A spray can actuation device includes a body that is removably attachable to the top of a spray can. The body includes a handle and a valve actuation lever, operated by a trigger, that engages the push-button valve on the can when the trigger is pressed. A locking plate is pivotally attached to the forward portion of the body for movement between an unlocked position, in which the actuation lever is allowed to engage the valve, and a locked position, in which the lever is locked out of engagement with the valve. The forward portion of the body includes a rim that is engageable with the channel that typically surrounds the valve on such spray cans. The rim is formed by a pair of rim halves, each with a reduced-thickness side wall portion, and joined at the front by an interlocking connection, preferably a pin-and-socket joint. Each of the side wall portions has an aperture arrangement that increases the flexibility of the side wall portion without significantly degrading its structural strength or integrity. During the insertion of the rim into the channel, the rim resiliently flexes at the side walls, while the interlocking connection substantially prevents relative movement between the rim halves, thereby facilitating the attachment of the device to the can, and making the attachment more secure.

The present invention relates to a device for both holding a pressurized container, such as a spray can, and for actuating the valve of the container to dispense its pressurized contents. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improvement in such devices, whereby these devices can remain attached to a spray can with much reduced risk of an inadvertent actuation of the valve.
Spray can holding and actuation devices are well known in the art, as exemplified by the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,877,934--Wallace; 3,172,582--Belpedio; 3,189,232--Joffe; and 4,089,440--Lee. Further examples of such actuation devices are disclosed in the following British patent specifications; 1,163,978; 1,343,881; 1,487,719; 2,001,706 (published application); and 2,038,952 (published application).
Of the prior art spray can actuation devices, one of the more popular types has the general configuration of a pistol, as particularly exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,954--Brody; 4,805,812--Brody; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,474--Hutchinson et al. These pistol-shaped devices typically include a body that has a pistol-grip handle, and means on the front of the body for removable attachment to the top of a spray can, of the type having a push-button valve. The body carries a valve actuation member that is operably linked or connected to a trigger, the latter being situated with respect to the handle in a manner similar to the trigger of a pistol. The linkage between the actuation member and the trigger is such that when the trigger is squeezed or depressed, the actuation member is brought into operable engagement with the push-button valve, thereby actuating the valve to dispense the contents of the container.
The devices disclosed in the Brody patents add to this basic structure a mechanism for disabling or locking the push-button actuation mechanism. This locking mechanism comprises a locking plate having a portion pivotally connected to the body of the device adjacent to the attachment means, the plate having a notch dimensioned to receive the valve actuation member. The plate is pivotable between a first position in which it is out of the path of travel between the valve actuation member and the push-button valve, and a second position wherein the valve actuation member is received in the notch so as to be restrained from moving into engagement with the valve.
A further improvement was disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,954--Brody. A spray can actuation device in accordance with this patent includes a can retention lip or rim is configured for easier and more positive engagement with the channel surrounding the push-button valve on a spray can. More specifically, the lip or rim is configured with relatively thick front and back portions, connected by side wall portions having reduced-thickness flexure points, so as to be resiliently flexible. The front portion is provided with a pin-and-socket arrangement that gives increased rigidity to the front portion, so that when the rim is inserted into the can channel, front portion first, the front portion substantially maintains its shape and integrity while the side portions flex at the flexure points to allow the back portion to be inserted into the channel. By maintaining the rigidity of the front portion, while increasing the flexibility of the side wall portions, a more positive and secure locking engagement between the rim and the channel is achieved.
While the prior art spray can devices have added greatly to the convenience and safety of using spray cans, their widespread use has revealed the desirability of further improvements and refinements. For example, while devices constructed in accordance with the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,805,812 and 5,086,954 have achieved great commercial success, it is felt that further improvements would enhance their appeal and utility to the user.
One such improvement would be to provide greater flexibility in the side wall portions of the rim, thereby to facilitate the installation of the rim into the can channel. The natural inclination in this regard would be to minimize the thickness of the hinge sections of the side wall portions of the rim. There is a limit, however, to how thin these side wall portions can be made without seriously degrading their structural integrity and durability, leading to premature breakage. A further limit on the thinness of these sections is imposed by the plastic flow considerations in the injection molding process used to make these devices.
Thus, there has been a heretofore unresolved need to provide greater flexibility in the rim without seriously degrading its structural integrity or durability, and to provide such increased flexibility in a manner that can be easily accomplished with conventional injection molding techniques.

Spray can actuation device with improved can retention


Energy transfer elements having a shield to reduce EMI while maintaining a low profile are disclosed. In one example, the transformer may include a transverse shield wire that may be utilized to keep displacement current within the energy transfer element. While windings of the energy transfer element are generally wound axially around the axis of a bobbin in a direction generally perpendicular to the axis of the bobbin, the transverse shield wire may be placed on the bobbin extending over multiple power windings of the energy transfer element in a transverse direction. The transverse shield wire may be situated outside all other windings wound around the bobbin. In some examples, one end of the transverse shield wire may be coupled to a switching node of the energy transfer element while the other end of the transverse shield wire may be coupled to a winding of the energy transfer element.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to energy transfer elements and, more specifically, to energy transfer elements utilized with power converters.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many electrical devices, such as cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDA's), laptops, etc., utilize power to operate. Because power is generally delivered through a wall socket as high voltage alternating current (ac), a device, typically referred to as a power converter, can be utilized to transform the high voltage ac input to a well regulated direct current (dc) output through an energy transfer element. Switched mode power converters are commonly used due to their high efficiency, small size, and low weight to power many of today's electronics. In operation, a switch is utilized to provide the desired output quantity by varying the duty cycle (typically the ratio of the on-time of the switch to the total switching period), varying the switching frequency, or varying the number of pulses per unit time of the switch in a power converter. A controller may be utilized to provide output regulation by sensing and controlling the output in a closed loop. The controller may receive a feedback signal representative of the output and vary one or more parameters of the switch in response to the feedback signal to regulate the output.
The energy transfer element in the power supply, sometimes called a transformer or a coupled inductor, is an inductive component with coils of wire (also referred to as windings) which are wound around a structure called a bobbin. The bobbin provides support for the coils of wire and also provides an area for a core of magnetically active material (such as ferrite or steel) to be inserted so that the windings can encircle the core. The area around the bobbin where the windings can be wound is often referred to as the bobbin window.
During operation, the energy transfer element allows for the transfer of energy between an input side (also referred to as a primary side) of the power converter and an output side (also referred to as a secondary side) of the power converter. A winding utilized for power conversion is generally referred to as a power winding. In addition, the energy transfer element may include additional windings that may not take part in the power conversion function. A winding that may provide both shielding functions and power conversion functions, such as, for example, a bias winding (also referred to as an auxiliary winding), which provides a bias voltage to operate a component of the controller, is generally considered a power winding. A power winding coupled to the input side of the power converter is generally called a primary winding (or input winding) while a power winding coupled to the output side is generally referred to as a secondary winding (or output winding). Additional windings, such as balance shield windings and cancellation shield windings, are sometimes included in the general category of shield windings to distinguish these windings from power windings that are used for the power converter to operate.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of the various embodiments. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments.

Transverse shield wire for energy transfer element


A postal and package receptacle includes a main body that has an open top and a lid over the top that is movable between an open position and a closed position. The lid is moved from the open to the closed position upon receiving an open command via a wireless communication, whereupon a package can be placed in the interior of the main body. After a package is placed in the interior of the main body, the lid can be closed. A drone can be programmed to deliver a package to the postal and package receptacle and upon arriving at the location of the postal and package receptacle, the drone can communicate with the postal and package receptacle to issue the open and close commands, accordingly.

With the increasing popularity of e-commerce there has been a corresponding rise in parcel deliveries. For many people, receiving parcels has not changed; a delivery service vehicle hauls the parcel to a destination address and typically leaves the parcel at front door. The increase in such deliveries has likewise given rise to an increase in parcel theft, where parcels are stolen from the destination address before the intended recipient can take possession of the parcel. The thieves are indiscriminate, taking whatever package they find with no knowledge of what is inside the package. Sometimes the items stolen are inexpensive, sometimes they are valuable, and increasingly the packages can include medicine. The losses due to package theft are significant, with responsibility often falling on the merchant and/or delivery service. This has given rise to a secondary form of theft where the recipient fraudulently claims to have not received the package, resulting in a refund or a second item being shipped to the person.
As a result, merchants and delivery services have an interest in reducing package theft and fraud. However there have been few options that have been widely accepted. A common solution is to simply pay for a delivery box at a postal facility (government or private) that will receive deliveries and hold them for the customer. Some people have provided their own lock boxes for receiving deliveries at their residences, however, these are not standardized, and delivery personnel are not required to use them. They also don't solve the problem when multiple deliveries arrive on the same day since the first package to be delivered will be safely locked in the box, but subsequently delivered packages can then not be locked in the delivery box as it is then already locked.
At the same time, delivery services are looking at increasing their capacity in cost effective ways. Conventional delivery services use delivery vehicles to drive to each address/destination for packages. Packages can be grouped according to region/neighborhood and put on the same delivery vehicle. The costs associated with maintaining a fleet of road-going delivery vehicles is substantial. They require a competent driver, equipment to track packages, fuel, maintenance, licensing and other taxes, and insurance, among other costs. As a result, delivery service operators have been looking at aerial delivery using drone aircraft to deliver smaller packages. Drones have the potential to increase the volume of deliveries without increases in associated costs. However one concern with drone use is that they could make package theft easier as thieves can simply follow a drone to the delivery destination, and the lack of an actual human delivery person may embolden thieves to take packages.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.

