A catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of olefins especially dienes, its preparation and use, said catalyst comprising an alumina support and cobalt and/or nickel selected from Group VIII, molybdenum and/or tungsten from Group VIB and alkali metal components supported on said support, characterized in that the catalyst contains 0.5-8% by weight of cobalt and/or nickel selected from Group VIII, 2-15% by weight of molybdenum and/or tungsten from Group VIB, over 2-8% by weight of alkali metals, and a balanced amount of alumina support calculated for oxides and based on the catalyst. Compared to the prior catalysts, the activity and selectivity for olefins especially dienes of the catalyst are higher when used in the hydrogenation of a gasoline distillate.

Catalytically cracked gasoline contains considerable dienes, which would also react with other hydrocarbons in catalytically cracked gasoline, in addition to the polymerization of itself, to form precursors of coke, gums at certain reaction temperatures. Generally, these dienes can be selectively removed by hydrogenation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,084,140 discloses a process for preparing a catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of highly unsaturated hydrocarbons in olefin fractions. Said catalyst consists of alumina and metal palladium supported on said alumina. The content of metal palladium is 0.02-3.0% by weight. Said catalyst can effectively remove the highly unsaturated hydrocarbons in olefin fractions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,255,548 discloses a process for preparing a catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of unsaturated hydrocarbons such as acetylenes and dienes. Said catalyst is prepared by supporting at least one metal of Group VIII and at least one assistant metal M on a support. The metal of Group VIII may be one or more of nickel, palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, and iridium, preferably palladium, nickel, and platinum with a content of 0.01-50% by weight, preferably 0.05-1% by weight for noble metals and 5-30% by weight for nickel. Metal M is selected from one or more of germanium, tin, gold, and silver with a content of 0.01-10% by weight, preferably 0.02-5% by weight. Said catalyst may also contain 0.1-3% by weight of alkali metals such as potassium or sodium and/or 0.01-2% by weight of sulfur element.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,388,162 discloses a process for removing dienes from olefin feed stocks. Said process removes dienes from feedstocks with carbon numbers between 10 and 20 and rich in olefins by refining. The catalyst used in said process consists of an alumina support and metal palladium supported on said alumina support with a metal content of 0.05-0.2% by weight, preferably 0.2% by weight, wherein the specific surface area of the alumina support is no larger than 15 m2/g, preferably 2-5 m2/g.
Use of a noble metal catalyst for selective hydrogenation can effectively remove dienes from feed oils. However, the noble metal catalyst easily deactivates when used to refine full or heavy fraction of catalytically cracked gasoline containing more sulfur and nitrogen, which limits the use of said catalyst.
In general, the hydrogenation of olefins especially dienes can easily proceed under hydrorefining conditions. However, when non-noble metal hydrorefining catalysts are used in selective hydrogenation to remove dienes from feed oils, the existing problem is how to avoid or reduce coking due to polymerization of olefins and saturation of monoolefins due to hydrogenation while ensuring the removal of dienes to enhance the stability and selectivity of hydrogenation.
CN 1113829A discloses a process for preparing a hydrorefining catalyst containing molybdenum, nickel and potassium metal components, the major character of which is that the catalyst is prepared by once impregnating a pre-shaped transient state alumina including η-, γ-, and θ-alumina, preferably γ-alumina in an ammonia-containing solution of molybdenum, nickel and potassium followed by drying and calcining. The contents of the metal components in said catalyst are 10.0-24.0% of MoO3, 2.6-8.8% of NiO, 0.3-1.5% of K. Said catalyst can be used in the hydrodesulflirization of light oil fractions or gas containing organic sulfur, especially the hydrodesulfurization of straight-run gasoline and coked dry gas.
CN 1302849A discloses a protector of hydrogenation activity and its preparation, the support of which simultaneously contains γ- and δ-alumina. Said protector contains 3-22% by mole of oxides of Group VIB metals, 0.5-5% by mole of oxides of Group VIII metals, 0-2% by mole of Group IA elements, 0-3% by mole of Group VA elements and has a specific surface area of 100-250 m2/g and a pore volume of 0.4-0.8 ml/g. The oxides of Group VIB metals in said protector are oxides of Mo and W; the oxides of Group VIII metals are oxides of Fe, Co, and Ni; and the Group VA elements are P, As, Sb, and Bi. Said catalyst is suitable for use as a protector of hydrotreating catalyst for heavy oils to remove metals and gums in feed oils.
The presence of alkali metals is favorable to inhibiting coking on the catalyst surface, but this kind of catalyst has low activity when used for the hydrogenation of dienes in gasoline fraction.

Catalyst for selective hydrogenation of olefins and its preparation as well as use

