The reaction product of a C6+ alpha olefin/maleic anhydride copolymer with a polyfunctionalized secondary or tertiary amine has application as a heat cured coating and in cosmetic applications including hair spray as well as in inkjet ink formulations. The polyfunctionalized secondary or tertiary amine has the general formula R1R2R3N wherein R1, R2, and R3 are hydrogen, alkyl, alkyl ether, hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyalkylether, aminoalkyl, aminoalkylether, or an ester of hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkylether containing from 1 to 15 carbon atoms; provided at least two of R1, R2, or R3 are hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyalkylether, aminoalkyl, or aminoalkylether when the other is H; and at least one of R1, R2 or R3 is hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyalkylether, aminoalkyl, or aminoalkylether when one is H.

The invention relates to the reaction product of a C6+ olefin/maleic acid anhydride copolymer with a polyfunctionalized amine. In a preferred embodiment, the polyfunctionalized amine is a secondary or tertiary amine. The resulting product has particular applicability as a coating in inkjet ink and in cosmetic applications including hair spray and sun lotions.
Processes for the preparation of aqueous solutions of carboxyl as well as hydroxyl-group containing copolymers have been described. See, for instance, German Patentschrift DD 247 456 A1 which discloses a method for preparation of aqueous solutions of carboxyl and hydroxyl group containing copolymers by the addition of ethylene, propylene, or alpha methyl styrene/maleic anhydride copolymers to aqueous solutions of ethanolamine or diethanolamine. These processes employ a molar ratio of amine to acid anhydride groups of one or less and produce amide derivatives with neither hydrolysis of the anhydride group nor crosslinking by conversion of the alcohol groups of the ethanolamine, or especially diethanolamine, with the anhydride occurring.
It has been now been found that aqueous solutions of carboxyl and hydroxyl group containing copolymers may be prepared from polyhydroxy functionalized tertiary amines which are incapable of forming amides. Furthermore, such products, although they may be partially crosslinked, are still water soluble. These products may be applied as coatings and, depending upon curing conditions, can yield partially to fully water impervious films.
The partially cross linked reaction product of a C6+ alpha olefin and maleic anhydride copolymer with a polyfunctionalized amine has application as a heat cured coating and in cosmetic applications including hair spray and sun lotions, as well as in inkjet ink formulations.
The molar amount of polyfunctionalized amine added to the copolymer is approximately equal to the number of moles of maleic anhydride in the alpha-olefin/maleic anhydride copolymer.
The polyfunctionalized amine preferably is a secondary or tertiary amine of the general formula:
R1R2R3N
wherein R1, R2 and R3 independently are hydrogen, alkyl, alkyl ether, aminoalkyl, aminoalkylether, hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyalkylether, or an ester of hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkylether; provided at least two of R1, R2, or R3 are hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyalkylether, aminoalkyl, or aminoalkylether.
Reaction products of solid olefin/maleic anhydride copolymers with polyfunctionalized amines have been found to have unique applications. The resultant copolymer is an alternating copolymer of an olefinic monomer and a maleic acid anhydride with a polyfunctionalized secondary or tertiary amine.
The olefin/maleic anhydride copolymer is insoluble in water and is derived from maleic acid anhydride and a C6+ alpha olefin. An alpha olefin containing up to thirty plus carbon atoms may further be employed. In a preferred embodiment, the alpha olefin for use in the invention is a C6-C24 alpha olefin. Most desirable results are obtained with C8-C18 alpha olefins. The olefin/maleic anhydride copolymer may be referred to as a poly (alkylethylenesuccinic anhydride). The copolymer exhibits hydrophilic properties (from maleic anhydride) and lipophilic properties (from the alpha-olefin).
Such copolymers are prepared by reacting the alpha olefin and maleic anhydride in approximately equimolar ratios in a solvent, in which both comonomers are soluble, such as xylene, methyl ethyl ketone, or methyl isobutyl ketone. A free radical generator, such as di-t-butyl peroxide, azobis (4-cyanovaleric acid), or salts of azobis (N,N-dimethylformamide), is employed as initiator. The reaction mixture is typically heated from about 50 to about 60xc2x0 C. The number average molecular weight of the resulting copolymer is generally between about 2,000 to about 5,000. Especially desirable results are obtained where the copolymer, having a number average molecular weight about 3,000 (measured by gel permeation chromatography), is derived from a C8 alpha olefin and maleic anhydride. Following completion of the polymerization, the solvent is removed by vacuum distillation. Such copolymers include those from Baker-Petrolite Polymers Division under the trademark POMAREZ(trademark).
The polyfunctionalized amine is preferably a secondary or tertiary amine that contains at least two reactive functional groups for reaction with the alpha olefin/maleic anhydride copolymer. Thus, where, for instance, a secondary amine comprises the polyfunctionalized amine, at least one other functional group is included in the moiety. Where the amine is a tertiary amine, the polyfunctionalized amine contains at least two other functional groups.
Suitable polyfunctionalized amines are those of the formula:
R1R2R3Nxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(I)
wherein R1, R2, and R3 may be hydrogen, alkyl, alkyl ether, hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyalkylether aminoalkyl, aminoalkylether, or an ester of hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkylether containing from 1 to 15 carbon atoms, typically 1 to 6 carbon atoms; provided at least two of R1, R2, or R3 are hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyalkylether, aminoalkyl, aminoalkylether, or at least one of R1, R2, or R3 is hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyalkylether, aminoalkyl, or aminoalkylether when the other is xe2x80x94H.
Alternatively, the polyfunctionalized amine may be of the formula:
wherein R8 is xe2x80x94H and R9 is hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyalkylether, aminoalkyl, or aminoalkylether.
Preferred polyfunctionalized amines are those of the formula:
R1N(R2)R3xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(II)
wherein R1 is alkyl, alkyl ether, hydroxyalkyl hydroxyalkylether, or an ester of hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkylether, R2 is H, hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyalkylether when R, is alkyl, alkylether, or an ester, and R3 is an aminoalkyl, aminoalkylether, hydroxyalkyl, or hydroxyalkylether.
Such amines include those of the formula:
R1xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94(CH2)nNH2xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(III)
wherein n is 1 to 6.
Especially preferred amines include those containing at least one primary amino group and one hydroxyl group or one primary amino group and one secondary amino group. Specific examples include, but are not limited to, N-methyl diethanol amine, aminoethylethanolamine, N-hydroxy-ethyl-1,3-propanediamine, N-methyl-1,3-propanediamine, N-ethyl diethanolamine, N-butyldiethanolamine, N,N-dihydroxyethylenediamine, 2-hydroxylpropyldiethanolamine, N-hydroxyethylpiperazine, aminoethylpiperazine, alkylethylene diamines, N-propylethylenediamine, N-isopropylethylenediame, and triethanolamine. In a most preferred embodiment, the diamine is aminoethylethanolamine.
The polyfunctionalized amine most desirably contains at least two reactive functional groupsxe2x80x94most preferably one hydroxyl group and one amino group or two amino groupsxe2x80x94for each equivalent of maleic anhydride in the copolymer. In this fashion, one of the xe2x80x94COO groups of the maleic anhydride moiety may be converted to a half amide (where the reactive functional group is an amine) or half ester (where the reactive functional group is an alcohol). The second xe2x80x94COO group of the maleic anhydride moiety remains as a free carboxylic acid group and forms an inner salt with the remaining amine moiety of the functionalized amine.
While not intending to be bound by any theory, it is believed that in the presence of water, the polyfunctionalized secondary or tertiary amine opens the anhydride ring on the alpha olefin/maleic anhydride copolymer by reaction of the more reactive primary amine with the maleic anhydride to form an amide simultaneously forming a carboxylic acid. Reaction of a xe2x80x94OH containing functional group with the maleic anhydride forms an ester and a carboxylic acid. The remaining secondary or tertiary amine groups form an inner salt of the carboxylic acid resulting in an aqueous solution of a half amide (or half ester) carboxylic acid inner salt containing free xe2x80x94OH or  greater than NH groups. Coatings of these solutions, upon drying, cure by the elimination of water between the carboxylic acid and xe2x80x94OH or  greater than NH function forming, respectively, ester or amide crosslinks.
It is further possible to use a monofunctionalized amine as the amine compound. Such compounds include, for instance, monoethanolamine. The monofunctional amine preferentially reacts with the maleic anhydride to form amide and free carboxylic acid. It is further necessary, however, to also include a base, such as another mole of the same amine or a trialkylamine in order to neutralize the carboxylic acid. Trialkylamines of the formula R4R5R6N wherein R4, R5, and R6 are independently selected from a C1-C8 alkyl preferably a C1-C3 alkyl group are especially preferred. Especially preferred tertiary amines include triethyl amine and trimethyl amine. This is a less preferred mode of operation, however, since during curing, the trialkylamine is released to the atmosphere resulting in economic loss, air pollution, and health concerns.
The alpha olefin/maleic anhydride copolymer is a solid copolymer. Especially desirable results are achieved when the copolymer is in the form of flakes, pastilles, or pellets. The pH, at the start of the reaction of alpha olefin/maleic anhydride copolymer and polyfunctionalized amine, is typically greater than or equal to 11.0. The reaction is permitted to proceed until the pH of the reaction mixture is less than or equal to 7.0. Because the reaction is somewhat exothermic, it may be necessary to cool the reaction vessel during the initial stages, but typically the temperature for reaction of those copolymers derived from a C6-C10 alpha olefin must rise to between 50 and about 60xc2x0 C. to complete the reaction. As the number of carbon atoms in the alpha olefin increases, the exotherm decreases and cooling is often necessary. For instance, when the alpha olefin is a C14-C18, the reaction is run at room temperature throughout the duration.
An indication of the completion of the reaction rests in the solubility of the final product. While the alpha olefin/maleic anhydride copolymer is insoluble in water, the reaction product is soluble in water. Thus, the reaction may be terminated upon dissolution of the alpha olefin/maleic anhydride copolymer. At room temperature, the final product is an aqueous solution.
The molar ratio of amine to maleic anhydride in the alpha olefin/maleic anhydride copolymer is generally about 1:1. It is possible to use somewhat less than one mole of diamine per mole of contained anhydride. However, if too little functionalized amine is used, insufficient reaction occurs to yield a soluble product. Where the amine is a functionalized secondary or tertiary amine of formula (I) above and if the temperature is raised in order to attain a further degree of reaction, a significant amount of secondary amine and/or hydroxyl (if present) will react with the remaining anhydride to give cross linked products which form gels. In such cases, adding aqueous base, such as sodium hydroxide, may break the gel structure and give a clear solution. However, such products fail to cure fully when coated and dried. Thus, they give coatings that allow some penetration of water.
The product formed is an aqueous solution, typically containing from about 20 to about 40 percent solids. The viscosity of the product may be as high as 2000 cPs at 25xc2x0 C. Higher viscosities are indicative of excessive cross linking. The major product of the reaction is an inner salt resulting from the opening of the anhydride ring by attack of the primary amino group to give an amidocarboxylic acid. It is also possible that some amount of a disubstituted amidocarboxylic acid is formed due to opening of the anhydride ring by the secondary amine and, in the case where R contains a hydroxyl group, some ester may be formed.
The number average molecular weight of the resulting copolymer is between about 2,000 to about 5,000, preferably from about 2,500 to about 3,500.
The solutions are coated onto a substrate and then heat cured to drive off the moisture. Where the reaction product is formed from a monofunctionalized amine (such as monoethanolamine), ester crosslinks are formed while losing the volatile tertiary amine. As a result, a water impervious coating results.
Where the reaction product is formed from a polyfunctionalized secondary or tertiary amine, the amine is incorporated into the formed product. The crosslink forms from reaction of either the secondary amino group or a hydroxyl group with carboxylic acid inner salt. Thus, no volatile amine is lost in the process. It is unnecessary to perform a heat curing stage where the reaction product is formed from a polyfunctionalized secondary amine. The referenced crosslinks will form over time.
While it is possible to use more than one mole of functionalized amine per mole of contained anhydride, too many carboxyl functions will react with the excess amine upon curing if too great an excess of amine is used. This will result in water-permeable coatings attributable to insufficient cross linking and increased hydrophilicity of the product on account of the excessive number of amino groups.
Acceptability of use of the resulting product to serve as a water resistant coating is dependent on the ability of the reaction product, when applied as an aqueous solution, to coalesce into a film after the water evaporates. Evaporation of water may be enhanced either by adding a lower alcohol (generally a C1-C6 alcohol, such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, sec-butyl alcohol, and iso-butyl alcohol) to the solution before applying it to the substrate or by providing heat to the substrate after applying the solution. Alternatively, a combination of the two methods may be used.
The resulting films resist penetration of water. The extent of water resistivity is dependent on the temperature the resultant film is subjected to as well as the amount of time that passes after film formation before the film is tested for water resistance. While not desiring to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed that water resistance of the film is attained by reaction of the carboxyl groups of the inner salt with either the secondary amino groups or the hydroxyl groups (if present) resulting in the release of water and the formation of a cross linked higher molecular weight polymer.
The reaction product further has applicability in inkjet ink formulations in light of its smear resistance properties. In addition, it has applicability in adhesives and paints. The invention has particular applicability in the production of creams (such as sunscreen).
Thermal ink jet printing compositions typically contain a dye, a liquid medium containing water, and a surfactant. See, for instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,019,166 and 4,783,220. The products described herein may be employed in inkjet ink formulations as a surfactant and can be thereafter cured to improve waterfastness of the ink to prevent feathering on plain paper. Representative formulations of compositions for thermal inkjet inks are:
Dye Composition A
Reaction product of C6+ alpha olefin/maleic anhydride and functionalized secondary or tertiary amine: 1.0 to 25 wt. %
Dye: 1 to about 100% dye; and
Water: Balance.
Dye Composition B
Reaction product of C6+ alpha olefin/maleic anhydride and functionalized secondary or tertiary amine: 0.5 to 15 wt. %;
Dye: 8 to 10 wt. %;
ethylene glycol: 10 to 20 wt. %;
Water: Balance.
Further, the reaction product finds application in the personal care area such as in low-volatile organic hair spray formulations where the originally water-soluble polymer will cure to a resinous film having resistance to water. Traditionally, hair sprays consist of a resinous polymer dissolved or suspended in a volatile solvent that, upon evaporation of the solvent, leaves a film of the resin on the hair. Recent legislation requires that hair sprays contain no more than 80% volatile organic compounds (VOC). In 1998, the allowable VOC content will be lowered to a 55% maximum. Thus, the ultimate aim of the industry is to reduce VOC content as much as possible. However, a major problem being encountered in reducing VOC much below 80% is that more hydrophilic resins must be used and these resins either do not provide sufficient xe2x80x9choldxe2x80x9d or are too hygroscopic and become tacky, especially in high humidity environments. The present invention provides a solution to such shortcomings. At the same time, it eliminates the release of volatile tertiary amines with their attendant problems.
A typical hair spray contains basically about 95% ethanol and 5% resin. The most commonly used resins were copolymers of maleic anhydride and methyl vinyl ether. As the VOC content was lowered to 80%, variations on these copolymers to make them more compatible with the more hydrous system are used. Also, other resins, such as polyacrylates, polyacrylamides, and copolymers of these may also be used. In addition, small amounts ( less than 1% total) of conditioners, compatibilizers, and vitamins are often added. The same trend is generally true for the proposed 55% VOC hair sprays as well; more hydrophilic resins and additional compatibilizers and conditioners. The products of this invention would be used in place of some or all of the resin in a hair spray.
The reaction product further has utility in preparation of sun lotions.
The following examples will illustrate the practice of the present invention in its preferred embodiments. Other embodiments within the scope of the claims herein will be apparent to one skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention as disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification, together with the examples, be considered exemplary only, with the scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the claims which follow.