Secure package receptacle for receiving drone deliveries


An apparatus for roasting coffee beans or the like includes a controlled spinning bed or fluid bed roaster in combination with a cyclone separator for removing chaff from the heating medium. The cyclone separator is disposed above and in coaxial and abutting relationship with the roaster. The separator has a generally cylindrical shape with a plate having a plurality of louvers in the base thereof. The louvers impart rotational movement as the heating medium passes therethrough so that the chaff can be removed therefrom. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a second centrifugal separator which is relatively small with respect to the first separator is disposed adjacent the first separator for making a final separation and returning the heated medium to the roaster.

In its simplest form, coffee roasting comprises heating a single bean to a prescribed temperature at which point chemical reactions occur that transform the bean into the desired state of pyrolysis. These reactions occur in the last part of the heating cycle. Thus, the residence time at the terminal temperature is crucial because a difference in a few seconds in heat-history can have a significant effect on the taste of the coffee.
The problem is that it is difficult to design a roaster that will roast several hundred pounds of beans at one time and to roast every bean evenly. Whether the process for heat transfer is from convection, conduction, radiation, or some combination thereof, the heat is absorbed in the first few layers of a bean bed. Therefore, it is desirable to establish some means for equalizing bean temperature throughout the heating cycle so that when the final roasting temperatures are approached, all of the beans will be close to the same temperature during the pyrolysis process.
The prior art is replete with attempts to obtain roasting uniformity. For example, various approaches for roasting coffee are set forth in the United States patent of Schytil, U.S. Pat. No. 2,857,683.
In the aforementioned prior art processes, the heating time to reach critical temperatures were considered to be relatively unimportant. For example, prior art processes typically roasted coffee beans for periods of six to twenty minutes. However, in recent years, it has been found that coffee beans expand more and result in lower roast bean density if the heating process is speeded up to where the total heating cycle is accomplished in as short a time period as possible consistent with acceptable product characteristics, preferably within 70-90 seconds. Further, it has been found that these light density beans, when ground, have increased extractable solids and wettability, thus yielding an increase in extractable solids. The result of fast roasting is that coffee processors can fill the traditional 16 ounce container with a much reduced weight of coffee that still results in an equivalent number of cups as 16 ounces resulting from a longer roasting process.
One approach to the more rapid roasting of coffee beans is disclosed in the U.S. patent of Brandlein et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,376. As disclosed therein, the beans have a residence time within the roaster for a period of much less than three minutes and perhaps less than 1.5 minutes. During roasting, the beans are subjected to a flow of heated gas which passes upwardly through a first foraminated container at a mass flow rate of at least ten pounds of gas per pound of beans. In that process, the depth of the expanded bed is less than 50% of the diameter of the container. Further apparatus for the fluidized bed roasting of coffee is disclosed in the U.S. patent of Sivetz, U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,175. The Sivetz disclosure also contains a survey of prior art fluid bed roasters.
A more recent approach for obtaining a rapid uniform roast is disclosed in our copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/463,557, which was filed on Jan. 11, 1990, entitled "Apparatus and Process for Conditioning Particulate Material" and which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
In essence, our earlier invention comprises a chamber for receiving a charge of coffee beans. The chamber has a generally circular base and an upwardly extending divergent wall defining a segment of a cone with a central axis and closed bottom. The divergent chamber wall preferably forms an included angle with respect to a horizontal plane of between 40.degree. to 85.degree. and also defines a plurality of openings in a lower portion thereof. Means are provided for inducing a mass of heated fluid generally tangentially into the chamber to rotate the coffee beans about the central axis of the chamber and for maintaining the rotating material in a relatively densely packed or controlled state during the heating thereof. During the rotation of the coffee beans, the chamber is stationary, i.e., it does not rotate about its central axis, so that there is relative movement between the rotating material and the stationary chamber. In addition, there is also vertical and radial movement of the coffee beans with respect to the chamber. There is also horizontal shearing within the spinning bed caused by beans near the bottom of the chamber moving faster relative to the beans near the top of the chamber.
Coffee roasters in accordance with our earlier invention uniformly roast batches of coffee very rapidly with an efficient use of energy. They also provide conditioning, cooling, heating and roasting apparatus which are relatively flexible, competitively priced, relatively simple in operation, free of complexity and easy to operate and maintain. In addition, such roasters occupy a relatively small area and can be rapidly converted to operate under different conditions in a job shop type of operation while fulfilling most of the requirements for food processing. Such roasters are referred to hereinafter as controlled spinning bed roasters or spinning bed roasters and are distinguished from fluid bed roasters even though both use a heated fluid such as air for transferring heat to the beans.
The commercial roasting of coffee beans generates a relatively large amount of chaff and other debris during the roasting process. This chaff and other debris becomes entrained in the heating medium, i.e., hot gas, and is typically carried downstream from the roaster to a separate cyclone separator. There are several problems associated with this approach. For example, the mixture of hot gas and chaff is flammable and, as the chaff is further reduced in size as it is transferred to the separator, may form an explosive mixture. In addition, because the separator is located downstream from the roaster, ducting and fittings are required to connect the two. This ducting increases the internal surface area that is exposed to the hot gas and chaff and subsequently becomes fouled with condensed smoke and chaff particles. If this fouling is allowed to build up, a fire hazard is created. Hence, periodic removal is required and is typically accomplished by burning out the roaster, i.e., bringing the entire loop up to a high temperature (perhaps 750.degree. F.) and holding until all deposits are reduced to ash. The larger surfaces, such as the roaster to separator ducting and separate cyclone surfaces, require more energy to overcome losses to the environment, both during roasting and burnout, even though the ducts are insulated. Further, a torturous path through elbows tends to amplify local deposits. Associated with the increased ducting is also an increased internal volume of the roaster loop. As smoke is generated during the roasting process, the greater the volume of smoke retained in the loop, the greater the destructive energy should the smoke ignite and cause an explosion.
It has now been found that an improved apparatus in accordance with the present invention overcomes many of the problems associated with the prior art devices. For example, it is now believed that the improved apparatus disclosed and claimed herein minimizes the likelihood of fire and/or explosion by reducing surface area for fouling and decreasing internal volume, lowers energy requirements by minimizing surface area exposed to the ambient environment, facilitates the handling and removal of chaff from the hot gas, reduces space requirements because roaster and separator are now integrated, results in a simpler design, saves floor space and lowers machine cost because a separate cyclone with its attendant support structure, extra duct work, extra insulation and thermal expansion joints between it and the roaster are eliminated.

Apparatus for roasting coffee beans or the like


A cathode active material including at least two agglomerates of primary particles and a cathode and a lithium secondary battery containing the same are disclosed. In the cathode active material, a secondary particle includes a nickel-based lithium transition metal oxide, an average particle diameter of each primary particle is in a range from about 2 to about 3 μm, and an average particle diameter of the secondary particle is in a range from about 5 to about 8 μm.

1. Field
This invention relate to a cathode active material, a method of preparing the cathode active material, a cathode and a lithium secondary battery including the same
2. Description of the Related Technology
With the trend toward compact and high-performance devices, manufacturing of lithium batteries that are small, lightweight and have high energy densities have become important. The stability of lithium batteries at high capacities, high temperatures, and high voltages is an important concern especially for applications in electric vehicles.
A variety of cathode active materials has been considered to produce a lithium battery for those applications.
The Nickel-based lithium transition metal oxides materials, which include nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and manganese (Mn), can provide high discharge capacity per unit weight, as compared with LiCoO2. However, the nickel-based lithium transition metal oxides materials have a low mixture density and low capacity per unit volume. Thus, the nickel-based lithium transition metal oxides used in cathodehave low discharge capacity in a lithium secondary battery. In addition, when the lithium secondary battery is manufactured and operated at a high voltage using the nickel-based lithium transition metal oxides materials, stability of the lithium secondary battery may also be problematic.
Therefore, to provide a lithium secondary battery of high capacity, a method that can increase the mixture density and thermal stability of the nickel-based lithium transition metal oxides and increase the mixture density of a cathode is needed. In addition, a method that can increase the lifespan and battery stability when used at high voltage is necessary.