Research Institute of Petroleum Processing, SINOPEC


The single wheel trailer and stabilizing hitch assembly includes a hitch which precludes lateral tilt or roll of a trailer about the longitudinal axis of the towing vehicle and trailer, the trailer having only a single wheel for support. The hitch includes a pair of horizontal plates which bear against one another, with a vertical pivot pin securing the two plates together to allow the trailer to turn laterally relative to the towing vehicle. A separate horizontal pivot axis accommodates pitch of the trailer relative to the towing vehicle while negotiating bumps and dips. However, the trailer tongue is fixed relative to the roll axis of the assembly, and the trailer cannot tilt or lean to the side while being supported by its single wheel. This greatly reduces wheel bearing and tire wear, and reduces rolling resistance of the trailer as well. Different trailer configurations are also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle trailers and hitches, and more specifically to a hitch configuration which prevents rolling movement about the longitudinal axis of the hitch and trailer connected thereto. This permits the trailer to have only a single wheel for support, as two laterally disposed wheels are not needed to prevent roll about the longitudinal axis of the trailer. Various relatively light-duty trailers capable of carrying up to several hundred pounds of cargo are also disclosed herein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicle trailers are almost universally provided with at least two laterally spaced wheels in order to provide lateral stability for the trailer. Further stability is provided by the hitch connection to the towing vehicle, thus defining three points of stability for the trailer (the two wheels and the hitch). This is sufficient to maintain the stability of the trailer while being towed.
As the trailer generally must articulate behind the towing vehicle (unless some relatively complex articulation is provided for the trailer wheels), a ball-type trailer hitch is generally used for most light to medium capacity trailers. Ball hitches are nearly universally available in various diameters, depending upon the internal diameter of the hitch ball receptacle on the trailer tongue. With the three degrees of angular freedom permitted, i.e., in pitch, yaw, and roll, ball hitches provide all of the articulation necessary between the towing vehicle and the trailer.
While articulation in yaw is required for the towing vehicle and trailer to negotiate turns, and at least some degree of pitch articulation is required to negotiate bumps and dips in the surface, the only need for articulation in roll, i.e., angular motion about the longitudinal axis between the trailer and towing vehicle, is due to the conventional two laterally spaced wheels used in nearly all small trailers. If the trailer did not require laterally spaced wheels, then it could roll about the same longitudinal axis as the towing vehicle. A single wheel would provide sufficient support for such a trailer. Such a single wheel trailer could be made narrower for more compact storage; wheel, tire, bearing, and (where provided) brake wear would be cut in half; and less rolling resistance would be encountered, thereby providing increases in fuel efficiency for the towing vehicle. Yet, these various advantages are not possible with a conventional ball-type hitch, or other hitch which allows rolling movement between the towing vehicle and the trailer.
The present invention provides a solution to this problem by means of a stabilizing hitch which permits only two degrees of freedom of motion between the trailer and towing vehicle, i.e., in yaw (for turning) and in pitch (for negotiating bumps and dips). The trailer tongue connected to the present hitch cannot rotate about the longitudinal axis of the assembly, but is locked relative to the roll axis of the towing vehicle. Thus, lateral stability of the trailer is provided by the hitch, rather than by laterally spaced wheels. This permits the trailer to be supported by only a single wheel, with all of the accompanying benefits noted above for such a single wheel trailer configuration.
The related art may be divided into two categories, depending upon whether the hitch allows the trailer to roll about its longitudinal axis relative to the tow vehicle and/or the trailer has at least two laterally spaced wheels, or whether the hitch restricts the roll about the longitudinal axis of the trailer and/or the trailer has only a single wheel for support. Those trailers and/or hitches which allow the trailer to roll about its longitudinal axis relative to the tow vehicle, and/or where the trailer has at least two laterally spaced wheels for support, are not felt to be particularly closely related to the present invention. Such trailers and/or hitches are described in the following U.S. and foreign patents and publications:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,635,892 issued on Apr. 21, 1953 to Russell Shutter, titled "Resilient Ball And Socket Type Draft Means;" U.S. Pat. No. 3,250,548 issued on May 10, 1966 to Barkley Boyd, titled "Trailer Hitch;" U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,053 issued on Oct. 24, 1972 to Wilmer E. Glissendorf, titled "Weight-Indicating Trailer Coupler;" U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,183 issued on Jan. 2, 1973 to Morris Jones, titled "Trailer Hitch;" U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,498 issued on Apr. 10, 1979 to Thomas A. Taylor, Jr., titled "Trailer Hitch; U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,876 issued on Aug. 5, 1980 to Donald E. Jacks, titled "Trailer Hitch;" U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,542 issued on Sep. 28, 1982 to Robert Lovell et al., titled "Flexible Towing Hitch;" U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,095 issued on Feb. 22, 1994 to Jackie J. Swindall, titled "Trailer Hitch;" U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,135 issued on Mar. 28, 2000 to Louis J. Ross, titled "Hitch Assembly And Trailer;" U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,778 issued on Mar. 19, 2002 to Louis J. Ross, titled "Hitch And Trailer Assembly;" and British Patent No. 1,140,551, published on Jan. 22, 1969, titled "Improvements In Or Relating To Hitches For Trailer Vehicles."
None of the above-described devices has any means for preventing the lateral roll of the trailer about its longitudinal axis relative to the towing vehicle, as noted further above. However, the present inventor is aware of an additional number of references which describe means for preventing lateral roll of the trailer relative to the towing vehicle, and/or which provide only a single trailer wheel. These references are discussed individually below.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,048,951 issued on Dec. 31, 1912 to Darsie E. Edwards, titled "Pole Truck," describes an elongate pole having a vertical shaft passing therethrough. A trailing arm having a single wheel extending therefrom is resiliently suspended on the shaft. While an eye is shown at the end of the pole behind the wheel, no forwardly disposed hitch is disclosed. The fact that the wheel swivels about its vertical attachment shaft would preclude any need for lateral articulation at the hitch attachment for the Edwards pole truck, whereas the trailer wheels of the present invention do not turn relative to the trailer and require a laterally articulating hitch.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,794,630 issued on Mar. 3, 1931 to Holman H. Linn, titled "Construction For Automobile Trailers And The Like," describes a towing vehicle and trailer equipped with two laterally spaced ball hitches. The double hitch trailer attachment precludes movement of the trailer about the vertical (yaw) or longitudinal (roll) axes relative to the towing vehicle, and allows only pitching motion of the trailer. Thus, the single trailer wheel must swivel or pivot relative to the trailer in order to allow the trailer to turn behind the towing vehicle, without scrubbing the trailer tire sideways across the underlying surface. In contrast, the present hitch allows angular freedom of motion about both the pitch (lateral) and yaw (vertical) axes, while precluding motion about the roll (longitudinal) axis in order to require only a single, non-steerable trailer wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,287,234 issued on Jun. 23, 1942 to Gilbert D. Ducharme, titled "Trailer Hitch," describes a sliding pillar-type hitch, in which the trailer tongue attachment slides vertically on a post or pin attached to the towing vehicle. The tongue attachment is biased between a pair of springs for vertical suspension; no angular freedom of motion about the lateral or pitch axis is possible with this hitch configuration. While Ducharme also discloses a ball-type hitch in one embodiment of his hitch configuration, other embodiments would preclude motion about the roll axis of the trailer and towing vehicle. However, Ducharme does not disclose a single wheel trailer for use with his hitch, and none of his hitch configurations are structurally or functionally similar to the hitch of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,486,605 issued on Nov. 1, 1949 to Reuel O. Ladd, titled "Axle Trailer Connector," describes a complex pintle hitch assembly, in which the towing vehicle has a spring-loaded pin which passes through a ring on the trailer tongue. The relatively tight spacing of the trailer tongue ring between two plates on the pintle hitch precludes any significant movement about either the pitch or roll axes of the trailer; only yaw for turning is permitted. Accordingly, Ladd requires another articulated joint in the tongue structure of the trailer to allow the trailer to move in pitch relative to the towing vehicle. In any event, no single wheel trailer is disclosed by Ladd, and his hitch configuration is structurally and functionally different from the present hitch arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,523,733 issued on Sep. 26, 1950 to Leo L. Stephens, titled "Trailer Coupling Stabilizer," describes a hitch assembly permitting only a single degree of arcuate motion about the pitch axis of the assembly. No yaw articulation is permitted; thus, a swiveling trailer wheel(s) similar to the wheel(s) of the Edwards '951 or Linn '630 U.S. patents, discussed further above, would be required for a trailer used with the Stephens hitch assembly. The present hitch permits arcuate motion about all but the roll or longitudinal axis of the trailer and towing vehicle, thus greatly simplifying the single wheel mechanism required for the trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,558,153 issued on Jun. 26, 1951 to Frank O. Peterson, titled "One Wheel Collapsible Trailer," describes a double hitch trailer assembly, generally similar to the double hitch trailer and towing vehicle assembly disclosed in the Linn '630 U.S. patent discussed further above. The Peterson hitches use laterally disposed pins which permit motion only about the pitch axis of the assembly, and require a swiveling wheel for trailer support. The present hitch assembly does not require any duplication of the hitch attach points on the towing vehicle, and may make use of the conventional single point hitch attachment (e.g., receiver type hitch, or ball hitch attachment plate, once the ball is removed) provided on the towing vehicle. Moreover, as the present hitch assembly permits the trailer to yaw freely behind the towing vehicle for turning maneuvers, the single wheel installation for the trailer is greatly simplified, as it need not swivel beneath the trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,569 issued on Feb. 8, 1983 to Robert C. Otterson, titled "Single Wheel Trailer Support," describes a trailing arm or castering wheel assembly having a pair of opposed springs acting in tension and compression to serve as the resilient suspension for the wheel. The entire assembly is attached to the trailer by a single vertically disposed bolt, to allow the wheel and suspension assembly to swivel beneath the trailer. Such a wheel assembly would be necessary with the hitches of the Linn '630, Stephens '733, and Peterson '153 U.S. patents, discussed further above, which do not permit the trailer to yaw behind the towing vehicle. However, the present invention does not require a swiveling wheel for the trailer, as the hitch permits the trailer to yaw or turn relative to the towing vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,759 issued on Nov. 27, 1984 to David J. Zwick, titled "Hitch Assembly For A Single Wheel Trailer," describes a double hitch bar which is removably attachable to the rear bumper of a towing vehicle, for towing a single wheel trailer. A trailer attached to this hitch can articulate only in pitch about the lateral axis of the assembly; no yawing or turning motion is permitted. Accordingly, a swiveling trailer wheel is required for a trailer used with the Zwick hitch assembly. In contrast, the present hitch permits trailer movement about both the pitch and yaw axes but precludes motion about the roll axis, thereby permitting a single, directionally fixed wheel to be fitted to the trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,325 issued on Nov. 29, 1994 to Donald B. Hazen, titled "Universal Single-Wheel Single Beam Trailer Having Adjustable Bed," describes a double hitch configuration similar to the hitches of the Linn '630, Peterson '153, and Zwick '759 U.S. patents, each of which has been discussed further above. Such a laterally rigid hitch configuration requires a swiveling trailer support wheel or wheels similar to the swiveling trailer wheel of the Otterson '569 U.S. patent, rather than permitting the trailer to swivel relative to the towing vehicle, as in the present invention.
Finally, French Patent No. 2,608,547 published on Jun. 24, 1988, describes (according to the drawings and English abstract) a hitch for a light trailer, with the hitch having a pair of horizontally disposed plates which bear against one another to permit the trailer to yaw relative to the towing vehicle while precluding movement about the roll axis between trailer and towing vehicle. The trailer has a single directionally fixed wheel on a trailing arm suspension. However, the trailer suspension is quite complex in comparison to the trailer suspension of the present invention, and no resilient biasing of the trailer tongue to the hitch is provided. The present hitch assembly includes a spring assembly between the trailer tongue and the box in which it attaches, and moreover the present disclosure includes a variety of trailer configurations for different purposes.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a single wheel trailer and stabilizing hitch solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

Single wheel trailer and stabilizing hitch


A display substrate includes: a base substrate, a drive circuit on the base substrate, an insulating layer on a side of the drive circuit away from the base substrate, and a fingerprint recognition device on a side of the insulating layer away from the base substrate. The fingerprint recognition device includes: a first electrode, a photosensitive layer and a second electrode that are disposed in a stacked manner. The first electrode electrically connects to the drive circuit through a via hole running through the insulating layer; and the first electrode forms a recess in the via hole, and the recess is filled with an insulating material, so that a surface of the first electrode on a side away from the base substrate is a flat surface, and the photosensitive layer is disposed on the flat surface.

The display substrate integrated fingerprint recognition technology is a panel integrated technology that provides a fingerprint recognition function without reducing an effective display area of a display substrate. The display substrate is generally integrated with an optical fingerprint recognition module. Light emergent from the display substrate is reflected by a finger, enters the display substrate again and is received by the fingerprint recognition module. The fingerprint recognition module can generate different recognition information according to the difference in light reflection by valleys and ridges of finger surface, thereby being able to identify different fingerprint information.

Display substrate, display panel and display device


A foldable chair frame includes a backrest frame, a seat frame and an armrest member pivoted to the backrest frame, a front leg frame pivoted to the seat frame and the armrest member, and a rear leg frame disposed adjacent to the seat frame and pivoted to the armrest member. A rail member is mounted on the rear leg frame and is formed with an elongated guiding groove which opens toward the seat frame and which has an upper portion with a lateral locking section. A slide member projects transversely from the seat frame and extends rotatably into the guiding groove, and is movable slidably along the guiding groove to couple pivotally the seat frame and the rear leg frame. A releasable locking unit is mounted on the rail member at the upper portion of the guiding groove. The locking unit permits movement of the slide member into the locking section when unfolding the chair frame, and arrests movement of the slide member out of the locking section so as to position the chair frame in the unfolded state. The locking unit is operable to release the slide member from the locking section to permit downward sliding movement of the slide member along the guiding groove when folding the chair frame.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a foldable chair frame, more particularly to a foldable chair frame which is provided with a locking unit to prevent untimely folding of the chair frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
Foldable chairs are widely popular due to their reduced sizes after folding which facilitate transport and storage of the same. However, in recent years, user safety has been become an important consideration in the design of foldable chairs. As such, much attention is being paid to the provision of a foldable chair that can be positioned in an unfolded state and that can be prevented from untimely folding to ensure safety of the user seated thereon.