Reaction products of C6+ alpha-olefin/maleic anhydride copolymers and polyfunctionalized amines


An electronic ballast circuit having at least two distinct switching cycles also includes an anti-striation feature. More particularly the electronic ballast includes an input section configured to receive an input from a power source. A resonant section receives the signals from the input section in order to generate a resonant signal. An anti-striation component is connected within the electronic ballast circuit to affect operation of the resonant section, which results in an affected resonant signal. A switching arrangement is configured to receive the affected resonant signal from the resonant section and anti-striation component, and is further configured to generate an asymmetric output signal due to the affects of the anti-resonant component, wherein the anti-striation component causes parameters of the resonant section of the electronic ballast circuit to be different for different switching cycles of the electronic ballast circuit. An output section is provided to output the asymmetric output signal to a lamp system.

The present application is related to electronic ballasts, and more particular to current-fed electronic ballasts designed to eliminate or minimize the striation phenomenon which can occur in gas discharge type lamps.
A gas discharge lamp converts electrical energy into visible energy by utilizing an electronic ballast to provide an alternating current flow through a gas discharge lamp. During operation of a gas discharge lamp, a phenomenon known as striations can occur. Striations can be seen in all types of gas discharge lamps, as zones of differing light intensity, causing the appearance of dark bands. This phenomenon results in an undesirable strobing effect in the lamp. In general, the lower the environment temperature, the more pronounced the striation effect. However, certain lamps will show striations at higher temperatures, including that of room temperature. This situation is particularly an issue with a newer type of energy saving lamps, which employ certain classes of gasses such as krypton.
It is well known that providing an asymmetrical current waveform through the gas discharge lamp can effectively eliminate or minimize visible striations. Based on this understanding, the lighting industry has implemented a variety of anti-striation ballast circuit configurations.
Examples of various proposed solutions include:
US2006/0103328 A1, published May 18, 2006, by General Electric, which teaches the addition of an auxiliary winding on a DC choke connected in series with the common end of the lamps to generate even harmonic current component into lamp current, to reduce or eliminate striation;
WO2006/051495A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,756,747B2, U.S. Pat. No. 6,836,077B2, U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,082, EP852453A1, EP765107A1, teach generating an asymmetrical driver to control the two switches of the circuit, to control a flow of an asymmetrical current waveform through the lamps;
US2005/0168171A1, published Aug. 4, 2005, by an individual applicant, uses an unbalanced circuit component (an unbalanced output transformer or an unbalance DC choke) to produce asymmetric lamp current, to control striation;
US2006/0097666A1, EP547674A1, WO01/76325A1, EP1269801B1, EP1265461, teaches the addition of a striation correction circuit to inject a DC component directly into the lamp current; and
WO98/09484, published Mar. 5, 1998, by Philips Electronics, is directed to producing an asymmetric filament voltage between its opposite polarities to reduce striation, where the anti-striation circuit can be realized with low voltage components.
The above do provide various attempts to address the striation problem. However, these proposals present various disadvantages, such as but not limited to, the introduction of DC bias which leads to a shorter lamp life, as well as complicated and/or expensive circuitry. Therefore, it has been considered desirable to find an effective solution to the striation problem, without degrading the performance of the gas discharge lamp system, which also does not substantially increase the cost, particularly when used in association with energy saving high efficiency lamps.

