aluminum complex, a coumarine derivative, a tetraphenylbutadiene derivative, a distyrylarylene derivative, and an oxadiazole derivative are known. It is reported that light emission ranging from blue light to red light in the visible light region can be obtained by using those light emitting materials, and a device exhibiting color images was realized.
A fluorescent light emitting material that emits light by means of a singlet exciton has been conventionally used as a light emitting material for an organic EL device. In recent years, the utilization of a phosphorescent light emitting material that emits light by means of a triplet exciton as well as the fluorescent light emitting material has also been proposed (for example, Non Patent Literature 1 and Non Patent Literature 2). An organic EL device using the phosphorescent light emitting material can achieve luminous efficiency three to four times as high as that of an organic EL device using only the fluorescent light emitting material because it is assumed that singlet excitons and triplet excitons are produced at a ratio of 1:3 upon recombination of electrons and holes in an organic EL device by virtue of a difference in spin multiplicity. In blue phosphorescent light emission, however, high efficiency and a long lifetime are hard to achieve, and hence the development of a host material that achieves the high efficiency and the long lifetime has been desired.
Patent Literature 1 proposes a compound in which two carbazole skeletons are bonded to each other through a linking group. Patent Literature 2 describes a compound in which two carbazole skeletons are bonded to one dibenzothiophene skeleton (for example, Compound 24). Patent Literature 3 describes a compound in which two carbazole skeletons and two dibenzothiophene skeletons are combined with one another (for example, Compound 21).
However, none of those literatures describes a compound having two carbazole skeletons bonded to each other through a linking group as required in which a dibenzothiophene skeleton or a carbazole skeleton is bonded to at least one of the carbazole skeletons at its N-position through a linking group as required.
Patent Literature 4 describes a compound (H-12) in which two carbazole skeletons are bonded to each other through an m-phenylene linking group and each of the carbazole skeletons is substituted at its N-position with a dibenzothiophene skeleton through an m-phenylene linking group.
However, the compound has a large molecular weight and is considered to have a large intermolecular force because its molecular skeleton is linear (one-dimensional). Accordingly, it is assumed that the compound has low sublimation property and hence requires a high temperature in its sublimation step or vapor deposition step, with the result that the step involves its thermal decomposition. Therefore, the compound is considered to be unsuitable as a material to be used in an organic EL device produced by employing a sublimation step or a vapor deposition step.
In addition, Patent Literature 4 intends to provide, for example, an organic EL device showing a small number of dark spots, a small leak current, and small light emission unevenness in the light emitting device. The literature does not reveal whether the organic EL device emits phosphorescence with high efficiency at a low driving voltage.
Further, Non Patent Literature 3 describes a compound (Compound 8) having two carbazole skeletons in which each of the carbazole skeletons is further substituted at its N-position with a carbazole skeleton at its 3-position. However, the compound has a low glass transition temperature because the compound has a long-chain alkyl group. In addition, it is assumed that owing to its molecular weight and an effect of the entanglement of its long-chain alkyl groups, the compound has low sublimation property and hence requires a high temperature in its sublimation step or vapor deposition step, with the result that the step involves its thermal decomposition. Therefore, the compound is considered to be unsuitable as a material to be used in an organic EL device produced by employing a sublimation step or a vapor deposition step.
In addition, a blue phosphorescent light emitting device using any one of the compounds described in Patent Literatures 1 to 3 has had an insufficiently low driving voltage, insufficiently high efficiency, and an insufficiently long lifetime.

Material for organic electroluminescent element, and organic electroluminescent element using same


Embodiments of a reusable straw caddy include a hand-held container and dispenser for a plurality of cleaned straight reusable drinking straws. The caddy provides top and bottom portions interlocked once the bottom portion has been filled with cleaned straws. Embodiments provide top portion windows or a translucent top portion giving the user a quick count on how many cleaned straws remain in the caddy as cleaned straws are dispensed. Embodiments of the reusable straw caddy can be manufactured by three-dimensional printing or injection molding.

