An ink cartridge include an ink chamber including a wall, and a translucent portion positioned at the wall. The translucent portion has an inner space formed therein. The ink cartridge also includes a movable member including a first member disposed within the inner space of the translucent member, and a second member disposed within the ink chamber. Either a surface of the first member or an interior surface of the translucent portion, or both, includes a first surface portion and a second surface portion, and the second surface portion is raised with respect to the first surface portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ink cartridges. In particular, the present invention is directed towards ink cartridges which may be used in combination with printers.
2. Description of Related Art
Ink cartridges which are configured to be used in combination with ink jet printers are known in the art. In such known ink cartridges, it is possible to detect when the amount of ink in the ink cartridge is relatively low. For example, one known ink cartridge comprises a movable member which is pivotally supported inside an ink reservoir. The movable member has a blocking portion at one end and a float portion at the other end. When the ink reservoir is filled with ink, the rotation of the movable member due to the rising of the float portion in the vertical direction is restricted by a stopper, such that the blocking portion is positioned at the blocking position, where the blocking portion may block light emitted from an ink jet printer. When the surface level of the ink is lowered, the position of the float in the vertical direction also is lowered, and the position of the blocking portion in the vertical direction rises, thereby moving the blocking portion from the blocking position to a non-blocking position. Thus, the printer then may determine that the ink cartridge includes substantially no ink, and the ink cartridge needs to be replaced.
Nevertheless, if the ink cartridge vibrates when the printer is transported with the ink cartridge installed, or the like, ink bubbles may form inside the ink reservoir. When bubbles form inside the ink reservoir, the rotation of the movable member may be hindered by the surface tension of bubbles adhering to the inner wall surface of the ink reservoir, such that an out-of-ink state may be detected when there is sufficient ink within the ink reservoir. Moreover, it may take several hours for the bubbles to sufficiently disappear, such that the movable member accurately may rotate in accordance with the amount of ink within the ink reservoir.


This invention relates to Interleukin-12 fusion proteins and nucleic acid constructs encoding them, and to the use of such fusion proteins and constructs in tumour therapy, especially therapy of leukaemia. More particularly it relates to carrying out such therapy by means of cell therapy.

Interleukin-12 (IL-12), is a cytokine, first described as Natural Killer Stimulatory Factor and Cytotoxic Lymphocyte Maturation factor in the late 1980s (Kobayashi et al., 1989; Stern et al., 1990), is a monocyte/macrophage derived cytokine (D'Andrea et al., 1992; Gazzinelli et al., 1993). IL-12 has become the most promising cytokine for the immunotherapy of many cancers due to its pleiotropic effects both In vitro and in vivo. IL-12 has pronounced mitogenic activity on activated T and Natural Killer (NK) cells via an IL-2 independent mechanism (Gately et al., 1991), it also enances the lytic effects of NK cells (Kobayashi et al., 1989) and can promote the expansion of activated T and NK cells (Gately et al., 1991). However, the major interest in IL-12 for cancer immunotherapy is due to its ability to directly stimulate the production of Interferon-.gamma. (INF-.gamma.) from peripheral blood T and NK cells (Wolf et al., 1991) and its ability to promote the development of Th1 CD4+ T helper cells from naive Th0 cells (Manetti et al., 1993; Scott, 1993). Th1 cells propagate cell mediated immune reactions. Indeed both systemic and intra-tumoural administration of recombinant IL-12 (rIL-12) have shown potent anti-tumour activity in every murine tumour studied and reported to date (Brunda et al., 1993; Nastala et al., 1994). Systemic administration of IL-12 has been shown to elicit potent anti-tumour activity in all murine models studfed to date (Brunda et al., 1993; Nastala et al., 1994). It appears that this anti-tumour effect is mediated via activation of CD8+ T cells and requires INF-.gamma.. Additionally, it Mas been recently shown that rIL-12 is capable of preventing tumour metastasis (Mu et al., 1995) and acute graft versus host disease (Sykes et al., 1995). The most promising results with rIL-12, including total tumour regression and establishment of immunological memory, were obseeed using fibroblasts that had been genetically engineered to secrete IL-12 using an IRES-containing retrovirus. These cells were admixed with tumour cells before being returned to the animal (Tahara et al., 1994). It has been hypothesised that local secretion of cytokines from turhour cells will activate the anti-tumour effectors to establish immunity in vivo by best approximating the natural role of IL-12 in eliciting an immune response.
Although rIL-12 has demonstrated potent anti-tumour effects, all cytokines should be delivered in a manner to reduce toxicity to the patient. Indeed administration of rIL-12 has been shown to give the best therapeutic effects when delivered atlthe site of the tumour (Brunda et al., 1993).
It has been that IL-12 has a synergistic effect with the B7/CD28 interaction between the antigen-presenting cell and the appr riate T cell, in inducing proliferation and promoting a Th1 pattern cytokine production in mitogen activated peripheral blood T cells (Kubin et al., 1994; Murphy et al., 1991).
A major difficulty in the construction of a vector designed to deliver IL-12 results from the way in which IL-12 is naturally sythesised. The functional cytokine is a glycosylated, disulphide linked, heterodimer of molecular weight 70 kDa (p70) which is comprised of two unrelated subunits, a light thain of 35 kDa (p35) and heavy chain of 40 kDa (p40). Functional IL-12 requires co-expression of both of the individual genes which encode each subunit (Gubler et al., 1991),
Using the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) element of the encephalomyocarditis virus to allow cap-independent translation, a retroviral construct that allows coordinated high level expression of IL-12 has been developed (Zitvogel et al., 1994). This construct has subsequently been used to eradicate established murine sarcomas (Tahara et al., 1995). ronzever, the use of IRES elements presents serious problems. To express an additional gene in these constructs, such a B7, would involve an additional IRES element and there would be a risk of homologous recombination between these IRES elements resulting in the splicing out of apportion of the insert.
Another potential drawback of using multiple IRES elements is that it leads to a reduction of expression downstream from each IRES element (Zitvogel et al., 1994) which affects the overall efficiency of any IRES-containing vector where maximal expression is required. Expression from each successive downstream IRES element is lower than from the previous one so the more IRES elements, the lower the expression of the gene products regulated by those located downstream.
Additionally, in the murine model, homodimeric p40 is antagonistic to the activity of heterodimeric p70 (mattner et al., 1993). Thus, where p35 and p40 are translated independently, there is the possibility that some p40 will homodimerise rathkr than heterodimerising with p35. This reduces the pool of p40 available for heterodimerisation, as well as actively inhibiting p70 (i.e. functional IL-12) activity.


