A high pressure discharge lamp includes: a quartz glass bulb having an expanded portion and sealing portions; conductive elements, and a pair of electrodes. The conductive elements are airtightly sealed at the sealing portions of the quartz glass bulb. Each electrode of the pair of electrodes is disposed so as to be opposite the other and each electrode is connected to one of the conductive elements. An angle xcex81 between a tangent along the inner surface of the expanded portion at a position 0.5 mm away from an origin of one of the sealing portions along the length direction of each electrode and the direction of the length of each electrode is at least about 40xc2x0.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high pressure discharge lamp. More specifically, the present invention relates to a high pressure discharge lamp which does not have problems such as a blowout of the bulb made of quartz glass or a leaking of a contained gas from the quartz glass bulb.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a high pressure discharge lamp has a structure as shown in FIG. 3. In the high pressure discharge lamp shown in FIG. 3, each electrode of a pair of electrodes (i.e., an anode 3 and a cathode 4) is disposed so as to be opposite the other in a quartz glass bulb 2, which includes an expanded portion for luminescence 21 and sealing portions 22. The quartz glass bulb 2 is formed by welding the sealing portions 22. The anode 3 and the cathode 4 are joined by, for instance, welding with molybdenum foils 5 and 5xe2x80x2. Also, the sealing portions 22 of the quartz glass bulb 2 are airtightly sealed by, for example, welding with molybdenum foils 5 and 5xe2x80x2. A gas for assisting an electric discharge is contained in the expanded portion for luminescence 21 of the quartz glass bulb 2 which has been airtightly sealed.
The temperature inside such a high pressure discharge lamp 1 tends to be increased when the luminous efficacy of the lamp 1 is enhanced by increasing the pressure of a light emitting material or a gas contained in the lamp 1.
However, since each of the sealing portions is airtightly sealed by welding the two portions of the quartz glass, problems such as leaking, cracking, or even breaking at the welding portions may be caused when the internal pressure of the bulb 2 is increased.
Accordingly, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a high pressure discharge lamp which is capable of maintaining the airtightness even if the pressure of a light emitting material or a gas contained in the lamp is increased and to prevent such problems as leaking or a blowout of the quartz glass bulb.
The inventors of the present invention, after pursuing diligent studies to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, made observations of the angle between the quartz glass bulb and the direction along the length of an electrode in the vicinity of the sealing portion and have discovered that the internal pressure of the high pressure discharge lamp acts strongly in the direction of detachment of the welded portion of the quartz glass bulb when this angle is small, and that the internal pressure of the lamp, which acts in the direction detaching the welded portion of the quartz glass, becomes smaller as the angle increases. Accordingly, the airtightness of the high pressure discharge lamp may be maintained when the angle formed by the quartz glass bulb and the direction along the length of an electrode in the vicinity of the sealing portion is large and, hence, problems such as a leaking of the contained gas or a blowout of the bulb may be prevented.
The present invention provides a high pressure discharge lamp including: a quartz glass bulb having an expanded portion and sealing portions; conductive elements, which are airtightly sealed at the sealing portions of the quartz glass bulb; and a pair of electrodes, each electrode of the pair of electrodes being disposed so as to be opposite the other and each electrode being connected to one of the conductive elements, wherein an angle xcex81 between a tangent along the inner surface of the expanded portion at a position 0.5 mm away from an origin of one of the sealing portions along the length of each electrode and the direction along the length of each electrode is at least about 40xc2x0 (wherein the origin of one of the sealing portions is defined as a boundary point between the end of one of the sealing portions and an inner surface of the expanded portion; and the tangent along the inner surface of the expanded portion at a position 0.5 mm away from the origin is defined as a tangent which passes through a point of intersection defined by a straight line perpendicular to the direction along the length of each electrode, which passes through a point 0.5 mm away from the origin of one of the sealing portions toward the expanded portion along the length of each electrode, and the inner surface of the expanded portion and makes contact with the inner surface of the expanded portion).
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the conductive elements are molybdenum foils.
In yet another aspect of the invention, an angle xcex82 between a tangent along the inner surface of the expanded portion at an optional point between more than 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm from the origin of one of the sealing portions along the length of each electrode and the direction along the length of each electrode is at least about 45xc2x0 (wherein the tangent along the inner surface of the expanded portion at an optional point between more than 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm from the origin is defined as a tangent which passes through a point of intersection defined by a straight line perpendicular to the direction along the length of each electrode, which passes through an optional point between more than 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm from the origin of one of the sealing portions toward the expanded portion along the length of each electrode, and the inner surface of the expanded portion and makes contact with the inner surface of the expanded portion).
In yet another aspect of the invention, an angle xcex83 between a tangent along the inner surface of the expanded portion at an optional point between more than 1.5 mm and 3 mm from the origin of one of the sealing portions along the length of each electrode and the direction along the length of each electrode is at least about 50xc2x0 (wherein the tangent along the inner surface of the expanded portion at an optional point between more than 1.5 mm and 3 mm from the origin is defined as a tangent which passes through a point of intersection defined by a straight line perpendicular to the direction along the length of each electrode, which passes through an optional point between more than 1.5 mm and 3 mm from the origin of one of the sealing portions toward the expanded portion along the length of each electrode, and the inner surface of the expanded portion and makes contact with the inner surface of the expanded portion).
In yet another aspect of the invention, the relationship among xcex81, xcex82 and xcex83 is xcex81 less than xcex82 less than xcex83.
In yet another aspect of the invention, xcex81 is at least about 45xc2x0.
In yet another aspect of the invention, xcex82 is at least about 60xc2x0.
In yet another aspect of the invention, xcex83 is at least about 70xc2x0.
In yet another aspect of the invention, mercury vapor is contained in the high pressure discharge lamp in an amount between about 0.12 and 0.3 mg/mm3.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a halogen gas is contained in the high pressure discharge lamp in an amount between about 10xe2x88x928 and 10xe2x88x922 xcexcmol/mm3.
In yet another aspect of the invention, an inert gas is contained in the high pressure discharge lamp at a pressure of about 6 kPa or greater.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the bulb wall loading in the high pressure discharge lamp is about 0.8 W/mm2 or greater.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the pair of electrodes comprise tungsten containing potassium oxide.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the relationship between an internal pressure P (atm) of the high pressure discharge lamp and the angle xcex81 is:
xcex81xe2x89xa70.25P+5(wherein Pxe2x89xa7140).
According to the present invention, it becomes possible to provide a high pressure discharge lamp which is capable of maintaining the airtightness even if the pressure of a light emitting material or a gas contained in the lamp is increased and to prevent such problems as a leaking or a blowout of the quartz glass bulb.