Anti-striation circuit for current-fed ballast


A new, and distinct cultivar of Papaver plant named ‘Casino’characterized by its upright plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; and large flowers with white and black-colored petals.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Papaver, botanically known as Papaver orientale and hereinafter referred to by the name 'Casino'.
The new Papaver originated from a cross-pollination of two unnamed selections of Papaver orientale, not patented. The new Papaver was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Oudelande, The Netherlands in May, 2003.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by divisions since 2004 in Oudelande, The Netherlands has shown that the unique features of this new Papaver are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


In a digital signage device, a control unit extracts a face region and a torso region from an image of the object to be displayed, compares the extracted face region and torso region to a face region and torso region extracted from a screen image on an image display unit in use, and then calculates, on the basis of these comparison results, a first adjustment factor for adjusting the size of the face region and a second adjustment factor for adjusting the size of the torso region in the image of the object to be displayed, the respective sizes of the face region and torso region in the image of the object to be displayed being separately adjusted on the basis of the calculated first adjustment factor and second adjustment factor in order to display an adjusted image on the image display unit.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to a display device, a method of display, and a program.
Background Art
Conventionally, an image output device mounting apparatus is known to have: an image output device that connects to an image supplying device; a reflective member; and a screen. Output light that contains content and is outputted from the image output device is reflected by the reflective member, and the output light reflected from the reflective member is projected onto a screen formed in the shape of the content, thereby allowing for a heightened impression elicited by the viewer (see Patent Document 1, for example).

Display device, method of display, and program


A micro structure with a substrate having a top surface; a first electrode with a horizontal orientation parallel to the top surface of the substrate, wherein the first electrode is embedded within the substrate so that a top surface of the first electrode coincides with the top surface of the substrate; a dielectric layer arranged on the top surface of the first electrode; and a second electrode arranged above the dielectric layer.

This section illustrates useful background information without admission of any technique described herein being representative of the state of the art.
Components fabricated with the technologies of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are being incorporated in an increasing number of consumer applications including, but not limited to, automotive electronics, medical equipment, smart phones, hard disk drives, computer peripherals, and wireless devices. MEMS technology is directed at forming miniaturized electromechanical devices and structures using micro-fabrication techniques. MEMS devices have typically some form of mechanical functionality that is typically in the form of a least one moving structure. Structures may be formed on a suitable substrate by a series of processing steps involving thin film depositions that are photolithographically masked and etched. MEMS mechanical elements, sensors, and actuators may be integrated on a common substrate with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices, for example.
Integrated passive devices (IPD) technology is a way for realizing high quality factor (Q) passives in low loss substrates. Combining most of passive components to IPD and then integrating IPD based module to sub-system enables high performance, high integration density and lower assembly cost. Especially RF front-end modules and components requiring high-Q inductors are beneficial to integrate to IPD such as baluns, couplers, filters, LC resonators and matching circuits
In known solutions, micro structures, such as microelectromechanical system (MEMS) metallizations are grown on top of wafers. This limits thickness of a bottom electrode typically to less than 2 μm. Known solutions also have resistive losses.
It is the aim of the current aspects of the disclosed embodiments to provide a method, structure and apparatus that mitigates for example the above problems of the state of the art.


A fuel resistant binder is characterized by the addition of a carrier curing agent to a modified, unmodified or emulsified asphalt material formed of a mixture of hot, cold or emulsified asphalt and carrier and activator materials. The carrier curing agent preferably is a polyurethane moisture curing solution. A cross-linking material and aggregate are also mixed with the binder to form a material suitable for patching cracks and holes in pavement and the like. The activator assists the polymer material in linking with the asphalt while the carrier prevents the formation of gel or lumps within the asphalt. The carrier curing agent resists the penetration of fuel into the binder.

Gasoline, diesel and jet fuel spills are common occurrences and result in significant damage to the environment and to the pavement on which the spills occur. The United States Environmental Protection Agency is seeking tougher measures in an attempt to decrease the number of spills and provide funds to clean up and repair the damage resulting there from. This includes not only removing contaminated soil but also repairing the damage to pavements.
In order to reduce the damage to pavement from the toxicity of the fuel, fuel-resistant surface coatings have been applied to pavements. The most common coating is a coal tar slurry which is used to seal the pavement. Although coal tar provides an adequate resistance to fuel penetration, it is a known carcinogen and thus many states and the federal government are seeking to restrict or eliminate its use.
The present invention relates to a barrier based fuel resistant binder which can be used to coat pavements and can be mixed with an aggregate to form a material suitable for patching cracks and pot holes in pavements.


A user interface, methods and tools for manipulating, displaying and ordering image prints from an on-line print service. One user interface includes a personalized account summary including an image selected from the user's archives. Another user interface includes a first field including an image to be printed and a second field including a text box for specifying a message to be printed on the image print. Another user interface includes a drop spot, the drop spot being a designated portion of the user interface on to which a user selection can be dragged and dropped where the drop spot has an associated code portion operable to process the user selection dropped on the drop spot. Methods include methods for designating multiple recipients for an image to be distributed using an on-line print service and methods for updating a user's address book during an order method for designating multiple recipients for an image at an on-line print service.

The computer system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 represents a typical hardware setup for executing software that allows a user to perform tasks such as communicating with other computer users, accessing various computer resources, and viewing, creating, or otherwise manipulating electronic content—that is, any combination of text, images, movies, music or other sounds, animations, 3D virtual worlds, and links to other objects. The system includes various input/output (I/O) devices (mouse 103, keyboard 105, display 107) and a general purpose computer 100 having a central processor unit (CPU) 121, an I/O unit 117 and a memory 109 that stores data and various programs such as an operating system 111, and one or more application programs 113. The computer system 100 also typically includes non-volatile memory 110 (e.g., flash RAM, a hard disk drive, and/or a floppy disk or other removable storage media) and a communications card or device 123 (e.g., a modem or network adapter) for exchanging data with a network 127 via a communications link 125 (e.g., a telephone line).
The computer 100 of FIG. 1 also can be connected to various peripheral I/O devices. One of the more popular of such peripheral devices is a digital camera 108 that enables users to take pictures and save them in digital (electronic) format. Typically, the digital camera 108 is connected to the computer 100 only while the user is uploading images to the computer's disk drive or other non-volatile memory 110. Users also can obtain digital images, for example, of film-based prints from a traditional camera, by sending an exposed film into a photo-finishing service, which develops the film to make prints and then scans (or otherwise digitizes) the prints or negatives to generate digital image files. The digital image files then can be transmitted back to the user by e-mail or on a CD-ROM, diskette, or other removable storage medium.
In any event, once the digital images are stored on the computer 100, a user can perform various operations on them. For example, an image viewer application can be used to view the images or a photo editor application can be used to touch-up or otherwise modify the images. In addition, an electronic messaging (e.g., e-mail) application can be used to transmit the digital images to other users.
In addition to viewing the digital images on the computer display 107, users often desire to have hard copies (physical prints) made of digital images. Such hard copies can be generated locally by the user using output devices such an inkjet printer or a dye sublimation printer. In addition, users can transmit digital images (e.g., either over a computer network or by using a physical storage medium such as a floppy disk) to a photo-finishing service, which can make hard copies of the digital images and send them (e.g., by U.S. Mail or courier service) back to the user.
FIGS. 2A-2F show a sequence of screen shots that a user might encounter when transmitting digital images to a photo-finishing service to have hard copies (prints) made of the images. In FIG. 2A, the user first encounters a contact information window 200 in which the user must enter several items of contact information such as first and last names 202, 204, address 206, city 208, state 210, country 210, phone 214, fax 216, and Email address 218. This information typically is required by the photo-finishing service for purposes of billing and shipping.
After the user has entered the required information, the user presses the Next button 220 to arrive at the next screen—an image selection window 222 as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C. In the image selection window 222, the user designates the specific images of which hard copies are to be made. The digital images either can be selected from among the images stored on the user's computer by clicking the "Select Image . . . " button 230 or they can be acquired from a digital camera or scanner attached to the user's computer by clicking the "Acquire Image . . . " button 232. Once selected, the images can be viewed and/or cropped by clicking on the "View/Crop" button 234. In addition, the user can designate the hard copy format and other parameters (e.g., size, number of copies, paper type) for each of the selected images by selecting or entering the desired options using drop-down list 224 and text box 226. The selected images and their associated parameters are shown in display area 228. Typically, each order for prints must meet a minimum order amount 223 (e.g., five dollars).
After the images and their respective hard copy parameters have been selected, the user clicks the Next button 236 and a shipping and payment information window 238 is presented. In this window 238, the user selects a desired shipping method from drop-down list 240 and specifies a method of payment and associated verification information in text boxes 242, 244, 246 and 248.
After this information has been provided, the user clicks the Next button 250 and is presented with an order confirmation window as shown in FIG. 2E. The order verification window 250 allows the user to view and confirm the order including the images selected and their respective parameters in display area 252, as well as the price of the order 254. If the user is satisfied with the order, the user clicks the Finish button 256 to complete the order.
Upon completing the order, the images are uploaded to the photo-finishing service as indicated by the upload window 258 in FIG. 2F. Once the images are uploaded, the photo-finishing service arranges to have prints made of the selected images and to have the prints mailed to the user and address specified in the contact information window 200. If the user desires to have prints of the same (or different) images sent to another person (e.g., a family member or friend), the user typically must repeat the entire order generating process represented by FIGS. 2A-2F. Generally, repeating the ordering process to send prints to another person involves entering a considerable amount of redundant information and incurring separate charges, including multiple minimum order charges, on the user's credit card (or other financial instrument).