A squeegee drive structure for a solder paste printing machine. The circuit board and screen are aligned in the machine. The squeegee drive structure is mounted on the machine independently of the screen to which the paste is applied. The drive structure which supports the squeegee is adapted for linear movement away from the solder paste application area and upward pivotal movement in order to provide easy access to the squeegee.

The invention relates to an automatic or semi-automatic solder paste printing machine.
Solder paste printing machines typically comprise a pivoting (clam shell motion) head assembly which carries a separate structure for squeegee motion and guidance. The weight of the head assembly is quite high and the access to the loading area for securing the board and the stencil and introducing solder paste is limited. A top view of the board and stencil when the head assembly is down is not possible without the squeegee structure also down. Direct full board/stencil viewing is obscured by the squeegee structure. Further, access to the tooling area is limited, squeegees cannot be removed easily and the prior art machines are not readily `scaleable`.
The tilt-slide squeegee drive structure of the invention is superior to prior art designs because it moves out from and clear of the service area of the printing system. Other systems open only to a limited degree. The tilt-slide combination allows the operator direct down viewing of critical stencil to board alignment which is not possible on existing designs.
The invention provides for a tilt-slide squeegee drive head which provides for simple stencil alignment, better in process control, such as checking stencil alignment and solder paste quantity and print performance. The invention allows exceptional access to the stencil loading area and simplifies paste replenishing, stencil changes and squeegee cleaning with minimal effort.
The quick release squeegees further enhances the structures ease of use by allowing quick changes of squeegees. Prior apparatus have larger, heavier means for removal, not suited for quick change. Instead of relying on intermediate hardware, the structure of the invention embodies a method of securing squeegees directly to the driving mechanism.
The invention provides a powdered squeegee drive integrated with a tilting and sliding structure which greatly improves the accessibility and ease of setup for solder paste printing machines. An aspect of the invention is guide rails which serve the dual function of guiding and sliding the squeegee head. The hardware is controlled away from service areas.
The tilt-slide design and two parallel rods define the length of the squeegee structure. All the hardware attaches to these rods. Therefore, this tilt-slide head can accommodate varying printer sizes by a simple change in the length of the rods and length of the drive belt.

Versatile tile-slide squeegee drive apparatus


The RFID tag includes: a main unit consisting of a base, a communication antenna that is wired on the base, a circuit chip that is electrically connected to the antenna and performs radio communication via the antenna, a chip reinforcing member covering the periphery of the circuit chip, an underside reinforcing member that is disposed at a position that sandwiches the base with respect to the chip reinforcing member, and a rubber cover member that covers these components; and protective layers that sandwich the main unit from the front and rear sides and have greater slipperiness than the slipperiness between the main unit and a contactant.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag which exchanges information with an external device in a non-contact manner, and an RFID tag production method that produces that kind of RFID tag. Note that this "RFID tag" may also be referred to as a "wireless IC tag".
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of RFID tags that exchange information with an external device, typically represented by a reader/writer, in a non-contact manner using radio waves have been proposed in recent years (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-311176, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-200332, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-351082). An RFID tag in which a circuit chip and a radio wave communication antenna pattern are mounted on a base sheet made of plastic or paper has been proposed as one type of such RFID tag. This type of RFID tag is designed to be used in a mode in which the RFID tag is attached to an article and identification of the article and the like can be performed by exchanging information relating to that article with an external device.
As one example of a method of attaching this kind of RFID tag, a method may be mentioned that uses an adhesive sheet that has adhesive applied on either the front or rear surface. According to this method, an RFID tag is attached to an article by affixing this adhesive sheet to the surface of the article in a manner that sandwiches the RFID tag between the surface of the article and the surface (adhesive surface) on which the adhesive was applied.
The usage modes for RFID tags include a mode in which an RFID tag is attached to article that changes shape easily, such as clothing, and the above described attachment method using an adhesive sheet is sometimes employed as a method of attaching an RFID tag to this kind of article. However, in an attachment method that uses an adhesive sheet, the RFID tag is rigidly fixed to the article and, as a result, changes in the shape of the article are transmitted as they are to the RFID tag. An RFID tag has sections that are structurally vulnerable to tensile stress, such as a connection part between an antenna and a circuit chip, and when a tensile stress is produced by changes in shape that are transmitted to the RFID tag from the article, there is a fear of a failure occurring in which the RFID tag breaks.


A sensor assembly includes a housing defining a potting chamber and arranged along a sensor axis, a mounting flange extending about the sensor axis the axially offset along the sensor axis from the housing, and one or more intermediate flange. The one or more intermediate flange is arranged between the housing and the mounting flange along the sensor axis, the one or more intermediate flange coupling the mounting flange to the housing. The one or more intermediate flange is spaced apart from mounting flange to limit thermal communication between the mounting flange and the housing. Gas turbine engines and methods of cooling sensor assemblies are also described.

The present disclosure is generally related to sensor assemblies, and more particularly sensor assemblies and methods of cooling sensor assemblies in high temperature applications.
Gas turbine engines, such as aircraft main engines and auxiliary power units, commonly employ sensors to monitor various parameters during operation of the gas turbine engine. For example, flow sensors may be employed to monitor flow through the engine compressor section and/or turbine section. Pressure sensors may also be employed to monitor pressure of flows through the engine compressor section and/or turbine section. In addition, temperature sensors may be employed to measure temperature within the compressor and/or the turbine section. Such sensors are generally positioned in proximity to hot engine structures and therefore undergo heating due to the proximity to the hot engine structure.
In some gas turbine engines sensors may be subjected to temperatures above the rating of standard electrical connectors. Applications where the sensor is exposed to temperatures above that of the sensor rating typically requires customization of the electrical connector interfacing the sensor to external devices, such as with ceramic buttons and stainless steel stud arrangements fixed to the sensor with brazing or welding. While generally acceptable for their intended purpose, brazing and ceramic structures can fracture due to the stress and fatigue associated with the heating. Further, high temperatures can lead to embrittlement of electrical leads within the sensor, potentially limiting reliability of such sensors.
Such systems and methods have generally been accepted for their intended purpose. However, there remains a need for improved sensor assemblies, gas turbine engines having sensor assemblies, and methods of cooling sensor assemblies.

Sensor assemblies, gas turbines with sensor assemblies, and methods of cooling sensor assemblies


An ink receptor sheet for ink jet printing, an ink jet printing system including an ink receptor sheet and a transfer element, a process for preparing an image on permanent support by ink jet printing, and an imaged article made by such process. By incorporation of a photopolymerizable layer into an ink receptor sheet, the handling latitude during lamination and peeling steps of ink jet printing processes was enhanced and durable and resistant images made by such ink jet printing processes were provided.

Ink jet printing is a well known process in the art to make multicolor images. It is a non-impact method for recording information in response to an electronic signal, such as that generated by a computer. In this process, ink droplets are emitted from a nozzle and deposited on substrates, mainly paper or polymer films and sheets, to form an ink image. To achieve high quality images in ink jet printing, the substrate is usually coated with at least one layer that rapidly absorbs the ink. For the inks are mainly composed of water and a colorant, such coating formulations are hydrophilic and contain appropriate absorptive materials.
It is also possible to transfer the ink image present on the ink receiving layer of an ink receiving sheet, comprising a temporary support and an ink receiving layer, to a permanent substrate. After peeling of the temporary support, the image is transferred to the permanent substrate.
Alternatively, the imaged ink receptor sheet may first be laminated to a transfer element. Then the temporary support of the ink receptor sheet is removed, the imaged ink receiving layer on the transfer element is then laminated to the desired permanent substrate, and finally the transfer element is removed.
Ink jet printing materials and transfer processes are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,129, U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,797, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,467. Ink receptor sheets which provide ink images with improved durability are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,860 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,137. These materials contain special compounds in the ink receiving layer which compounds are crosslinked by heat, by actinic radiation, or by chemical treatment after ink jet printing. Another method to provide durable ink jet images is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,398. This method provides images with a protective layer on the ink image by using an ink receptor sheet comprising a temporary support, a polymeric film, and an ink receiving layer. After applying an image by ink jet printing to the ink receiving layer, a substrate comprising an adhesive layer is laminated to the imaged ink receptor sheet, and the temporary support of the ink receptor sheet is removed, whereby the polymeric film is revealed as a protective layer of the ink image.
There are still problems with the ink jet materials and processes of the prior art, such as they often have narrow handling latitude during the required lamination and peeling steps. Either high lamination temperatures and slow lamination speeds are necessary or it is difficult to separate the right layers in the peeling steps to get the desired end result.