A method of washing, microbially decontaminating, and rinsing of a lumened device (B), such as an endoscope includes positioning the device in a chamber (12) of an automated processor (A). Spray nozzles (102, 104, 106, 108, 110) within the chamber sequentially spray washing, microbial decontaminant, and rinse fluids over the device. Fluid connection ports (150, 152, 154) connect with internal passages (187) of the device for delivering the fluids thereto. Leaking connectors (184) connect the automated processor connection ports with inlet ports (196) of the device and allow a portion of the washing, decontaminant, and rinse solutions to leak from each inlet port. A computer control system (80) controls leak testing, cleaning, decontamination, rinsing, and drying stages of a cycle, which are all carried out within the chamber, obviating the need for human contact with the device during processing. A door locking and latching mechanism (90) ensures that the door remains locked during the washing, decontamination, and rinse cycle to avoid accidental injury to an operator from strong chemicals used in the system.

The present invention relates to the decontamination arts. It finds particular application in connection with an automated system for leak testing cleaning, sterilizing, and drying devices for medical, dental, mortuary, and pharmaceutical applications, and the like, and will be described with particular reference thereto. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is also applicable to the decontamination of other devices in an automated processing system.
Medical devices, such as endoscopes, and other lumened instruments, are subjected to thorough cleaning and antimicrobial decontamination between each use. During medical procedures, the devices become coated with blood and other protein-rich body fluids. If the instruments are sterilized while they are coated with these materials, the high temperatures and/or chemicals used in the sterilization process tend to cause the materials to set as a hardened layer of biological residue that becomes difficult to remove. Not only do such residues present a barrier to sterilant penetration, but even when sterilized, they may later break down to form toxic substances which pose hazards to patients when the devices are reused.
Traditionally, such devices are often rinsed in a cleaning solution, such as an enzymatic cleaner, to remove the bulk of the blood and other body fluids from their surfaces. The rinsing process is generally carried out manually by immersing the devices in a shallow tray of the cleaning solution. However, for devices such as endoscopes, the cleaning fluid may not penetrate the length of the internal lumen, leaving a portion of the endoscope to become coated with dried body fluids. Additionally, the biological materials and strong cleaners may pose hazards to personnel coming into contact with them.
High temperature sterilization processes, such as steam sterilization in an autoclave, are generally unsuited to the sterilization of endoscopes because of the delicate components and materials from which they are manufactured. The high temperature and pressure tend to curtail the useful life of endoscopes, rubber and plastic devices, lenses, and portions of devices made of polymeric materials and the like. High temperature sterilization alone does not clean. Any body fluids that are not removed prior to thermal sterilization are typically baked on to the instrumentation.
Instruments which cannot withstand the pressure or temperature of the oven autoclave are often microbially decontaminated with gas, such as ethylene oxide gas or hydrogen peroxide vapor. Like steam, gases do not clean, requiring a separate cleaning operation. The ethylene oxide sterilization technique also has several drawbacks. First, the ethylene oxide sterilization cycle tends to be longer than the steam autoclave cycle. Second, some medical equipment can not be sterilized with ethylene oxide gas. Third, ethylene oxide is highly toxic and can present health risks to workers if not handled properly.
Liquid microbial decontamination systems are now utilized for equipment which can not withstand the high temperatures of steam sterilization. Peroxyacetic acid, or peracetic acid, is a useful sterilant and/or disinfectant for a variety of applications, including disinfection of waste and sterilization or disinfection of medical equipment, packaging containers, food processing equipment, and the like. It has a broad spectrum of activity against microorganisms, and is effective even at low temperatures. It poses few disposal problems because it decomposes to compounds which are readily degraded in sewage treatment plants.
In some situations, a technician mixes a disinfectant or sterilant composition with water and then manually immerses the items to be microbially decontaminated in the liquid composition. The high degree of manual labor introduces numerous uncontrolled and unreported variables into the process. There are quality assurance problems with technician errors in the mixing of sterilants, control of immersion times, rinsing of residue, exposure to the ambient atmosphere after the rinsing step, and the like. For sterilizing large, instruments, such as endoscopes with narrow lumens, however, a large receiving tray and a considerable quantity of decontaminant solution are used to accommodate and fully immerse the instruments.
Integrated decontamination systems, such as peracetic acid decontamination systems, have now been developed which provide a premeasured dose of a decontaminant in solution. Items to be sterilized are loaded into a receiving tray of a sterilization system and a cartridge of concentrated decontaminant inserted into a well. As water flows through the system, the decontaminant, which may be accompanied by surfactants and corrosion inhibitors, is diluted and carried to the receiving tray.
The items to be decontaminated are typically loaded into a treatment chamber through an opening closed by a door. It is desirable to maintain a seal between the door and the chamber, to prevent leakage of potentially hazardous sterilization chemicals from the chamber, and also to prevent ingress of potentially contaminated outside air into the chamber once the items are sterile.
Accidental opening of the door during a sterilization cycle poses hazards to operators because of the strong chemicals generally used. Typically, the door includes hinges along one side and a latch mechanism on the opposing side which holds the door securely against the chamber. With large doors, a single latch is often insufficient to maintain a seal along the length of the door. Having multiple latches increases the time required for opening and closing the chamber.
Spraying the exterior of the instruments, while flowing decontaminant solution through the lumens, would have advantages over full immersion of the devices in reducing the quantity of decontaminant solution used. However, because of the complex shape of endoscopes, the spray jets may not reach all of the surfaces of the device. Additionally, interior surfaces of the lumened devices are not reached by the spray.
The present invention provides for a new and improved automated system for reprocessing endoscopes and the like which overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method of cleaning and microbially decontaminating a device is provided. The method includes the sequential steps of positioning the device within a chamber, spraying a washing solution over the device from nozzles within the chamber to remove soil from exterior surfaces of the device, spraying a microbial decontaminant solution over the device from nozzles within the chamber to microbially decontaminate the exterior surfaces of the device, and spraying a sterile rinse fluid over the device from nozzles within the chamber to rinse the exterior surfaces of the device.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of cleaning and microbially decontaminating an endoscope is provided. The method includes positioning the endoscope within a chamber, contacting the interior surface and the exterior surface of the endoscope with a washing solution to remove soil from the device, then contacting the interior and the exterior surfaces of the endoscope with a microbial decontaminant solution to microbially decontaminate the endoscope. The method further includes contacting the interior and the exterior surfaces of the endoscope with a sterile rinse fluid to rinse the interior and exterior surfaces of the endoscope and then removing the endoscope from the chamber. The contact steps are automatically controlled.
One advantage of the present invention is that an endoscope or other lumened device is cleaned and microbially decontaminated in a single automated process.
Another advantage of the present invention is that hazards posed to personnel by handling contaminated devices are minimized.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a leak resistant closure is created with a single latching mechanism.
A further advantage of the present invention is that the door remains locked during a sterilization cycle.
A yet further advantage of the present invention is that a decontaminant delivery system ensures decontamination of all exterior and interior surfaces of the device being decontaminated.
Another advantage of the present invention is that spraying, rather than fully immersing large items, such as endoscopes, reduces the quantities of water and decontaminant, pretreatment agents, and cleaning agents used.
Still further advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

Liquid cleaning and sterilization method


The present invention provides a method for successively introducing water soluble fibers into natural fibers (e.g. cotton) to produce a hollow and ultra soft structure, by introducing water soluble slivers into the center of a multi-hole feeder with multiple cotton fiber slivers arranged around the water soluble fiber in a pre-drawing process via a multi-hole sliver feeder. A cloth, e.g., made using the method.