User interface and methods for online print service


An application server, configured for executing a messaging application defined by XML documents, is able to provide messaging services to a calling party for a remote subscriber based on retrieval of subscriber attribute information obtained from a remote information database server (such as LDAP) via an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The application server, upon receiving a voice application operation request having subscriber identifier information from a browser serving the calling party, obtains from the remote information database server attribute information for responding to the voice application operation request based on the subscriber identifier information. The application server generates an HTML document having media content and control tags for personalized execution of the voice application operation based on the attribute information obtained from the standardized database server. The application server also is configured for sending and retrieving messages from a standardized remote messaging server via the IP network.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to messaging operations for users of wireless communications systems based on voice enabled web applications within a hypertext markup language (HTML) and hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) framework.
2. Description of the Related Art
The evolution of the public switched telephone network has resulted in a variety of voice applications and services that can be provided to individual subscribers and business subscribers. Such services include voice messaging systems that enable landline or wireless subscribers to record, playback, and forward voice mail messages. However, the ability to provide enhanced services to subscribers of the public switched telephone network is directly affected by the limitations of the public switched telephone network. In particular, the public switched telephone network operates according to a protocol that is specifically designed for the transport of voice signals; hence any modifications necessary to provide enhanced services can only be done by switch vendors that have sufficient know-how of the existing public switched telephone network infrastructure.
An open standards-based Internet protocol (IP) network, such as the World Wide Web, the Internet, or a corporate intranet, provides client-server type application services for clients by enabling the clients to request application services from remote servers using standardized protocols, for example hypertext transport protocol (HTTP). The web server application environment can include web server software, such as Apache, implemented on a computer system attached to the IP network. Web-based applications are composed of HTML pages, logic, and database functions. In addition, the web server may provide logging and monitoring capabilities.
In contrast to the public switched telephone network, the open standards-based IP network has enabled the proliferation of web based applications written by web application developers using ever increasing web development tools. Hence, the ever increasing popularity of web applications and web development tools provides substantial resources for application developers to develop robust web applications in a relatively short time and an economical manner. However, one important distinction between telephony-based applications and web-based applications is that telephony-based applications are state aware, whereas web-based applications are stateless.
In particular, telephony applications are state aware to ensure that prescribed operations between the telephony application servers and the user telephony devices occur in a prescribed sequence. For example, operations such as call processing operations, voicemail operations, call forwarding, etc., require that specific actions occur in a specific sequence to enable the multiple components of the public switched telephone network to complete the prescribed operations.
The web-based applications running in the IP network, however, are state-less and transient in nature, and do not maintain application state because application state requires an interactive communication between the browser and back-end database servers accessed by the browsers via a HTTP-based web server. However, an HTTP server provides asynchronous execution of HTML applications, where the web applications in response to reception of a specific request in the form of a URL from a client, instantiate a program configured for execution of the specific request, send an HTML web page back to the client, and terminate the program instance that executed the specific request. Storage of application state information in the form of a "cookie" is not practical because some users prefer not to enable cookies on their browser, and because the passing of a large amount of state information as would normally be required for voice-type applications between the browser and the web application would substantially reduce the bandwidth available for the client.
Commonly-assigned, copending application Ser. No. 09/480,485, filed Jan. 11, 2000, entitled Application Server Configured for Dynamically Generating Web Pages for Voice Enabled Web Applications, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference, discloses an application server that executes a voice-enabled web application by runtime execution of extensible markup language (XML) documents that define the voice-enabled web application to be executed. The application server includes a runtime environment that establishes an efficient, high-speed connection to a web server. The application server, in response to receiving a user request from a user, accesses a selected XML page that defines at least a part of the voice application to be executed for the user. The XML page may describe any one of a user interface such as dynamic generation of a menu of options or a prompt for a password, an application logic operation, or a function capability such as generating a function call to an external resource. The application server then parses the XML page, and executes the operation described by the XML page, for example dynamically generating an HTML page having voice application control content, or fetching another XML page to continue application processing. In addition, the application server may access an XML page that stores application state information, enabling the application server to be state-aware relative to the user interaction. Hence, the XML page, which can be written using a conventional editor or word processor, defines the application to be executed by the application server within the runtime environment, enabling voice enabled web applications to be generated and executed without the necessity of programming language environments.
Hence, web programmers can write voice-enabled web applications, using the teachings of the above-incorporated application Ser. No. 09/480,485, by writing XML pages that specify respective voice application operations to be performed. The XML documents have a distinct feature of having tags that allow a web browser (or other software) to identify information as being a specific kind or type of information. Hence, the XML documents define the application to be executed by the application server within the runtime environment, enabling voice enabled web applications to be generated and executed without the necessity of programming language environments.
Wireless communications systems have been developed with enhanced functionality, relative to conventional landline networks, based on the unique characteristics of wireless communications. In particular, voice messaging becomes an important part of the wireless service offering due to the transient nature of wireless telephone users and the limited access to the wireless telephone. Wireless telephone users often are unavailable, for example when their wireless telephones are turned off to conserve battery power, when they are on an existing wireless telephone call, when they are roaming within an area where they cannot receive incoming calls, or when they are not within a coverage area. Consequently, voice messaging services are essential for wireless users.
A particular problem with messaging for wireless subscribers is the costs associated with accessing the subscriber's voice mail system for storage or retrieval of voice mail messages. In particular, telephony based voice mail systems for wireless subscribers of a prescribed home region typically are deployed coresident with the subscribers' mailbox storage within the home region, requiring the routing of a call to the subscriber's voice mail system location using telephony network facilities. If a subscriber calling into his or her mailbox is not in his or her voice mail system location, the call needs to be routed over a long distance or international long distance facilities back to the subscriber's voice mail location. In addition, callers leaving messages for a wireless subscriber that is not accessible are routed over telephony network facilities to the subscriber voice mail system location.
The routing of these calls presents a substantial traffic dilemma for the wireless service provider. Since wireless subscribers pay for incoming calls on some wireless networks, calls that terminate in a mailbox in response to a detected no answer condition or a busy condition results in additional charges for incoming calls. However, the wireless carrier must incur the additional expense of routing these calls over telephony network facilities.

IP web based messaging system for localized management of wireless messaging


A circuit comprising a primary section and a multiple voltage secondary section. The multiple voltage secondary section includes a multiple voltage resonance section, a filter section, and a load coupling section. The circuit also includes a transformer, which is operatively configured to couple the primary and secondary sections. The multiple voltage resonance section includes a capacitance, i.e., an Alexander Topology. This capacitance, which is preferable based on series capacitors, operatively generates a predetermined voltage, such that a turns ratio of the transformer is lower than a non-multiple voltage resonance section to generate the predetermined voltage. Hence, this configuration decreases energy loss from the transformer, thereby increasing efficiency.