In bars and restaurants, many people prefer to drink beverages or drinks using a straw. Similarly, many reusable drinking vessels are provided with drinking straws. Hence, the straw plays an active role in our daily life due to its high availability. Further, if the straw is a reusable straw, then a user or business needs to clean the straw before using it again. It is difficult to segregate and efficiently dispense cleaned reusable drinking straws without contaminating the cleaned straws. It would be a benefit, therefore, to have a reusable drinking straw caddy apparatus, system, and method that could segregate, hold, and dispense a cleaned reusable drinking straw.
State and local ordinances to eliminate the use of disposable or plastic straws are proliferating to improve the environment. Bar and restaurant owners are using non-disposable drinking straws manufactured principally from metal alloys safe for human use, such as stainless steel. These reusable non-disposable drinking straws are prone to bacteriological and moisture contamination which present a challenge to maintain an inventory of sanitary non-disposable drinking straws. Since the Covid-19 Pandemic, those establishments continuing to serve the public face an even higher priority to maintain the integrity of cleaned reusable drinking straws.
Once reusable drinking straws have been adequately cleaned within a bar or restaurant establishment, the reusable straws must be segregated from contaminated environments within the establishment and maintained in the cleaned state until the next use by patrons of the establishment.
Thus, there is a need for a cleaned reusable drinking straw apparatus that would provide a sterile environment to house the cleaned reusable drinking straws and that would dispense the cleaned reusable drinking straw for the next use by patrons of a bar or restaurant.
There likewise is a need for an apparatus to store cleaned reusable drinking straws and singularly dispense a cleaned straw for use with little or no contact by the server.
There likewise is a need for a simple, inexpensive, and durable hand-held apparatus for storing and dispensing cleaned reusable drinking straws.