During the exploitation of such yarns, the following three methods are known to introduce PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) fibers into the center of cotton yarns via a ring spinning system.
The first method is a spinning process in which PVA fibers are put into the core of cotton yarns on a spring frame, and PVA spun yarns are embedded into the streams of cotton fibers in a drafting zone during spinning Since the cotton fibers in the outer sheath are likely to cluster into bundles during the weaving process, PVA fibers are unevenly spread on the surface of the yarns, resulting in uneven thickness of the yarns and thus insufficient hollowness and softness of towels made of such yarns.
The second method is a spinning process in which PVA fiber slivers (formed by carding) are put into the center of cotton slivers (formed by carding) in a drawing process of a spinning system for purpose of blending. It is unable to ensure that PVA fibers will be evenly wrapped by cotton fibers to form a hollow structure, even if the fibers are evenly blended in this process.
The third method is a process in which PVA slivers are embedded into the center of cotton slivers at a feeding end of the drafting zone of a roving frame, twisted on the roving frame, and then spun. After tests and a number of improvements, this method is regarded as the most hopeful method for achieving hollow PVA. However, only a single-hole hollow structure may be formed due to the restriction of the process.
The present invention provides a method for successively putting water soluble fibers into natural fibers (e.g. cotton) to produce a hollow and ultra soft structure, by putting water soluble slivers into the center of a multi-hole feeder with multiple cotton fiber slivers arranged around the water soluble fiber in a pre-drawing process via a multi-hole sliver feeder.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for producing single-hole ultra soft yarns


A photosensitive-member cartridge has an upper registration roller, and both ends of the upper registration roller are rotatably supported on respective side walls of a casing by roller support members. Torsion coil springs are engaged with the roller support members and the side walls, and urge the upper registration roller upward. When the photosensitive-member cartridge is alone, the upper registration roller is held at a retract position with respect to a bottom wall of the casing without rattling.

There has been provided an image forming device that forms a visible image by supplying a developer to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive member and that transfers the visible image onto a recording medium. In this type of image forming device, in order to facilitate maintenance operation, a developing unit is configured as a developing cartridge that is detachably mounted on a main body of the image forming device. Because the time at which the photosensitive member becomes unusable due to deterioration with time differs from the time at which the developer is fully consumed, a photosensitive-member cartridge including the photosensitive member is provided separately from the developing cartridge so that these cartridges may be replaced according to their lifetime. These cartridges are attached to each other, forming a process cartridge, and the process cartridge is detachably mounted on the main body of the image forming device.
In Unexamined Patent-Application Publication No. 2001-75457, one of a pair of conveying rollers for conveying a recording medium is provided on the main body of the image forming device (hereinafter referred to as a "device-side conveying roller"), and the other one of the conveying rollers is provided on the photosensitive-member cartridge (hereinafter referred to as "cartridge-side conveying roller"). Therefore, the cartridge-side conveying roller separates from the device-side conveying roller by moving in the substantial horizontal direction when the process cartridge is detached from the main body of the image forming device.
Because the cartridge-side conveying roller needs to be properly brought into contact with the device-side conveying roller when the process cartridge is attached to the main body, the cartridge-side conveying roller is loosely supported on a cartridge casing of the photosensitive-member cartridge so as to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the cartridge casing. For this reason, when the photosensitive-member cartridge is not mounted on the main body of the image forming device, the cartridge-side conveying roller rattles, thereby interrupting handling of the photosensitive-member cartridge. Also, when the cartridge-side conveying roller rattles, the cartridge-side conveying roller may protrude outside beyond the cartridge casing of the photosensitive-member cartridge due to its own weight.

Photosensitive-member cartridge, developing cartridge, and image-forming device including a non-rattling conveying member


Disclosed is a gas-liquid contact system. The system includes a vessel arranged approximately perpendicular to the ground in a longitudinal direction, a static fluid mixer in the vessel having a passage tube and a spiral blade provided in the passage tube, a gas supplier supplying gas having foreign substances to the static fluid mixer from a lower end of the vessel, a gas discharger discharging the gas passed through the static fluid mixer from an upper end of the vessel, a first liquid supplier supplying liquid to the static fluid mixer, and a liquid discharger discharging the liquid supplied from the first liquid supplier outside of the vessel. In the system, the gas supplier includes a gas generator generating gas, a pipe connecting the gas generator with the vessel, a blowing device provided in the pipe, and a second liquid supplier supplying liquid to the pipe between the gas generator and the blowing device.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to gas-liquid contact systems used in the separation of foreign substances in a gas phase by allowing particulate matter such as solid particles or liquid particles contained in the gas phase to contact with a liquid phase to be trapped or dissolved the particles therein. Specifically, this invention is concerned with a gas-liquid contact system utilized for purifying and defecating a gas phase by trapping and dissolving foreign substances in the liquid phase to separate from the gas phase. In the gas-liquid contact system, the foreign substances in the gas phase including minute solid particles such as burned ash, unburned carbon, silicon dioxides, zinc oxides, aluminum oxides, and silicon nitride are allowed to contact with the liquid phase so that the foreign substances contained in the substances are trapped in the liquid phase and separated from the gas phase, or the foreign substances contained in the gas phase including entrained mist such as a droplet or sulfuric acid are allowed to contact with the liquid phase so that the foreign substances in the substances are trapped and dissolved in the liquid phase, thereby purifying and defecating the gas phase.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known related-art gas-liquid systems utilized for the separation of foreign substances from a gas phase include gravitational, inertial, centrifugal force, cleaning, filtered, electric, and sonic types.
The gravitational, inertial, and centrifugal-forcing gas-liquid systems usually exhibit low separation efficiency in separating minute solid particles from the gas, each having a diameter of 1 μm or less. If separating the minute solid particles, in particular, from a hydrated gas, a significant pressure loss or clogging may be observed in such systems due to the accretion of the minute solid particles. These types of systems generally require repair and maintenance cost accordingly.
As an example of the cleaning gas-liquid system, a venturi scrubber can be given; however, the venturi scrubber generally exhibits pressure drop of 300 to 1200 mmH20 (3 to 12 kPa), which results in high power expenses.
As an example of the filtering system having filter fabric, a bag filter can be given; however, when filtering solid particles having high adhesive properties or hydrated gases with the bag filter, the filter fabric of the filtering system tends to be clogged with these particles in a short time, thereby resulting in high repair and maintenance cost.
A typical electric dust collecting system consumes a high voltage power supply, which requires high electric power expenses. In addition, the maintenance cost needs preparing for clearing or collecting the attached solid particles from a dust collecting electrode.
In view of the aforementioned factors, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-181437 discloses a separator for foreign substances (also called a "gas-liquid contact system") having a static fluid mixer arranged approximately perpendicular to the ground in a longitudinal direction, a first supplier supplying liquid from an upper end to an inside of the static fluid mixer, and a second supplier supplying gas containing foreign substances from a lower end to the inside of the static fluid mixer. The static fluid mixer includes a passage tube through which a fluid is caused to flow, and at least one mixing element having at least one spiral blade placed in the passage tube, and the passage tube and the mixing element are continuously arranged in the longitudinal direction. In the static fluid mixer, liquid flows downwardly while gas flows upwardly, thereby causing the liquid and gas to be mutually in contact.