Cathode active material, method of preparing the cathode material, cathode, and lithium secondary battery including the same


In an antenna coupler, a multilayer printed-circuit board has conductor levels which are electrically isolated from one another in the depth direction. A first radio-frequency line coupled to the antenna is arranged in a first conductor level, while a second radio-frequency line coupled on the appliance side is arranged in a second conductor level of the board. The board has an electrically insulating core layer, with the first and second conductor levels extending on the same of the two faces of the core layer and with the second radio-frequency line at a greater distance from the core layer than the first radio-frequency line. Furthermore, the second radio-frequency line is arranged on an outer surface of the board. The antenna coupler comprises an electrically conductive shielding structure designed to shield the first radio-frequency line and appliance-side metal parts, which are not part of the antenna coupler, against interaction with radio-frequency signals.

In many technical appliances which contain a radio-frequency transmitter or receiver and at the same time have a high-voltage with respect to ground (mains voltage) conductively applied to them, an antenna is intended to be connected via a coaxial cable. The corresponding antenna and the coaxial cable must be galvanically isolated from the appliance since there would otherwise be a lethal danger if they were touched.
Until now, the problem has been solved, for example by two dipole antennas arranged parallel in the appliance, although this results in a high continuity attenuation of at least 6 dB for the useful signal, because of the undesired radial emission. The output power was fed into a coaxial cable in order to be passed on to a remote antenna.
Known decoupling using capacitors (U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,391) has either a low dielectric strength (1 kV) or a high continuity attenuation, since capacitors have to be physically large for a high dielectric strength, and this has a negative effect on the attenuation, because of the high inductive reactance and the undesirable emission.
It is known from the document U.S. Pat. No. 7,545,243 that line structures are suitable for galvanic decoupling.
However, one disadvantage of this known solution is likewise the low dielectric strength.


An inoculation system for a bee hive having a hive opening includes (a) a body mountable to the hive intermediate the hive opening and an outside environment external the hive, (b) a bee pathway in the body for providing passage between the hive opening and the outside environment when the body is mounted to the hive, (c) a removable cartridge installed in the body and having a cartridge chamber storing an inoculum, and (d) an automatic inoculum dispenser in the body. The dispenser is operable to controllably dispense the inoculum from the cartridge chamber into the bee pathway to dust bees passing through the bee pathway with the inoculum.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,702 (Reed) discloses an apparatus for coating honey bees with pollen for improving pollination of plant blossom by said honey bees. The apparatus includes an automatic feeder device which automatically deposits pollen at the required rate into a trough through which honey bees walk as they leave a beehive.
U.K. Pat. No. 1,470,385 (Legge) discloses a dispenser, suitable for applying a coating substance, e.g. pollen or antibiotic compound to bees emerging from a hive, comprising an inverted bottle, containing the coating substance and mounted above a channeled shoot in a hopper, at the base of which is a horizontal roller with a surface array of conical depressions. Removal of a seal by a manual slide results in the coating substance being released into the hopper and distributed in a fine curtain from the rotating roller.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,357,752 (Collinson et. al.) discloses a tray for positioning in an exit path of a bee hive including a base, a bee entrance end, and a bee exit end. Spaced apart side walls extend upwardly from the base. The sidewalls extend generally lengthwise between the bee entrance end and bee exit end. A plurality of posts extend upwardly from the base and are positioned between the bee entrance end and the bee exit end. The posts are generally circular in cross-section. The posts act as obstacles around which the bees must walk to reach the bee exit end from the bee entrance end.

Inoculation systems for bee hives and related methods


A method for producing carbon fiber reinforced resin molded article of the present invention includes press-molding a mixture-made body including carbon fiber and thermoplastic resin to produce the article that is composed of CFRP.

A carbon fiber reinforced resin molded article (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "CFRP") is a breakthrough light weight material having excellent specific rigidity and specific strength as compared to a metal material, such as a steel material. However, since the producing cost is high, it is difficult to use as a material for general purpose. Therefore, it is highly desirable to reduce the price of a CFRP.
An autoclave method and a resin transfer molding (RTM) method are known as methods for producing the CFRP as described above. However, these producing methods employ sheets of woven fabric or non-woven fabric or the like made from carbon fiber, and, since it is difficult to stretch the carbon fiber sheets as described above, it is difficult to mold them. Due to this, a significant number of steps and considerable amount of time are required, and thus it is difficult to reduce the price of a CFRP.
Moreover, it is also possible to produce a CFRP by an injection molding method. However, when normal pressure is employed for injection, then it is necessary to shorten the carbon fiber, and it is only possible to obtain a CFRP with low mechanical strength. In order to compensate for this poor physical property, the thickness of the CFRP must be increased by using more material. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve both increase of mechanical strength and price reduction of a CFRP with the injection molding method.
As a producing method that can achieve both the mechanical strength and the price reduction of a CFRP, there is a Long Fiber Thermoplastic Direct (LFT-D) method.
The LFT-D method is a method for producing a LFT-D mixture-made body (a compound of thermoplastic resin and carbon fiber. Hereinafter sometimes referred to as "COMPOUND"), in which continuous carbon fiber wound around a bobbin are introduced into a kneading machine together with thermoplastic resin, and the carbon fiber are cut into appropriate lengths by the shearing force of screws while the resin is incited and kneaded.
By performing press-molding before a compound produced by the LFT-D method cools down to obtain a molded product, there is no requirement to employ an intermediate base material such as a prepreg or a preform, unlike the conventional typical CFRP method.
Accordingly, it makes a simple molding, in which a COMPOUND is simply pressed, possible, so that it is possible to reduce the cost of a CFRP.
In JP2012-148443A (Patent Document 1) discloses a method of producing a fiber reinforced resin material having a ribbed structure by mounting ribs that is obtained by press-molding a mixture-made body to which the LFT-D method is applied upon a panel that is obtained by press processing of a resin material formed from a fiber material and thermoplastic resin, followed by further performing press processing to integrate the panel and the ribs together.
Furthermore, according to the producing method described above, it is described that sink marks that may occur on the surface of the panel on its opposite side from its surface to which the ribs are attached can be effectively eliminated.

Method for producing carbon fiber reinforced resin molded article, and apparatus for producing carbon fiber reinforced resin molded article

Abstract: The method further includes perforating pores into the mixture-made body, before press-molding mentioned above.

Abstract: As, in perforating, at least the pores are formed so as to penetrate through a hardened part of a surface of the mixture-made body, the article made of the CFRP that does not have poor appearance, such as whitening or marble pattern, can be produced.


In one aspect, the present invention provides a method of treating breast cancer that is negative for at least one of ER, PR, or HER2, comprising administering to a subject at least one PARP inhibitor. In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of treating breast cancer comprising administering to a subject at least one PARP inhibitor in combination with at least one anti-tumor agent.

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by aberrant control of cell growth. The annual incidence of cancer is estimated to be in excess of 1.3 million in the United States alone. While surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormones are used to treat cancer, it remains the second leading cause of death in the U.S. It is estimated that over 560,000 Americans will die from cancer each year.
Cancer cells simultaneously activate several pathways that positively and negatively regulate cell growth and cell death. This trait suggests that the modulation of cell death and survival signals could provide new strategies for improving the efficacy of current chemotherapeutic treatments.
Breast cancer is generally treated with a combination of surgery to remove the cancerous lesion and adjuvant therapy—radiation, chemotherapy or both—to attack any cancer cells that may be left after the surgery. Breast cancer can be classified broadly by the presence or absence of hormone receptors (HRs). Hormone receptor positive (HR+) cancer is characterized by the expression of one or both female hormone receptors—estrogen receptor (ER) or progesterone receptor (PR). Adjuvant therapy for ER+ breast cancer often includes chemotherapy with a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), such as tamoxifen or raloxifene. Unfortunately, while about 70% of breast cancers are ER positive, the remaining 30% of breast cancers that are HR negative are not amenable to treatment with SERMs. Accordingly, other adjuvant chemotherapies, such as treatment with an anthracycline (alone or in combination with a taxane) have been tried on ER negative breast cancer.
Treatment with anthracycline is limited by lifetime dosing limits based on cardiotoxicity concerns. Treatment with gemcitabine and carboplatin is an established combination chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer patients—whether taxane-naïve or taxane-pretreated. Platinum agents have demonstrated promising antitumor activity in basal-like locally advanced breast cancers. DNA damaging agents have promising antitumor efficacy against basal-like breast cancer because of defects in DNA repair pathways inherent in these breast cancers.
Despite the availability of antimetabolites such as gemcitabine and platinum complex agents such as carboplatin, there is no accepted standard of care for ER negative breast cancer. In particular, triple negative metastatic breast cancer (i.e. breast cancer that is ER negative, and/or PR negative, and/or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative) is refractory to standard treatments and is entirely refractory to SERM chemotherapy. There is thus a need for an effective treatment for cancer in general, and especially for triple negative metastatic breast cancer.
Although there are limited therapeutic options for cancer treatment, variants of cancers, including triple negative breast cancer, are especially difficult because they can be refractory to standard chemotherapeutic or hormonal treatment. There is thus a need for an effective treatment for cancer in general, and cancer variants in particular.