Ink receptor sheet and it's process of use


Aspects of a method and system for decoding single antenna interference cancellation (SAIC) and redundancy processing adaptation using frame process are provided. A receiver may decode video, voice, and/or speech bit sequences based on a first decoding algorithm that may utilize data redundancy and that may impose physical constraints. The receiver may also decode a bit sequence based on a second decoding algorithm that utilizes SAIC. The first and second decoding algorithms may be adapted to perform in parallel and a decoded received bit sequence may be selected based on a redundancy verification parameter. The first and second decoding algorithms may also be adapted to be performed sequentially where the subsequent decoding operation may be conditioned to the initial decoding operation. Moreover, either the first or the second decoding algorithm may be selected for decoding the received bit sequence. The selection may be based on noise and/or interference measurements.

In digital communication receiver design, improvements in performance may require extensive system modifications that may be very costly and, in some cases, may even be impractical. Determining the right approach to achieve design improvements may depend on the optimization of a receiver system to a particular modulation type and/or to the various kinds of noises that may be introduced by a transmission channel.
Noise, such as interference from neighboring cells and multipath fading, are limiting factors for wireless system performance. A historical approach to improve the performance of receivers that may require extensive system modifications is to reduce the effect of interference by using multiple antennas, often referred to as receive or antenna diversity. However, receiving signals from multiple antennas increases hardware and/or software complexity resulting in higher implementation costs. In contrast to multiple antenna approach,—the use of single antennas may, in some instances, achieve substantial co-channel interference cancellation for GSM/GPRS/EDGE system with moderate cost.
Other approach to achieve design improvements is to explore signal interdependency or redundancy of communication systems. For example, the optimization of a receiver system may be based on whether the signals being received, generally in the form of successive symbols or information bits, are interdependent. Signals received from, for example, a convolutional encoder, transmit with partial response, multipath channel, etc., may be interdependent signals, that is, signals with memory. Equalization and decoding techniques may be necessary to achieve system improvement.
Improvements in the design and implementation of optimized receivers may require modifications to the application of conventional techniques such as MLSE algorithm, the Viterbi algorithm, the MAP algorithm, and/or the application of new techniques that address interference from neighboring cells and multipath fading and the nature of the signals transmitted. Moreover, optimized receivers may also need to implement techniques that enable the reduction of signal interference without extensive and costly increases in hardware and/or software complexity.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Method and system for decoding single antenna interference cancellation (SAIC) and redundancy processing adaptation using frame process


In an external lead terminal 5 of a transistor module, an intermediate terminal portion 6 and an external lead terminal 8 are conductively connected to each other via a U-shaped intermediate terminal portion 7 having a curved portion 7b. Connected in parallel with this intermediate terminal portion 7 is a shortcircuit wire 9 having a larger electric resistance and a smaller inductance than the same. For this reason, even if a current is reduced suddenly in a state in which the current is flowing from the external terminal portion 8 to the intermediate terminal portion 6 via the intermediate terminal portion 7, the current shifts to the shortcircuit wire 9 side, so that a transient voltage is low. Consequently, it is provided a transistor module capable of reducing a transient voltage without being subjected to restrictions in the size of an external lead terminal while maintaining a high level of reliability.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transistor module incorporating semiconductor devices and the like, and more particularly to a technique of reducing a transient voltage which is generated owing to an external lead terminal thereof.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
In the design and manufacture of electronic equipment, in terms of a reduction in the number of circuit component parts used, as compared with an arrangement in which its electronic circuits are formed by electronic components such as transistors, it is more advantageous to use a transistor module in which a plurality of electronic components are formed as a module in an outer-packaging resin or metal case by being mounted on a circuit board. In such a transistor module, as shown in FIG. 6, an external lead terminal 22 is led from the interior of a transistor module 21 to the exterior of an outer-packaging resin (not shown). This external lead terminal 22 has an intermediate terminal portion 25 bent in the form of, for instance, the letter U and disposed between its internal terminal portion 23 and external terminal portion 24. As a result, even if the transistor module 21 produces heat during the operation and the external lead wire 22 undergoes heat deformation, a bent portion 25a of the intermediate terminal portion 25 absorbs this heat deformation and alleviates a stress with respect to the encapsulating resin, thereby preventing a decline in the reliability of the transistor module 21. In addition, as water or the like is prevented from entering the interior of the transistor module 21 along the external lead terminal 22, its environmental resistance is improved.
However, if the intermediate terminal portion 25 having the bent portion 25a is provided in the external lead terminal 22 of the transistor module 21, a large inductance L.sub.0 parasitically occurs in correspondence with the bent shape. For this reason, if the supply of a current with respect to the transistor module 21 is switched on and off at high speed, when the current decreases sharply, a large transient voltage .DELTA.V.sub.0 expressed by -L.sub.0 (dI.sub.0 /dt) occurs in correspondence with a change in its current dI.sub.0 /dt. Such a transient voltage .DELTA.V.sub.0 can cause a malfunction or the like in the circuit. Here, to reduce the .DELTA.V.sub.0, it suffices if the intermediate terminal portion 25 is formed into a linear structure to reduce the inductance L.sub.0. This, however, impairs the effect of alleviating the heat deformation of the external lead terminal 22 and the effect of enhancing the environmental resistance, thereby causing a decline in the reliability of the transistor module 21. For this reason, with the conventional transistor module 21, there has been the problem that either the reliability or the transient voltage .DELTA.V.sub.0 must be sacrificed.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7, it is conceivable to use an external lead terminal 32 in which a slit 35a is provided in an intermediate terminal portion 35 in the longitudinal direction thereof to provide a plurality of parallel current paths between an external terminal portion 34 and an internal terminal portion 33. In the external lead terminal 32 having such a structure, since the current path is divided, even if the current is switched at high speed, a current I.sub.1 flowing through each current path is small, so that a transient voltage .DELTA.V.sub.1 expressed by -L.sub.1 (dI.sub.1 /dt) is small. However, in the case where the transient voltage .DELTA.V.sub.1 is reduced by dividing the current path by providing the slit 35a, the effect of reducing the transient voltage .DELTA.V.sub.1 is restricted by the number of divisions of the current path. Hence, to reduce the .DELTA.V.sub.1 sufficiently, it is necessary to form a multiplicity of grooves. Accordingly, there are restrictions arising from the sizes and configurations of a transistor module 31 and the external lead terminal 32. For instance, as shown in FIG. 7, in a case where an internal terminal portion 37 is also provided at a position distant from the external terminal portion 34 via an intermediate terminal portion 36 having a bent portion 36a, it is necessary to provide slits 36b between the bent portion 36a and the external terminal portion 34 and provide a slit 36c between the bent portion 36a and the internal terminal portion 37. However, to reduce the transient voltage .DELTA.V.sub.1 sufficiently, it is necessary to form a multiplicity of grooves 36a and 36b, so that it is essential that the width of the intermediate terminal portion 36 be wide. In addition, an increase in the number of the slits 35a, 36b, and 36c formed in the external lead terminal 32 results in an increase in the number of processing operations, and the problem of the increased manufacturing cost of the transistor module 21 also results.

Transistor module having external lead terminal with transient voltage suppression


An apparatus and method are provided for manipulating light beams propagated through an optical apparatus that includes a planar lightwave circuit (PLC) and free-space optics unit. A multi-wave optical signal coupled to the PLC is propagated through a first and second waveguide array to generate a phased array output at an edge facet of the PLC. The phased array output at the edge facet is spatially Fourier transformed by the lens to generate a spectrally resolved image having a discrete light spot for each channel of the input optical signal, which is coupled to a pixelated optical receiving unit. When the optical receiving unit is a reflector, one or more of the discrete light spot are reflected to a desired waveguide array of a PLC to produce a desired output. When the optical receiving unit is a pixelated transmissive modulator, one or more of the discrete light spot are modulated as they pass through the modulator.

Optical components that switch and/or attenuate selected channels (hereinafter wavelength selective switch, WSS) in wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) communications are useful in constructing optical mesh networks and reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADM). With reference to FIG. 1, a typical WSS is depicted by 100. WSS 100 is implemented in a hybrid planar lightwave circuit (PLC) 120 and free-space optics configuration 160 (described in previously referenced U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/930,382 and the article "Compact, wavelength-selective 1×2 switch utilizing a planar lightwave stack and a MEMS micromirror array," by D. M. Marom and C. R. Doerr, published in Optical MEMS Conference in August 2004). WSS 100 includes dispersing means PLC 120 for spatially dispersing the optical signal (e.g., a WDM signal) from the input fiber 115 and projecting the dispersed light through a lens 135 onto a spatial light modulating (SLM) device 140. The SLM device 140 is typically comprised of an array of individual pixels, where each pixel is assigned to a particular wavelength channel or band of channels and can either attenuate the optical signal (for an optical channel blocker) or switch the optical signal onto an output fiber (for a WSS). The SLM technology commonly used for such optical components is based on either liquid crystals or microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based micromirrors.
While each channel of the optical signal is directed to an assigned pixel, undesirably, some spectral components of the channel may fall on the edge of the pixel, especially in systems with high spectral efficiency. The diffraction phenomena from the edge can result in some deleterious effects, such as coupling the light to undesirable locations. (See article "Attenuated mechanism effect on filter shape in channelized dynamic spectral equalizers," by S-H. Oh and D. M. Marom, published on Jan. 1, 2004 in Vol. 43, No. 1, APPLIED OPTICS) Hence beams of light of frequency components that are incident on the interpixel gap region represent a special challenge to the optical design of the WSS. Furthermore, when SLM 140 is a MEMS structure, each pixel's micromirror will have a finite curvature. This curvature will cause the reflected light to reflect in slightly different directions depending on small changes in wavelength (see article "Effects of mirror curvature in MEMS micromirror based wavelength-selective switches" by D. M. Marom et al, published in 2003 LEOS annual meeting, Tucson, Ariz., October 2003.). Therefore strict bounds are set on the minimum acceptable micromirror curvature, which represents a challenge for metalized mirrors due to stresses and coefficient of thermal expansion mismatches.
What is desired is an improved WSS design, which solves both the problem of light falling on pixel edges and finite micromirror curvature.