In a battery powered alarm clock, an alarm switching device comprises at least one detecting wheel whose phase is set in accordance with the desired alarm time, at least one detecting switch which is closed when the phase of the time wheel of the clock corresponds to that of the detecting wheel and a printed circuit board having alarm circuitry mounted thereon with at least one land for connecting the alarm circuitry to one pole of the battery. The alarm switching device construction provides solderless connection by at least two battery contact plates for contacting the two poles of the battery. One of the plates provides three electrical contacts including a first contact with one pole of the battery, a second contact with the land on the printed circuit board and a third contact with the detecting switch, whereby the assembly and construction of the clock is greatly simplified.

This invention relates to an alarm clock including a battery powered electromechanical transducer for driving a gear train which actuates an electric alarm signaling device at a predetermined alarm signaling time.
In assembling conventional alarm clocks of this type, it is the usual procedure to connect with lead wires the electric circuit, time detecting switches, battery and the buzzer which are disposed independently of each other. This construction has the disadvantages that it requires too many lead wires so that extra space for wiring and extra assembling steps for soldering those lead wires is necessary and that it is difficult to fix due to the complicated wiring.

Switching device for battery powered alarm clock


A shank carries a milling tool and has a clamping portion adapted to be mounted in a bore of a chuck. The chuck has first and second locking screws which are engageable with first and second recesses, respectively, formed on a cylindrical outer surface of the clamping portion of the shank. The first recess is configured such that the first locking screw urges the clamping portion into the bore to press a surface of the shank against the chuck. The second recess comprises first and second longitudinally adjacent planar surfaces which form an angle with one another. Depending upon the angle of inclination of the second locking screw (that angle varies in different types of chucks), the second locking screw will flushly engage one or the other of the surfaces for preventing rotation of the shank within the bore.

The present invention relates to a shank for a milling tool, preferably an end mill. The invention also relates to a coupling arrangement between a shank for a milling tool and a chuck.
Rotating tool shanks of cylindrical shape can be clamped in holders of different types, e.g., Weldon-chucks and Whistlenotch-chucks. In these chucks the axial locking and the rotational driving are special for each type of holder. Examples of standard types of a Weldon-chuck and a Whistlenotch-chuck will be given below.
The prior art device shown in FIG. 1 includes a standard chuck 10 of Weldon type and a prior art standard shank 11 that is received in an axial boring 12 of the chuck 10. A first locking screw 13 and a second locking screw 14 are arranged in mating first and second radial borings 15 and 16 in the chuck 10, the radial borings 15 and 16 having a longitudinal extension (axis) generally transverse to the longitudinal center axis 17 of the boring 12. The longitudinal center axis 17 is also the longitudinal center axis of the chuck 10 and the shank 11 when the shank 11 is mounted in the boring 12 of the chuck 10.
The locking screws 13 and 14 are externally threaded while the radial borings 15 and 16 are internally threaded. When rotating the locking screws 13 and 14 they are displaced in the radial direction of the chuck 10 either inwardly or outwardly depending upon the direction of rotation of the locking screws 13 and 14.
The shank 11 is provided with two recesses 18 and 19 having a certain extension both radially and axially. The recesses 18 and 19 are designed to cooperate with the locking screws 13 and 14.
Before clamping the shank 11 in the boring 12 of the chuck 10 it is checked that the locking screws 13 and 14 are in a position to allow the shank 11 to be inserted in the boring 12. After the shank 11 is inserted in the boring 12 to a predetermined extent the locking screws 13 and 14 are displaced radially inwardly by rotating the locking screws 13 and 14 in a predetermined direction. As is indicated in FIG. 1 the first locking screw 13 is in its active position cooperating with the recess 18 and exerting forces upon the shank 11 that will lock the shank 11 in the axial direction. It is also indicated in FIG. 1 that the second locking screw 14 in its active position cooperates with the recess 19 and exerts a force upon the shank that will prevent the shank 11 from rotating relative to the chuck 10.
The prior art device in FIG. 2 shows a standard chuck 20 of Whistlenotch type and a prior art standard shank 21 that is received in an axial boring 22 of the chuck 20. A locking screw 23 is received in a radial boring 24 of the chuck 20. The screw 23 is externally threaded while the radial boring 24 is internally threaded. The longitudinal axis of the locking screw 23 has an extension (axis) transverse to the longitudinal center axis 25 of the axial boring 22. The longitudinal center axis 25 is also the longitudinal center axis of the chuck 20 and the shank 21 when the shank 21 is mounted in the axial boring 22. However, the longitudinal axis of the locking screw 23 is not perpendicular to the longitudinal center axis 25 of the chuck 20 but rather is angled 2.degree. from perpendicular, i.e., 2.degree. relative a radius of the shank, to exert an axial force upon the shank 21 that is directed towards the bottom of the axial boring 22.
The shank 21 has a planar recess 26 that runs generally in the longitudinal direction of the shank 21, the planar recess being angled relative to the longitudinal axis of the shank 21. By cooperation of the locking screw 23 and the recess 26 the shank 21 will be forced towards the bottom of the axial boring 22. This means that the screw 23 locks the shank 21 against axial outward displacement and simultaneously against rotation around its longitudinal center axis 25 relative to the chuck 20.
The prior art holders for cylindrical tool shanks described above are not stabilized to a sufficient degree. The present invention deals with designing the tool shank in such a way that an increased stability is achieved also when using standard holders, e.g., prior art Weldon-chucks and Whistlenotch-chucks.


Provided are a recombinant yeast producing 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) and a method for producing 3-HP using the same, more particularly, a recombinant yeast producing 3-HP, comprising an exogenous AADH gene; an endogenous or exogenous ACC gene; an exogenous MCR gene; and an exogenous HPDH gene, and producing 3-HP through [Pyruvate Acetaldehyde→Acetyl-CoA Malonyl-CoA Malonate semialdehyde 3-HP] biosynthesis pathway, and a method for producing 3-HP using the same.