A tandem color image forming apparatus includes a plurality of photosensitive bodies driven by one driving source and having a shaft gear, and power transmission members engaged with the shaft gears of the plurality of the photosensitive bodies to transmit a driving force generated from the driving source to each of the plurality of the photosensitive bodies. At least one color registration compensation unit is disposed between the power transmission members. The color image forming apparatus employs the color registration compensation unit so that each photosensitive body can be synchronized and registration errors can be minimized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color image forming apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a color image forming apparatus that can synchronize each photosensitive body in the apparatus so as to compensate for color registration errors.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus (such as a color laser beam printer or a color copier) generally employs a tandem structure which emits a laser beam onto photosensitive bodies arranged by color to form separate color images. The separate color images are then overlaid upon one another to form a full-color image on a paper, either directly or through a transfer belt. FIG. 1 is an illustration of a typical tandem image forming apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 1, a color image forming apparatus 1 comprises a plurality of image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, 10K having a plurality of photosensitive bodies 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K and a plurality of developing devices 12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K, a transfer unit 30 opposed to the plurality of photosensitive bodies 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K, and a fixing device 40. In the image forming unit, if the plurality of photosensitive bodies 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K are driven in the direction indicated by the arrows, the surface of the photosensitive bodies 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K is charged by chargers 15Y, 15M, 15C, 15K and a laser beam L is emitted from a laser scanning unit (not shown) so as to form an electrostatic latent image of an image to be developed with a first color. For example, if a yellow Y color image is developed, the yellow developing roller 13Y develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive body 11Y with yellow toner to form a toner image. The yellow image is transferred through a transfer roller 32Y of the transfer unit onto a paper S fed by a transfer belt 31. Likewise, magenta (M), cyan (C) and black (K) images are formed and transferred to finally form a full-color image on the paper S. The fixing device 40 fixes the toner image transferred on the paper S by heating and pressing the toner image so that it is completely fixed onto the paper S. The color image forming apparatus 1 also includes toner supply rollers 14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K, driven rollers 33a, 33b, and 33c, tension roller 34, and a transfer belt cleaning unit 35.
In the color image forming apparatus 1, it is important to accurately conform each color toner image to the plurality of photosensitive bodies 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K so that the final image is properly registered. To this end, the conventional image forming apparatus 1 operates the plurality of photosensitive bodies 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K using one driving source, and synchronizes the photosensitive bodies based on the initial positions of the bodies.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing more details of the structure of the plurality of photosensitive bodies of a conventional image forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 2, a driving source 50 generates a driving force and transmits the force through a plurality of power transmitting members 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20K and a plurality of idle gears 23M, 23C, 23K to the plurality of photosensitive bodies 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K. The plurality of photosensitive bodies 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K are mounted on shafts, and the shafts are mounted on a main body supporting frame (refer to "F" of FIG. 5). The plurality of power transmitting members 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20K comprise retardation gear members 21Y, 21M, 21C, 21K and transmitting gear members 22Y, 22M, 22C, 22K. The first retardation gear member 21K of the first power transmitting member 20K is meshed with a driving gear 51 of the driving source, and the first transmitting gear member 22K of the first power transmitting member 20K is meshed with a shaft gear 16K of the first photosensitive body 11K. Accordingly, if the driving source 50 is driven, the driving force is transmitted through the first power transmitting member 20K so as to rotate the first photosensitive body 11K. The first, second, and third idle roller gears 23K, 23C, 23M are disposed between the second, the third, and the fourth power transmitting members 20C, 20M, 20Y. The driving force of the driving source 50 is transmitted through the second, third, fourth power transmitting members 20C, 20M, 20Y to the second, third, and fourth photosensitive bodies 11C, 11M, 11Y so as to rotate the second, the third, and the fourth photosensitive bodies 11C, 11M, 11Y together in the same direction.
The color image forming apparatus 1, in which a plurality of photosensitive bodies are together driven by one single driving source, is designed by assuming that the feeding speed of the paper S is regular and that the entrance signal timing of a leading end of the paper S for each color calculated from an initial signal is theoretically the same.
FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the operation of the photosensitive bodies of the color image forming apparatus. For convenience, FIGS. 3A and 3B depict only two photosensitive bodies 11Y, 11M. Referring to FIG. 3, if the paper S is fed to the third photosensitive body 11M driven in association with the fourth photosensitive body 11Y via the fourth power transmitting member 20Y (refer to FIG. 3B), after the paper S is fed to the fourth photosensitive body 11Y (refer to FIG. 3A), the third photosensitive body 11M should have the same phase as the fourth photosensitive body 11Y as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3B. However, the speed is changed by minute amounts due to various issues with the image forming apparatus so that registration errors occur. One of the largest issues is that the linear velocity changes due to gear run-out. The changing linear velocity produces a different interval for each color image. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the misregistration of two color images caused by a change in linear velocity.
As shown in FIG. 4, as each photosensitive body is driven by the driving source, the linear velocity varies due to gear run-out. Additionally, the difference between each photosensitive body and the laser scanning unit, which scans with a certain speed, results in a periodic change on the paper. It is difficult to completely, mechanically remove these changes. As mechanical accuracy increases, higher costs are incurred. A color image forming apparatus should compensate for color registration errors based on the cycle of the rotation speed of the photosensitive body to increase image quality. A color image forming apparatus, in which a separate driving source is connected to separate, modularized image forming units to transmit a separate driving force to each of the plurality of photosensitive bodies, can synchronize the plurality of photosensitive bodies by a simple computer program to prevent the phase difference of each driving source. However, a color image forming apparatus, in which a plurality of photosensitive bodies are driven by one driving source, can not easily prevent registration errors.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved apparatus for driving photosensitive bodies in a tandem image forming apparatus to prevent registration errors.

Color image forming apparatus with color registration compensation unit


Intra-gastric fastening devices are disclosed herein. Expandable devices that are inserted into the stomach of the patient are maintained within by anchoring or otherwise fixing the expandable devices to the stomach walls. Such expandable devices, like inflatable balloons, have tethering regions for attachment to the one or more fasteners which can be configured to extend at least partially through one or several folds of the patient's stomach wall. The fasteners are thus affixed to the stomach walls by deploying the fasteners and manipulating the tissue walls entirely from the inside organ. Such fasteners can be formed in a variety of configurations, e.g., helical, elongate, ring, clamp, and they can be configured to be non-piercing. Alternatively, sutures can be used to wrap around or through a tissue fold for tethering the expandable devices. Non-piercing biased clamps can also be used to tether the device within the stomach.

In cases of severe obesity, patients may undergo several types of surgery either to tie off or staple portions of the large or small intestine or stomach, and/or to bypass portions of the same to reduce the amount of food desired by the patient, and the amount absorbed by the intestinal tract. Procedures such as laparoscopic banding, where a device is used to "tie off" or constrict a portion of the stomach, or the placement of intragastric balloons can also achieve these results.
Endoscopic procedures that have been used to assist weight loss have been primarily focused on the placement of a balloon or other space-occupying device in the patient's stomach to fill portions of the stomach to provide the patient with the feeling of fullness, thereby reducing food intake. To accomplish these procedures, an endoscope is utilized to guide the balloon through the patient's mouth and down the esophagus to the stomach. Usually these procedures have allowed placement of the device for 6-12 months, and are coupled with counseling and other types of psychological support.
Many of the conventional surgical interventions require the patient to submit to an intervention under general anesthesia, and can require large incisions and lengthy recovery time. The less invasive procedures, although clinically efficacious in many cases, suffer from complications ranging from deflation of the devices to insufficient anchoring of these devices resulting in unsustained weight loss, stomach erosion, bowel obstruction and even death.
Many of these devices are neither robust enough nor are they adequately secured within the stomach to sustain long term implantation. As a result, many implanted devices are implanted in such a manner as to remain unattached or free-floating within the stomach. Further, due to the caustic nature of stomach acids and other factors, many of the implants deflate and migrate into the intestine, causing bowel obstructions and in some cases death. Also, many devices are not well designed for removal, leading to additional technical difficulties for the clinician.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A system for storage and dispensing of a sorbate fluid, in which a sorbate fluid is sorptively retained on a sorbent medium and desorption of sorbate fluid from the sorbent medium is facilitated by inputting energy to the sorbent medium including one or more of the following energy input modes: (a) thermal energy input including inductive heating of the sorbent medium, resistive heating of the sorbent medium and/or chemical reaction heating of the sorbent medium; (b) photonic energy input to the sorbent medium; (c) particle bombardment of the sorbent medium; (d) mechanical energy input to the sorbent medium; and (e) application of a chemical potential differential to the sorbate fluid on the sorbent medium.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fluid storage and gas dispensing system with utility as a gas source for the manufacture of semiconductor devices and materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a wide variety of industrial processes and applications, there is a need for a reliable source of process fluid(s).
Such process and application areas include semiconductor manufacturing, ion implantation, manufacture of flat panel displays, medical intervention and therapy, water treatment, emergency breathing equipment, welding operations, space-based delivery of liquids and gases, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,221 issued May 17, 1988 to Karl O. Knollmueller discloses a method of storing and subsequently delivering arsine, by contacting arsine at a temperature of from about xe2x88x9230xc2x0 C. to about +30xc2x0 C. with a zeolite of pore size in the range of from about 5 to about 15 Angstroms to adsorb arsine on the zeolite. The arsine is subsequently dispensed by heating the zeolite to an elevated temperature of up to about 175xc2x0 C. for sufficient time to release the arsine from the zeolite material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,528 issued May 21, 1996 in the names of Glenn M. Tom and James V. McManus, describes a gas storage and dispensing system, comprising an adsorptiondesorption apparatus, for storage and dispensing of a gas, e.g., a hydride gas, halide gas, organometallic Group V compound, etc. The gas storage and dispensing vessel of the Tom et al. patent reduces the pressure of stored sorbate gases by reversibly adsorbing them onto a carrier sorbent medium such as a zeolite or activated carbon material.
More specifically, such storage and dispensing system comprises: a storage and dispensing vessel constructed and arranged for holding a solid-phase physical sorbent medium, and for selectively flowing gas into and out of said vessel; a solid-phase physical sorbent medium disposed in said storage and dispensing vessel at an interior gas pressure; a sorbate gas physically adsorbed on the solid-phase physical sorbent medium; a dispensing assembly coupled in gas flow communication with the storage and dispensing vessel, and constructed and arranged to provide, exteriorly of the storage and dispensing vessel, a pressure below said interior pressure, to effect desorption of sorbate gas from the solid-phase physical sorbent medium, and gas flow of desorbed gas through the dispensing assembly; wherein the solid-phase physical sorbent medium is devoid of trace components such as water, reactive (non-inert) metals, and oxidic transition metal species (e.g., oxides, sulfites and/or nitrates) which would otherwise decompose the sorbate gas in the storage and dispensing vessel.
By the elimination of such trace components from the solid-phase physical sorbent medium, the decomposition of the sorbate gas after 1 year at 25xc2x0 C. and interior pressure conditions is maintained at extremely low levels, e.g., so that not more than 1-5% by weight of the sorbate gas is decomposed.
The storage and dispensing vessel of the Tom et al. patent thus embodies a substantial advance in the art, relative to the prior art use of high-pressure gas cylinders. Conventional high pressure gas cylinders are susceptible to leakage from damaged or malfunctioning regulator assemblies, as well as to rupture or other unwanted bulk release of gas from the cylinder if internal decomposition of the gas leads to rapid increasing interior gas pressure in the cylinder.
The art continues to seek improvements in systems for storage and dispensing hazardous gases, to provide high levels of safety, the ability to release the gas to the tool or system as needed, with adequate storage volumes of gases, and economic advantages in capital and operating costs.
The present invention relates to a system for storage and dispensing of a fluid, for use in applications such as the manufacture of semiconductor products.
In one aspect, the invention relates to an apparatus for storage and dispensing of a sorbate fluid, comprising:
a storage and dispensing vessel with an interior volume containing a solid-phase physical sorbent medium having the sorbate fluid sorptively associated therewith;
a dispensing assembly coupled to the vessel in flow communication with the interior volume of the vessel for selectively discharging desorbed sorbate fluid from the storage and dispensing vessel; and
an energy input unit arranged to enhance desorption of sorbate fluid from the sorbent medium, by inputting energy to the sorbent medium comprising at least one energy input modality selected from the group consisting of:
(a) thermal energy input including at least one modality selected from the group consisting of inductive heating of the sorbent medium, resistive heating of the sorbent medium, conductive heating of the sorbent medium and chemical reaction heating of the sorbent medium;
(b) photonic energy input to the sorbent medium (microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-ray, gamma ray);
(c) particle bombardment of the sorbent medium (electron, proton, positron, neutron, alpha particle, atoms, ions or other more exotic particles or particle combinations);
(d) mechanical energy input to the sorbent medium (ultrasonic and/or acoustic); and
(e) application of a chemical potential differential to the sorbent medium to effect release of the sorbate fluid from the sorbent medium.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of supplying a sorbate fluid for a use requiring same, comprising:
providing the sorbate fluid in a sorptively retained state on a sorbent medium; and
desorbing sorbate fluid from the sorbent medium, comprising inputting energy to the sorbent medium including at least one energy input modality selected from the group consisting of:
(c) thermal energy input including at least one modality selected from the group consisting of inductive heating of the sorbent medium, resistive heating of the sorbent medium, conductive heating of the sorbent medium and chemical reaction heating of the sorbent medium;
(d) photonic energy input to the sorbent medium (microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-ray, gamma ray);
(c) particle bombardment of the sorbent medium (electron, proton, positron, neutron, alpha particle, atoms, ions or other more exotic particles or particle combinations);
(d) mechanical energy input to the sorbent medium (ultrasonic and/or acoustic); and
(e) application of a chemical potential differential to the sorbent medium to effect release of the sorbate fluid from the sorbent medium.
Although the invention is described herein primarily with reference to a gas as the sorbate fluid, it will be recognized that the invention is broadly applicable to liquids, gases, vapors, and multiphase fluids, and contemplates storage and dispensing of fluid mixtures as well as single component fluids.
Other aspects, features and embodiments of the invention will be more fully apparent from the ensuing disclosure and appended claims.