A soy protein material having a very low isoflavones content and a high saponins content is produced by a process that involves removal, by adsorption, of isoflavones from a soy protein material obtained by removing fiber from soy flour or flakes. The soy protein material also has a high Nitrogen Solubility Index (“NSI”). The low isoflavones, high saponins soy protein material has at least about 55.0 wt. % protein, less than about 200 μg/g isoflavones of total dry matter and at least about 1000 μg/g soyasapogenols of total dry matter. The process for producing the low isoflavones, high saponins soy protein material involves removing fiber from a defatted soybean material and obtaining a liquor that is subsequently pasteurized. Next, sugars and other small molecular weight components are optionally removed from the liquor using membrane separation to increase the protein content of the final material. The resulting liquor or retentate is subjected to adsorptive removal of isoflavones, and is optionally pasteurized and spray dried.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a low isoflavones, high saponins vegetable material and a process for producing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
The benefits of soy protein are well documented. Cholesterol is a major concern with consumers throughout the industrialized world. It is well known that vegetable products contain no cholesterol. For decades, nutritional studies have indicated that the inclusion of soy protein in the diet actually reduces serum cholesterol levels in people who are at risk. The higher the cholesterol, the more effective soy proteins are in lowering that level.
Soybeans have the highest protein content of all cereals and legumes. In particular, soybeans have about 40.0 wt. % protein, while other legumes have 20.0–30.0 wt. %, and cereals have about 8.0–15.0 wt. % protein. Soybeans also contain about 20.0 wt. % oil with the remaining dry matter mostly carbohydrate (35.0 wt. %). On a wet basis (as is), soybeans contain about 35.0 wt. % protein, about 17.0 wt. % oil, about 31.0 wt. % carbohydrates, and about 4.4 wt. % ash.
In the soybean, both protein and lipid bodies are contained in the usable meat of the soybean (called the cotyledon). The complex carbohydrate (or dietary fiber) is also contained in the cell walls of the cotyledon. The outer layer of cells (called the seed coat) makes up about 8.0 wt. % of the soybean's total weight. The raw, dehulled soybean is, depending on the variety, approximately 18.0 wt. % oil, 15.0 wt. % soluble carbohydrates, 15.0 wt. % insoluble carbohydrates, 14.0 wt. % moisture and ash, and 38.0 wt. % protein.
In processing, soybeans are carefully selected for color and size. The soybeans are then cleaned, conditioned (to make removal of the hull easier) and cracked, dehulled and rolled into flakes. The flakes are subjected to a solvent bath that removes the oil. The solvent is removed and the flakes are dried, creating the defatted soy flakes that are the basis of all soy protein products. Despite the large number of products on the market, there are only three types of defatted soy protein products: flours, concentrates, and isolates.
Soy flours are the simplest forms of soy protein, having a protein content of approximately 50.0 wt. %. Simply grinding and screening the defatted flakes produces soy flours. This simple processing leaves the soy flour with many of the soybean's characteristics. The lack of processing also makes soy flours highly variable in terms of quality.
Soy flours and grits are still widely produced and are used most often in baked goods, snack foods and pet foods applications where the high flavor profile does not pose a problem. Textured soy flours were an early attempt at simulating or enhancing the texture of meat products. Texturizing does not change the composition of soy flours and reduces the flavor profile only slightly. Their primary applications are inexpensive meat products or pet foods.
Soy concentrates have at least 65.0 wt. % protein on a moisture-free basis. Soy protein concentrates are made by removing soluble carbohydrate material from defatted soy meal. Aqueous alcohol extraction (60–80% ethanol) or acid leaching (isoelectric precipitation) are the most common means for carbohydrate removal. In both aqueous alcohol extraction and acid leaching, however, essentially all of the protein is rendered insoluble. Protein solubility may be partially recovered in acid leach products by neutralization. Also, in aqueous alcohol extraction, the isoflavones and saponins are extracted into the alcohol phase, and are subsequently discarded. Thus, soy protein concentrates which are produced using aqueous alcohol extraction have at most only trace amounts of isoflavones and saponins. A myriad of applications have been developed for soy concentrates and texturized concentrates in processed foods, meat, poultry, fish, cereal and dairy systems.
Isolates are produced through standard chemical isolation, drawing the protein out of the defatted flake through solubilization (alkali extraction at pH 7–10) and separation followed by isoelectric precipitation. As a result, isolates are at least 90.0 wt. % protein on a moisture-free basis. They are sometimes high in sodium and minerals (ash content), a property that can limit their application. Their major applications have been in dairy substitution, as in infant formulas and milk replacers.
Isoflavones occur in a variety of leguminous plants and oilseeds, including vegetable protein materials such as soybeans. These compounds generally include daidzin, 6″-O-acetyldaidzin, 6″-O-malonyldaidzin, daidzein, genistin, 6″-O-acetylgenistin, 6″-O-malonylgenistin, genistein, glycitin, 6″-O-malonylglycitin, glycitein, biochanin A, and formononetin.
It has recently been suggested that the isoflavones contained in vegetable proteins such as soybeans may inhibit the growth of human cancer cells, such as breast cancer cells, prostate cancer cells and colon cancer cells. In addition, isoflavones also have been suggested to reduce cardiovascular risk factors, for example by reducing the levels of atherosclerosis inducing lipoproteins and low-density cholesterol and by increasing endothelial dependent vasodilation response. Isoflavones are also showing great promise in preventing osteoporosis and treating menopausal symptoms.
Isoflavone compounds have been associated with an inherent, bitter flavor in vegetable protein materials such as soybeans. In the commercial production of such protein materials, such as protein isolates and protein concentrates, the focus has been to remove isoflavone compounds. For example, in a conventional process for the production of a soy protein isolate, soy flakes are extracted with an aqueous medium having a pH above the isoelectric point of the protein to solubilize the protein. The extract containing the protein is separated from insoluble fiber materials to provide a protein extract. Most of the isoflavones are solubilized in the extract as well as the protein. The protein is precipitated by acid leaching, i.e., adjusting the pH of the extract to about the isoelectric point of the protein, typically between 4.2 and 4.6 for soy protein, with an acid. The precipitated protein is then separated from the extract. Much of the isoflavones remain solubilized in the extract following separation of the precipitated protein (curd) from the extract; however, some of the isoflavones are usually present in the precipitated curd. After separation of the precipitated protein curd from the extract, the extract and the isoflavones solubilized therein are usually discarded. Any residual isoflavones left in the separated protein are removed by exhaustive washing of the protein to ensure that the taste associated with the isoflavones is not present in the protein. Also, the foregoing washing process tends to remove saponins as well as isoflavones.
Problematically, isoelectric precipitation reduces the solubility of the proteins. Therefore, soy protein concentrates and isolates made using the foregoing process usually have low solubility, as indicated by their low Nitrogen Solubility Index ("NSI"), which is typically less than about 70%.
Soybeans contain about 0.5 wt.% saponins. Soy saponins have been the subject of investigation since the early 20th century. These compounds consist of a triterpenoid skeleton with various sugar and acetyl moieties. The current consensus is that soyasapogenols A, B, and E are true aglycons, while soyasapogenols C and D are artifacts of hydrolysis that occurs during the process of their isolation. The corresponding glycosides are the so-called "group A saponins," "group B saponins," and "group E saponins," respectively.
Soy saponins have been suggested to demonstrate anti-mutagenic properties that make them promising agents for cancer prophylaxis. Moreover, it has been suggested that group B soy saponins have exhibited pronounced suppressive effects on the replication in vitro of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The chemical structure of soybean saponins is very similar to that of the compound glycyrrhizin, a known anti-viral agent, so soy saponins show promise as building blocks for the synthesis of anti-viral pharmaceutical compounds.
Despite the cultivation and processing of very large quantities of soybeans, at the present time soy saponins are not a significant article of commerce due to the difficulty of isolating and purifying them.