Treatment of breast cancer with a PARP inhibitor alone or in combination with anti-tumor agents


A septic system tank vertical wall has vertically overlapping grooved rings having specific diameters for receiving existing sealing couplers for septic system pipe. One wall of the groove has portions at different angles from the wall. The grooves are at the same depth and discontinuous at their intersections.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to underground septic system tanks such as a distribution tank, fluid separator tank, and settling tank, that is adapted for burial directly in the soil, which is connected by pipe to other elements of the septic system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A septic system underground tank is cast with permanent lateral openings or holes for receiving septic system pipe. For various reasons including accessability, water table, and local rules, the tank must be buried at a specific depth, and the pipe must be attached to the tank at a specific depth. This means that the tank has to be ordered with the holes at a specific height between the top and the bottom of the tank. Alternatively, the tank can be purchased without any holes, and holes have to be cut through the side at the construction site. The later choice is time and labor consuming, requires additional on-site tools and carries with it the chance of damaging the tank. An example of a Prior Art tank is described in FIG. 1 below. A septic system underground tank with seal apparatus for it, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,036 patented May 5, 1987 by Strobl, Jr. et al.


There is provided a watchband connected to a watch main body. The watchband has a first block, a second block, a connecting pin, an end piece, and a fixing pin. The first block has a first bridge with a first pinhole, and a clamping member disposed in the first pinhole. The second block has a holder that is disposed parallel to the first bridge and has a blind hole, and a second bridge having a second pinhole. The connecting pin extends from the blind hole to the first pinhole and is held with a specific clamping force by the clamping member. The end piece is disposed parallel to the second bridge and is adjacent to the watch main body. The fixing pin extends from the second pinhole to the end piece and connects the second block with the end piece.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a watchband and a watch, and particularly relates to a watchband and watch wherein a plurality of blocks is connected by pins.
2. Background Information
Bands for watches are commonly known wherein the holder of a block comes in contact with the bridge of another block. These blocks are disposed in continuous fashion along the two edges of a band. One end of a connecting pin is connected to one block having a holder. The other end is inserted into a blind hole of another block having a holder through a pinhole in the bridge of the block. The blocks are sequentially connected to each other, and the block connected to an end piece is connected to the end piece by a fixing pin at the connection section of the end piece (see Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Application No. 2-33616).
In such a configuration, if tools are used, for example, to release the fixing pin and to disengage the connection between the end piece and the block, the connection between the block and another block can be easily disengaged without using special tools because the connection is made using a connecting pin. Therefore, the operation of assembling the band or adjusting the length of the band can be performed in an extremely simple manner.
However, in a conventional configuration, the other end of the connecting pin for connecting the blocks to each other is loosely fitted in the blind hole of a block having a holder, so when the watchband is lifted up while the block with the blind hole faces downward in a state in which the fixing pin has been released as described above with the use of tools, for example, problems have been encountered in that the blocks having a blind hole come off the other end of the connecting pin, and the blocks come loose.
It will be clear to those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present invention that an improved watchband is necessary because of the above-mentioned considerations. The present invention meets the requirements of these conventional technologies as well as other requirements, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure hereinbelow.


A method in a cache node (30) of a network comprises monitoring a secure data stream being received at the cache node from a server node, and detecting from one or more data chunks of the secure data stream that the secure data stream contains a data object that has been previously received and cached at the cache node, and sending a notification signal to the server node that the data object has been previously cached. The method may further comprise receiving one or more encryption header portions (e.g. TLS headers) from the server node, inserting a previously cached data chunk corresponding to each of the one or more encryption header portions into the data stream, and sending the data stream to a client device.

With the increasing use of software applications (referred to as "apps") designed to run on smartphones, tablets and other mobile device, users are increasingly interacting with their smartphones to access content from service providers. Accessing such content can typically be slow when applications need to contact a server to obtain information. As an example, a Facebook™ application may be fast when scrolling is undertaken, but when a feed is to be updated, a message saying "updating . . . " may appear for several seconds before the feed updates. Another example is a bank application whereby the user interface may be quick and responsive within the application itself, but as soon as the user tries to access his or her transactions, several seconds will lapse before the information is actually shown on the screen.
The latency experienced by the user can be divided into three categories: latency that comes from execution speed on the user device itself, latency that comes from the wireless network, i.e., the Radio Access Network (RAN), and latency that comes from the network connecting the RAN with the providers of services, e.g., internet. The first type of latency can be more or less eliminated by using a well programmed native application on the device. In the case of a web application the JavaScript code will execute somewhat slower but should still not be generating latencies that are in the order of seconds. The latency for the wireless network can be significant, but modern wireless access technologies have greatly reduced latencies. The remaining latency is that of the Internet itself, i.e., the round-trip-time from the cellular network to the server that hosts the content or provides a service and back to the cellular network again. As wireless access technologies have become faster, the Internet latency is starting to dominate.
Caching of data being streamed is a technology that may be used to speed up web site access and reduce network usage, for example by caching certain sections of the web sites being accessed, or caching streams of data that are accessed on a frequent basis.
However, it is becoming increasingly more common to encrypt web traffic, for example using secure communication protocols such as transport layer security, TLS. At present, this makes caching of content impossible. This presents a problem for operators that have caching proxies, since the TLS traffic will increase the load on the existing networks, and all traffic will be seen as noise, such that no optimization or caching can take place.
Content providers (or the origin sites) have a preference to use TLS since it allows them to have better control of the traffic sent to, or received from their customers. Third parties are unable to interfere with the traffic since it is encrypted, for example digitally signed, and therefore any manipulation of the traffic breaks the security immediately.
With increasing numbers of sites changing to use encryption, this is creating a problem for operators, since existing caching technologies, such as transparent internet caching (TIC) is no longer able to work with the streaming of encrypted data. This threatens to make operators effectively bitpipe content providers, or to depend on other players to provide content delivery network (CDN) solutions.


Canola seed treated with spinosad controls flea beetle.

The importance of using an insecticide seed treatment for protection against flea beetles in canola production is well known. (see, e.g., Knodel et al. 2006 Insecticide Efficacy against Flea Beetles on Canola Trial A., www.ag.ndsu.edu/archive/langdon/06data/fbsyngenta06.pdf). HELIX® (thiamethoxam), GAUCHO®600 (600 g/L imidacloprid), and PONCHO®600 (600 g/L clothianidin) insecticide seed treatments are registered for use on canola.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,583,088 discloses use of spinosad for treating seed and plant propagation material.
There remains a need for insecticide seed treatments for canola seed that provide improved performance.

Canola seed treatment composition and method


An audio signal processing apparatus has a plurality of channels for controlling a plurality of audio signals. In the apparatus, a volume setting unit sets volume parameters of the plurality of channels. A group generation unit determines a plurality of groups each including one or more channels among the plurality of channels. An attenuation setting unit sets an attenuation amount for each group. An on/off setting unit sets each group to either an on-state or an off-state. A plurality of volume controllers control the plurality of channels, a volume controller of each channel, which belongs to a group in the off-state, controlling a level of the channel and a volume controller of each channel, which belongs to a group in the on-state, generating a volume value by attenuating the volume parameter set to the channel by the attenuation amount set to the group and controlling a level of the channel.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio signal processing apparatus capable of simultaneously muting audio signals of channels belonging to one group among a plurality of channels which process audio signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
A digital mixer is known which is used to adjust voice signals in recording of music or at concerts. A conventional digital mixer has a mute master function.
The mute master function simultaneously switches mute on/off states of all channels belonging to a mute group. A mute group is a group composed of an arbitrary input channel and an arbitrary output channel. An input channel and an output channel can exist together in one mute group. A plurality of channels which needs to switch their mute on/off states is grouped into one mute group. For example, eight mute groups 1 to 8 can be generated, and a mute group is generated depending on a scene using the mute group. Examples of the mute group include a mute group including all channels, a mute group including channels muted during a talk or applause inserted in a song, etc.
In the mute groups 1 to 8, an input channel/output channel is allocated to a selected mute group by pressing a [SEL] key provided to a channel strip of the input channel/output channel. Subsequently, when one of mute group master buttons 1 to 8 is pressed, mute on/off states of all channels belonging to the corresponding mute group are inverted.


A medical device comprising a shaft having a kink radius; a tube disposed within the shaft; a fluid source in fluid communication with the tube; an elongate member disposed within the tube, and the elongate member imparting a kink radius on the tube, the imparted kink radius of the tube being larger than the kink radius of the shaft.