A machine for removing tubular plastic labels from bottles to facilitate their re-use and recycling. The machine has a multi-station turret and supply and exit conveyors to sequentially supply labeled bottles in line to the turret and remove delabeled bottles from the turret. The delabeling is accomplished with a cutter which is preferably in the form of a high-pressure jet of water. Ideally, the cutter is adjusted so that it is a differential cutter which will cut a label without cutting or marring a bottle from which a label is being removed. With one embodiment, a water flush mechanism is provided to flush cut labels from their bottles and the turret onto a screen conveyor. The flush water passes through the conveyor into a container from which it is pumped for re-use. Removed labels are transported by the screen conveyor to a collection bin. With another embodiment, an air blast mechanism is used to strip cut labels from bottles and a vacuum pick up is used to collect stripped labels.

Plastic labels are enjoying increasing use for labeling beverage and other bottles. Many of these labels are of a wrap-around type, each of which is adhesively secured to its bottle. Plastic labels in the form of tubular sleeves, each of which is slid over the bottle are being used in increasing quantities.
Until recently, the major advantage of wrap-around labels has been their low-cost achieved by high-speed labeling machines that have had greater throughput than sleeving machines. With the advent of the machine of the Labeler Patent, wrap-around labels no longer enjoy economic advantage over tubular sleeves. Indeed, given that the glue accounts for approximately eight percent of their cost, wrap-around labels are now more expensive. This is especially true if one takes into account the fact that, if there is a labeling malfunction with a glue-on label, both bottle and label are typically thrown away while, with the sleeve labels, the label is removed and another label is applied to the bottle.
A major advantage of tubular sleeve labels is that they can be removed from bottles to enable total recycling of both the bottle and the label. Wrap-around labels, on the other hand, make it impractical to fully recycle such things as a labeled plastic bottle because the label cannot be economically separated from the bottle, and the label and bottle are typically made of different materials, namely polyethylene for labels and P.E.T. for the bottles.
The Case Desleever Patent discloses and claims a system for removing labels from bottles as a set of bottles are transferred from a case to, for example, a washer for processing bottles for re-use. While the machine of the Case Delabeler Patent is quite satisfactory for its purpose, there has remained a need for a high-speed effective automatic delabeler for removing labels from used bottles in a bottling plant where they are to be refilled and relabeled as by the machine of the Labeler Patent. The need is especially apparent where the bottles to be delabeled are fluted or otherwise specially configured. This need is increasing because the re-use of bottles of both and glass and plastic is increasing at significant rates.

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The structural integrity of opposed spaced-apart end plates of caged filter cartridge assemblies is provided solely by individual filter cartridges in the assembly. Preferably, the end plates of the filter cartridge assembly are provided with seat recesses to receive an end portion of respective filter cartridges therein. An annular lock ring associated with each seat recess immovably locks the filter cartridge end portions therewithin. In such a manner, each of the individual filter cartridges serves to structurally unite the opposed spaced-apart end plates one to another in the absence of a tie rod so that the collective torsional and longitudinal rigidity of the assembly is significantly enhanced as compared to conventional tie rod caged filter cartridge assemblies.

The present invention relates generally to the field of filtration assemblies. In its more preferred forms, the present invention relates to multiple tubular filter cartridges which are held together as a unit (xe2x80x9ccagedxe2x80x9d) in parallel relationship to one another between spaced-apart end plates, and to the filtration systems which employ the same.
Caged filter cartridge assemblies are known and have been employed conventionally in fluid-filtration assemblies. Conventional caged filter assemblies typically include an array comprised of a large number (e.g., eighteen) of generally tubular filter cartridges positioned parallel to one another between a pair of spaced-apart end plates. A tie rod extends generally centrally of the filter cartridge array and structurally unites the spaced-apart end plates to form an integral unit.
The integrity of the structural union between the end plates and the filter cartridges provided by the tie rod associated with conventional caged filter assemblies is problematic. Specifically, the tie rod does not impart sufficient torsional rigidity to the conventional caged filter cartridge assemblies. As a result, during shipment and/or handling, the filter cartridges may twist about the axis of the tie rod resulting in some of the seals being broken or damaged between individual ones of the filter cartridges and the end plates. Broken or damaged seals, of course, results in reduced filtration efficiencies during use.
An additional problem associated with conventional caged filter cartridges is potential xe2x80x9cdishingxe2x80x9d that may be imparted to the end plates by virtue of the tie rod being over-torqued during assembly. That is, there exists a real possibility that the axial compressive force on the end plates provided by the tie rod may be somewhat greater in the immediate vicinity of the tie rod and somewhat lesser at the peripheral annular edge regions of the plates. As a result, the area in the immediate vicinity of the centrally located tie rod may be recessed somewhat as compared to the peripheral annular edges of the plate, thereby resulting in a xe2x80x9cdishedxe2x80x9d appearance. Such xe2x80x9cdishingxe2x80x9d of the end plates can also lead to broken seals between individual ones of the filter cartridges and the end plates leading to ineffective filtration capabilities during use.
It would therefore be highly desirable if improved caged filter cartridge assemblies could be provided which exhibits increased torsional rigidity without xe2x80x9cdishingxe2x80x9d the end plates and thereby maintain reliable seals between the individual filter cartridges and such end plates. It is toward providing such improved caged filter cartridge assemblies that the present invention is directed.
Broadly, the present invention is embodied in tie rod-less caged filter cartridge assemblies wherein the structural integrity of the assembly is provided solely by means of the individual filter cartridges. More specifically, according to the present invention, the end plates of the filter cartridge assembly are provided with plural seat recesses each adapted to receive an end portion of a respective filter cartridge. An annular lock ring is associated with each seat recess so as to immovably lock the filter cartridge ends therewithin. In such a manner, each of the individual filter cartridges serves to structurally unite the opposed spaced-apart end plates one to another in the absence of a tie rod so that the collective torsional and longitudinal rigidity of the assembly is significantly enhanced as compared to conventional tie rod assemblies.
These and other aspects and advantages will become more apparent after careful consideration is given to the following detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments thereof.