Low isoflavones, high saponins soy protein product and process for producing the same


This invention discloses a method of coating an object while increasing the temper of an object to peak strength. The method of increasing the temper of the object to peak strength includes providing an object having a substantially homogeneous solution of a precipitate hardening composition; and applying an image atop at least a portion of the object, wherein temperature and time of applying the image provide peak strength in the object. The image may be applied to the object surface by dye sublimation. The object may be a vehicle wheel formed of aluminum.

The demand for aluminum wheels increases each year as automotive manufacturers move away from wheels that are fabricated from steel. The reason for the automotive industry's shift from steel wheels to aluminum wheels is driven by a variety of factors. For example, aluminum wheels are lighter than their steel counterparts and therefore contribute to the overall weight savings of an automotive vehicle. The decrease in overall weight increases the fuel economy and improves the performance and handling of the automotive vehicle. Additionally, many consumers feel that aluminum wheels offer superior aesthetic qualities over their steel counterparts.
The aesthetic characteristics of aluminum wheels are improved by surface treatment processes to the metal, such as fine machining and/or polishing or buffing. Once the metal is imparted with the desired finish and luster, it is then preserved by application of an protective coating. Technologies typically utilized for this protection consist of clear lacquers either in liquid or powder form followed by a thermal curing step in order to achieve full polymerization. In some instances, intermediate color coats are applied so that to further enhance the styling of the finished product.
In other instances, aluminum wheels are coated or decorated with an image or pattern to enhance the wheel's aesthetic qualities. The techniques used to coat or decorate the vehicle wheel are well known in the art. For instance, dye sublimation, ink jet printing, screen printing, pad printing, or specialized liquid/powder spraying may all be used to coat the vehicle wheel with the desired image. Typically, the metal substrate of a vehicle wheel is at peak strength (i.e. T6 temper) prior to being coated with the desired image. In order to reach peak strength, the vehicle wheel is usually subjected to a number of annealing steps after initial fabrication, such as solution heat treatment and aging. In combination with surface protection and decoration processes, these steps require time and power which ultimately leads to increased production and consumer costs. Therefore, there exists a need for a method to reduce the total number of annealing steps needed to fabricate a coated/decorated vehicle wheel having a T6 temper.


A display (3) displays a menu, and a centralized commander (5) has a central decision switch (6), a first scan switch (7) surrounding the decision switch and operable for an inching scan on the menu in a vertical direction, and a second scan switch (9) surrounding the first scan switch and operable for a traverse scan on the menu in a horizontal direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular interface between a vehicle driver or passenger and vehicle equipment, and in particular, to a vehicular interface allowing a dialogue therebetween.
2. Description of Relevant Art
Recent vehicles have various electric or electronic auxiliary equipment including, for example, a navigation system, an air conditioner, an audio or video system, and electrical appliances. They are provided with controls and elements for their operations, which are collected to a single operational module or equipment that serves as an interface between a vehicle driver or passenger and vehicle-mounted equipment.
Japanese Patent Application Laying-Open Publication No. 2001-294101 (hereafter referred to "Ref-1") has disclosed a vehicular interface of a dialogue concept including a display for visualized presentation of an operation menu, and a "centralized (i.e. single-localized and operation-commonized) combination of manually operable switching elements or controls" (hereafter called "centralized commander") as a common member having a central switch region for decision, and a peripheral switch region for directional inching scans in the operation menu.