The present invention is directed to resonant energy conversion and/or inversion circuits. More particularly, DC-to-DC or AC/DC-to-DC/AC step-up voltage circuits with high efficiency.
DC-DC converters are widely used in step-up ac motor drives, regulated switch-mode DC power supplies, inverters, and DC-motor drives. Often the input to these DC-DC converters is an unregulated DC voltage, which is obtained by rectifying a line voltage. Thus, the DC input voltage normally fluctuates due to changes in the line-voltage magnitude. Switch mode DC-to-DC converters are used to convert the unregulated DC input voltage into a controlled DC output voltage at a desired voltage level. The converters are often used in an electrical isolation transformer in switch mode DC power supplies, and almost always without an isolation transformer in the case of DC-motor drives.
In DC-DC converters an average DC output voltage must be controlled for it to equal a desired level, though an input voltage and an output load impedance may fluctuate. Switch mode DC-DC converters utilize one or more switches to transform DC voltage from one voltage level to another. The average output voltage in a DC-DC converter with a given input voltage is controlled by controlling an on/off duration of a switch, where this average value of output voltage depends on the on-duration and off-duration of the switching signal.
One topology for controlling the average output voltage utilizes switching at a constant frequency and adjusting an on-duration of the switch. When using this topology, called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) switching, a switch duty ratio D (defined as a ratio of constant switching frequency, the switch control signal, which controls the state (on or off) of the switch, is generated in one of two ways: 1) deriving the PWM signal directly through a known calculation in a microprocessor or 2) by comparing a signal level control voltage with a repetitive waveform. The control voltage signal is generally obtained by amplifying an error value, which is the difference between an actual output voltage and its desired value. The frequency of the repetitive waveform with a constant peak, e.g., a sawtooth or square wave, establishes the switching frequency. This frequency is kept constant in PWM control and is chosen to be in a few kilohertz to a few hundred kilohertz range. When the amplified error signal, which varies very slowly with time relative to the switching signal, is greater than the waveform being used the switch control signal becomes high, causing the switch to turn on. Otherwise, the switch is off.
Step-up converters are used in regulated DC power supplies and regenerative braking of DC motors, where the output voltage is always greater than the input voltage. When a switch is in an ON position, a diode in an input stage is reversed biased, thus isolating an output stage. The input stage is used to supply energy to an inductor. When the switch is in an OFF position, the output stage receives energy from the inductor as well as from the input stage. In steady state, an output filter capacitance theoretically becomes very large, which ensures a constant output voltage. The step-up converter transfers energy in only one direction, which is a direct consequence of it being able to produce only unidirectional voltage and current.
A push-pull inverter requires a transformer with a center-tapped primary. This type of inverter can operate in a PWM or a square-wave mode. The main advantage of the push-pull inverter is that no more than one switch in series conducts at any instant of time. This is important if the DC input to the inverter is from a low-voltage source, such as a battery, where the voltage drop across more than one switch in series would result in a significant reduction in energy efficiency. Feedback diodes connected anti-parallel to the switches are required to carry the reactive current, where their conduction interval depends inversely on the power factor of an output load. These feedback diodes are needed to provide a path for the high current required due to leakage flux of the transformer. In this configuration, there is a slight difference in the switching times of two switches. Thus, there is always an imbalance between the peak values of the two switch currents. This can be controlled through current-mode control of the inverter.
Generally, in a converter with electrical isolation there is a primary and secondary side coupled by a transformer. In one conventional configuration, shown in FIG. 1, the secondary side has a full bridge parallel-loaded resonant (PLR) section, which includes diodes 24, 26, 32, and 34 and a filter section. In operation, assuming the transformer is ideal, when a switch is switched to an ON position on the primary side, diodes 24 and 32 are forward biased and diodes 26 and 32 reverse biased. Then, when the switch is in a switched to an OFF position, the inductor current circulates through diodes 32 and 34, which causes the inductor current to decrease linearly.
Traditionally, there are three configurations of resonant-switch converters, which are alternative devices used in place of the switch-mode controllable switches. First, there is a zero-current switching (ZCS) topology where the switch turns on and off at zero current. The peak resonant current flows through the switch, but the peak switch voltage remains the same as in the switch-mode counterpart. Second, there is a zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) topology where the switch turns on and off at zero voltage. The peak resonant voltage appears across the switch, but the peak switch current remains the same as in the switch-mode counterpart. Third, there is a zero-voltage-switching, clamped-voltage (ZVS-CV) topology where the switch turns on and off at zero voltage. However, a converter of this topology consists of at least one converter leg made up of two such switches. In this third topology, the peak switch voltage remains the same as in its switch-mode counterpart, but the peak switch current is generally higher.
Usually, to soft switch a switch-mode converter, a commutation circuit is needed to turn off the switching device. These commutation circuits circulate a current through a conducting switching device in a reverse direction, and thus force a total switching device current to go to zero, which turns the switch off. These circuits often consist of some form of an L-C resonant circuit driven by a frequency of commutation.
Unfortunately, the efficiency of these above-mentioned conventional circuits is rather low, e.g., 80%. Also, it is usually quite complex a design, e.g., parallel connection of low-power converter, if one wants to increase the efficiency in order to achieve Vout/Vinxe2x89xa710 with Powerxe2x89xa72 kW. Therefore, what is needed is a resonance conversion circuit that has a simple circuit topology with high efficiency, which can achieve the above input/output voltage ratio and power parameters desired.
This present invention overcomes all these above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art devices through use of a resonance section in a DC-DC converter circuit that is operatively configured to produce multiple voltage, i.e., the Alexander topology circuit.
The present invention includes a circuit comprising a primary section and a multiple voltage secondary section. The multiple voltage secondary section includes a multiple voltage resonance section, a filter section, and a load coupling section. The circuit also includes a transformer, which is operatively configured to couple the primary and secondary sections. The multiple voltage resonance section includes an equivalent capacitance, i.e., the Alexander topology circuit. This equivalent capacitance, which is preferably two series capacitors, operatively generates a predetermined voltage, such that a turns ratio of the transformer is lower than a non-multiple voltage resonance section to generate the predetermined voltage. Hence, this configuration decreases energy loss from the transformer, thereby increasing efficiency.
An advantage of the present invention is that by using this topology a circuit with a simple configuration operates at a high efficiency, i.e., above 90%.
Another advantage of the present invention is that through the use of multi-voltage energy conversion, a turns ratio of a transformer is half as big compared to conventional topologies, while the input and output energy parameters remain the same. Hence, this topology produces higher efficiency.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that since the voltage on reactive components is lower than in the conventional typologies, the size of these components can be reduced. Thus, the overall circuit is smaller and costs less.
Another still further advantage of the present invention is that by decreasing the variable at the input of the output filter, this topology allows the reduction of reference power of the output filter. In alternative embodiments an output filter can be dispensed with altogether.

Alexander topology resonance energy conversion and inversion circuit utilizing a series capacitance multi-voltage resonance section


The present invention provides a preparation comprising fibrinogen and a sulfated polysaccharide as a one component composition or as a kit of parts comprising fibrinogen and sulfated polysaccharide as separated components.

Tissue adhesives based on fibrinogen are employed for seamless and/or seam-supporting binding of human or animal tissue or organ parts, for wound sealing, hemostasis and promoting wound healing. Their mode of action is based on the fact that the (soluble) fibrinogen contained in a ready-to-use, liquid tissue adhesive is converted by thrombin into (insoluble) fibrin. Factor XIII may also be included in the liquid tissue adhesive, where it is activated to Factor XIIIa, by the action of thrombin. This crosslinks the formed fibrin to form a high MW polymer which may improve the effectiveness of the tissue adhesive. The required thrombin activity can either originate from the tissue (the wound surface) to be adhered or can be added in the form of a thrombin and Ca2+ ion-containing solution to the tissue adhesive in the course of the sealing. Tissue adhesives based on fibrinogen are known from AT-B-359 653, AT-B-359 652 and AT-B-369 990. Aside from fibrinogen and Factor XIII they may also contain further proteins such as fibronectin and albumin and optionally antibiotic agents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,962,405 (Seelich; Immuno AG) discloses storage-stable fibrinogen preparations in lyophilized form or a form resulting from deep-freezing liquid preparations (deep-frozen) which can be reconstituted and liquefied quickly and in a simple manner to form ready-to-use fibrinogen and/or tissue adhesive solutions. Such preparations are marketed as TISSEEL® fibrin sealant by Baxter Healthcare Corporation (CA, USA).
Hemostatic patches, such as those made from collagen, may be used for sealing tissue and controlling bleeding in a variety of surgical procedures. They can be used with a coating of tissue adhesive, such as fibrin glue. Alternatively, hemostatic patches made from a collagen sponge coated with thrombin and fibrinogen are available, such as TACHOCOMB® hemostatic patches or TACHOSIL® hemostatic patches (Nycomed).
Fibrin sealants and hemostatic patches permit safe hemostasis, good adherence of the seal to the wound and/or tissue areas, high strength of the adhesions and/or wound sealings, complete resorbability of the adhesive in the course of the wound healing process, and may have wound healing promoting properties. Nevertheless, it is usually necessary to hold sealed tissue parts in the desired position for several minutes to ensure that the setting fibrin sealant adheres firmly to the surrounding tissue. Compounds improving the fibrin clot formation and/or strengthening the fibrin clot structure could improve fibrin sealants and hemostatic patches. For example, a strengthened clot would be less prone to fibrinolysis and would be more stable and longer lasting.
The listing or discussion of a prior-published document in this specification should not be taken as an acknowledgement that the document is part of the state of the art or is common general knowledge.

Preparations based on fibrinogen and sulfated polysaccharides

Abstract: The present invention further provides a fibrin clot like structure obtainable by a defined process, a hemostatic patch, a two-component syringe system and various uses of the described preparations, fibrin clot like structures and patches.