3-HP (3-hydroxypropionic acid, C3) is an isomer of lactic acid (2-hydroxypropionic acid) and it has a carboxylic acid group and a hydroxyl group at both ends thereof, and thereby it is a useful material capable of being converted into various chemicals such as 1,3-propanediol, acrylic acid, acrylamide, a polymer, and the like. Actually, due to the above mentioned reason, 3-HP was selected as one of the promising chemicals that can be produced from biomass by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2004. Particularly, acrylic acid could be a major applied form of 3-HP, as highly marketable material used in a coating material, an adhesive, an additive, a diaper, or the like. 3-HP may be theoretically produced from various biomass such as glucose through fermentation at a yield of 100%, and a fermentation process using microorganisms is suitable for satisfying the demand for an eco-friendly and renewable material.
There is yet no case of commercial production of 3-HP using biomass, but research into various methods has been conducted, and the securing of an economical 3-HP producing strain is emerging as a major obstacle. Bacteria are known as representative microorganisms producing organic acids and widely used in industry such as a food industry, or the like. However, there are disadvantages for applying production of organic acid using industrial bacteria such as E. coli to large-scale chemical industry such as 3-HP production. As the production amount of organic acid is increased, a hydrogenated form of acid is increased and acidity is increased (pH is decreased), and thereby activity of most of the E. coli is decreased. In the case of producing an organic acid at a high concentration, bacteria require a base such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) for maintaining a neutral pH. This causes an increase in the cost of the fermentation process depending on an injected base, makes an extraction and separation process difficult, or significantly increases the cost.
In a recent case of application of producing organic acid to chemical industry, an organic acid is produced from glucose using yeast. Yeast has high resistance against an organic acid as compared to bacteria, thus the activity of the yeast is not significantly inhibited even at a high acidity (low pH) making yeast as more suitable host for producing the organic acid. Particularly, yeast has been conventionally widely used as an industrial biocatalyst for producing spirits, industrial ethanol, or the like, and may be mass-cultured and may not be contaminated with bacteriophages, such that applicability of the yeast in the chemical industry is more excellent as compared to bacteria. Yeast has advantages for producing an organic acid, but there are several disadvantages for using the yeast to produce an organic acid such as 3-HP. First, it is more difficult to genetically modify yeast as compared to bacteria, and in order to express a specific metabolic enzyme, the sub-cellular location for expression of the metabolic pathway along with the specific metabolic enzyme should be identified due to the shape of the cells divided into intracellular structural bodies such as mitochondria, peroxisomes, or the like, unlike bacteria. For example, a representative metabolic intermediate such as acetyl-CoA is mainly produced in the mitochondria in yeasts. However, if a target product is produced in the cytosol, a method for producing acetyl-CoA in the cytosol is also required. In addition, since there is large number of different yeast in the fungal kingdom and all of the yeast do not satisfy requirements for high productivity, resistance against an organic acid and massive cultivation, a host suitable for producing the organic acid should be effectively selected.
It is known that some yeast effectively produce ethanol from glucose, which is a hexose, and some yeast species also produce an organic acid. At the time of modification for producing a target product using microorganisms, it is important to maintain an entire balance of oxidation and reduction for a metabolic reaction, and also, a metabolic reaction of fermenting ethanol from glucose is a suitably maintained reaction. Even in the case of genetically modifying yeast to produce an organic acid, the balance as described above should be appropriately maintained, and in a case of producing lactic acid through modification of yeast, balanced introduction of lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH) of another reduction reaction for complementing a reduction reaction of producing ethanol from acetaldehyde is important.
It is known that a small amount of 3-HP is produced in a small number of microorganisms such as Chloroflexus aurantiacus, and 3-HP is partially formed from a decomposition process of dimethylsulfoniopropionate in microorganisms such as Alcaligenes faecalis or a decomposition process of uracil in yeast. Research for 3-HP metabolic pathways and the corresponding enzymes have been conducted through discovery of 3-HP present in nature as described above, and based on the research, recently, research for a technology of producing 3-HP or a PHA, which is a polymer form of 3-HP, by introducing a gene required for 3-HP biosynthesis in E. coli has been conducted. In addition, in order to maximize productivity and production yield of 3-HP which is only present as a metabolic intermediate or produced only at a small amount in nature, technologies such as a metabolic engineering technology, a systems biology technology, a synthetic biology technology, or the like, have to be utilized.
According to the development of the metabolic engineering technology, it becomes possible to predict production pathways of various materials using microorganisms, and a pathway for producing 3-HP from glucose may be roughly divided into an acryloyl-CoA pathway, a β-alanine pathway, a malonyl-CoA pathway, and a glycerol pathway depending on metabolic intermediates.
The acryloyl-CoA pathway means a metabolic pathway of converting pyruvate or phosphoenol pyruvate (PEP) obtained from the glycolysis of glucose into acryloyl-CoA via lactate or β-alanine and then converting the acryloyl-CoA into 3-HP through a hydration reaction and a reduction reaction (pyruvate or PEP→lactate or β-alanine→acryloyl-CoA→3-HP). Acryloyl-CoA is a metabolite observed during the decomposition process of propionic acid, and since the Gibb's free energy value for formation of the metabolite is positive, a forward reaction is an unfavourable reaction. In addition, substrate specificity of acryloyl-CoA thioesterases is low, such that the acryloyl-CoA pathway is not suitable as the metabolic pathway for mass-producing 3-HP.
The β-alanine pathway means a metabolic pathway of converting pyruvate or oxaloacetate into amino acid by a transamination reaction and finally conversion into 3-HP via β-alanine by a transamination reaction (pyruvate or oxaloacetate→amino acid→β-alanine→3-HP; US 2012/0135481A1). Since the transamination reaction of β-alanine to 3-HP proceeds via malonate semialdehyde which is highly toxic to microorganisms, a 3-HP dehydrogenase having a high activity is required. In addition, generally, since the transamination reaction forms a radical form of an amino acid molecular structure in a steady-state, an enzyme of this reaction has a structure for alleviating reactivity of the radical. Since this radical has strong reactivity with oxygen, for a smooth transamination reaction, anaerobic conditions or a coenzyme for stabilizing radical molecules are essentially required.
The malonyl-CoA pathway is a metabolic pathway of converting acetyl-CoA into malonyl-CoA by carboxylation and then converting malonyl-CoA into 3-HP by a reduction reaction (acetyl-CoA→malonyl-CoA→3-HP), and the glycerol pathway is a metabolic pathway of converting glucose into glycerol, converting glycerol into 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde by a dehydration reaction, and then converting 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde into 3-HP (glucose→glycerol→3-hydroxypropionaldehyde→3-HP). Since the malonyl-CoA pathway and the glycerol pathway proceed through an intermediate generally produced by microorganisms such as E. coli, or the like, these pathways have been mainly studied as the 3-HP production pathway (US 2013/0071893 A1). Since malonyl-CoA may be converted into 3-HP by malonate reductase and 3-HP dehydrogenase, and glycerol may be converted into 3-HP by glycerol dehydratase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, a method for converting glucose or glycerol into 3-HP using modified E. coli has been well known. A dehydration reaction of glycerol, which is a reaction accompanied with radicals similarly to the transamination reaction, essentially requires coenzyme B12 for performing the reaction in the presence of oxygen.
In view of industrial fermentation, since it is difficult to use a coenzyme such as coenzyme B12 as a material of a culture medium due to its cost, and microorganisms such as yeast may not biosynthesize or absorb the corresponding material in cells, the β-alanine pathway or glycerol pathway is not suitable as the metabolic pathway for producing 3-HP using yeast. Recently, research modifying the key enzymes for overcoming this problem has been reported. [U.S. Pat. No. 7,655,451 B2]
Malonyl-CoA is synthesized from acetyl-CoA in the cytosol, and can thereby be reduced to 3-HP. In the case of bacteria such as E. coli, acetyl-CoA is formed from pyruvate in the cytosol, and can thereby be used as a substrate of the TCA cycle or other metabolic reaction. However, as described above, in yeast having independent sub-cellular compartments, generally, acetyl-CoA is synthesized in the mitochondria and is used as a substrate of the TCA cycle, and acetyl-CoA in the cytosol is produced via acetate producing reaction, which is a side-reaction of an ethanol production reaction, or a citric acid circulation reaction. All of the reactions of producing acetyl-CoA from acetate or citric acid are reactions consuming ATP, and since yeast further consumes energy in order to obtain acetyl-CoA in cytosol as compared to bacteria, yeast may be disadvantageous in view of energetics.
In yeast, environments such as the reduction state of the cytosol, folding after protein synthesis, codon usage, and the like, are different from those in bacteria, such that at the time of expressing an exogenous enzyme derived from bacteria, an activity thereof may not be exhibited or the activity may be significantly decreased. In addition, since the activity may be significantly changed by the presence or absence of oxygen or other metal ions, even in the case of exogenous enzymes having the same functions, expression results thereof in yeast may be different according to the origins of the enzymes. Actually, in the case of xylose isomerase (XI), which is an important enzyme of xylose metabolism, at the time of expressing XI derived from bacteria in yeast, mostly, an activity thereof was significantly low, but it was shown that yeast was successfully modified so as to perform xylose metabolism at a relatively high activity by introducing XI derived from anaerobic fungus. Thus, in the case of introducing a metabolic pathway derived from bacteria or Archaea such as the malonyl-CoA pathway in yeast, a gene having a high activity should be secured through genes performing the same functions with various origins.
There are various papers and patents associated with a method of genetically modifying Saccharomyces cerevisiae among various yeast strains to produce 3-HP, but in the case of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, since 3-HP is produced by the [pyruvic acid→acetaldehyde→acetic acid→acetyl-CoA→malonyl-CoA→malonate semialdehyde→3-HP] pathway, there are problems that this metabolic pathway to produce 3-HP is complicated, and productivity of 3-HP is relatively low (US 2010/0248233A1; Y. Chen et al., Metabolic Engineering, 22:104-109, 2014).
Accordingly, as a result of an effort to solve the above-mentioned problems, in order to overcome the disadvantage of yeast where ATP is consumed in a process of obtaining acetyl-CoA in cytosol, the present inventors conceived a shorter metabolic pathway of [Pyruvate→Acetaldehyde→Acetyl-CoA→Malonyl-CoA→Malonate semialdehyde→3-HP], which is directly converting acetaldehyde into acetyl-CoA without passing through an acetate intermediate, and confirmed that in the case of using a recombinant yeast comprising this pathway, unlike the case of using E. coli, not only the use of pH adjusting materials is decreased, and thereby production of salts is decreased, but also 3-HP may be produced from biomass at a high concentration and a high yield even at a low pH, thereby completing the present invention.