Many medical procedures are performed using minimally invasive surgical techniques, wherein one or more slender implements are inserted through one or more small incisions into a patient's body. Catheters are increasingly used to access remote regions of the human body to deliver diagnostic or therapeutic agents or for the treatment of biological tissue. Catheters which use the cardiovascular system as the pathway to a treatment site, for example, are especially practical.
In many applications, the catheter delivers therapeutic agents or applies energy-based principles to the tissue based on the transfer of fluid through the catheter. In tissue ablation, for example, the surgical implement is a catheter that can include a rigid or flexible structure having an ablation device at or near its distal end that is placed adjacent to the tissue to be ablated. Radio frequency energy, microwave energy, laser energy, extreme heat, and extreme cold can be provided by the ablation device to ablate the tissue. In other applications, regional anesthesia can be applied by using such surgical instruments. In still other applications, diagnostic or therapeutic agents can be delivered to a treatment site by way of a catheter.
Often the treatment area which one desires to access by catheter is within a soft or muscular tissue such as the liver, brain, veins and arteries, biliary ducts or ostia, or the heart. These are difficult sites to reach. The catheter must be introduced through a biological cavity, for example, a large artery such as those found in the groin or the neck and then be passed through narrowing regions of the cardiovasculature until the catheter tip reaches the selected site. Often such biological passageways wind and loop or are otherwise tortuous. Catheters for such applications are difficult to design, since they must be fairly stiff at their proximal end to allow passage of the catheter tip through the loops and increasingly smaller passageways and at the same time not cause significant trauma to the passageway and further be flexible enough to navigate the passageway.
Examples of catheters designed to meet these criteria are disclosed in the art. Often, the catheter shaft is made with a flexible material to permit it to navigate the passageway used to reach a treatment site. Since many catheter-based applications involve the transmission of a therapeutic agent or fluid from the catheter's proximal to distal end for applications at the treatment site, the shaft of the catheter often has internal lumens that permit the delivery or return of a particular therapeutic agent or fluid. For example, cryosurgery catheters have internal lumens that deliver refrigerant to the catheter tip for treatment and exhaust the refrigerant from the tip. Owing to the properties of the catheter that make it flexible, however, kinks may still form in the catheter shaft during use when the shaft is bent beyond its minimum bend radius or kink radius.
Solutions advanced in the catheter arts generally place metal braids or wires at the outer wall of the catheter shaft to reduce the likelihood of a kink forming. But such catheters still kink when the catheter is bent beyond its kink radius during use. When a kink forms in the catheter shaft during use, the passage, or the internal lumens within the shaft, can become obstructed, and the flow of a therapeutic agent or fluid can be interrupted.
It is therefore desirable to provide a device that resists or prevents such kink-related obstructions and interruptions in fluid or agent delivery.

Method and system to prevent complete obstruction in catheter in case of a kink


A method is provided for vehicle identification, which method includes the steps of: an ego vehicle detecting a communicating vehicle by wireless vehicle to vehicle communication; the ego vehicle detecting a nearby vehicle by a sensor onboard the ego vehicle; the ego vehicle sending an identification request to the communicating vehicle by wireless vehicle to vehicle communication, wherein the identification request instructs the communicating vehicle to perform an action; the ego vehicle determining whether or not the nearby vehicle performed the action based at least on data from the sensor; and if the ego vehicle determines that the nearby vehicle performed the action, the ego vehicle determining that the communicating vehicle and the nearby vehicle are the same vehicle.

The invention relates to a method for vehicle identification, for example for cooperative adaptive cruise control or platooning. The present invention also relates to a computer program, a computer readable medium, a control unit for vehicle identification, and a vehicle. The invention can be applied in heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks and buses, but may also be used in other motored road vehicles such as cars.
In cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) and platooning, vehicle convoys are driven with short distances between the vehicles. To achieve this with high safety, a control algorithm receives information about the preceding vehicle by an on-board sensor (e.g. radar, camera) and information from surrounding vehicles over a wireless communication channel (so called vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication). This information is used in the control to keep the desired following distance and to handle events such as hard braking. Since the V2V information is received with much shorter latencies (and is more accurate) than data from on-board sensors, the V2V information is needed to enable safe and/or comfortable and/or fuel efficient short distance following.
One major problem is to identify if data received from the wireless communication channel is from the directly preceding vehicle (the vehicle also seen by the radar). If this cannot be reliably detected, it is not safe to reduce the following distance since there might be another vehicle (without communication capability) between the two vehicles. In this situation, if the vehicle between the communicating vehicles would perform a hard braking, a vehicle following at close distance might not be able to apply the brakes fast enough to avoid a collision.
Shladover, Nowakowski, Lu, and Ferlis, COOPERATIVE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL (CACC) DEFINITIONS AND OPERATING CONCEPTS, TRB 2015 Annual Meeting discloses several possibilities for local coordination, including vehicle-based confirmation of following an equipped vehicle with visual or infrared camera-visible marking. One potential way to identify other equipped vehicles is to add some rear-facing line of sight marking, perhaps an IR beacon. A DSRC (dedicated short-range communications) equipped car could have this redundant communication mechanism that simply broadcasts the same identifier used in DSRC messages. The CACC following vehicles would be equipped with an IR camera, and they would be able to match the IR beacon broadcast by the lead vehicle with the DSRC message IDs received. However, this will add additional cost and it also needs a physical installation at the rear-end of the vehicle which is very problematic for trucks that often change trailers etc.
Another possibility disclosed by Shladover et al. is driver visual confirmation based on the driver visually confirming aspects of the appearance of the broadcasting target vehicle that would be contained in the broadcast data stream. However, a disadvantage of this is that driver mistakes or misuse of the system (a driver confirming the wrong target) could have serious consequences for safety.
Furthermore, EP 2784762 A1 discloses a vehicle specifying apparatus provided with: an obtaining device configured to obtain, by communication, first behavior information associated with one or a plurality of communication vehicles which drive around a self-vehicle and which can communicate with the self-vehicle; and a detecting device configured to detect second behavior information associated with other vehicles which drive around the self-vehicle. The vehicle specifying apparatus is configured to compare the obtained first behavior information with the detected second behavior information, thereby specifying a preceding vehicle of the self-vehicle. More specifically, an ECU compares, for example, a velocity profile of one communication vehicle based on the obtained vehicle information with a velocity profile of the preceding vehicle based on a detected inter-vehicle distance, thereby specifying whether or not there is the communication vehicle corresponding to the preceding vehicle of the self-vehicle among the communication vehicles which exist in the communicable range of the self-vehicle. However, in the longitudinal direction the changes in the behavior information are often too small in real world driving so their effect in the behavior information are often not enough to distinguish the vehicles. That is, the difference between the communication vehicle and the preceding vehicle is very small, as they may have approximately the same speed profile.
JP2013168019A discloses determining whether or not vehicles detected by a sensor matches vehicles, with which a host vehicle is in inter-vehicle communication, by determining whether or not sensor information matches information received via inter-vehicle communication.
It is desirable to provide an improved method for vehicle identification, which may overcome or at least alleviate some or all of the above-mentioned drawbacks.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for vehicle identification, which method comprises: an ego vehicle detecting a communicating vehicle by means of wireless vehicle to vehicle communication; the ego vehicle detecting a vehicle by means of a sensor onboard the ego vehicle; the ego vehicle sending an identification request to the communicating vehicle by means of wireless vehicle to vehicle communication, wherein the identification request instructs the communicating vehicle to perform an action; the ego vehicle determining whether or not the vehicle detected by the sensor performed said action based at least on data from said sensor; and if the ego vehicle determines that the vehicle detected by the sensor performed said action, the ego vehicle determining that the communicating vehicle and the vehicle detected by the sensor are the same vehicle.
The present invention is based on the understanding that by sending an identification request to the communicating vehicle instructing the communicating vehicle to perform an action, there can be specific information in the sensor data based on which the ego vehicle may determine whether the communicating vehicle and the vehicle detected by the sensor are the same. This makes the method very robust. There is also no need to place anything at the end of the communicating/nearby vehicle, and there is no need for driver visual confirmation. Also, there is no need to know the length of the communicating vehicle.
The method may further comprise: if the ego vehicle determines that the vehicle detected by the sensor did not perform said action, the ego vehicle determining that the communicating vehicle and the vehicle detected by the sensor are not the same vehicle.
The vehicle detected by the sensor may be a preceding vehicle directly ahead of the ego vehicle. The method may further comprise: if the ego vehicle determines that the communicating vehicle and the preceding vehicle are the same vehicle, the ego vehicle activating an automatic driver support function. Activating an automatic driver support function may include the ego vehicle initiating short distance following of the preceding vehicle, for example for cooperative adaptive cruise control or platooning. Short distance following means that the ego vehicle automatically follows the preceding vehicle at close but safe distance. The distance may for example depend on the current speed. The distance could for example be as short as 3 meters, or a time gap of 0.5 s at a speed of 90 km/h corresponding to a distance of 12.5 meters. On the other hand, if the ego vehicle determines that the communicating vehicle and the preceding vehicle are not the same vehicle, the ego vehicle may disallow short distance following of the preceding vehicle.
The sensor onboard the ego vehicle may be at least one of a radar, a lidar device, a camera, and one or more ultrasonic detectors. The one or more ultrasonic detectors may be useful in slow speeds and/or in queues.
The action may be at least one of an acceleration profile, a steering profile, and flashing at least one rear light of the communicating vehicle. The at least one rear light may for example be the brake lights of the communicating vehicle. Another action may be the communicating vehicle altering its lateral position relative to a lane marker, and this may be detected by the aforementioned camera.
The action may be predetermined. That is, the action may have been decided offline, and the identification request only tells the communicating vehicle to perform that action. Alternatively the identification request may also include a description of the action to be performed. In another alternative, the identification request may instruct the communicating vehicle to perform any action.
Determining whether or not the vehicle detected by the sensor performed said action may further be based on data received from the communicating vehicle via wireless vehicle to vehicle communication, which received data is related to the action, and wherein the ego vehicle compares the received data with data from the sensor for determining whether or not the vehicle detected by the sensor performed the action. Determining whether or not the vehicle detected by the sensor performed the action may alternatively or complementary be done by the ego vehicle comparing data from the sensor with a description of the action. If the data and the description match, the vehicles are the same. The description may be a description of the aforementioned predetermined action or the aforementioned description included in the identification request, for example.
The method may further comprise: the ego vehicle receiving information from the communicating vehicle by means of wireless vehicle to vehicle communication, said information indicating start time and end time of the performance of the action. By knowing when to look for the action, the ego vehicle may more robustly determine whether the vehicle detected by the sensor performed the action. The ego vehicle may for example compare the data from the sensor with the received data for the period defined by said start time and end time.
The method may further comprise: after detecting the communicating vehicle by means of wireless vehicle to vehicle communication, the ego vehicle performing an initial check by comparing position coordinates (for example GPS coordinates) of the ego vehicle and the communicating vehicle to determine whether the detected communicating vehicle could be the vehicle detected by the sensor. This may reduce calculation and communication.
The method may further comprise: the communicating vehicle receiving the identification request from the ego vehicle, and performing the action.
According to a second aspect, there is provided a method for vehicle identification, which method comprises: a communicating vehicle receiving an identification request from an ego vehicle by means of wireless vehicle to vehicle communication, wherein the identification request instructs the communicating vehicle to perform an action; and the communicating vehicle performing said action. This aspect may exhibit the same, similar or corresponding features and technical effects as the first aspect.
The invention also relates to a computer program comprising program code means for performing steps of the first or second aspect of the invention when said program is run on a computer.
The invention also relates to a computer readable medium carrying a computer program comprising program code means for performing steps of the first or second aspect of the invention when said program product is run on a computer.
The invention also relates to a control unit for vehicle identification, the control unit being configured to perform steps of the first or second aspect of the invention. The control unit may for example be included in the lead vehicle and/or the following vehicle.
The invention also relates to a vehicle configured to perform steps of the first or second aspect of the invention. The vehicle may be the ego vehicle or the communicating vehicle (second aspect).
Further advantages and advantageous features of the invention are disclosed in the following description and in the dependent claims.