Caged filter cartridge assembly and filtration systems employing the same


An extra rear-view mirror for a vehicle includes a frame mounted upon a rear windshield of the vehicle. The frame includes a bottom having a half-spherical reflector mounted thereon for reflecting image to a middle rear-view mirror in the vehicle and a thickened side formed opposite to the vehicle. At least one chamber is defined in the thickened side of the frame and at least one opening is defined in the thickened side of the frame and longitudinally communicating with the at least one chamber. At least one light projector is disposed in the at least one chamber and electrically connected to a reversing system of the vehicle for promoting the bright effect when the vehicle is reversed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mirror, and more particularly to an extra rear-view mirror for a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
A driver usually views the back image via three conventional rear-view mirrors (a middle rear-view mirror, a left rear-view mirror and a right rear-view mirror) when backing a car. The reversing light is designed for warning other cars and the people who are situated at the back of the car. Consequently, the brightness provided by the reversing light is not enough (effective distance about 30–50 cm) for the driver to clearly view the back image when backing the car in dark, especially to a station wagon, a truck or a recreation vehicle. As a result, the station wagon, a truck or a recreation vehicle usually has an extra rear-view mirror (1) mounted in the rear thereof and facing the ground, as shown in FIG. 11. The conventional extra rear-view mirror (1) includes a spherical reflector (2) attached thereto for reflecting the rear image to the middle rear-view mirror (3). As described above, the bright distance (S) of the reversing light (4) is about 30–50 cm. Consequently, the conventional extra rear-view mirror (1) provides little help to the middle rear-view mirror (3), and the left and right rear-view mirror (5). It is very dangerous when the car is reversed front of a gutter or a overhanging cliff.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantages of the conventional extra rear-view mirror.


An operation unit of a PMD compensation module includes a PBS (polarization beam splitter), a compensating part and a combiner. The PBS separates an optical input into a first polarized signal and a second polarized signal. The compensating part includes a fixed prism and a movable prism. The first polarized signal outputted from the PBS travels through the fixed prism and the movable prism in series. The light path of the first polarized signal in the movable prism is elongated or shortened according to a position of the movable prism. A continuously variable delay can thus be applied between the first and second polarized signals. The combiner recombines the first polarized signal received from the compensating part and the second polarized signal received from the PBS into an optical output signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dispersion compensation module, and particularly to a polarization mode dispersion (PMD) compensation module that can provide a continuously variable compensation.
2. Description of Related Art
Optical communication systems are evolving from 10 Gbit/s systems to 40 Gbit/s systems to meet the demand for transmission capability. As the transmission speed of optical signals has increased, PMD has become one of the most important limiting factors for high-speed optical communication systems. Therefore, PMD compensation is a high priority concern in a high-speed optical communication system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,100 discloses a PMD compensator which splits a received optical signal into two polarization states and which uses optical switching to add increments of delay to either polarization state of the signal. However, the delay of the PMD compensator is not continuously variable.
Therefore, an improved PMD compensation module is required to overcome the disadvantage of the prior art.

Polarization mode dispersion compensation module


An object of the present invention is to provide a polymer actuator that does not need a special member for determining the output direction of the drive force or a support member, and which is simply configured with a small number of parts and is compact and low-cost. The present invention provides a polymer actuator that includes electrodes which are inelastic in a planar direction and sandwich a stretching portion of a dielectric polymer with a gradient in thickness, and also provides an optical system including the polymer actuator.

The optical unit that is mounted in cellular phones and the like is required to be simultaneously compact, low in cost and high in functionality. High functionality herein refers to loading of functions such as "autofocus function" that is realized in digital cameras, and in order to realize these functions, an actuator for moving the photographing lens is required.
On the other hand, in order to make the device compact, the members added for providing the aforementioned high functionality, such as the actuator in particular, as well as the conventional functions are required to be compact. Thus, improvement of spatial efficiency at the level of all parts is critical. Furthermore, in order to cut cost, cutting cost by making assembly easy is also important as well as lowering the cost of the parts.
In view of those issues, the polymer actuator has gathered much attention as one of actuators in recent years. The polymer actuator generates a great force, is light in weight, noiseless and can be driven by low power, and because the material is made of resin, it can be formed in any shape by molding.
For example, it has been proposed that a drive section of the calibration device for an image pickup apparatus equipped with a handshaking correction function can be configured by using the polymer actuator as a drive source (See Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-282992).
In addition, proposed is a method in which different pre-strain depending on directions is applied to the polymer in order to control the output direction of the polymer actuator (See Japanese National Publication No. 2003-505865).
However, Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-282992 only states that the polymer actuator is suitable for a drive section of the calibration device of the image pickup apparatus that has the handshake correction function, but does not propose any specific means or methods, and there is no evidence of feasibility.
In addition, in the method of the Japanese Translation of PCT International Application Publication No. 2003-505865, a fixing member for fixing the stretched polymer is necessary in order to apply pre-strain, which means there still remain the problems in realizing compactness and low cost.


A handle for scissors including an embedded joint portion that is embedded in the finger support of the first handle portion as a joint portion of the first blade and expose from the intermediate section. The first section and the second section extend from the intermediate section to the perceptible portion in the inner end, respectively, with the intermediate section arranged between the first and second sections. The finger support of the first handle portion includes outer cover portions each serving as a finger contact portion. The outer cover portions are formed in the first section in the second section, respectively, for covering the embedded joint portion of the first blade.

As described in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 63-25961 and Japanese Registered Design Registration No. 578448, a pair of scissors includes blades that are pivotally joined together at a center portion. Each of the blades has a cutting portion extending distally from the center portion. A handle portion extends proximally from the center portion. Each of the handle portions includes a finger ring secured to a joint portion of the associated blade, which extends from the associated cutting portion. In Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 63-25961, an annular portion of the joint portion of each blade projects outwardly from an inner end of an outer circumference of the finger ring of the associated handle portion. The annular portion is covered at an outer end of the outer circumference of the finger ring. Alternatively, in Japanese Design Registration No. 578448, the annular portion of the joint portion of each blade projects outwardly from the entire outer circumference of the finger ring of the associated handle portion. Typically, the joint portion of each blade is formed of metal and the finger ring of each handle portion is formed of synthetic resin.
For using the scissors described in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 63-25961, the four fingers (the forefinger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the pinky finger) other than the thumb are passed through one of the finger rings. The finger ring then faces downward in such a manner that the outer end of the finger ring functions as a support for manipulating the blades while moving the scissors. The outer end of the finger ring thus may be damaged due to wear.
Alternatively, in the scissors of Japanese Industrial Design Registration No. 578448, three fingers (the middle finger, the ring finger, and the pinky finger) but not the forefinger or three fingers (the forefinger, the middle finger, and the ring finger) but not the pinky finger are passed through the corresponding finger ring. In this state, the forefinger or the pinky finger remains outside the finger ring and is thus held in contact with the annular portion of the joint portion of the corresponding blade. This maintains the finger in an uncomfortable state, thus complicating manipulation of the scissors.
Further, generally, for improving cutting performance, a contact point is provided for separating the joint portions of the blades from each other, thereby producing pressing force between the cutting portions of the blades. However, this increases the resistance against manipulation of the blades, thus hampering manipulation of the scissors.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to prevent a finger support provided in a pair of scissors from being damaged due to wear while maintaining a finger remaining outside the finger support in a comfortable state for facilitating manipulation of the scissors, through improvement of the finger support. It is another objective of the present invention to facilitate the manipulation of the scissors by decreasing the resistance against manipulation of the blades, through improvement of a contact point.