Recombinant yeast producing 3-hydroxypropionic acid and method for producing 3-hydroxypropionic acid using the same


A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, a plurality of word lines selectively activated by a row address signal from the outside, a plurality of bit lines selected by a column address signal from the outside, and sense amplifiers connected to the bit lines. The device further includes a row address latch circuit for latching the row address signal by using, as a trigger, a first edge of a clock signal from the outside, a sense amplifier activating circuit for activating the sense amplifier after a lapse of a given time from the first edge, a column address latch circuit for latching a column address signal by using, as a trigger, a second edge of the clock signal occurring after the first edge, and a precharge signal generating circuit for generating a precharge signal for precharging the bit lines after a lapse of a given time from the second edge.

The present invention relates to semiconductor memory devices and, more particularly, to a DRAM-type semiconductor memory device using a relatively low-speed clock frequency and capable of latching a row address and a column address with one clock signal and performing a page operation.
First, a dynamic RAM (DRAM) device as a conventional semiconductor memory device will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are timing charts for the data I/O of the conventional DRAM, of which FIG. 5(a) shows a read operation and FIG. 5(b) shows a write operation. In a read operation, as shown in FIG. 5(a), a row address strobe (/RAS) signal, which is a first clock signal, is initially caused to fall to activate a row-related circuit that has been in a precharged state so far, whereby a memory operation is initiated and the row address is latched. After a lapse of a given time, a column address strobe (/CAS) signal, which is a second clock signal, is subsequently caused to fall, whereby a read operation is initiated and a column address is latched. This activates memory cells connected to a selected word line as well as a sense amplifier circuit connected to a selected pair of bit lines. At this time, a write control signal /WE is brought to the HIGH level to disable a write operation, whereby a potential difference read onto the pair of bit lines connected to a selected memory cell is amplified to determine valid data and further output to the outside via a read amplifier or the like.
In a write operation also, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the /RAS signal is initially caused to fall to latch a row address and then the /CAS signal is caused to fall to latch a column address. This activates the memory cell connected to the selected word line as well as a sense amplifier connected to the selected pair of bit lines. At this time, the write control signal /WE is shifted the LOW level to enable a write operation and valid data to be held in the selected memory cell is input from a write amplifier or the like.
In the present embodiment, the mark / preceding the name of a signal indicates that the signal is inverted. The signal preceded by the mark / is in the active state when it is LOW (active LOW).
However, the conventional DRAM device requires two clock signals for synchronization to latch a row address and a column address for selecting one from a plurality of memory cells in a memory cell array, which are the RAS signal and the CAS signal. Accordingly, control operation over the clockbecomes complicated. In the case of merging the DRAM and a logic circuit into one chip, designing difficulties are particularly increased.