A rechargeable battery pack includes a rechargeable battery having a predetermined charge voltage, and a circuit for generating a control voltage depending on a battery voltage of the rechargeable battery so that the control voltage reaches a predetermined control voltage when the battery voltage reaches a predetermined charge voltage of the rechargeable battery. A battery charger for the rechargeable battery changes the charging control from constant-current to constant-voltage depending on whether the control voltage reaches the predetermined control voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a battery charging system, and in particular to a system for charging a rechargeable battery such as a lithium-ion battery and a rechargeable battery pack for use in the system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a rechargeable battery or a secondary battery has been widely used as a power supply for portable or hand-held electronic equipment in consideration of running costs. Such a rechargeable battery has predetermined charging conditions including charging current and time. Especially in the case of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, the details about charging conditions have been defined.
In general, a constant-voltage and constant-current charging method is used to charge a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. More specifically, the rechargeable lithium-ion battery is charged with a constant current until the battery voltage has risen to a predetermined charge control voltage and thereafter with a constant voltage. Such a charging method has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,259, for example.
There has been commercially available rechargeable lithium-ion batteries having different prescribed voltages. Therefore, it is necessary for a single battery charger to provide a plurality of charge control voltages each corresponding to the prescribed voltage of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. To cope with this, the battery charger may be provided with a plurality of constant-voltage circuits which are selectively used depending on the type of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack. The battery charger is further provided with a battery type identifying means. And the rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack is provided with a battery type indicating means. When the battery pack is electrically connected to the battery charger, the battery type identifying means of the battery charger identifies the type of the lithium-ion battery by checking the battery type indicating means of the battery pack. According to the battery type, the battery charger provides the corresponding constant voltage to the battery pack after the battery voltage has risen to the predetermined charge control voltage.
However, the rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack needs the battery type indicating means and the charger needs the battery type identifying means. Therefore, it is difficult to miniaturizing the size and weight of the batter charging system as well as the battery pack.

Battery charging system with battery pack of different charging voltages using common a battery charger


Image processing for productivity applications is provided. An image may be received by a computing device. The computing device may detect the edges comprising the received image and adjust the image based on a skew state of the detected edges. The computing device may then process the adjusted image to correct imbalances. The computing device may then assign an image classification to the processed image. The computing device may then adjust the processed image based on the assigned image classification.

Mobile computing devices, such as smartphones and tablets, are increasingly being utilized in lieu of standalone cameras for capturing photographs of whiteboards, blackboards (i.e., a writing surface having a colored background) and documents in association with various productivity scenarios in the workplace (e.g., meetings comprising slide presentations, brainstorming sessions and the like). The captured photographic images may then be utilized in one or more productivity applications for generating electronic documents. The aforementioned capturing of photographic images however, suffers from a number of drawbacks. For example, many photographs must be taken at an angle (which may be due to the physical dimension limitations of the room in which a user is located) as well as in less than ideal lighting conditions (e.g., due to glare from incident lights in a meeting room). As a result, captured photographic images often contain unwanted perspective skews as well as unwanted regions (e.g., walls outside a whiteboard frame or table surfaces outside a document page boundary) which must be rectified prior to utilizing the images in external productivity applications. Moreover, captured photographic images may contain reflections of incident light residuals thereby making it necessary for these images to be "cleaned up" prior to being consumed by productivity application software. It is with respect to these considerations and others that the various embodiments of the present invention have been made.


The description refers to a rifle with a shell (2) to be inserted into a shaft (1), to which shell (2) a barrel (3) can be connected, and with a mounting rail (5) fixed to the barrel (3) for accommodating an aiming telescope (17) projecting backward beyond the barrel (3). To achieve favorable construction. features, it is suggested that the mounting rail (5) for accommodating the aiming telescope (17) engages into a shell guide (6).