Method and apparatus for wavelength-selective switches and modulators


Methods and systems for monitoring remote transmissions of messages among a plurality of nodes are described. A processing element in a first node may allocate a sequence number to a request to read and/or update data in a second node. The processing element may be different from main processors of the first node. The processing element may send the message and the sequence number to the second node. The processing element may modify a status of the sequence number to an active state, indicating a transmission of the message is pending. The processing element may, in response to a response from the second node, modify the status of the sequence number to an inactive state, indicating a completed transmission of the message. The processing element may, in response to no response from the second node within a time period, resend the message and the sequence number to the second node.

In a network, packets may be transmitted among a plurality of computing nodes and in the midst of the transmissions, packets may be dropped. A reliability of the network may be affected by a number of packets dropped during the transmissions. An increase in a number of successful transmissions may increase the reliability of the network.

Reliability processing of remote direct memory access

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention relates to new fluoroketone compounds from the groups monobromoperfluoroketones, monohydromonobromoperfluoroketones, (perfluoroalkoxy)monobromoperfluoroketones, (fluoroalkoxy)monobromoperfluoroketones, and monochloromonobromoperfluoroketones. These fluoroketone compounds have utility in preventing, controlling and extinguishing fire. These fluoroketone compounds have further utility as additives to reduce or eliminate the flammability of normally flammable working fluids such as refrigerants, foam blowing agents, solvents, aerosol propellants, and sterilants.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to new fluoroketone compounds from the groups monobromoperfluoroketones, monohydromonobromoperfluoroketones, (perfluoroalkoxy)monobromoperfluoroketones, (fluoroalkoxy)monobromoperfluoroketones, and monochloromonobromoperfluoroketones. These fluoroketone compounds have utility in preventing, controlling and extinguishing fire.
2. Description of Related Art
Numerous agents and methods of fire fighting are known and can be selected for a particular fire, depending upon factors such as its size, location and the type of combustible materials involved. Halogenated hydrocarbon fire fighting agents have traditionally been utilized in flooding applications protecting fixed enclosures (e.g., computer rooms, storage vaults, telecommunications switching gear rooms, libraries, document archives, petroleum pipeline pumping stations, and the like), or in streaming applications requiring rapid extinguishing (e.g., military aircraft, commercial hand-held extinguishers). Such extinguishing agents are not only effective but, unlike water, also function as "clean extinguishing agents," causing little, if any, damage to the enclosure or its contents.
The most commonly-used halogenated hydrocarbon extinguishing agents have been the bromine-containing compounds bromotrifluoromethane (CF3Br, Halon™1301) and bromochlorodifluoromethane (CF2ClBr, Halon™1211). These bromine-containing halocarbons are highly effective in extinguishing fires and can be dispensed either from portable streaming equipment or from an automatic room flooding system activated either manually or by some method of fire detection. However, these compounds have been linked to ozone depletion. The Montreal Protocol and its attendant amendments have mandated that Halon™1211 and 1301 production be discontinued.
Thus, there is a need in this field for substitutes or replacements for the commonly-used, bromine-containing fire extinguishing agents. Such substitutes should have a low ozone depletion potential; should have the ability to extinguish, control, and prevent fires, e.g., Class A (trash, wood, or paper), Class B (flammable liquids or greases), and/or Class C (electrical equipment) fires; and should be "clean extinguishing agents," i.e., be electrically non-conducting, volatile or gaseous, and leave no residue upon use. Preferably, substitutes will also be low in toxicity, not form flammable mixtures in air, have acceptable thermal and chemical stability for use in extinguishing applications, and have short atmospheric lifetimes and low global warming potentials.
Various different fluorinated hydrocarbons have been suggested for use as fire fighting agents. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,300,378, Tapscott discloses tropodegradeable bromine-containing halocarbon additives to decrease the flammability of refrigerants, foam blowing agents, solvents, aerosol propellants, and sterilants. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,979, Rivers et al. disclose the use of perfluorinated ketones in fire extinguishing.


SiH3CH3 having the concentration of 1 to 10% is diluted with H2 and a portion of the diluted SiH3CH3, GeH4 and SiH4 (or DCS) are respectively supplied to a chamber of an epitaxial device at predetermined flow rates, and SiGe:C is formed by an epitaxial growth technique. By diluting the SiH3CH3, the concentration of oxygen-based impurity contained in the SiH3CH3 is reduced and hence, the oxygen-based impurity which is supplied to a chamber are reduced whereby the concentration of oxygen-based impurity contained in the SiGe:C formed in a film is reduced.

Japanese Patent Laid-open 2003-203872 (patent document 1) discloses a vertical-type low-pressure CVD device which uses a mechanical booster pump and a dry pump, and maintains a wafer reaction atmosphere in highly clean state by introducing a raw material gas from an upper portion of a reaction chamber and by exhausting the raw material gas from a lower portion of the reaction chamber thus obtaining high-quality Si, SiGe or SiGeC.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-open 2002-237590 (patent document 2) discloses a MOS-type field effect transistor in which a channel region has the stacked structure formed of a Si layer and a SiGe layer or a SiGeC layer sequentially from a surface, a source layer and a drain layer which are formed of SiGe or SiGeC containing high-concentration impurity atoms which impart a desired conductive type are brought into contact with both end surfaces of the channel region, and surfaces of the source layer and the drain layer which are formed of SiGe or SiGeC have a shape which is raised upwardly from a position of a bottom portion of a gate electrode.    Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open 2003-203872    Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-open 2002-237590

Manufacturing method of semiconductor device


A synchronization architecture for a cross connect switch having an ingress stage, a center stage, and an egress stage utilizes optical interfaces and media to distribute a system clock and frame sync to the I/O modules and switch fabric so that system can reassign the source/destination of the numerous STS-1 streams. A main synchronization module encodes the frame sync within the system clock. An optical interface converts the encoded sync signal to an optical sync signal which is sent over optical media to a secondary synchronization module which extracts the encoded frame sync from the optical sync signal and recovers the system clock. The system clock may be frequency multiplied or divided as necessary for distribution to the ingress and egress switch fabrics as well as the I/O modules. The sync reference may be externally provided or derived from an optical input data signal and forwarded to the main sync module using an optical pathway.

1. Field of Invention
The invention generally relates to a synchronization architecture and method for an optical cross connect. More specifically, the invention relates to synchronization architectures and methods particularly well-suited to a SONET/SDH TDM cross connect switch using a CLOS architecture.
2. Description of Related Art
Synchronization is required for SONET/SDH systems. After all, SONET stands for Synchronous Optical Network and SDH stands for Synchronous Digital Hierarchy. In the case of a large scalable switch using a CLOS architecture, the synchronization information must be carried to all the ingress/egress shelves from the center stage shelf. A basic method to pass the synchronization information is to electrically interconnect all the shelves with cables carrying a clock signal and a frame signal as well as a return clock signal used to support the Line Time mode of operation. This approach suffers from the following problems:                Generation of EMI (electromagnetic interference) noise from the high-frequency electrical clock signals being distributed to the shelves        Possible signal integrity issues due to attenuation on long cable interconnects        Connector density issue on the center stage shelf

Optical cross connect synchronization architecture and method


A method and system provide a magnetic read transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS). The magnetic read transducer includes a read sensor stack and a pinning structure. The read sensor stack includes a pinned layer, a spacer layer, and a free layer. The spacer layer is nonmagnetic and between the pinned layer and the free layer. A portion of the read sensor stack is at the ABS. The pinning structure includes a hard magnetic layer recessed from the ABS, recessed from the free layer and adjacent to a portion of the pinned layer.