A liquid crystal display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate opposite the first substrate and a liquid crystal layer. The first substrate includes a lower substrate, a first buffer layer formed on the lower substrate and a first alignment layer formed on the first buffer layer. The first buffer layer includes a polymer-like carbon and the first alignment layer includes a diamond-like carbon thin film containing fluorine. The second substrate includes an upper substrate, a second buffer layer formed on the upper substrate and a second alignment layer formed on the second buffer layer. The second buffer layer includes the polymer-like carbon thin film and the second alignment layer includes the diamond-like carbon thin film containing fluorine. The liquid crystal display panel has improved light transmittance and a low probability of separation between the alignment layer and the substrate.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a liquid crystal display panel and a liquid crystal display apparatus having the liquid crystal display panel. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a liquid crystal display panel including an inorganic vertical alignment (VA) layer with improved adhering properties and a liquid crystal display apparatus having the liquid crystal display panel.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus includes a liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal layer includes liquid crystal molecules having an anisotropic permittivity, and the liquid crystal molecules are injected between substrates to form the liquid crystal layer. When an electric field is applied to the liquid crystal layer, an amount of a light transmitted through the substrates is controlled by adjusting an intensity of the electric field, so that the liquid crystal display apparatus displays an image.
The liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are aligned in a predetermined direction at an initial state. However, an alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules is changed when the electric field is applied to the liquid crystal layer to change the amount of the light transmitted through the liquid crystal layer.
In order to align the liquid crystal molecules, an alignment recess is formed on an alignment layer by using a roller with cloth such as velvet after a resin, for example, polyimide-based resin, is coated on the substrate in a slice thickness so as to form the alignment layer. The above-described process is referred to as a "rubbing process" in that the alignment recess is formed on the alignment layer by rubbing the substrate using the roller with cloth.
The rubbing process generates a considerable amount of particles on the alignment layer to contaminate the alignment layer when rubbing the alignment layer, so that an additional cleaning process for cleaning the particles from the alignment layer is required. In addition, the rubbing process is performed through friction between the alignment layer and a rubbing cloth of the roller so as to form the rubbing recess on the alignment layer, so that static electricity is generated on a surface of the alignment layer. Therefore, when the alignment layer is excessively rubbed, a large amount of static electricity is generated on the surface of the alignment layer, so that a thin film transistor disposed beneath the alignment layer is damaged.
Large display apparatuses having a size larger than forty inches have become popular. Considering the above trend in the display industry, the rubbing process is difficult to be employed in manufacturing a large scale display panel because of non-uniformity of the alignment and a generation of static electricity resulting from the friction on the alignment layer.
Attempts have been made to develop a non-contact process such as a photo-alignment method capable of replacing a contact-type alignment method.
As the liquid crystal display panel is scaled up, issues related to characteristics such as viewing angle, an afterimage, and response speed arise. The issues related to the viewing angle may be overcome using a patterned vertical alignment (PVA) type alignment layer. An afterimage can be generated because the alignment layer absorbs impurity ions at the surface of the alignment layer. Also, the response speed of the liquid crystal molecules in the electric field is improved by forming a pretilt angle to the liquid crystal molecules when initially aligning the liquid crystal molecules.
Particularly, the PVA type alignment process essentially requires a vertical alignment (VA) layer. A method of forming the alignment layer can be classified into a parallel alignment type such as a twisted nematic (TN) type and an in-plane switch (IPS) type, etc., and a vertical alignment type such as a vertical alignment (VA) type and a patterned vertical alignment (PVA) type, etc.
A non-contact type process for an inorganic alignment layer for a vertical alignment has not been developed. The inorganic alignment layer generally has a low adhering characteristic, so that an additional adhering member may be used between the substrate and the alignment layer. However, the adhering member is an additional member, so that when light transmittance of the adhering member is low, brightness of the liquid crystal display apparatus is also lowered. Hence, the adhering member requires enhanced light transmittance.
In the large-sized liquid crystal display apparatus, although the non-contact type inorganic alignment layer is used, the non-contact type inorganic alignment layer is easily separated from the substrate, so that the non-contact type inorganic alignment layer has a low stability.
Therefore, an adhering member is required to improve the stability of the alignment layer. Further, the adhering member is an additional layer, so that the adhering member enhancing the adhering property requires sufficient light transmittance capability to prevent the deterioration of brightness of the liquid crystal display apparatus.

Liquid crystal display panel and liquid crystal display apparatus having the same


A method, system and computer program product for administering a secure data repository. Rather than using a specific database, an application may use an existing hierarchical file structure, such as provided by conventional operating systems, to store structured data in a number of files. To detect unauthorized, malicious or inadvertent changes to these files, either within one or more files, or by deletion, replacement or movement of files in their entirety, each file incorporates a last change timestamp and the contents of the file are digitally signed. Furthermore, every file in the secure repository is logged in an index file together with its respective change date stamp, and the index file as a whole is also digitally signed. Unauthorized changes can be identified by comparison of the file date stamps with the content of the index as well as verifying the validity of each digital signature.

A common method for applications to store information is by means of an external or embedded relational database ("DB"). Even if in most of the cases this is the best approach, there are some circumstances where it does not offer a real benefit, like for example:
1. The application does not need a relational DB but a hierarchical repository where the information is saved in different layers of the hierarchy. This may be because the information is identified by different IDs, that can be the element of the hierarchy, and the retrieved information performs different levels of navigation of the hierarchy.
2. The application requires a minimum footprint (also for the external application it uses).
3. The application does not need to share information with other applications.
A simple way to implement this kind of repository is to exploit the hierarchical file system available in every operating system, having a specific subtree dedicated for information storage.
Tivoli Common Reporting (TCR) is an example of a component that exploits this functionality.
The Tivoli Common Reporting data store contains the available reports, which you can search, format, and view using a web user interface. The data store organizes reports into groups called report sets, and it also contains related objects such as report designs and report snapshots.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the resulting hierarchical file structure. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary hierarchical file structure in a schematic manner similar to that commonly adopted in graphical user interfaces. As shown, the hierarchy comprises 5 levels, with the root directory 110 on the left hand side. The root directory 110 contains two sub directories 121, 122. Sub directory 121 contains sub directory 131 which in turn contains data file 141. Sub directory 122 itself contains two sub directories 132, 133. Sub directory 132 contains sub directory 142 which in turn contains data file 152. Sub directory 133 in turn contains sub directory 143 which itself contains data file 153. In the case of the present example whereby the data files 141, 152, 153 belong to the Tivoli Common Reporting component, they may comprise report designs, in files with extension .rptdesign, in the hierarchical file system where the directories are the report set and the files are the reports (.rptdesign files). For the sake of the present description, there is defined a repository comprising a subtree branching from the directory 122. Each element of the subtree has an identifier. The directories 122, 132, 133, 142, 143 have the identifiers id1, id2, id5, id3 and id6, respectively. The data files 152 and 153 have the identifiers id4 and id7, respectively. Each element in the subtree may be uniquely identified in terms of a tuple containing identifiers of the element in question, the root of the subtree and each intervening element. Thus, the data file 152 may be identified by means of the tuple {id1, id2, id3, id4}. On this basis, it is not necessary that each identifier be globally unique, but need only be unique within its own directory.
The tree structure may also be considered in terms of levels 0 to n, where 0 is the root directory, 1 is the first level of the repository containing the directory 122, level 2 is the level of directories 132 and 133, . . . , level n−1 is second lowest level in the hierarchy, which in the present example is the level containing directories 142 and 143 and n is the last level, which in the present example is the level containing data files 152 and 153 such that binary information will be saved as leaves of the tree.
A problem arising in this approach is that a malicious or clumsy user could easily change or replace the content of the files or move or delete files or directories in their entirety, without such changes being noticed, leading to unpredictable or incorrect behavior.