The invention relates to a rifle with a shell to be inserted into a shaft, to which a barrel can be connected, and with a mounting rail fixed at the barrel and projecting backward-beyond the barrel for accommodating an aiming telescope.
To be able to re-equip a rifle for various applications it is known to change the barrel according to the respective requirements. Such an exchange of barrel requires an accurate connection between the barrel and its accommodating shell, in which the closure and the trigger are borne. Moreover, it must be ensured that changes resulting in the area of the aiming device are avoided, otherwise the rifle will have to be tested again after each barrel exchange. This is especially difficult when aiming telescopes are used, as a sufficiently exact alignment of the aiming telescope against the barrel requires a fixed correlation of the aiming telescope with the barrel. However, if the receptacle of the aiming telescope is not, as usual, assigned to the shell, but to the barrel, the aiming telescope must be moved forward, whereby the use of the aiming telescope is affected. It is true that the conventional arrangement of the aiming telescope at the shell ensures a favorable position of the aiming telescope relative to the rifleman, however, testing the rifle after each barrel exchange cannot be avoided, if an adequate aiming accuracy is demanded. To avoid these drawbacks, it is also known (U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,370 A) to solder onto the barrel a mounting rail projecting backward beyond the barrel, for accommodating the aiming telescope. As this mounting rail is assigned to the barrel and extends over the closure area above the shell accommodating the barrel such that the latter is exchangeable, the aiming telescope can be brought close enough to the eye of the rifleman to favorably utilize the range of vision covered by the aiming telescope, without having to test the rifle again after each barrel exchange. The drawback of this known construction, however, lies in the fact that, because of the necessary radial distance between the barrel axis and the axis of the aiming telescope, and due to the occurring power of repulsion when firing the shot, there are considerable bending stresses acting upon the mounting rail, which, with an increasing length of the mounting rail, lead to vibrations that can be kept within acceptable limits only by adequadely reinforcing the mounting rail freely projecting backward. However, any reinforcement of the mounting rail implies an increase of weight, which should be avoided as far as possible.
The invention has therefore the objective to design a rifle with an exchangeable barrel in such a way that a fixed correlation of a mounting rail, projecting backward beyond the barrel and accommodating the aiming telescop, is ensured without having to expect repulsion-related vibration problems or to put up with an increase of weight.
The objective of the invention is achieved in that the mounting rail for accommodating the aiming telescope engages in a shell guide.
As the mounting rail engages in a shell guide, the receptacle for the aiming telescope can be provided in the shell area, as this is the case with rifles with non-exchangeable barrels. This means that the radial distance between the barrel axis and the axis of the aiming telescope that is relevant for the bending stresses in the mounting rail, can be sufficiently reduced to avoid higher bending moments. Additionally, via the shell guide of the mounting rail, an efficient attenuation of possibly occurring vibrations in the area of the mounting rail can be achieved, so that, via the shell guide for the mounting rail, a receptacle of the aiming telescope meeting all requirements is provided. In spite of the engagement of the mounting rail in the shell guide the shell proper remains largely free from the power of repulsion occurring when firing the shot and transmitted to the mounting rail, so that the use of light-weighted plastic shells becomes possible.
Particularly favorable construction features are achieved in that the mounting rail forms a sleeve accommodating the barrel end which, in a simple way, permits a rigid connection of the mounting rail with the barrel, without having to modify the barrel. The barrel end may be glued into-this sleeve of the mounting rail.
If the barrel is safely fastened in the sleeve of the mounting rail, a favorable connection facility for the barrel with the shell is provided additionally, if the sleeve is equipped with a fastening ridge projecting radially or on the side opposite the mounting rail and locked in the shell. As the sleeve can be inserted into the shell with positive fit via the fastening ridge, a favorable power transmission between the barrel and the shell is achieved after locking the fastening ridge in the shell, so that the barrel and the shell are exposed to comparatively low strains during shooting, thus providing for a very simple and inexpensive construction. After all, due to the provided power-reducing connection of the mounting rail at the barrel, the power transmission between the barrel and the aiming telescope does not constitute any strain neither for the shaft nor for the shell.


In a method of forming a conductive line for a semiconductor device using a carbon nanotube and a semiconductor device manufactured using the method, the method includes activating a surface of an electrode of the semiconductor device using surface pretreatment to create an activated surface of the electrode, forming an insulating layer on the activated surface of the electrode, and forming a contact hole through the insulating layer to expose a portion of the activated surface of the electrode, and supplying a carbon-containing gas onto the activated surface of the electrode through the contact hole to grow a carbon nanotube, which forms the conductive line, on the activated surface of the electrode. Alternatively, the activation step of the surface of the electrode may be replaced with a formation of a catalytic metal layer on the surface of the electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of forming a conductive line for a semiconductor device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of forming a conductive line for a semiconductor device using a carbon nanotube. The present invention also relates to a semiconductor device manufactured using the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many different types of semiconductor devices, and more particularly, semiconductor memory devices, e.g., DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory or Dynamic RAM), SRAM (Static RAM), PRAM (Phase-change RAM), and MRAM (Magnetic RAM). In such semiconductor memory devices, a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) transistor is generally used as a switching device. In addition, semiconductor memory devices are provided with conductive lines, such as contacts and interconnects, as pathways for electron migration.
Recently, as semiconductor memory devices have become more highly integrated, a width of conductive lines has decreased and an intensity of current per unit surface area, i.e., current density, has increased. In this regard, it is anticipated that the current density of conductive lines for semiconductor devices will reach approximately 106 A/cm2 in about the year 2010.
Meanwhile, conventional semiconductor devices primarily use metal conductive lines. It is known that the minimum width of metal conductive lines is about 70 nm and the maximum current density of metal conductive lines is about 106 A/cm2. A decrease of the width and an increase of the current density of conductive lines are requisite for higher integration of semiconductor devices. However, for the foregoing reasons, it is anticipated that semiconductor devices using metal conductive lines will encounter the limitation of integration in the near future.
Therefore, in order to continuously realize higher integration of semiconductor devices, there is a need to develop new materials for conductive lines that are able to provide a high current density at widths smaller than those of metal conductive lines.

Conductive line for a semiconductor device using a carbon nanotube including a memory thin film and semiconductor device manufactured


A communication system includes a data transmitter and a data receiver in which the data transmitter transmits data using a multicarrier modulation, such as an OFDM modulation technique. The data receiver determines a predetermined level of modulation for at least one carrier of the multicarrier modulation corresponding to a received signal-to-noise ratio for the carrier using a vector quantization technique. The predetermined level of modulation for each carrier is based on an index to a codeword in a codebook corresponding to the signal-to-noise ratio for the carrier. The index to the codeword is a nearest neighbor to a vector corresponding to the signal-to-noise ratio for the carrier, and the codeword for each predetermined level of modulation is determined based on an adaptive-bit-loading technique. The data receiver transmits the index to the codeword for each carrier to the data transmitter in order to update the modulation at the data transmitter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communication systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method that provides an ABL-based modulation technique for a multicarrier communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems, a number of typically sinusoidal carriers are used for transmitting information. In legacy OFDM wireless LAN systems, all carriers have the same modulation. When a channel becomes too noisy, all carriers fall back to a simpler degree or level of modulation, thereby lowering the overall data rate that can be achieved. An Adaptive Bit Loading (ABL) modulation technique has been proposed that allows a more continuous rate fall back in order to increase throughput in colored-noise environments. ABL modulation basically provides carriers having a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with a simpler modulation (or the carrier is not transmitted at all), and carriers having a high SNR with a higher complexity modulation. That is, the modulator changes the number of bits assigned to a given symbol based on the channel conditions while meeting the required target bit error rate (BER) at the receiver. Accordingly, more data can be sent when the channel conditions are good and less data will be sent when channel conditions are poor while still meeting the target BER.
ABL has been utilized in, for example, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) systems. DSL channels, however, are typically rather benign relative to wireless channels in that the DSL environment does not change rapidly. For additional details regarding ABL, see, for example, Chow et al., "A Practical Discrete Multitone Transceiver Loading Algorithm for Data Transmission over Spectrally Shaped Channels," IEEE Trans. Comm. Vol. 43, pp. 773-775, 1995.
One problem with ABL for OFDM, such as is used in 802.11a, in which 48 carriers and seven modulations are used and that a simplistic ABL coding would have a significant impact on throughput because the information fed back would include approximately 348 bits. The channel, however, contains much redundancy and it is unlikely that the highest SNR signals and the lowest SNR signals would alternate within the channel.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0072382 A1 discloses source-trellis coding for achieving data compression. Simple trellis coding is not adaptive and can be computationally complex. In particular, the trellis coding technique disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0072382 A1 finds the "optimal" ABL constellation vector. After the optimal ABL constellation vector has been found, the ABL constellation vector is then trellis source coded. The term "ABL vector" as used herein denotes an Ncarrier symbol sequence. Each symbol represents a particular modulation on a given carrier and there are N carriers per OFDM symbol. For 802.11a, Ncarrier=48. The symbols in the ABL vector take on values from an alphabet {a1, a2, . . . , anumber of modulations}. Thus, the modulation that is to be used in j-th symbol is aj. In 802.11a, the number of modulations is 8. In actuality, ABL implementations need not be optimal and reducing complexity of the operation of determining an ABL constellation vector is critical because the complexity of the operation directly affects the complexity of the receiver.
Consequently, what is needed is a source-coded ABL-based technique for a multicarrier communication system that having a reduced computational complexity and interoperatively scales between a complex implementation and an implementation that uses a minimal form of an ABL-based multicarrier modulation technique or uses no ABL-based modulation technique.