FIG. 1 depicts an air-bearing surface (ABS) view of a conventional read transducer used in magnetic recording technology applications. The conventional read transducer 10 includes shields 12 and 18, insulator 14, hard bias structures 16, and sensor 20. The read sensor 20 is typically a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor or tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) sensor. The read sensor 20 includes an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer 22, a pinned layer 24, a nonmagnetic spacer layer 26, and a free layer 28. Also shown is a capping layer 30. In addition, seed layer(s) may be used. The free layer 28 has a magnetization sensitive to an external magnetic field. Thus, the free layer 28 functions as a sensor layer for the magnetoresistive sensor 20. If the sensor 20 is to be used in a current perpendicular to plane (CPP) configuration, then current is driven in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the layers 22, 24, 26, and 28. Conversely, in a current parallel to plane (CIP) configuration, then conductive leads (not shown) would be provided on the hard bias structures 16. The hard bias structures 16 are used to magnetically bias the free layer 28. In an ideal case, the hard bias structures 16 match the thickness, moment, and location of the sensor layer 28.
Although the conventional transducer 10 functions, there are drawbacks. The trend in magnetic recording is to higher density memories. A lower track width, TW is desired for reading higher density memories. As track width decreases, the widths of other layers, such as the AFM layer 22, are also reduced. Although the AFM layer 22 can have a reduced width, the size of the crystallographic grains within the AFM layer 22 are desired not to scale with width. This is because smaller grain sizes correspond to a lower blocking temperature for the AFM layer 22. Scaling the grains of the AFM layer 22 would result in an AFM layer 22 that is more disordered at operating temperatures, which is undesirable. However, larger grains for the AFM layer 22 adversely affect the ability of the AFM layer to pin of the magnetic moment of the pinned layer 12 in the preferred orientation. For example, the grains for an IrMn AFM layer 22 are typically on the order of seven to ten nanometers in diameter. An AFM layer 22 that is twenty-five nanometers by thirty nanometers has a significantly reduced number of grains (e.g. on the order of 12) versus an AFM layer 22 that is fifty nanometers by sixty nanometers (e.g. on the order of forty-eight). The quality of the magnetic bias provided by the AFM layer 22 is related to the number of grains in the AFM layer 22. As a result, the ability of the AFM layer 22 to pin the magnetic moment of the pinned layer 24 in the desired direction is compromised at higher densities. Poorer pinning of the magnetic moment of the pinned layer 24 adversely affects performance of the conventional magnetic transducer 10.
In addition, a reduced shield-to-shield spacing, SS1, is desired for higher density memories. For example, for a shield-to-shield spacing for the conventional read transducer 10 of approximately twenty-two nanometers, approximately one-third is occupied by the AFM layer 22. The thickness of the AFM layer 22 may be reduced slightly. However, such reductions in the thickness of the AFM layer 22 adversely affect the thermal stability of the magnetoresistive sensor 20. Such instabilities in the magnetoresistive sensor 20 are undesirable.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for improving the performance of a magnetic recording read transducer.

Method and system for providing a read transducer having improved pinning of the pinned layer at higher recording densities


A tool assembly includes a handle section including operably connected linear sections. A proximal section has a handle portion and a distal section has a fixed longitudinal length protruding away from the proximal section. A float is included having planar top and bottom surfaces. The assembly also includes mechanisms for pivotally connecting the float to the handle section, for pivotally attaching the proximal section to the distal section, and for rotatably connecting the proximal section to the distal section. A mechanism is also included for telescopically adjusting a length of the proximal section. A carrying case is included for housing the float and the handle section therein, and is provided with an articulated lid attached thereto. The pivotally connecting mechanism, the pivotally attaching mechanism, the rotatably connecting mechanism, and the telescopically adjusting mechanism are independently and simultaneously operable.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to tools and, more particularly, to an adjustable tool for finishing concrete surfaces.
2. Prior Art
It has been well known in the art that many problems and difficulties are encountered in providing a simple and easy means for establishing a level and smooth finish to large slabs of concrete. It is desired that the fine particles of sand and concrete be brought to the surface and that the larger particles, e.g., rocks and/or gravel, distribute themselves through the lower regions of the concrete.
In the field of concrete construction and finishing, an apparatus termed a concrete float is attached to a handle to enable the operator to apply the float to areas being serviced by the float. To adapt the apparatus to various use situations, various lengths of handles are needed to work with, for example, a variety of heights of concrete walls. In addition, the float must be set in a range of angles with respect to the long axis of the handle. The conventional apparatus comprises a fixed length handle with the float attached at a fixed angle at the other end of the handle. It would be advantageous to have a float head that is pivotal along a variety of angles.
When a variety of lengths of handles is required, it is necessary to have a large number of floats, each attached to a specific length handle. The use of multiple floats, each with a different length handle attached thereto, is not generally acceptable because of the cost associated therewith. An adjustable handle would alleviate this problem
Accordingly, a need remains for an adjustable tool for finishing concrete surfaces. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an adjustable tool that is easily operated, convenient to use, efficient, and provides an improved level of precision. Such an adjustable surface finishing tool provides a smoother and more consistent surface than alternate tools currently used for this purpose. This results in a better looking finish, produced in a shorter amount of time. This allows for more such finishing tasks to be performed, resulting in increased profits.

Adjustable tool for finishing concrete surfaces


Arrays of optical fibers connected to specially configured electronics, e.g., a phototransistor, an LED, an amplifier, a detector, and display, software and PCMCIA A/D board available on a personal computer, are used to obtain continuous real-time acquisition, processing, and visualization of change in a media occurring in natural environments. Alternatively, many of the individual circuit elements above may be replaced with a power meter. In a specific application, data are collected on the depth of sediment below a body of water. As the sediment depth is changed by an event, the ends of the optical fibers in the array display a different reflection or transmission coefficient indicating that water has replaced sediment or vice versa. By knowing which of the optical fiber ends in the array is indicating the changed reflection or transmission coefficient, scour depth or silt accretion may be estimated. A method of employment of the system is also described.

Scour is a severe problem that results in millions of dollars of damage to infrastructure and loss of life annually. Scour occurs during times of high tides, hurricanes, rapid river flow and icing conditions when sediment, including rocks, gravel, sand, and silt are transported by the currents, undermining bridge pier foundations, submarine utility cables and pipelines, and filling in navigational channels. Scour is dynamic; ablation and deposition can occur during the same high-energy hydrodynamic event, so the worst-case net effect cannot be easily predicted nor previously monitored in real-time.
Several bridge scour monitoring technologies exist, including several patented electromagnetic sensors, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,338, Time Domain Reflectometry System for Real-Time Bridge Scour Detection and Monitoring, to Yankielun, N. E. and L. Zabilansky, Jul. 21, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,471, Water/Sediment Interface Monitoring System Using Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave, to Yankielun and Zabilansky Aug. 4, 1998; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,084,393, Scour Probe Assembly, to Yankielun, Jul. 4, 2000.
These technologies, employing metallic time domain reflectometry (TDR) and frequency-modulated continuous wave FM-CW reflectometry have proved highly successful in detecting, monitoring and measuring scour and deposition of sediments in freshwater. However, they are of limited utility, or even unusable in conductive media such as brackish water, seawater, or in clays and some contaminated soils. Consequently, the technologies may be deployed only in inland (fresh) bodies of water having sediments comprising non-cohesive (non-clay-based) soils.
Dr. Yankielun developed an optical TDR-based (OTDR) scour probe that relies on "micro-bending" in an optical fiber. This micro-bending is caused by the impinging pressure of sediments on a specially configured optical fiber to indicate the extent of scour depth. The technology is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,189, Scour Sensor Assembly, to Yankielun, Feb. 25, 2003. While circumventing the problems encountered by conventional metallic TDR in saline waters and cohesive soils, the system uses an expensive OTDR unit.
An embodiment of the present invention employs an optical reflection coefficient-based technique. See U.S. published patent application 20030117154 A1, Method and Instrument for Electronically Recording and Imaging Representations of the Interaction of an Object with Its Environment, by Yankielun and J. H. Clark, Jun. 26, 2003, incorporated herein by reference. Using this technique, one may detect, monitor and measure sediment transport in conductive water/sediment environments economically, continuously and in real-time.
This new technology improves the ability to perform sediment transport research, monitoring, and measurement in coastal zones, saltwater estuaries, embayments and other highly conductive waters, especially in cold regions and in the presence of ice. The system is not only applicable to saline and highly conductive environments but will function as well in freshwater regimes.

Fiber optic-based probe for use in saltwater and similarly conductive media as found in unenclosed natural environments

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


A proton conductor includes a metal ion, an oxoanion, and a molecule capable of undergoing protonation or deprotonation, in which at least one of the oxoanion and the molecule capable of undergoing protonation or deprotonation coordinates to the metal ion to form a coordination polymer. The oxoanion is preferably a monomer. The oxoanion is exemplified by at least one selected from the group consisting of phosphate ion, hydrogenphosphate ion, and dihydrogenphosphate ion. The molecule capable of undergoing protonation or deprotonation is exemplified by at least one selected from the group consisting of imidazole, triazole, benzimidazole, benzotriazole, and derivatives thereof.

Patent Literature 1: JP-2002-097272 A
Patent Literature 2: JP-2003-217339 A (US 2004/0151983 A)
Proton-exchange membrane fuel cell systems are desirably simplified and prepared at lower cost. This demands electrolyte materials that operate at an operating temperature of 100° C. or higher in an atmosphere with no or little humidification. In contrast, customary proton-exchange membrane fuel cells each include an electrolyte that performs ionic conduction by water as proton carrier. The electrolyte is represented by perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymers. The customary proton-exchange membrane fuel cells thereby fail to exhibit satisfactory ionic conduction under operation conditions at a temperature of 100° C. or higher with no or little humidification.
Sol-gel porous glass (Patent Literature 1) and a phosphate hydrogel (Patent Literature 2) have been known as electrolyte materials that less suffer from evaporation of water even at high temperatures.
The techniques disclosed in Patent Literatures 1 and 2 require humidification up approximately to saturated water vapor pressure so as to suppress water evaporation. The techniques are therefore still insufficient in ionic conductivity and stability under conditions with little humidification. The customary electrolyte materials fail to have satisfactory ionic conductivity and stability under operation conditions at a high temperature of 100° C. or higher with no or little humidification.