Vehicular dialogue interface with centralized commander


A lightweight apparatus for driving windscreen of vehicles with having high rigidity is provided. An apparatus provided with front and rear guide rails 22, 23 that are mounted right and left in one pair on a vehicle body such as motorcycles etc., guide members 43, 44 moving in the front and rear guide rails, one pair of the right and left carrier plates 24 supported by guide members 43, 44 and fixed to the windscreen W, and the driving mechanism synchronously reciprocates the carrier plates 24. The driving mechanism comprises the control cables 14, 15, 16 which are wired like figure of 8, and the cable driving mechanism 17 that reciprocates the inner cable of the control cables.

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-159172    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-177668
In the Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a windscreen regulator for motorcycle that electrically switches the windscreen (wind shield) between the conditions of being tilted and being upraised in some degree is disclosed. In the Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 12, a sort of three point support type windscreen regulator 100 is disclosed, in which the right and left edges of the windscreen 101 are coupled to a vehicle body (not shown in the figure) through the link 102 and the center of the lower edge of the windscreen is rotatably coupled to the carrier plate 104 guided by the guide rail 103. The carrier plate 104 is supported by one above and under pair of the guide roller 104a which rolls in the guide rail 103 having C-shaped cross section, and reciprocated by the cable driving mechanism 106 through the control cable 105. The cable driving mechanism 106 is provided with the drum 107 rotated by the motor M.
In the Patent Document 2, as shown in FIG. 13, a windscreen regulator 109, which drives the right and left edges of the windscreen 101 up and down is disclosed, comprising one right and left pair of the guide rail 103, 103 and one right and left pair of a guide mechanism composed of the carrier plates 108, 108 slidably provided on the each guide rail.
Further, in the Patent Document 2, as shown in FIG. 14, a windscreen regulator 113 is disclosed. This regulator 113 comprises a curved guide rail 110 forming convexity downward, one pair of the front and rear carrier plate 111,112 slidably guided by the guide rail 110, and the windscreen 101 supported by the carrier plates. In this structure, since the guide rail 110 is curved, the angle of the windscreen 101 changes with the position of the carrier plate 111,112.
Furthermore, in the Patent Document 2, as shown in FIG. 15, a windscreen regulator 114 is disclosed. This regulator 114 comprises the upper and lower guide rails 110a, 110b (or four above and under, right and left guide rails) angled each other, the carrier plates 111, 112 supported slidably by the above and under guide rails, wherein these carrier plates support the windscreen 101.

Apparatus for driving windscreen of vehicles


A handlebar switch device for a saddled vehicle is provided in which a handlebar switch case and a handlebar grip that is disposed on an outside in a vehicle width direction of the handlebar switch case are mounted on a handlebar forming part of a steering handle. A sub switch case is supported on a stay that is selected from a plurality of kinds of stays that can be mounted on the handlebar at a fixed relative position with respect to the handlebar switch case while being adjacent to the handlebar switch case from an inside in the vehicle width direction. This enables a sub switch case to be additionally disposed without impairing the ease of operation of a switch of the handlebar switch case.

When an additional sub switch case is mounted on handlebars of a two-wheeled motor vehicle in addition to a handlebar switch case, an arrangement in which a mounting space is ensured on the outside in the vehicle width direction of the handlebar switch case by extending the handlebars with extension means and the additional sub switch case is fixedly disposed in the mounting space is known from Patent Document 1.

Handlebar switch device for saddled vehicle


Described is a method for forming a sieve material in which a sieve skeleton is thickened in an electrolysis bath with metal; in the bath as used at least one chemical compound is present having properties of both a first and second class brightener in such concentration and added with such a rate in view of the Ah (ampere hour) load that the internal stress in the finished sieve material is reduced in comparison to a sieve material produced in a bath comprising a conventional compound under conventional conditions. The invention also relates to a sieve material formed with the method described.