Semiconductor memory device using a relatively low-speed clock frequency and capable of latching a row address and a column address with one clock signal and performing a page operation

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A refrigerant circulation system includes a control system and an electronic expansion valve. The control system includes a central processing module, a step drive control module, and a drive module. The operation of the electronic expansion valve in the refrigerant circulation system includes an initialization operation stage and a flow adjustment operation stage, and a maximum operation speed of the electronic expansion valve in the flow adjustment operation stage is smaller than or equal to a maximum operation speed of the electronic expansion valve in the initialization operation stage, and a minimum operation speed of the electronic expansion valve in the flow adjustment operation stage is smaller than a minimum operation speed of the electronic expansion valve in the initialization operation stage, so that stable and fast adjustment of the system can be implemented, and the system keeps stable running.

As a new throttling element, an electronic expansion valve has been widely used in the field of household air conditioners. The electronic expansion valve may flexibly change the flow of refrigerant in an air-conditioning system according to requirement of the system, to effectively control the degree of superheat, thereby improving the system efficiency. The electronic expansion valve is a mechanism in which a valve needle is driven to move by a step motor, and an opening of the valve needle is controlled to adjust the size of a valve port, thus adjusting the flow of the refrigerant.
In the household air-conditioning system, a controller provides a voltage pulse sequence to a coil of the step motor in the electronic expansion valve regularly, such that the coil of each phase of the step motor is energized or de-energized according to a certain rule, to regularly control the change of the magnetism of each claw pole of a stator of the coil, and further control the rotation of a rotor, and the rotation of the rotor drives the valve needle to move upward and downward, to achieve the purpose of regulating the flow rate. In an immobile air conditioning system such as the household air-conditioning system, the air-conditioning system is located in a relatively stable environment, and the electronic expansion valve performs flow regulation at a constant speed.
In a mobile air-conditioning system, such as a vehicle air-conditioning system, or other refrigerant circulation systems, the system is located in a complicated and changeable environment, thus the system is required to cope with the effects on the system caused by the change of the environment with a smarter and more flexible manner.

Hangzhou Sanhua Research Institute Co., Ltd.


A long handled applicator (10) for spreading lotion in a smooth fashion on the surface of person's body wherein the application (10) includes an elongated tapered housing member (20) having an inboard end (21) and a downwardly angled outboard end (22) provided with a lotion reservoir (28) which communicates with a nozzle element (25) disposed proximate to, but spaced from the outboard end (22) of the housing member (20) which is further provided with a non-porous generally flexible spreader blade member (50) which allows all of the lotion dispensed through the nozzle element (25) to be applied to the surface of a person's skin.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of applicators having self-contained fluid reservoirs in general, and in particular to a long handled lotion applicator wherein the fluid reservoir is disposed in the head of the applicator.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,087,138; 5,088,849; 5,353,819; 5,568,669; and 5,673,445, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse long handled applicators having self-contained fluid reservoirs.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical applicator that insures that all of the liquid that is dispensed from the internal reservoir is available for spreading on a desired surface.
Virtually all of the prior art applicator constructions employ some sort of porous applicator pad which by virtue of the porous surface will of necessity retain a portion of the liquid that is intended to be transferred to another surface.
In addition, there is a distinct possibility that the applicator liquid employed will congeal within the pores thereby reducing both the liquid capacity and the normal flexibility of the porous applicator rendering its performance below acceptable levels.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved long handled lotion applicator which utilizes a non-porous squeegee style applicator blade to spread lotion that is dispensed from an internal liquid reservoir, and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention.


The present invention discloses a phase shifting circuit for generating several output signals wherein each of the output signals maintaining a constant phase difference. The phase shifting circuit includes a first input port for receiving an input signal with a reference input phase. The phase shifting circuit further includes a second input port for receiving the input signal with a 180.degree. from the reference input phase. The phase shifting circuit has a first branch connected between the first and second input ports, the first branch including a first resistor-capacitor (RC) segment connected in series via a first mid-point to a second resistor-capacitor (RC) segment wherein the second RC segment is configured, with reference to the first mid-point, in complete mirror symmetry relative to the first RC segment. The phase shifting circuit further includes a second branch connected between the first and second input ports in parallel to the first branch. The second branch includes a first resistor segment connected in series via a second mid-point to a second resistor segment wherein the second resistor segment is in total mirror symmetry relative to the first resistor segment with reference to the second mid-point. The phase shifting circuit has at least two output ports each connecting to the first RC segment and the second RC segment maintaining a constant phase difference between them. The first mid-point is connected to the second mid-point thus establishing a virtual ground potential for the phase shifting circuit wherein the virtual ground potential having a deflate voltage correlation with the input signal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for generating output signals of different phases. More particularly, this invention relates apparatus and method for generating quadrature signals in reference to a virtual ground to achieve total symmetry for these quadrature signals so generated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As more portable personal communication systems are made available as a result of recent progress in the semiconductor technology and packaging engineering, one difficulty often encountered is to establish a virtual ground potential for such portable communication devices. As these communication devices often require broad bandwidth, the phase splitters which may be operated in the frequency ranges of more than few GHz are commonly utilized in such systems. The difficulty for the phase shifters to define a virtual ground position especially for application in portable communication systems presents a special problem for the design of such system when the signal process has to be performed without precise and stable reference voltage for reference as the ground voltage.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional phase splitter 10. The phase splitter 10 receives an input voltage V.sub.in through a field effect transistor (FET) T.sub.in which is connected in a source follower configuration to two branches of circuits wherein each of these branches forms a mutually inverted configurations of like valued elements including a resistor and a capacitor. A first branch is shown on the upper portion of the shifter 10 wherein the source of the FET T.sub.in is first connected to a capacitor C.sub.1 and then to a resistor R1 before it is connected to the ground. An output is derived from the output end of the capacitor C.sub.1 for connecting to the gate of an output FET T.sub.o. A second branch is shown in the bottom portion of the shifter 10 wherein the input line as connected from the source of the input FET T.sub.in is first connected in series to a resistor R.sub.2 and then to a capacitor C.sub.2 before it is connected to the ground. An output is derived from the output end of the resistor R.sub.2 for connecting to the gate of an output FET T.sub.o '. In arranging the phase shifter 10 by making R.sub.1 equals to R.sub.2 and C.sub.1 to C.sub.2, the output voltage as obtained from the source of the output FET T.sub.o ' has a ninety degree phase difference with that of the output voltage of the FET T.sub.0.
The conventional phase shifting circuit 10 presents two problems. First, as the output end of the capacitor C.sub.1, i.e., point 12 is now brought to a ground potential via the resistor R.sub.1 when there is no current flows through that branch of circuit. The direct current (DC) reference voltage for the in-phase output from the FET T.sub.o and that for the output from the out-of-phase output from the FET T.sub.o ' cannot be consistently maintained at the same level. Secondly, for operation at high frequency, the ground potential for this phase shifter 10 is difficulty to measure and define, which makes it very inconvenient to utilize this shifter in a portable communication system. The situation is even worse when the shifting circuits are fabricated as integrated circuits (ICs) on an IC chip.
Altes discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,777 entitled "Monolithic Microwave Phase Shifting Network" (Issued on Aug. 15, 1989) a phase shifting network with multiple outputs. A constant phase difference is maintained between these outputs. The configuration of this network is a four-branch all-pass network. It has four similar all-pass networks. An in-phase and an out of phase input signals are applied to this network to generate four signals in phase quadrature of zero, ninety, one-hundred and eighty, and two hundred and seventy degrees. The phase shifter is intended for use with micro and millimeter wavelengths and may be realized from resistive and capacitive elements fabricated on a common monolithic substrate.
The phase shifting network as disclosed by Altes is able to eliminate the need of a reference ground potential for the RC networks. However, the quadrature shifting is accomplished via two RC branches that use resistors and capacitors of different values of resistances and capacitances in two branches. The circuits would be susceptible to fabrication variations due to these difference between the branches. The accuracy in fabricating the phase shifting circuit with controlled operation characteristics is therefore limited. Due to these limitations, it is difficult to design and manufacture the shifter for generating phase shift outputs with precisely controlled accuracy. Furthermore, application of this type of phase shifters to portable devices would be inconvenient and probably more expensive if additional circuit elements have to added for establishing and determining a stable and measurable virtual ground voltage.
Therefore, there is still a demand in the art of design and manufacture of phase shifting devices, particularly for portable devices for application to higher bandwidth ranges, an improved phase shifting apparatus and method to overcome this difficulty.