Method and system for administering a secure data repository

International Business Machines Corporation


A safety apparatus for use as a roadside warning device comprises a base, a light source disposed within the base and adapted to project light away from the base, and an alert system rotatably attached to the base. The alert system includes a plurality of arms shaped to form a visual alert member, wherein at least first and second arms are collapsible upon a third arm. A plurality of lights are disposed on one or more of the first, second, and third arms. In a first orientation, the alert system is disposed at a non-zero angle with respect to the base and the first, second, and third arms of the alert system are formed into the visual alert member and, in a second orientation, the alert system is collapsed and parallel to the base.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to a safety apparatus and, more particularly, to a safety apparatus for use in alerting others of a roadside condition.
2. Description of the Background
It is very common for a driver of a motor vehicle, such as a car, truck, or semi-tractor trailer, to experience a flat tire or other vehicular failure that may cause the driver to pull their vehicle to a side of a road. In such situations, the driver or a passenger may need to exit the vehicle and inspect the vehicle or repair the vehicle, for example, to change a tire. Regardless of the road conditions, the amount of traffic, and/or the time of day, exiting the vehicle can be very dangerous. Warning devices have been developed to assist drivers and passengers in such dangerous situations.
One such warning device is a flare. A number of flares may be stored in a bag, box, or other container in, for example, a trunk of the vehicle. When necessary, one or more of the flares may be activated and positioned on a roadway to alert other drivers of the emergency condition. While flares are useful, they can be difficult to use and positioning of the flares in a manner sufficient to alert other drivers can be dangerous.


A hybrid cellular telephonic and satellite radio broadcast system for enabling a wireless mobile computer to rapidly and effectively access information from the Web. The combination of a mobile wireless receiving computer, with wireless cellular telecommunication associated with the receiving computer for transmitting a request for data from the receiving computer to the Web, an implementation for accessing the requested data from the Web, a satellite transponder, wireless communication for transmitting said accessed requested data to the satellite transponder, an implementation on the satellite transponder for broadcasting the accessed requested data and apparatus in the mobile wireless receiving computer for receiving the broadcast data.

With the globalization of business, industry and trade wherein transactions and activities within these fields have been changing from localized organizations to diverse transactions over the face of the world, the telecommunication industries have, accordingly, been expanding rapidly. Wireless telephones and, particularly, cellular telephones have become so pervasive that their world wide number is in the order of hundreds of millions.
The wireless telephone industry's rapid expansion has driven cellular telecommunications in all related wireless industries. Consequently, the principles of the invention would be applicable to any wireless personal communication device and services that could be used to communicate in a cellular telecommunications system. These would include the wide variety of currently available communicating personal palm devices or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), that include, for example, Hewlett-Packard's iPAQ devices, Palmone's Palm devices and Research in Motion Limited's Blackberry devices. In addition, wireless telecommunication services are expanding into the cellular wireless laptop and notebook personal computers. The cellular wireless telecommunications industry is seeking new and expanded uses for its products and business services. In recent years, cellular wireless telecommunications has made significant advances in the accessing of data from the Web or Internet for mobile wireless computer devices. However, direct cellular telecommunications with the Web have yielded results of limited satisfaction. Cellular telephony does not provide the high speed data transfer often required for the downloading of the great quantities of information generated by Web search requests. Also, cellular telephone bandwidth still remains relatively expensive.
As will be described hereinafter, the present invention makes use of satellite radio technology for receiving broadcasts to compensate for these shortcomings of celllular telephony in receiving high speed data. Satellite radio receiving technology has been developing over the past decade until the present when hand held receivers are mass marketed for broadcasts from two private communication satellite systems owned by SiriusRadio and XMRadio. These portable receivers would be readily integratable into the mobile wireless receiving computers, as will hereinafter be described with respect to the present invention.
However, at this point, some background information on satellite radio receivers is appropriate. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has allocated a spectrum in the "S" band (2.3 GHz) for Nationwide U.S. broadcasting of satellite based Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS). XM Satellite radio, for example, uses two satellites placed in parallel geostationary orbit, which is about 22,223 miles above Earth, and is the type of orbit most commonly used for communications satellites. There is a radio uplink to these two GEO satellites from a ground radio station which then bounce the signals down to the receivers on the ground. In urban areas where buildings can block out the satellite, the system may be supplemented by supporting ground transmitters. Each receiver contains appropriate hardware and software for decoding received coded/secure broadcasts. The portable satellite radio receivers have been reduced in size until they presently use antennae the size of cellular telephone antennae.

Wireless telecommunications system for accessing information from the world wide web by mobile wireless computers through a combination of cellular telecommunications and satellite broadcasting


In order to eliminate an erroneous peak detection caused by turn-on characteristics of switches, a signal generating circuit comprises a first switching device for controlling the output of a first signal, a second switching device for controlling the output of a second signal, and a comparator to which the first and second signals are applied, and either one of the first and second switching device is enabled by the output of the comparator to produce a signal having a higher or lower level than that of the other signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a signal generating circuit and a peak detection circuit, and more particularly to a signal generating circuit for detecting and comparing two different signals to produce either one of these signals, or alternatively a peak detection circuit for detecting a maximum or minimum signal output from a plurality of signal sources.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
For example, the peak detection circuit for detecting a maximum or minimum signal output from a plurality of signal sources is used for adjustment of sensitivity of a video camera. FIG. 4 shows the construction of an example of a conventional peak detection circuit.
In FIG. 4, symbols S.sub.1 to S.sub.4 are signal sources, and the output signals from the sources are applied to each base of bipolar transistors Tr.sub.1 to Tr.sub.4. The emitters of transistors Tr.sub.1 to Tr.sub.4 are commonly connected to each other and also connected to a resistor R and an output buffer amplifier B.
In such a peak detection circuit, when a signal having the highest peak level is generated from any one signal source, the bipolar transistor associated therewith is turned on, a current flows through the resistor R to increase the level of the common line, and the transistors except the one to which the maximum peak level signal is applied is turned off. As a result, the output having the maximum peak value is detected by the buffer amplifier B.
However, when two or more transistors in the above described circuit are simultaneously turned on (for example, when signals having levels close enough are produced, two or more transistors are turned on), a further increased current flows through the resistor R to further raise the level of the common line, thereby the different peak value is detected even though the signals the same peak level value.

Signal generating circuit and peak detection circuit


This concerns a vehicle seat the back of which comprises a side-positioned safety airbag placed in a casing integrated into the seat back. The upholstery sleeve of the seat back comprises a cut out section placed to correspond with the casing front face, and the edge of the sleeve which borders the casing front face is engaged in a groove which surrounds this front face and which is integral with the casing.

In known seats of this type, the sleeve over the seat back completely covers the casing front face of the safety device, this sleeve being provided with a tearable seam corresponding said front face.
These known seats have the following drawbacks:
it may be difficult to accurately position the tearable seam of the sleeve in relation to the casing front face, since the sleeve completely covers the casing; if this positioning is badly done the safety device may malfunction or even not function at all in the event of the vehicle being involved in an accident, PA1 it is necessary to validate the correct operation of the safety device for each model of sleeve liable to cover the seat back, since the operation of said safety device requires the tearing of said sleeve: considering the great number of possible sleeve models for each vehicle model, this involves very numerous and expensive tests. PA1 the groove which surrounds the casing front face is secured to said casing; PA1 the groove which surrounds the casing front face is formed in a single piece with said casing; PA1 the groove which surrounds the casing front face has approximately a U shaped section, with an external side wall, an internal side wall and a bottom which connects said external and internal side walls, the internal side wall belonging to the casing; PA1 the groove which surrounds the casing front face has approximately a U shaped section, with an external side wall, an internal side wall and a bottom which connects said external and internal side walls, the external side wall comprising inwardly projecting flanges which constitute said additional means of retention, the means of retention secured to the edge of the sleeve being constituted by an approximately J shaped flexible section which is open outwards from the seat back and which has, on the one hand, an internal branch fixed to the edge of the sleeve and, on the other hand, an external branch which hooks itself behind the projecting flanges of the external side wall of the groove.