System and method for adaptive bit loading source coding via vector quantization


There is disclosed a manufacturing method of a phase shift mask blank in which dispersions of phase angle and transmittance among blanks can be reduced as much as possible and yield is satisfactory. In the manufacturing method of the phase shift mask blank, a process of using a sputtering method to continuously form a thin film on a transparent substrate comprises: successively subjecting a plurality of substrates to a series of process of supplying the transparent substrate into a sputtering chamber, forming the thin film for forming a pattern in the sputtering chamber, and discharging the transparent substrate with the film formed thereon from the sputtering chamber; supplying and discharging the transparent substrate substantially at a constant interval; and setting a film formation time to be constant among a plurality of blanks.

i) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method and apparatus of a phase shift mask blank which is suitable particularly for ArF or F2 excimer laser.
ii) Description of the Related Art
In recent years, it has become clear that high resolution and depth of focus are two important properties required for photolithography but are in a contradictory relation with each other, and that a practical resolution cannot be enhanced using only a short wavelength laser and an exposure apparatus with a lens having a high numerical aperture ("NA"). (Monthly Semiconductor World 1990.12, Applied Physics Vol. 60, November, 1991, and the like).
In such a situation, phase shift lithography has been noted as the next-generation photolithography technique, and partially brought to practical use. Phase shift lithography is a method for enhancing the resolution of photolithography by changing only a mask without changing an optical system. When a phase difference is applied between exposure lights transmitted through the photo mask, mutual interference of the transmitted lights can be utilized to rapidly enhance the resolution.
The phase shift mask is a mask which uses light strength information together with phase information. Various types of masks are known such as Levenson type, auxiliary pattern type, and self-matching type (edge emphasizing type). These phase shift masks have a complicated structure and require a high degree of manufacturing technique as compared with the conventional photo mask which uses only light strength information.
In recent years, a so-called halftone type phase shift mask has been developed as one of the phase shift masks.
In a halftone phase shift mask, a light semi-transmission section has two functions: a shield function of substantially shielding the exposure light and a phase shift function of shifting (usually reversing) a light phase. Therefore, it is unnecessary to separately form a shield film pattern and a phase shift film pattern. This type of phase shift mask is structurally simple and easy to manufacture.
In a halftone phase shift mask, a mask pattern is processed by a dry etching process. However, when providing the shield function and phase shift function by separate layers, a high degree of control is necessary for both the layer having the shield function and the layer having the phase shift function in order to obtain a satisfactory pattern shape. On the other hand, when creating a single-layer light semi-transmission portion having both the shield function and the phase shift function, a single etching process can be used. Therefore, the manufacturing process of such a mask can be simplified, and a satisfactory pattern shape can easily be obtained.
For the halftone phase shift mask, as shown in FIG. 10, a mask pattern formed on a transparent substrate 100 is constituted of a light transmission portion (transparent substrate exposed portion) 200 for transmitting a light which is strong enough to substantially contribute to exposure and a light semi-transmission portion (shield and phase shifter portion) 300 for transmitting a light which is not strong enough to substantially contribute to the exposure (FIG. 10A). Additionally, the phase of the light transmitted through the light semi-transmission portion is shifted to a substantially reversed relation with respect to the phase of the light transmitted through the light transmission portion (FIG. 10B). The oppositely-phased lights transmitted in the vicinity of a boundary between the light semi-transmission portion and the light transmission portion cancel each other on account of diffraction phenomenon. Thereby, light strength in the boundary is substantially set to zero and, in contrast, resolution in the vicinity of the boundary is enhanced (FIG. 10C).
Additionally, the light semi-transmission portion or film (phase shift layer) in the halftone phase shift mask or blank needs to indicate a required optimum value with respect to both transmittance and phase shift amount. For example, (1) the transmittance in exposure wavelength of i-ray, KrF excimer laser, ArF excimer laser, or the like can be adjusted in a range of 3 to 20%, (2) a phase angle can be adjusted usually to a value in the vicinity of 180° in the exposure wavelength, and (3) the transmittance needs to be usually testable in a range of 65% or less in test wavelengths such as 257 nm, 266 nm, 364 nm, and 488 nm.
However, by shortening the wavelength of the laser for use in the exposure to ArF excimer laser (193 nm) from i-ray (365 nm) and KrF excimer laser (248 nm), the following problem is generated in the conventional halftone phase shift mask and the manufacturing method of the mask.
That is, in mass production of the phase shift mask blanks, when there are dispersions of the phase angle and transmittance among the blanks or in the plane, the yield is bad. Particularly in mask blanks for the short wavelength of ArF or F2 excimer lasers, the dispersions of the phase angle and transmittance among the blanks and in the plane in conventional mask blanks for i-ray and KrF excimer laser are large, and the yield is bad. Therefore, the resulting mask blanks cannot be used.

Manufacturing method and apparatus of phase shift mask blank


A magnetostriction type torque sensor is provided which includes magnetic property change material which is provided on a shaft and whose magnetic property changes in accordance with torque applied to the shaft, an excitation signal generator which generates an excitation signal whose voltage is converted into a predetermined voltage through a switching element, a plurality of detection coils to which the excitation signal generator applies the excitation signal, and which plurality of detection coils outputs voltage, which changes in accordance with change in the magnetic property of the magnetic property change material, between connection points between the detection coils, and an operational state monitor which monitors an operational state of the switching element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetostriction type torque sensor which detects magnetic property change of magnetic property change material which is attached around a shaft.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an electric power steering device installed in a vehicle, a torque sensor detects torque which is given to a steering shaft by driver's steering. Thus, steering assist power is provided depending on torque signals output from the torque sensor. A magnetostriction type torque sensor is disclosed as such a torque sensor (See JP2004-239652A and JP2005-331453A). In this technology, a magnetostriction film having magnetic anisotropy is attached on a surface of the shaft. Then, the torque is applied to the shaft from the outside so that magnetic permeability change in the magnetostriction film corresponding to twisting force is detected as change in an impedance property of a detection coil. Moreover, in technologies disclosed in JP2005-331453A and JP2005-321316A, a pulse of excitation voltage is applied so that the change in the impedance property of the detection coil is detected. In the technologies, the pulse of the excitation voltage is applied so that a maximum of increasing current which flows in the detection coil is limited within a predetermined range.


When the user presses an Alt key, the mode makes a transition to a property value switching mode and all annotations are made visible. At this time, the originally invisible annotations with the visibility properties set to invisible are drawn translucently. That is, a scanner name, a color bar, and a patient name which are not visible in a normal mode are drawn translucently. Thus, the user presses the Alt key, whereby the mode can be switched to the visible switching mode of drawing all objects, so that the user can promptly designate the annotation whose visibility property is to be changed and can smoothly conduct a medical diagnosis with an image.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image processing method and a computer readable medium for image processing, for displaying a medical image including a plurality of objects each having a visibility property of at least visible or invisible.
2. Description of the Related Art
A revolution is brought about in the medical field with the advent of a CT (Computed Tomography) apparatus and an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) apparatus making it possible to directly observe the internal structure of a human body as the image processing technology using a computer moves forward; medical diagnosis using the tomographic image of a living body is widely conducted. While, three-dimensional structure inside of a human body is hard to understand simply from the tomographic image of a human body. Further, in recent years, as a technology for visualizing the complicated three-dimensional structure has advanced, for example, volume rendering for directly rendering an image of the three-dimensional structure from three-dimensional digital data of an object provided by a CT apparatus has been used for medical diagnosis.
FIG. 7 shows a screen displaying a scanned image and annotations superposed on the image for displaying task states, conditions, etc., of the image in a medical image processing apparatus. The screen in FIG. 7 displays a visualized scanned image 10 (in this case, chest) and its annotations, namely, a scanner name 11, a color bar 12 for associating brightness and color of the image with a physical value, X-Ray intensity at the exposure time and a slice interval 13, scanned patient name, age, and scanning date 14, a ruler 15 for determining the physical size of the image, a direction indication 16 for indicating the image orientation, and a window level WW/WL (image contrast) 17.
However, all annotations are not necessarily required in a specific diagnosis and thus some annotations can be set invisible. In this case, hitherto, it has been a common practice to set the visibility property of annotation to visible or invisible in a dialog box or on a menu.
FIG. 8 shows the case where the visibility properties of annotations are set in a dialog box. The patient name, radiation intensity, direction indication 2, color bars 1, 2, and 3 are checked in the dialog box shown in FIG. 8, whereby the visibility properties of the annotations can be set to visible. The checks are removed, whereby the visibility properties of the annotations can be set to invisible.
FIG. 9 shows the case where the visibility properties of annotations are set on a menu. Ruler and color bar are checked on an auxiliary menu of a pull-down menu shown in FIG. 9, whereby the visibility properties of the annotations can be set to visible. The checks are removed, whereby the visibility properties of the annotations can be set to invisible.
FIG. 10 shows a state in which some annotations are set visible in accordance with the setting of the dialog box or the menu. That is, FIG. 10 shows a state in which the radiation intensity 13, the ruler 15, the direction indication 16, and the window level indication 17 as the annotations are superposed on the image 10 to be diagnosed (the visibility properties are set to visible).
FIG. 11 is a flowchart to describe switching processing of such annotations. In an image processing method in a related art, when the user issues a request for changing an annotation to be made visible, first a dialog box for entering the type of annotations that can be made visible is shown (step S21). Here, the user sets the type of an annotation to be made visible in the dialog box (step S22). Accordingly, the setup annotation is made visible (step S23).
Thus, hitherto, when switching annotations to be made visible or invisible, it has been necessary to change the setting in the dialog box or on the menu, and the operation has been troublesome. Particularly, when the user cannot picture or recall the annotation from icons or texts, those annotations can never be used.
Furthermore, the correspondence between annotations and icons or texts in the dialog box is non intuitive. The awkwardness finding suitable annotations lead to poor usability. Particularly, in a medical diagnosis, often, different annotations are used for different types of medical image so that a large number of types of annotations exist and thus the dialog box and the menu become enormous and calling the dialog box or the menu on another screen takes much time and operation is cumbersome.

Image processing method and computer readable medium for image processing