The present invention relates to a method for forming a sieve material by thickening a previously formed electrically conductive sieve skeleton by metal deposition in an electrolysis bath until the final thickness of the sieve material has been reached, one or more chemical compound(s) being present in the electrolysis bath used for the metal deposition having the properties of a second-class brightening agent.
Such a method is disclosed by EP-B1-0 038 104.
Said publication describes how a sieve skeleton is formed on a suitable matrix by electrolytic metal deposition. Said sieve skeleton is removed from the matrix and is thickened in an electrolytic metal deposition bath until a desired final thickness has been reached. During the thickening of the metal sieve skeleton, a chemical compound which has properties of a second-class brightening agent is present in the bath. For a description of such chemical compounds, reference is made to Modern Electroplating; 3rd edition John Wiley & Sons; 1973; page 296 et seq, and in particular, page 302 et seq.
The patent publication cited above describes how a less rapid closure by growth of the perforations in the sieve skeleton occurs in the presence of a chemical compound which has the properties of a second-class brightening agent since a preferred growth direction can be observed which is perpendicular to the plane of the sieve skeleton. In other words, in the presence of a chemical compound having properties of brightening agent of the second class, the sieve skeleton will exhibit less growth in the plane of the sieve skeleton (with reduction in size of the perforations) and more growth in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the sieve skeleton. On-checking, growth ratios of greater than 1.5 are observed. That is to say, the largest total growth perpendicular to the plane of the sieve skeleton is 1.5 times as great as the largest total lateral growth of a crosspiece in the plane of the sieve skeleton.
In view of the desired properties during the later use of the sieve material, it is often advisable to subject the thickened sieve skeleton material to an annealing treatment by heating said material under controlled conditions.
Such an annealing treatment is disadvantageous because it employs an additional treatment under controlled conditions and the Applicant has therefore searched for a method with which the need for such an annealing treatment is superfluous.

Method for forming a sieve material having low internal stress and sieve material so obtained


There is provided a telescoping boom system for an excavating apparatus which includes a linkage member having a pivot segment and lever segment pivoted about a rotating fixed boom. A first hydraulic cylinder is coupled from the fixed boom to the pivot segment. A second hydraulic cylinder is coupled from the lever segment to a retractable outer boom. The first hydraulic cylinder extends to rotate the pivot segment away from a proximate end of the fixed boom, thus forcing the lever segment to rotate towards the proximate end of the fixed boom. The second hydraulic cylinder retracts and combines with the extension force of the first hydraulic cylinder across the linkage member to provide a retraction force to the outer boom.

In the construction industry, it is often necessary to grade a surface for various reasons, such as paving, installing walkways, landscaping etc. It is also necessary to dig holes for foundations, basements, swimming pools and the like. Excavation which includes digging and grading is accomplished via an operating implement, such as a grading bucket, digging bucket, grapple, hammer, screening bucket etc., which is disposed at the outer end of a telescoping boom or a jointed boom.
Excavation using a jointed boom is accomplished via a backhoe. The jointed boom works well for digging because the jointed boom operates at a quick speed. However, the jointed boom is rather difficult to control for grading purposes. Thus, a separate bulldozer must be brought on site for grading.
An excavation apparatus 100 having a telescoping boom is known in the industry as a Gradall® which is depicted in FIG. 1 as a prior art reference. Gradall's® are manufactured and sold by Gradall®, New Philadelphia, Ohio.
A Gradall® typically contains a vehicle base 118 or frame which rolls on wheels or, for more difficult terrain, tracks 112. An operator sits in a cab 120 which is mounted to the vehicle base 118. The cab 120 typically rotates or swings horizontally on the vehicle base 118. A boom support member 132 is disposed off to one side of the cab 120.
The cab 120 rotates on a fulcrum disposed on the vehicle base, which allows the operator to rotate the telescoping boom to define the excavation stroke.
The telescoping boom includes a rotating fixed boom which is fixedly secured to a rotating plate within the boom support member. A worm gear, known in the art, turns the rotating plate thus rotating the fixed boom about its longitudinal axis, thus allowing the operator to define the grading angle.
The boom support member is fixedly secured to a pivot plate which pivots rotationally about the side of the cab. A pivot plate hydraulic cylinder controls such pivoting, thus adjusting the angle of the telescoping boom relative the plane of the earth, which either defines the angle of excavation or allows the telescoping boom to be removed from the excavation surface for rotation or movement.
An outer boom 146 extends and retracts within the fixed boom 144. The grading bucket is disposed at the end of the outer boom 146. An axially aligned hydraulic cylinder 111 controls the extension and retraction of the outer boom 146. Thus, the operator sets the cab 120 for the direction of the grading stroke, sets the pivot plate for the proper grading angle, extends the outer boom 146 the appropriate length, adjusts the worm gear to define the grading angle and then works the grading bucket and then retracts the outer boom 146 to finish the grade or dig.
The main problem with this telescoping boom is that it works too slow to be efficient for various tasks. The axially aligned hydraulic cylinder 111 that controls the extension and retraction of the outer boom contains a very long piston that must be moved the same length as the movement of the outer boom. Thus, the operation of the outer boom is slow.
Further, and more importantly, a large amount of hydraulic fluid must be moved to force the movement of the within cylinder. Moving such large amount of hydraulic fluid repeatedly during strokes builds up heat. The built up heat wears out the hydraulic cylinder and causes the hydraulic fluid lines to develop cracks.