Vehicle seat fitted with a side-positioned safety airbag


A directional coupler designed to operate in a predetermined frequency range which includes a first electrical conductor of predetermined length and width, a second electrical conductor having the same length as the first electrical conductor, which is narrower than the first electrical conductor and fully underlies or overlies the first conductor. A dielectric is disposed between the first and second conductors. The width of the first electrical conductor is selected to be 2.DELTA.1 wider than the second electrical conductor, where .DELTA.1 is wider than the layer to layer alignment tolerance of the fabrication process being used. The length of each conductor is less than .gamma./8.epsilon..sub.r.sup.1/2, where .gamma. is the free space wavelength at the designed frequency of the coupler. The coupler can further include a slot disposed within the first electrical conductor for reduced coupling values. The above described coupler can be cascaded with narrow conductors coupled to wide conductors and vice versa. By cascading pairs of coupled lines with opposite orientations, the reflection coefficients are maintained nearly identical at all ports and the coupling values are the same as long as the coupled line sections meet certain dimensional limitations.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to directional couplers and, more specifically, to a directional coupler which has substantial immunity to misalignments.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A directional coupler is a four port device which receives power through one port and divides the power between two other ports with the fourth port being isolated and receiving very little power due to cancellation of signals within the coupler. The coupling may be weak or strong wherein, in the case of weak coupling, for example, perhaps only ten percent of the power received will be sent to the coupled port whereas in the case of strong coupling, for example perhaps fifty percent (3 dB) of the received power will be sent to the coupled port.
Directional couplers can be fabricated in many types of embodiments, one such type of embodiment being as a part of a multilayer printed wiring board (PWB) or multilayer ceramic thin film network (TFN). In the fabrication of directional couplers as part of a multilayer PWB, the fabrication tolerances for a state of the art process are typically about .+-.0.002 inch (3 sigma) for layer to layer registration of metal patterns. For high frequency applications, for example 1 to 100 GHz, and for thermal considerations, the dielectric layers for a multi-layer PWB or TFN are maintained thin and in the range of from about 0.001 inch to about 0.005 inch. For this range of thicknesses, interlayer registration is critical to yielding highly repeatable directional coupler designs.
For a stripline structure with two centered metal layers between two ground planes, the directional coupler of choice for high values (3 dB) is a broad-side coupled directional coupler. The sensitivity of the particular design to dimensions and layer to layer registration increases with higher coupling values. Couplers of this type generally comprise a pair of closely spaced apart electrically conductive elements which may have a width of about 4 to 6 mils, which are spaced apart by about 1 mil and which have a length of less than .gamma./4.epsilon..sub.r.sup.1/2 where .gamma. is the free space wavelength at the stripline design frequency for the coupler and .epsilon..sub.r is the effective dielectric constant of the coupler dielectric. It can be seen that such couplers which are misaligned by .+-.0.002 inch and which are designed to provide 3 dB of coupling will provide instead about 4.5 dB of coupling. Such errors often cannot be tolerated. Accordingly, an improved directional coupler structure in conjunction with PWBs which is less sensitive to misalignment is highly desirable.

Alignment tolerant overlay directional coupler


A trap is provided particularly for yellowjacket wasps. The trap includes an outer enclosure with a funnel therein dividing the enclosure into a first chamber and a second chamber. A tip of the funnel has an opening which allows yellowjackets to pass from the first chamber to a second chamber, where the yellowjackets become trapped. The enclosure includes legs which allow the trap to rest upon an underlying surface. Entry holes extend into the first chamber. These entry holes are at least partially visible from a side of the trap. A top cap preferably forms a portion of the second chamber and can be removably replaced so that trapped yellowjackets can be dumped and the trap reused. An attractant is provided within a cartridge which is removably attached through a port in the enclosure, so that the cartridge can be replaced when original attractant is depleted.

Traps for yellowjacket wasps (Vespula species), are numerous. They take many shapes and configurations, but generally require an attractant within the trap to attract insects toward openings through which the insects enter. Insects become trapped within the devices and die by either drowning (in a water-filled trap) or by dehydration and starvation (in a non-water filled trap). The present invention is of the latter type.
A tube-shaped yellowjacket trap has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,941 by Schneidmiller. The Schneidmiller trap is a cylindrical tube with two end caps. The top end cap is a perforated screen which allows air into the trap. The lower cap contains an attractant cup and entrance structure, through which insects pass to enter the trap. Once inside the lower section of the trap, insects seek escape through an inverted, perforated cone having a smaller opening toward the top of the trap. The insects move toward light entering the top and sides of the trap. Once insects have passed through the smaller aperture of the inverted cone, they become trapped in the uppermost section of the trap and later die of dehydration or starvation.
An improved, tube-shaped trap has more recently been disclosed by Schneidmiller in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,557,880 and D372,513. The trap consists of a cylindrical tube having a closed upper end and an open lower end. The closed upper end of the tube has slots arranged radially around the top for airflow. A truncated cone with two open ends is arranged within the cylinder, such that the end having a smaller opening projects into the uppermost interior portion of the cylinder. The other end of the cone has a larger opening fitting against the inner circumference of the wall of the cylinder approximately at the open end of the cylinder; and a cap which attaches threadably to the open end of the cylinder, and which holds the cone in place within the cylinder.
A lure is placed in the cup. Airflow through the trap allows attractant to be dispersed, so that it may come into contact with the wasps in the vicinity of the trap, which are then lured into the trap through small holes in the bottom of the cap. Once inside the lower section of the trap, insects perceive the open top end of the inner cone as an escape route, since light projects from the outside of the trap and the top of the trap into the interior of the trap, and through the inner cone. Thus, insects move through the smaller hole at the top of the cone into the upper section of the trap, where they die of dehydration and/or starvation. Insects are removed by unscrewing the cap, removing the inner cone and pouring out the insect carcasses.
The Schneidmiller trap has several drawbacks. First, it cannot be placed on a table or other level surface. Also, this design does not allow for entry of insects from the side of the trap. Yellowjackets normally approach the trap from the sides, and have trouble finding their way into the trap. A significant percentage of insects approaching the trap cannot find the entrance into the trap to reach the attractant. The improved Schneidmiller trap is designed for better airflow through various holes in the sides and top of the trap. However, airflow through the trap directs attractant to these airflow holes and not specifically to the entrance holes, thus confusing the insects. Additionally, it is very difficult to empty the trap of dead insects, requiring that the user completely disassemble the trap in order to empty the upper chamber. The inner cone through which insects move into the upper chamber must be removed from the body of the trap to allow removal of insects. This is a clumsy operation and can result in wasp stings to the user, should there be live wasps remaining in the trap.
The present invention overcomes these problems and results in a far more effective trap, especially for yellowjacket wasps.

Free-standing flying insect trap with removable cartridge


A connector connection structure includes: a female connector on a housing accommodating a dynamo-electric machine mounted in a vehicle; and a male connector shaped so as to be fitted into the female connector by inserting it with a force not smaller than a predetermined amount. The male connector includes a contact joinable with a contact of the female connector to be electrically connected, and a rod-like lever connected with the male connector via a fulcrum. The lever generates the force not smaller than a predetermined amount by applying, with its one end's position being restricted, a rotation force to the other end. The housing includes a protrusion for restricting the position of the one end.

Conventionally, several electric devices are mounted on a Hybrid Vehicle (HV), Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV). For example, in a vehicle including a dynamo-electric machine mounted on it, the dynamo-electric machine is connected with electric devices such as inverters via a cable, such as a wire. The cable, such as a wire, is generally connected to the electric devices by a connector. Specifically, a cable and an electric device have their respective connectors having a geometry that allows them to be fitted into each other. Each connector works as a male or female connector and has a contact for establishing electrical connection. By fitting a male connector into a female connector, their contacts are thus joined together to be electrically connected. The male connector can be fitted into the female connector by applying a force not smaller than a predetermined amount. Fitting of such connectors may be performed by clamping of bolts, for example. The following publications disclose techniques for connector fitting by clamping of bolts.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-75557 discloses a shield connector that allows a shield wire to extend in a direction parallel to a shield wall of the other part and that can be made smaller. The shield connector has a housing covering a terminal of the shield wire, which housing accommodates the base end of a metal terminal crimped onto the conductor of the shield wire. The shield connector is attached to a through hole formed in the shield wall of the other part. The shield layer of the shield wire is then conductively connected to the shield wall of the other part and the tip end of the metal terminal is held projecting into the shield wall of the other part. The metal terminal of the shield connector is as a whole L-shaped, where a flat portion continuing from the crimping portion of the conductor is bent. Then, the portion of the metal terminal from the base end to a position near the tip end is covered by an insulating member. A shield member is provided in the housing that covers the insulating member covering the metal terminal. One end of the shield member continues to or is conductively connected to the shield layer of the shield wire. The other end is disposed on the portion of the housing which abuts to the shield wall of the other part.
In the case of the shield connector disclosed in the above publication, at one end of the housing, the metal terminal crimped onto the conductor of the shield wire projects into the shield wall when the housing of the shield connector is attached to the shield wall of the other part. At the other end of the housing, the shield wire extends parallel to the shield wall of the other part. The metal terminal is L-shaped where the flat portion extending from the crimp portion is bent at right angles, where the flat portion may be bent at a radius smaller than that for the shield wire. Consequently, the bent portion and thus the entire shield connector may be made smaller.
To improve the operability, a connector's insertion load may be reduced, for example, by using a levered connector in which a lever is provided on the male connector and an arm is formed on the female connector. When the male connector is fit into the female connector, the lever is hooked into the arm to provide a reduction in insertion load. The following publication discloses a technique of a levered connector.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-106018 discloses a levered connector that prevents a lever from slipping out of a connector housing with a simple structure. This levered connector has a U-shaped lever rotatable on a connector housing of one of the connectors coupled to each other, the lever straddling the connector housing. The other's connector housing is provided with a cam receiver engaging with a cam formed on the lever, and the lever is reciprocally rotated to displace the cam receiver, thereby coupling and decoupling the connectors. The levered connector has a lever support shaft projecting from either one connector housing or the lever as well as a shaft receiving hole on the other into which the lever support shaft is fitted. One of the lever support shaft and the shaft receiving hole has a radially projecting slippage stop. The other is provided with an engagement surface that engages with the slippage stop during the reciprocal rotation of the lever, the engagement surface having a portion radially notched and allowing the slippage stop to be inserted and removed in a decoupling position of the lever.
In the levered connector disclosed in the above publication, the lever is positioned in a decoupling position of the connectors to attach the lever to the connector housing. Then, the slippage stop formed on one of the lever support shaft and the shaft receiving hole is inserted into the notch on the engagement surface of the other. To operate the lever to couple the connectors, the lever is rotated from its decoupling position to the coupling position. Accordingly, the lever is bent due to the operation force for the insertion load acting upon the lever as the connectors are coupled. Thus, the slippage stop engages with the engagement surface to prevent the lever support shaft from being removed from the shaft receiving hole even when a force acts in a direction that would cause the lever support shaft to be removed from the shaft receiving hole.
However, when a dynamo-electric machine is mounted on an HV of Front engine Rear drive (FR), for example, the dynamo-electric machine needs to be mounted in a center tunnel of a vehicle that has a small mounting space. The operability in coupling connectors is low when a cable is connected to a dynamo-electric machine after the machine is mounted in the center tunnel by fitting connectors to each other by clamping of bolts, for example, as in a shield connector disclosed in the above publication.
To mount a dynamo-electric machine on a large HV of FR, requirements for the dynamo-electric machine are high and the dynamo-electric machine itself is large, and thus overhanging of connectors and the like from the dynamo-electric machine needs to be minimized. Specifically, for larger dynamo-electric machines, the connectors need to have larger terminals to resist higher voltages. Thus, the insertion load of the connectors is very high, and a mechanism for reducing the insertion load such as a levered connector as disclosed in the above publication would result in a very large connector. Accordingly, the connectors and the like overhang from the housing of the dynamo-electric machine, requiring the larger mounting space.