Proton conductor, method for manufacturing proton conductor, and fuel cell


A cursor control device for use with a three-dimensional stereoscopic image display system comprises a housing defining a volume corresponding to a displayed three-dimensional volume, and a joystick operable by the user for moving and positioning a cursor in the displayed three-dimensional volume. The joystick has a knob which is movable within the volume defined by the housing so as to designate desired positioning and movement of the cursor within the displayed three-dimensional volume. There is, at any given time, both positional and movement congruency between the position and movement of the knob and position and movement, respectively, of the cursor.

With the development of computer systems in general, and with the development of personal computers and workstations in particular, various devices for controlling the position and movement of a cursor on the two-dimensional display provided by a computer display unit have been developed. Typical of such devices are the "mouse" device, the joystick device, and the like.
Recently, systems for displaying a three-dimensional stereoscopic image of an object on a display unit have been developed. Such systems provide for the display of a cursor which, when viewed as a part of the three-dimensional stereoscopic display (by the use of special glasses, for example), identify a point in three-dimensional space.
However, no device (or, at least, no easily usable device) has been developed for operator manipulation of the cursor in such a three-dimensional stereoscopic display. Thus, there is a need for a three-dimensional cursor control device which permits the operator to conveniently and accurately control the movement and position of the cursor in three-dimensional space.
Such a three-dimensional cursor control device should be "user friendly". That is to say, there should be positional congruency between manipulation of the device by the user and the positioning of the cursor in three-dimensional space. In addition, there should be movement congruency between manipulation of the device by the user and movement of the cursor in three-dimensional space.
The following patents are considered to be typical of the prior art relative to the invention disclosed herein: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,613,501; 4,214,267; 4,607,255; 4,685,070; 4,766,423; 4,791,478; 4,812,829; 4,823,170; 4,835,528; 4,839,838; and 4,840,567.


An AC to AC power conversion apparatus with constant power feeding characteristics to fluorescent lamp or FD lamp is described. The constant power characteristic is achieved by discontinuous mode operation of capacitor coupled in series with the load. Packets of energy are pumped out to the load in each switching cycle, regardless of the resonant characteristics. The dependence of the input power on the square of the supply voltage make the input resistive and produces good power factor automatically. The lamp load is dimmable by external phase control dimmer like resistive incandescent lamps. Multiple lamp loads with different power rating can be integrated by adding more sets of said capacitors and associated components.

Electronic ballast is widely used because of its advantages of high efficiency, energy saving and compact size. However, it is still not as popular as the conventional magnetic ballast. This is because electronic ballasts are often compared directly with magnetic ballast, both in terms of performance and cost. An electronic ballast has to meet many regulations for lighting apparatus such as those for input harmonic current, power factor, total harmonic distortion. Very often high-performance and expensive components are required in order to meet these regulations. For example, high voltage electrolytic bulk capacitor are usually needed in a ballast circuit, but the life time of most high voltage electrolytic capacitor is 2,000 hours at rated condition, which is only half the life time of a tube type fluorescent lamp. So there is very tough trade off between cost and reliability of an electronic ballast.
A typical prior art ballast circuit is shown in FIG. 1. It consists of a rectifier, a boost converter followed by a DC to AC converter. The rectifier converts the AC input to a pulsating DC source. The boost converter serves as a Power Factor Correction (PFC) front end which make sure that the input current meet the regulatory requirements. The DC to AC converter receives the DC from the PFC front end and produces a plurality of pulses by switches M1 and M2. The pulses are coupled to a resonant circuit which consists of a lamp load. When the pulse frequency is close to the resonate frequency of the resonate network, a lot of power will be delivered to the load. If pulse frequency is slightly shifted with respect to the resonate frequency of the resonate network, power delivery will drop. The deviation of power caused by frequency shift depends on the Q factor of the resonate network. Also the maximum current flow into the lamp depends on the series inductance Lres and the lamp characteristic. The major drawback of this prior art is the sensitivity to component variations because resonant is key of the operation. The operating point must fall into a high gain region of the resonant characteristics otherwise the lamp would not light up properly.
When lamp dimming is needed an external phase control dimmer is often used. This calls for more complicated circuits in the ballast. Work of this type can be found from U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,034 by Brinkerhoff, U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,155 by Bezdon et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,559,395 Venkitasubrahmanian et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,017 by Adamson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,298 by Chen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,799 by Moisin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,137 by Titus, U.S. Pat. No. 6,100,644 by Titus, etc. The basic circuit is similar to the prior art with a power factor corrector front end in cascade with a converter to produce a pulsating voltage to a resonate circuit. Basically the idea is to generate a control signal to shift the pulse frequency along the bell shape resonate characteristic curve of the resonant circuit in order to adjust the power delivery produces dimming effect on the lamp. The control signal can be provided by an external controlling device, a potentiometer, or the average phase conduction angle voltage of an external dimmer. This type of control method cannot be very stable because the resonant circuit characteristics is very sensitive and changeable.
Some researchers attempted to solve the stability problem of dimmable ballast. Work in this area can be found from U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,214 by Lesea, U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,722 by Moisin, U.S. Pat. No. 6,118,228 by Pál, U.S. Pat. No. 6,144,169 by Janczak, U.S. Pat. No. 6,448,713 by Farkas et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,452,344 by MacAdam et al try to sense the current lamp current and compare it with the control signal using feedback control and adjust the switching frequency to go to a stable operating point on the bell shaped resonant curve. Many complex circuits are needed, together with the power factor corrector front end the final product is not cost competitive.
Some other researchers try to use simper circuits to achieve both good power factor and dimmable effect. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,492 Bobel uses a single stage circuit to provide power factor correction but it requires two resonant circuits to allow energy to flow back to the rectified input side and cause high voltage stresses on the main switches. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,348,767 Chen et al use two resonate circuit and connect the lamp loading to input side to provide a small continuous current flow to hold the triac dimmer on the input side but it produces poor power factor. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,011,357 Gradzki et al use a separate circuit to keep a small continuous current flow to hold the triac dimmer on the input side with poor power factor. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,429,604 B2 Chang uses multiple LLC resonant circuit to control the input current shape and lamp current flow but voltage stress is higher than the input peak AC voltage. This produces excessive voltage stresses on the components in the circuit.
There is a need to develop a ballast to have a simple circuit, stable operation, low input current harmonic characteristic and low electrical stresses.

Dimmable ballast with resistive input and low electromagnetic interference


A downhole retrieving tool, in which a tubular member has a tubing string connector end and a conical retrieving dish on the tubular member spaced from and opening towards the tubing string connector end. Stabilizers are spaced around the tubular member at the tubing string connector end. A retrievable whipstock comprises a concave, with a recess formed in the concave between upper and lower conical walls. The upper side wall intersects the face of the concave to form an anchor point. A method for retrieving a downhole tool, such as a whipstock, in a well, in which a retrieving tool having a retrieving dish is lowered into a well, inserted into the recess to engage an anchor point, and removed from the well. Fluid may be injected through circumferentially spaced fluid passageways communicating with the bore of the tubular member to remove unwanted material from the recess.

Retrievable whipstocks are known, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,133, issued Dec. 12, 1995. This patent describes a hook shaped retrieval tool which is guided along a slot cut in the face of the whipstock and engages within a retrieving slot set in the face of the whipstock. In this design, the hook must be oriented to enter the slot, as described at col. 38, lines 10-30, using orientation equipment. Use of such equipment is time consuming and adds expense to the drilling operation.
The inventors propose a tool that avoids the need for orientation of a retrieving tool when retrieving downhole tools, particularly whipstocks, from a well bore.

Method and apparatus for retrieving downhole tools


Novel peripheral antinociceptive compounds are disclosed having a pharmacophore unit that target small-diameter nerve fibers that transmit signals of pain and discomfort from the soma and viscera. By acting on this target, the pharmacophore unit obtunds pain and diminishes hyper-reflexia from organs such as the skin, the respiratory tract, the corpus, the lower urinary tract, and the bowel. The pharmacophore unit is coupled to substituents that facilitate delivery of the pharmacophore to its target.