Telescoping boom for excavating apparatus


A cutting tool insert and holder therefore, the drill insert having a helical geometry corresponding to helical flutes in a drill body holder which enable the drill tool assembly to more efficiently remove chips from a hole during operation, the drill insert comprising a drill insert body having a first end opposite a second end, a plurality of helical flutes formed in the drill insert body, a plurality of cutting edges formed at the interfaces of the plurality of helical flutes and the first end of the drill insert body, and an aperture formed in each helical flute.

Drilling systems are frequently used to provide cylindrical holes in metallic workpieces. The cutting or boring action of the drill system may be carried out by an elongated, substantially cylindrical drilling tool, such as a combination of a tool holder and a drill insert, which is selectively attached thereto such as the type commonly referred to as a spade-type drill. Such an arrangement may then be used in an application wherein one end of the tool holder is securely mounted in a driving apparatus, which rotates the holder about its longitudinal axis. At the opposite end of the elongated tool holder, the cutting insert engages the material to be cut. Alternatively, the workpiece may be made to rotate relative to the holder and cutting insert, such as in positioning the holder in the tail stock of a lathe or the like. Further, the tool and workpiece may be made to rotate relative to one another. The use of cutting inserts allows for quick changing of the insert upon wear of the cutting surfaces instead of the entire tool, and allows for one tool to be used for a variety of different boring applications by simply changing the insert and not the entire drill assembly.
One problem with prior art spade-type cutting tools is that insert is typically configured as a flat blade and the holder is configured with a straight flute. Even when used with flush channels through the holder, these types of drill assemblies are best suited for drilling shallow holes at relatively slower speeds due to their poor chip removal. Helical flutes are provided in typical twist drills to help in chip removal. Large helix angled flutes (often 20 degrees or above) are used for effective chip removal at high drilling speeds.
Attempts have been made in the prior art to combine the versatility and cost-effectiveness of the spade-type insert and holder with the benefits of helical flutes, however, these efforts have resulted in complex or inadequate blade retaining systems as well as complex shaped blades which negate the cost benefits of the replaceable blade insert. Other prior art attempts have combined a helical flute with a portion of a straight flute at the drill insert connection end in order to accommodate a flat drill insert. However in terms of chip removal, improved performance can be obtained if the helical flute is adjacent the cutting edges. In this prior art configuration, the chips are first transported by a straight portion resulting in loss of efficiency in removing chips and forcing a slower cutting speed for the tool. In addition, the straight cutting edge of the flat cutting blade does not typically dissipate heat as well as a curved cutting edge. If the point does not adequately conduct heat away from its cutting edges, the temperature buildup will "burn" the point and diminish the life of the drill bit. The heat generated at the lip of the drill point is directly related to the load and stresses the lip is subjected to. The more efficiently load stresses are dissipated, the less heat is built up at the cutting edge of the drill point.
Some prior art inserts have been developed with radially curved cutting edges. However, these prior art inserts are apt to direct chips directly into the clamp arms of the holder during operation of the tool. The clamp arms and the holder are made of a steel material that is significantly softer than the hard carbide material typically used to manufacture the drill insert. The chips impacting against the clamp arms erode and wear the clamp arms. This chip erosion of the clamp arms significantly reduces the life of the holder.
Therefore, there remains a need in the art for a drill insert tool that overcomes one or more or the disadvantages identified in the prior art.

Cutting insert with helical geometry and holder therefor