A method and apparatus for enabling the operators of television broadcasting systems or other content distribution systems to effectively alter the program viewing patterns of viewers or subscribers to direct viewership traffic to selected television programs or other content. In a recommendation based EPG system, the rating or recommendation assigned to a program is increased or decreased in accordance with the desire of the operator to increase or decrease viewership or in exchange for monetary or other consideration from content providers, advertisers or others. In one aspect, a boost value is applied to alter the recommended rating/ranking of program content, including selectively in a manner which may be substantially imperceptible to viewers. In another aspect, a sponsored program is assigned a premium position in a list of programs in exchange for receipt of monetary or other consideration. In another aspect, the program may be given an ordinal boost, elevating the program by one or more positions in a rank-ordered list of recommendations. In still another aspect, premium positions in the list are auctioned, or greater consideration is collected for providing higher values of ordinal or numerical boost.

Electronic Program Guides (EPGs) are specialized graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that allow users to navigate through a multiple of programs available for viewing or reproduction. Many EPGs present one or more layered displays—often available on a dedicated television channel—to give a user an inventory of programs available for viewing or reproduction, as well as schedules and other details (e.g., channels, program length, program synopsis, etc.) about the programs. Pointing devices are often used to control and navigate within the displays, as well as to activate links to the programs of interest. EPGs are especially useful for television viewers who can receive dozens or even hundreds of television channels, as is increasingly the case for subscribers of cable and satellite television services.
Various configurations of EPGs and associated methods, systems and devices are disclosed in the following U.S. and foreign patent documents, among others, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in their entirety here:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,931Alexander et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,316KillianU.S. Pat. No. 6,005,597Barrett et al.WO 0049801A1Yuen et al.WO 0033224A1Yuen
More recently, EPG providers have begun to investigate the use of recommendation systems to enhance EPG/user interaction qualities by providing a preferred location to content determined to be of special interest to the viewer, making such content easier to find, and improving the overall user experience. Many of these prior art EPG systems continue to utilize on-screen advertisements as a method of generating additional revenue for the service provider (cable operator, system administrator or other entities).
One such arrangement, for example, involves the display of advertisements in the EPG display window, in exchange for receipt of payment or other consideration from content providers or advertisers. Onscreen advertisements, however, are relatively ineffective, and thus an inefficient source of revenue for advertisers, because in an EPG setting, the attention of the viewer is focused on deciding what to watch next, rather than on the advertisements; and because such on-screen advertisements typically require a lengthy interaction with the EPG in order to be effective. Long-duration interaction is typically unavailable, since an intrinsic purpose of EPGs is to facilitate channel selection, by minimizing interaction time with the EPG while maximizing time for viewing desired programming.
Historically, cable operators had a limited capacity of channels they could broadcast to their subscribers, and were thus able to effectively sell the relatively scarce (and thus valuable) placement in their lineup to content providers. Today, operators of cable, other terrestrial, and satellite television systems can offer hundreds of channels to their viewers, and as a result, the value of a given placement in the lineup is diminished, to the point where system operators are no longer able to sell placement in their lineups.
What is therefore desirable, but non-existent, are methods, devices and systems that would enable system operators to selectively enhance, or otherwise modify or direct, viewership of selected television shows or other content. What is also desirable are methods, devices and systems to enable system operators to derive additional revenue in exchange for such enhancement or modification of viewership. It is also desirable to provide such methods adapted for deployment in an EPG environment. Further, it is desirable to provide such methods that can operate in a manner substantially imperceptible to viewers.

Recommendation-based electronic program guides with user-imperceptible preferences


The invention is a method and related precursor for preparing 18F-FLT. The precursor has a butoxycarbonyl protecting group at the 5′-position that results in low amounts of chromophoric byproducts being formed during deprotection. The method for preparing 18F-FLT is efficient and makes the final purification step less complicated.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a diagnostic imaging technique for measuring the metabolic activity of cells in the human body. PET can show images of blood flow, glucose metabolism in the brain, or rapid changes in activity in various areas of the body. It can be used to show changes in physiology before any change in gross anatomy has occurred. PET has been used in diagnosing diseases such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and schizophrenia.
PET uses chemical compounds that are labeled with radioactive atoms that decay by emitting positrons. The most commonly used PET radioisotopes are 11C, 13N, 15O, and 18F. Typically, the labeled compound is a natural substrate, substrate analog, or drug that is labeled with a radioisotope without altering the compound's chemical or biological properties. After injection into the tissue, the radiolabeled compound should follow the normal metabolic pathway of its unlabeled counterpart. The labeled compound emits positrons as it moves through the tissue. Collisions between the positrons and electrons that are present in the tissue emit gamma rays that are detectable by a PET scanner.
Radiolabeled thymidine is a PET tracer that is useful for imaging tumors. In particular, 3′-Deoxy-3′-[18F]-fluoro-thymidine (18F-FLT) has been used for visualizing DNA replication in humans and animals. 18F-FLT is incorporated into DNA during the synthesis phase of the cell cycle and therefore is a useful indicator of cellular proliferation.
After injection into a patient, 18F-FLT is taken up by cells and undergoes phosphorylation by thymidine kinase-1 (TK), an enzyme that is expressed during cellular DNA synthesis. The phosphorylated FLT molecule is retained within the cell, which results in its accumulation. As a result, 18F-FLT provides insight into cellular activity and is an excellent proliferation marker for PET tumor studies.
The usefulness of 18F-FLT as a tumor imaging agent has resulted in a need to develop methods for its quick and efficient synthesis. Typical methods for preparing 18F-FLT have low reaction yields. Newer methods that increase yield require more synthetic transformations. Often, these newer methods result in chromophoric byproducts that are produced during the synthesis. For instance, dimethoxy trityl (DMT) is a protecting group that is often used to protect the 5′-hydroxy. During deprotection, DMT-OH and DMT cation are generated. DMT cation has an orange color. The formation of DMT cation is a typical example of chromophoric byproducts that can be produced during the deprotection step.
The presence of chromophoric byproducts complicates the purification process and makes it more difficult and expensive to efficiently produce 18F-FLT. During purification, the radiolabeled product is typically loaded onto a reverse phase column and eluted. If there is a large amount of byproducts, the byproducts can bleed into the final product producing an impure final product.

Method for preparing radiolabeled thymidine having low chromophoric byproducts