1. Field of the disclosure
The field of art of this disclosure generally concerns chemicals designed to act as peripheral antinociceptive drugs. By "peripheral", I mean that the target of the drug action is located outside the central nervous system, that is, outside of the brain and spinal cord. By "antinociceptive", I mean that the drug suppresses the perception of noxious stimuli. The compounds described are aryl-substituted derivatives of cycloalkyl and branched chain alkyl carboxamides and carboxylic acids useful in treating clinical disorders such as itch, pain, and sensory discomforts from breathing disorders, lower urinary tract disorders, bowel dysfunction and as insect repellents.
2. Description of Related Art
There are currently two major classes of drugs that act peripherally to attenuate transmission of nociceptive signals to the central nervous system. One class of drugs are the local anesthetics, such as procaine and lidocaine, which act on peripheral nerve fibers to inhibit conduction of noxious signals towards the central nervous system. Another class of drugs are agents like aspirin and ibuprofen which inhibit the synthesis of certain prostaglandins. These prostaglandins when released by tissues during injury or inflammation lower the threshold of firing of sensory nerve fibers that respond to noxious stimuli. A third group of drugs, the narcotic analgesics, are effective in the suppression of pain, but they act within the brain and the spinal cord.
Local anesthetic compounds are not active orally and must be infiltrated into tissues containing the target nerve fibers. The aspirin/non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compounds (NSAID and thenarcotic analgesics ) are effective drugs but the NSAIDs may produce gastric ulceration and kidney failure and the narcotics have side-effects such as respiratory depression, tolerance and dependence. The NSAIDs reduce inflammatory pain, but are not effective against neuropathic or visceral pain. The treatment of neuropathic pain is especially complex, with empirical use of agents such as amitriptyline, clonazepam, clonidine, carbamazepine and gabapentin.
Pain, defined by Sir Charles Sherrington as "the psychic adjunct of an imperative protective reflex", is activated by increased discharge of small-diameter sensory fibers. Anatomically, these fibers are called unmyclinated C fibers and thinly myelinated Aδ fibers. Functionally, these fibers are also called polymodal and may contain in one group neuropeptides such as calcitonin-gene related peptide and substance P, or in another group contain phosphatases and binding sites for isolectin B4. These sensory fibers also contain various receptors, including the transient potential receptor (TRP) potential family of receptors that code for thermosensation and pain. Pain is categorized as nociceptive or neuropathic, the first caused by tissue injury and the latter caused by direct damage to the nerve fiber. There are many conditions that produce pain, for example, acute pain after tissue trauma, chronic pain from osteoarthritis, cancer pain, and neuropathic pain, for example, associated with end-stage renal diseases and with diabetes mellitus. Other related sensory disorders arising from polymodal neuronal elements are pruritus, for example from uremia, cholestasis, various forms of dermatitis, polycythemia vera, hyperthyroidism, lymphoma, and human immunodeficiency (HIV) virus infections; and sensations from the nasal membranes, for example, the urge to sneeze; and sensations from the upper airways, for example, the urge to cough.
Another form of sensory fiber disorder is visceral hyper-sensitivity or hyper-reflexia. Urinary incontinence (UI) is defined as the involuntary loss of urine that can be demonstrated objectively and which constitutes a social or hygienic problem. UI occurs when the pressure within the bladder exceeds that within the urethra during the filling phase. Overactive bladder (OA) and urge incontinence is a type of UI that is associated with a strong desire to urinate and correlates with an overactive detrusor muscle. Urge incontinence is usually recognized by the abrupt sensation that urination is imminent and can occur even when the bladder is virtually empty.
It is estimated that OA affects more 17 million Americans, making it more prevalent than, for example, asthma, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus or Alzheimer's disease. OA with urge incontinence is a problem in older men with bladder irritation from benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH), a condition which obstructs urine passage. In women, stress incontinence, a sub-category of UI, arises as a defect in the urethral closure mechanism caused, for example, by physical damage to muscle and nerves on the pelvic floor, bladder neck, or urethra during childbirth. Sufferers of stress incontinence have leak of small volumes of urine after actions such as laughing, coughing, sneezing, lifting, jumping and running, all of which produce abrupt increases in intra-abdominal pressure. Stress incontinence is estimated to affect approximately 25% of women with urinary incontinence and surgery is the most effective treatment with a cure rate of 75 to 85%. Other conditions that may produce OA are lower urinary tract infections and chronic inflammation, such interstitial cystitis.
Pharmacotherapy is currently the principal treatment for OA. Selective antimuscarinic drugs, such as oxybutynin and tolterodine, designed to inhibit smooth muscle contraction in the detusor, are administered to reduce the frequency of uncontrolled contractions and of voiding. These drugs are claimed to be effective in about 60% of the patient population, but longterm compliance is low, possibly because of side-effects of these drugs such as dry mouth. Another agent is phenazopyridine, an azo dye that is thought to act as an urinary anesthetic. This compound, however, can cause methemoglobinemia, turns the urine to a yellow-orange to red color, and produces adenocarcinomas (cancers) in experimental animals. Intravesical instillation of vanilloid agonists, such as capsaicin and resinerferatoxin, is also used as an experimental form of treating OA, but the chemicals are difficult to administer and causes severe irritation as a side-effect.
Like the bladder, the gut is a complex organ with its own enteric nervous system. The simplified "brain" of the gut has about 100 million neurons. The efferent nerves regulate secretion by intestinal glands and control peristalsis. Sensory afferent nerves (Aδ and C) fibers located in the gut respond to thermal and nociceptive signals. The lining of the gut has high metabolic activity and a turnover rate of about 5 days, that is, within a period of 5 days, the entire lining is shed and renewed. This is a turnover of about ¼ pounds of cells per day. Injury to the intestinal mucosa from exposure to chemical agents such as anticancer drugs, from inflammatory responses, and from autoimmune diseases, from infections, or from physical injuries such as radiation or trauma, disrupt the enteric nervous system and contribute to symptoms and signs such as pain, a sense of distension, changes in the frequency of bowel movements, intra-luminal bleeding, and flatulence.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder characterized by abdominal pain in the setting of altered perception of viscerosensory stimuli. This so-called visceral hyperalgesia (or hypersensitivity) occurs in the absence of detectable organic disease in the peripheral organs and may cause normal or physiologic contractions to be perceived as painful. Although the pathogenesis of IBS remains speculative and is probably multifactorial, a prevailing paradigm is that transient noxious events lead to long-lasting sensitization of the neural pain circuit, despite complete resolution of the initiating event. A similar situation exists in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the two principal conditions being Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In IBD there is clear evidence of organ histopathology and the symptoms and signs of pain and discomfort are present to a greater extent, sometimes requiring surgical removal of the lower bowel. Currently pharmacological treatment of IBS includes tegaserod (Zelnorm®), a selective 5-hydroxytrptamine receptor agonist, designed to overcome the constipation-predominant type of IBS. For IBD treatment, a prodrug, sulfaslazine, or 5-aminosalicylic acid is used. These drugs modulate the IBD processes in the gut.
Proctitis is inflammation of the lining of the rectum. Proctitis can be short term (acute) or long term (chronic). Proctitis has many causes. It may be a side effect of autoimmune diseases of the lower bowel, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Sexually transmitted diseases may cause proctitis. Proctitis is frequently a side-effect of radiation used to treat prostate cancer or cancer of the female organs. The rectum resides just behind the prostate in the male and the vagina and uterus in the female, so when these organs are irradiated, the bowel wall is injured. Radiation proctitis is manifested as the new growth of many tiny blood vessels on the epithelial surface of the rectum. These blood vessels are fragile and bleed with minimal trauma, resulting in blood in the stool. If the bleeding is severe, anemia or a low red cell blood count can occur. Other causes of proctitis include traumatic rectal injury, allergies, and malfunction of the nerves in the rectum. Patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus or receiving immunosuppressive drugs are especially susceptible to infectious agents attacking the lower gut lining and surrounding tissues.
The most common manifestation of proctitis is a frequent or continuous sensation of an urge to have a bowel movement. This distressing but ineffectual urge to empty the rectum is called tenesmus. Other symptoms include constipation, a feeling of rectal fillness, left-sided abdominal pain, passage of mucus through the rectum, rectal bleeding, and anorectal pain. Proctitis because it leads to bleeding, some incontinence, and inflammation will produce subjective discomfort, pain, and itch in the entire anorectal area.
The surfaces of the upper airways (nose, pharynx, bronchi and bronchioles) are densely innervated and any inflammation or altered airflow quickly generates sensations of itch, irritation, obstruction, choking, air hunger, suffocation and subjective discomfort. The sensory nerves that mediate the sensations of breathing disorders are also the target of the drugs of this invention; the therapeutic goal being to provide refreshed breathing, less sneezing and coughing, decreased inspiratory effort, and relief of dyspnea.
I have previously described the use of certain compounds to treat itch or pain. Thus, U.S. patent application, publication No. 2003/0207851, published Nov. 6, 2003, titled "Therapeutic 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyrimidine-2-one compositions and methods therewith" describes a therapeutic composition that comprises a 1-R1-phenyl, 4R2-phenyl substituted 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyrimidine-2-one cold receptor agonist in a therapeutically effective amount. A particularly preferred cold receptor agonist embodiment is called "icilin" and a particularly preferred composition has icilin dispersed as an emulsion in a dermatologically acceptable vehicle. Icilin, formulated and administered as a liniment, and preferably in combination with one or more pharmaceutically active drugs, offers improved therapeutic benefit for the treatment of pruritus.
Watson et al. N-Substituted Paramenthane Carboxamides, U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,936, Mar. 18, 1980 and Rowsell et al., Alicyclic Amides Having a Physiological Cooling Effect, U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,900, Mar. 9, 1982, disclosed compounds with physiological cooling effects. Various uses of the Watson et al. and Rowsell et al. compounds are noted in several subsequent patents: Cherukuri et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,893, Apr. 23, 1991; Upson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,670, Sep. 14, 1993; Luo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,181, Dec. 16, 1997; and Zanone et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,859, Dec. 24, 2002. These compounds are also claimed for use as an insect repellent in Gautschi et al., WO 02/15692 A1, Feb. 28, 2002.

Aryl-substituted derivatives of cycloalkyl and branched chain alkyl carboxylic acids useful as antinociceptive drugs for peripheral targets