Methods and apparatus for identifying and screening hydrogen bond networks are provided. A computing device can determine a search space for hydrogen bond networks related to one or more molecules, where the search space can include a plurality of energy terms related to a plurality of residues related to the hydrogen bond networks. The computing device can search the search space to identify one or more hydrogen bond networks based on the plurality of energy terms. The computing device can screen the identified hydrogen bond networks to identity one or more screened hydrogen bond networks based on scores for the identified hydrogen bond networks. An output can be generated that is related to the one or more screened hydrogen bond networks. Also provided are polypeptides that can form homo-oligomers with modular hydrogen bond network-mediated specificity.

Hydrogen bonds play key roles in the structure, function, and interaction specificity of biomolecules. There are two main challenges facing do novo design of hydrogen bonding interactions: first, hydrogen bonding atoms are geometrically restricted to narrow ranges of orientation and distance, and second, nearly all polar atoms must participate in hydrogen bonds either with other macromolecular polar atoms, or with solvent—if not, there is a considerable energetic penalty associated with stripping away water upon folding or binding. The DNA double helix elegantly resolves both challenges; paired bases come together such that all buried polar atoms make hydrogen bonds that are self-contained between the two bases and have near ideal geometry. In proteins, meeting these challenges is more complicated because backbone geometry is highly variable and pairs of polar amino acids cannot generally interact as to fully satisfy their mutual hydrogen bonding capabilities; hence sidechain hydrogen bonding usually involves networks of multiple amino acids with variable geometry and composition, and there are generally very different networks at different sites within a single protein or interface pre-organizing polar residues for binding and catalysis.

Polypeptdes capable of forming homo-oligomers with modular hydrogen bond network-mediated specificity and their design


The system for prechilling the ambient water, derived from a pressurized source of ambient water, that is needed by an existing beverage dispenser machine and by an existing ice maker machine, includes a heat exchanger positioned outside of the dispenser machine. This heat exchanger receives the cold waste waters being discharged during use by both machines. A heat exchange tubing is immersed inside the heat exchanger for precooling, in heat exchange relationship, the needed ambient water with the cold waste water inside the heat exchanger. The prechilled ambient water is supplied to the ice machine for producing ice to fill the dispenser's bin, and the ice is supplied to the bin of the dispenser machine for cooling the dispenser's cold plate and for dispensing chilled beverages.

(1) Reference to Applicant's Related Patents
Patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,379,603 and 5,555,734 of which this applicant is a co-inventor describe a preferred heat exchanger for use with this invention.
(2) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements to existing ice making and beverage dispensing machines that can be easily installed on location to extract the cooling energies embodied within the cold waste waters which are conventionally ejected to the sewer by both machines.
(3) Description of the Prior Art
Beverage dispensers and ice making machines are widely used worldwide especially in warm and hot climates. This invention is not limited to any particular type machine, or combinations thereof. This invention relates not to the machines per se but to novel improvements to existing ice making and beverage dispensing machines. These improvements can be easily installed on location, fixedly or movably, at a convenient out of the way site adjacent to but outside of the machines, so as to preserve precious space allocated to and occupied by the ice storage bin of the beverage dispenser machine.
Efforts to extract the cooling energy embodied within the waste water from a single machine, but not from both machines simultaneously, are described in the patent literature. Such efforts however have not been successful in the market place, except for a water prechiller, known in the trade as MAXIMICER.RTM. (a registered trademark of applicant's assignee), for use with ice machines and described in said U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,379,603 and 5,555,734.
It is a primary object of the present invention to extract the cooling energies that are embodied within the cold waste waters conventionally ejected to the sewer when both machines commonly operate in tandem, i.e., the ice machine directly supplies the cooling ice and the food ice to the ice bin of the beverage dispenser. These extracted cooling energies can be simultaneously used to prechill the ambient tap water flowing into the ice machine to make the cooling ice and the food ice for the ice bin of the beverage dispenser machine, and/or to prechill the same ambient tap water used by the beverage dispenser machine in its process of dispensing different kinds of cold beverages at about 40.degree. F. and below. The cooling ice in the ice bin is used by the cold plate of the beverage dispenser machine to cool the different kinds of syrups as well as the tap water all passing through the cold plate in heat exchange relationship with the cooling ice, i.e., the cooling ice is used as the non-mechanical source of cooling energy. On the other hand, the food ice is made available to the public for consumption as in a fast-food restaurant.
A soda drink "goes flat" as the temperature of a particular beverage from the dispenser's cold plate rises because the amount of gas the soda drink can hold decreases as its temperature increases. For the purpose of carbonation, it is desired that the temperature of the dispensed beverage be maintained at about 40.degree. F. or below, which is a very difficult and critical task to accomplish, especially in the hot summer months.
The apparatus and method of this invention are especially useful in fast-food restaurants when the output of the ice maker machine is acutely insufficient to meet the demand by the beverage dispenser for cooling ice and consumption food ice. This demand can only be partially accommodated by using a larger ice machine which uses more energy because ice machines are not designed for rapid recovery. The ice maker machine recovery time is the time required by an ice maker machine to regain a substantially full ice bin after the ice has been removed from the bin.
Naturally, efforts have been made to render the beverage delivery process more energy efficient as will become apparent from the following patents. Such efforts have been largely unsuccessful. These exemplary patents will set the stage for the problems involved to which this invention brings a novel solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,296, issued Jul. 13, 1993, describes a typical cold plate for cooling different beverages drawn from beverage supply cylinders. The cold plate has a run-off roof, defined by a sloping end, and side sections. The cold plate is received in the well of a thermally-insulated sink, chest or bin having an open bottom bordered by a ledge. The base of the cold plate is seated on the ledge in spaced relation to the sides of the well to define a gutter having a water drain.
Embedded in the cold plate are cooling coils terminating in input and output terminals that project from the underside of the base. The coils' inputs are coupled by upstream lines to respective beverage supply cylinders. The coils' outputs are coupled by downstream lines to a soda valve dispenser to selectively dispense desired cold soda beverages. The thermally-insulated sink is filled with ice cubes covering and being in heat-exchange relationship with the exposed surfaces of the cold plate and with the cooling coils embedded therein to cool the beverages flowing therethrough.
In this manner, heat energy becomes transferred from the warm beverages flowing through the coils to the ice cubes, causing their melt down and a run off of the ice-water mixture from the sloped roof through the gutter and into an exterior drain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,219 describes an apparatus for prechilling and preparing a beverage by directly contacting water and ice in a heat exchanger to cool the water and melt the ice, and to produce an outflow of about 36.degree. F. water as well as ice cold waste water from the melted ice. The outflowing cold water from the prechiller is then carbonated in a carbonator, which is also in heat exchange contact with the ice for keeping the contents of the carbonator cool. The carbonated water is manifolded to individual conduits leading to a plurality of individual soda dispensing nozzles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,086 describes a beverage dispenser having a prechiller for prechilling the incoming ambient water. The prechiller uses tubing means that comprises four inter-connected linear tube segments adjacent to the side walls of the ice bin. The tubing means is embedded within an aluminum body that is locked in place adjacent to the body of the cold plate in a thermal isolating manner. Both bodies are in thermal contact with the ice in the bin of the beverage dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,061 describes an ambient water prechiller used in conjunction with a preexisting beverage system to cool the water input to an ice maker. An electrically driven pump circulates water through concentric tubing immersed in the ice bank of the beverage system to supply cool water to the input line to the ice maker.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,678 shows a beverage dispenser using an ice water precooler. The dispenser has a rectangular ice bin in the bottom of which is an aluminum cold plate having vertical apertures to permit waste water from the melting ice on the cold plate to run off into a waste water tank situated immediately underneath the ice storage bin of the beverage dispenser. A helical concentric tubing is immersed in the waste liquid tank. Ambient water is supplied to the innermost tube of the concentric tubing and thereafter to a serpentine passage through the cold plate. A pump is utilized to recirculate the waste water from the tank through a second serpentine passage in the cold plate, through the outer conduit of the concentric tubing, and back to the tank. The outflowing cold water from the prechiller is carbonated in a carbonator which is also in heat exchange contact with the ice for keeping the contents of the carbonator cool. The carbonated water is manifolded to individual conduits leading to a plurality of individual soda dispensing nozzles.
In general, such known tap water prechillers
(a) necessarily limit the maximum space that can be allocated for the beverage dispenser's ice bin, and hence the maximum volume of ice that can be stored in the bin, and
(b) tend to preclude utilizing an additional source of cooling energy, such as the cold waste water purged from the ice maker machine, due to health hazard concerns about introducing a pool of liquid waste water from the ice maker to within close proximity to the food ice stored in the ice bin of the beverage dispenser. Such use of the liquid waste water from the ice maker might possibly contaminate the food ice in the ice bin and/or the beverages from and/or passing through the dispenser machine's cold plate.
For example, the vertical drain holes proposed by said U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,678 are likely to expose the food ice in the ice bin to contamination from the liquid waste waters stored in the waste water tank positioned in close proximity to the ice bin within the space occupied by the beverage dispenser machine. Also, the space inside the concentric tubing of this patent is likely to become clogged up with minerals, and the submersed electric pump's operational life is likely to become short and its use might be dangerous.
It is a main object of this invention to selectively channel all the cold waste waters, intrinsic in existing beverage dispenser and ice maker machines, to flow into a single waste water heat exchanger that is positioned on location at a convenient out of the way site, so as to be physically separated from and outside of the space occupied by the frame structure of the beverage dispenser machine. As a direct consequence thereof the present invention
(a) does not limit the maximum space that can be allocated for the beverage dispenser's bin, and hence the maximum volume of ice that can be stored in the bin,
(b) minimizes the health hazard concerns, based on exposing the food ice in the ice bin of the beverage dispenser machine to possible contamination, because the pool of liquid waste waters from the ice maker and the liquid waste water from the beverage dispenser machines are safely stored within the thermally-isolated chamber of a heat exchanger preferably positioned and serviced outside of the frame structure of the beverage dispenser machine,
(c) can selectively utilize the additional cooling energy which is embodied within the purge cold waste water discharged during every ice-making cycle of the ice machine,
(d) can achieve the desired prechill temperatures in shorter time intervals, and thus accelerate recovery times at periods of high volume beverage and ice food usage,
(e) can reduce the melting of ice in the drink dispenser's ice bin, thus reduce energy consumption and increase both the availability of food ice and the availability of ice as the coolant source of the beverage dispenser's cold plate,
(f) can increase the ice production in the ice machine which increases both the availability of food ice and the availability of ice as the coolant source for the cold plate, and
(g) effectively reduces ice melting in the dispenser machine's bin, reduces energy and ice consumption by the dispenser machine, and substantially increases, without additional energy costs, the ice output by the ice maker machine and the volume of beverage output by the beverage dispenser.

Method and system for prechilling ambient waters for beverage dispensing machines and ice machines


A reclining device capable of controlling angles of a seat back of a vehicle is provided. A ratchet plate is superposed on a base plate such that the ratchet plate is rotatable relative to the base plate. An operation shaft is rotatably disposed on the rotation center axis of the ratchet plate. A circular concavity is formed on a surface of the ratchet plate opposed to the base plate around the operation shaft. Inside teeth are provided on an inner circumferential wall surface of the concavity. Pawls having outside teeth on their front end surfaces are disposed on the concavity, and the outside teeth of the pawls engage with and disengaging from the inside teeth in the radial direction of a teeth end circle. Guide projections provided on the base plate slidingly guide the pawls in the radial direction. A cam disposed in a space on the side of rear end surfaces of the pawls is rotatable with the operation shaft. A release plate disposed between the ratchet plate and the components of the pawls and the cam such that the release plate is rotatable with the cam. Projections engaging with cam grooves are provided at the rotation end of the release plate to release engagement between the inside teeth and the outside teeth.

A known reclining device of this type has a structure shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, for example. In these figures, a base plate 1 is fixed to a lower arm of a seat cushion, and a ratchet plate 5 is fixed to an upper arm of a seat back.
The ratchet plate 5 is superposed on the base plate 1 such that the ratchet plate 5 can rotate relative to the base plate 1. An operation shaft 3 positioned on the rotation center axis of the ratchet plate 5 is rotatably supported by the base plate 1 and the ratchet plate 5. A circular concavity is formed on a surface of the ratchet plate 5 opposed to the base plate 1 around the operation shaft 3. Inside teeth 7 are provided on the inner circumferential wall surface of the concavity.
Pawls 11 are provided on the concavity of the ratchet plate 5. Each of the pawls 11 has outside teeth 9 on its front end surface to engage with and disengage from the inside teeth 7 in the radial direction of the tooth end circle. Guide projections 13 and 13′ for slidingly guiding the pawls 11 in the radial direction are equipped on the base plate 1.
A cam 15 is attached to the operation shaft 3 such that the cam 15 rotates with the operation shaft 3 as one piece. The cam 15 is disposed in a space on the side of the rear end surfaces of the pawls 11. The cam 15 pushes the backs of the pawls 11 to bring the outside teeth 9 of the pawls 11 into engagement with the inside teeth 7 of the ratchet plate 5. The cam 15 engages with outer ends of spiral springs 17 engaging with the base plate 1. The spiral springs 17 urge the cam 15 in the direction of engagement between the outside teeth 9 of the pawls 11 and the inside teeth 7 of the ratchet plate 5 (locking direction).
A portion of the operation shaft 3 having an elliptical cross section is inserted through a disk-shaped release plate 21 and the cam 15. The release plate 21 is superposed on the cam 15, the pawls 11, and the guide projections 13 and 13′ in such a position as to contact one side of these components. Convexes 15a formed on the cam 15 engage with holes 21a of the release plate 21 such that the release plate 21 and the cam 15 can rotate as one piece.
Projections 11a formed on the surfaces of the pawls 11 facing to the ratchet plate 5 engage with cam grooves 21b formed on the release plate 21. The shapes of the cam grooves 21b are so determined that the cam grooves 21b shift the pawls 11 in such directions where the outside teeth 9 of the pawls 11 move away from the inside teeth 7 of the ratchet plate 5 when the release plate 21 rotates anticlockwise in FIG. 1 (for example, see Patent Reference No. 1).
Another example of known reclining device has a mechanism for separating outside teeth of pawls from inside teeth of a ratchet plate without using the release plate by a structure shown in FIG. 4. Similarly to the above example, pawls 33 are disposed between a base plate 41 and a ratchet plate 37 as apparent from the figure. The pawls 33 are guided by guide projections 45 and 45′ formed on the base plate 41 in the radial direction such that outside teeth 35 of the pawls 33 engage with and disengage from inside teeth 39 of the ratchet plate 37.
In this related-art example, grooves 33a are formed at the back of the pawls 33, and arms 31a engaging with the grooves 33a of the pawls 33 are equipped on the cam 31. In the unlocking operation, the cam 31 is rotated anticlockwise in FIG. 4. By this rotation, the outside teeth 35 of the pawls 33 are shifted in the direction where the outside teeth 35 of the pawls 33 move away from the inside teeth 39 of the ratchet plate 37 (for example, see Patent Reference No. 2).
Patent Reference No. 1: JP-A-2001-87071
Patent Reference No. 2: JP-A-2001-87069
Patent Reference No. 3: JP-A-2004-105637
Patent Reference No. 4: Japanese Patent No. 3,115,231
Patent Reference No. 5: JP-A-2002-34695
Patent Reference No. 6: JP-A-2003-180478


An air conditioning system comprising a chamber with a heated air space at a first temperature; a heat sink located in proximity to the chamber, the heat sink being provided with cooled media at a second temperature lower than the first temperature; a plastic heat exchanger located within the chamber with an associated fan for the movement of air within the chamber across the heat exchanger; and a plurality of plastic lines coupling the heat exchanger and the cooled media, the lines including a first line to convey water from the heat exchanger in the chamber to the cooled media and a second line to convey water from the cooled media to the heat exchanger in the chamber with an associated pump to effect the flow of water in a closed loop configuration between the cooled media and the heat exchanger whereby the heated chamber air space will be cooled to a lower temperature from the cooled water from the cooled media while the temperature of the cooled media will be heated to a higher temperature from the heated chamber air space.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new and improved attic air conditioning system and, more particularly, pertains to an attic air conditioning system and, more particularly, to using cooler swimming pool water to cool hotter attic air.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of air conditioning systems of various designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, air conditioning systems heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of cooling houses are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
The prior art discloses a number of air conditioning systems and other heat varying devices. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,770 to Palmer, issued May 14, 1991 and assigned to Attic Technology, Inc. discloses an attic solar energy vehicle functioning to heat swimming pool water through metal pipes and solar energy collectors.
In this respect, the attic air conditioning system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of cooling hotter attic air from cooler swimming pool water.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved attic air conditioning system which can be used for cooling hotter attic air through cooler swimming pool water. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A grinding aid for use in an abrasive material comprising abrasive grains and a grinding aid consists of particles obtainable by crushing a cold bath from the manufacture of metallic aluminium by reducing Al.sub.2 O.sub.3. This grinding aid is produced by a method wherein the cold bath is crushed, optionally in several steps, whereby particles of an optional free metallic aluminium residue are rolled to flakes, following which the crushed material is screened to optionally sort out the formed aluminium flakes, and then the residual material is recovered as a product or is optionally subjected to further grinding and optionally screening to provide a material which preferably has a grain size distribution corresponding to 100% by weight less than 100 micrometers. This grinding aid lends itself for use in the product of abrasive materials.

The present invention concerns a grinding aid consisting of fluoride-containing inorganic compounds for use in an abrasive material comprising abrasive grains and a grinding aid, a method of producing it, use of it as well as an abrasive material containing it.
It is known to use cryolite as a grinding aid in the abrasive composition in abrasive materials, such as sandpaper, emery cloth and grinding wheels, cf. e.g. KIRKOTHMER: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY, Third Edition, Vol. 10, 1980, line 672, and the mention of the prior art in WO 94/02562.
WO 94/02562 concerns abrasive grains having an outer surface to which a grinding aid material is bonded via interparticle attraction. A large number of materials, inter alia cryolite, including synthetic cryolite, are mentioned as a grinding aid material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,753 concerns an abrasive material having on the abrading face, in addition to abrasive grains, erodable aggregates consisting of a finely ground filler and a resinous binder. The filler may be calcium carbonate, talc, glass, sodium sulfate, cryolite, fluoroborates, etc. Example V uses inter alia sodium cryolite.
EP Patent Application No. 8 868 describes abrasive materials consisting of brittle agglomerates of abrasive grains bonded in an inorganic matrix. The matrix may be based on natural cryolite, e.g. type S from KRYOLITSELSKABET .O slashed.RESUND A/S Danmark. These abrasive materials may be produced by melting natural cryolite, adding the abrasive grains, cooling and crushing the cooled material.
Grinding aids are used, because they have a positive influence on the utility properties of the abrasive materials, inter alia grinding rate and product life. No specific knowledge is available about the mechanism of the product improvement obtained. However, it is assumed that the effect of using cryolite as a grinding aid may be due to the circumstance that the chipping created by grinding locally takes place at very high temperatures, and that the cryolite acts as a flux in a melt produced by the chipping, whereby the viscosity of the melt is reduced. However, the effect of the cryolite may also be due to the circumstance that any tendency to block the gaps between the abrasive grains is diminished.
For many years KRYOLITSELSKABET .O slashed.RESUND A/S Danmark has supplied a ground natural cryolite for this purpose; thus, the company has supplied natural cryolite ground to -325 mesh, i.e. less than 45 micrometers, to the grinding disc industry.
After the termination of the mining of cryolite in Greenland, natural cryolite is today no longer available in the market. A few producers (from Russia) sell grades which they call natural cryolite, but tests have shown that it is precipitated cryolite types. There are deposits of natural cryolite in Russia, but, as far as is known, they are not suitable for working by flotation. Possibly, the Russian "natural cryolite" is made by extraction of such a deposit with subsequent precipitation.
Thus, in the mid-1990s the cryolite types available in the market are generally synthetic, i.e. produced by a wet precipitation process, and it has been found that none of these commercially available cryolite types are suitable as a grinding aid in abrasive compositions.
The difficulties involved by the use of synthetic cryolite appear to be of two types:
Firstly, there is an aesthetic problem, since the use of synthetic cryolite as a grinding aid results in undesirable stripes in the coating on sandpaper, especially on the finer types. Further, it has been observed that the synthetic cryolite absorbs more binder than the natural cryolite on both fine and coarse sandpaper types.
Secondly, there are productionally unacceptable variations in the course of a production of e.g. sandpaper, there being thus an increasing particle separation and particle agglomeration tendency during the course of the production.
Finally, it has been reported that users of the abrasive materials have experienced unspecified performance problems.
Through detailed studies, the applicants have been able to demonstrate both chemical and morphological differences between natural cryolite and synthetic cryolite, i.e. cryolite produced by a wet precipitation process. The chemical differences have the result that melting point and melt composition will be different for the two types. This may be of importance e.g. to the function as a flux during the grinding process.
The chemical composition of various cryolite types is approximately as follows:
______________________________________ F (%) Al (%) Na (%) ______________________________________ Materials from Kryolitselskabet .O slashed.resund: Natural cryolite E 54.3 12.9 32.9 Natural cryolite S 54.0 12.3 31.5 Russian materials: Synthetic neutral 53.5-54.5 14-15 28-29 Synthetic acid 55.5 16.7 24.8 Hungarian material: Synthetic 53.2 13.3 ______________________________________ where "%" means % by weight.
Pure, neutral cryolite has the composition 3 NaF.1 AlF.sub.3, i.e. an NaF/AlF.sub.3 molar ratio of 3.
A cryolite having an excess of AlF.sub.3, i.e. having an NaF/AlF.sub.3 molar ratio below 3, is called acid cryolite, while a cryolite having an excess of NaF, i.e. having an NaF/AlF.sub.3 molar ratio above 3, is called a basic cryolite. The natural cryolite is neutral, while all the synthetic cryolites are more or less acid. The so-called "natural cryolite" from Russia has the same composition as synthetic cryolite and a particle shape and size which can just have been obtained by precipitation from an aqueous solution.
Microscopic studies of various cryolite types show considerable morphological differences. Generally, all the studied synthetic cryolites consist of extremely fine crystals of a quite regular size, typical particle size:
1-2 micrometers, which have agglomerated to particles of a size less than about 25 micrometers, while the natural cryolites are very coarse-grained individual crystals or crystal fragments of widely different particle sizes and with irregularly shaped particles. In other respects, inter alia flowability and dusting and lumping ability, there are just minor differences between the various cryolite types.
Thus, it will be seen that the cryolite types suitable as grinding aids are chemically characterized by being neutral, while the unsuitable grades have been more or less acid.
The problem underlying the invention is to provide a grinding aid which is suitable as substitute for the finely ground, naturally occurring, neutral cryolite used previously, and which does not exhibit the above-mentioned drawbacks associated with the use of synthetic cryolite, a method of producing it, use of it for producing abrasive materials, and abrasive materials containing it.

Grinding aid material, method of producing it, use of it, and abrasive material containing it


Computer-implemented machines, systems and methods for managing missing values in a dataset for a machine learning model. The method may comprise importing a dataset with missing values; computing data statistics and identifying the missing values; verifying the missing values; updating the missing values; imputing missing values; encoding reasons for why values are missing; combining imputed missing values and the encoded reasons; and recommending models and hyperparameters to handle special or missing values.

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to introducing humanlike logic or intuition in a computing system. AI is commonly used to perform tasks that require intelligence or domain expertise which help solve problems that cannot be defined by a predetermined set of rules or fixed logic. AI systems are thus typically deployed to analyze and classify data and make predictions relying on data and dynamic calculations that are far too voluminous and complex for a human to possibly digest and perform, either mentally or by way of pen and paper or traditional computing machines.
Machine learning (ML) is a subset of AI that utilizes self-learning algorithms to implement intelligent behavior into AI systems and generally refers to the practice of teaching a computing system to learn, including the ability to dynamically adapt and analyze large volumes of data to identify patterns, without requiring explicit detailed programming. Unconventionally, ML models can provide predictive advantages to enhance the functionality of a system or a computing model when complex relationships or constraints are at play.
ML models can provide significant improvements in identifying complex relationships from big datasets compared with traditional models. However, sometimes data points used for training a ML model contain missing values. An expert who is very familiar with the ML model and the data points provided to the ML model may be able to understand or explain why certain values are missing from the training dataset. Regardless, because different values in the data set may be missing for different reasons, it can be very difficult even for a human expert to readily ascertain the true reason why certain values or information are missing.

Managing missing values in datasets for machine learning models


A piston for an internal combustion engine includes a piston bowl. The piston bowl has a half section profile that includes a bowl entry extending radially from the longitudinal piston center axis, a first bowl recess extending radially from the bowl entry and defining a bowl depth and a first radius of curvature, a second bowl recess extending radially from a first bowl recess to an end perimeter surface and defining a second radius of curvature, a bowl lip defined by the first bowl recess and the second bowl recess, and a bowl edge defined by the second bowl recess and the end perimeter surface. The first bowl recess further defines a first bowl recess exit angle at the bowl lip. The second bowl recess further defines a second bowl recess exit angle at the bowl edge.

A direct injection diesel engine is an internal combustion engine in which injected fuel is ignited as a result of temperature and pressure conditions within a combustion chamber. Engines are subject to increasingly stringent emissions standards for engine-out emissions, including particulate matter. Soot formed in the combustion chamber of an engine may be a source of such particulate matter. The characteristics of the pistons forming the combustion chamber in an engine may affect such engine-out emissions and engine efficiency.

Internal combustion engine and piston having piston bowl


A hinge assembly includes a body strap having a main body. The main body defines a first surface end and a second surface opposite the first body end. The body strap includes a first pin support and a second pin support. The first and second pin supports extend from the main body. The body strap includes a protrusion extending from the second body end of the main body. The protrusion defines a first protrusion end and a second protrusion end opposite the first protrusion end. The hinge assembly further includes a door strap partially disposed between the first and second pin supports and a pin movably interconnecting the body strap and the door strap. The pin extends along an axis and is supported by the first and second pin supports.

Vehicles, such as cars, include a vehicle body and a vehicle door movable relative to the vehicle body between an open position and a closed position. To couple the door to the vehicle body, the vehicle may include a hinge assembly. The hinge assembly can pivotally couple the vehicle door to the vehicle body.


Methods and devices are described for securely destroying used ribbon from a document personalization machine in order to render any information retained on the used ribbon as unreadable. In one embodiment, the method includes tapering the used ribbon into a used ribbon strand by feeding the used ribbon through a tapering mechanism. The method also includes heating the used ribbon strand to fuse the used ribbon strand into a used ribbon string thereby rendering any data retained on the used ribbon unreadable.

When a print ribbon or other ribbon material is used to print/produce personal information on a plastic card, passport or other personalized document, certain personal information, such as names and account numbers, are left behind on the used ribbon. For example, in the case of a print ribbon, portions of the used ribbon where ink was transferred from the ribbon to the card or document retain the information transferred onto the card or document. This can create potential liability issues for the party printing cards or documents using a printer machine, as the used ribbon may contain secure and private information. Accordingly, it is common to destroy the used ribbon in order to prevent an unauthorized party from accessing the secure and private information.

Method and device for used ribbon destruction