Phase shifting circuit and method for generating several output signals of different phases

Industrial Technology Research Institute


The invention relates to a covering cap assembly (1) for a transverse girder (2) of a roof luggage rack designed so that a profiled forward end of the girder can be covered and locked. According to the invention the assembly is held together by a hinge (6) and consists of a covering cap (3) with a lock (4) and a bearing element (5). The bearing element (5) is inserted into a longitudinal slot at the underside (14) of the transverse girder (2) and is positioned and held in place interlockingly in the transverse profile. Retention in the longitudinal slot is provided by a locking element (21) and a rivet (24). In this way a simple construction of a cover cap assembly is had that is inexpensive in manufacture and assembly and is reliable in its functions and easy to handle.

The invention relates to a covering cap assembly for the transverse girder of a roof luggage carrier of a vehicle to cover and lock the end face of a hollow interior defined by a profile of the girder.
Roof luggage carriers normally consist of transverse girder placed across and above the roof which are held in place and supported at the sides of the roof by supporting legs. In conventional vehicles the supporting legs are attached to the roof gutters by means of tensioning clamps. In modern, aerodynamically optimized vehicles, no roof gutters are provided, so that different, costlier devices with support plates and tensioning clamps are required (DE-OS 34 06 431). Furthermore vehicles are known in particular utility vehicles and off-the-road vehicles with a roof railing in form of a railing pipe extending longitudinally on either side of the roof. Roof luggage carriers consist in this case also of transverse girders which are connected to the railing pipes via tensioning devices.
All of these roof luggage carrier designs comprise transverse girders having high profiles of various cross-sectional configurations which normally have an open longitudinal channel with undercut groove to accept rubber covers and/or accessories.
The front or face ends of the transverse girder are normally covered by covering caps as they would otherwise catch dirt in the open uncovered profiles, as well as wind during travel which would cause unpleasant whistling noises.
A mere plug installed at the front end and clipped on is a known cover for a transverse girder front with a rectangular profile (DE-PS 35 16 483).
Another known covering cap arrangement (DE-PS 31 04 163) consists of a covering cap at the front end which can be inserted interlockingly into the transverse girder and which covers the front receiving opening of the longitudinal channel. A clamping screw is used to attach the transverse girder to a railing pipe of the roof railing. The covering cap is held in place after locking of an integrated lock, whereby a lock bolt engages a corresponding support on the transverse girder. In this arrangement the front end of the profile is on the one hand covered so as to be protected from dirt and noise. At the same time, the cap acts as a theft protection by securing the receiving opening in the longitudinal channel and the clamping screw which is used to remove the transverse girder. It is however a disadvantage that when replacing accessories such as bicycle carriers, boat carriers etc. as well as when the transverse girder is assembled with the screws, the covering caps used are removed as a separate part. This complicates the operation and furthermore involves the risk of losing the covering cap.
In a similar known embodiment (DE-OS 32 23 216) the covering cap is also held in a transverse girder profile so that it can be moved in a longitudinal direction. The insertion opening in the longitudinal channel and an assembly clamping screw are covered and protected against theft in the inserted and locked state. The covering cap in this case is held via a long, curved leaf spring in different extended positions in which it locks and is thereby connected to the transverse girder. The design of this embodiment is however costly and when handled roughly, the covering cap can obviously be pulled out of the transverse girder in spite of the spring arrangement provided.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a covering cap assembly for the face end of a transverse girder of a roof luggage carrier which cannot be lost and is easily handled, while being of simple design and having good functioning capability

Covering cap assembly for a transverse girder of a roof luggage carrier


A plant for making packages includes at least a machine to work packaging material and an automatic feed apparatus to feed the packaging material to the machine in a direction of automatic feed; a manual feeding and loading station of the packaging material, adjacent and parallel to the automatic feed apparatus, the machine being mobile in a direction of movement transverse to the direction of automatic feed and selectively positionable in a first position aligned to the automatic feed apparatus and in a second position aligned to the manual feeding and loading station; and a guide system to guide the machine between the first position and the second position and vice versa.

In the packaging sector, it is known to obtain packages to contain products by folding flat semi-worked products made of a relatively rigid packaging material.
Among the packaging materials mainly used are cardboard, either smooth or corrugated, and plastic polymer materials such as for example polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), but not excluding other materials with comparable characteristics of rigidity. Hereafter in the present description reference will be made to the combination of said materials using the generic term packaging materials.
It is known to make packages using plants comprising a machine for working packaging material provided with one or more operating stations configured to perform a plurality of workings, for example cutting and/or creasing, on said packaging materials.
From the application WO-A-2010/029418 in the name of the present Applicant plants are also known for making packages that also include an apparatus to feed the packaging material to the machine, which apparatus comprises a storage and feed unit, in which the packaging material to be worked is disposed, and removal and transport means to move the packaging material from the storage unit to the machine in which it is worked.
The storage and feed unit can include one or more storage sectors of the packaging material, following each other in a direction of feed of the material and configured to contain one or more pallets, possibly adjacent, of sheets, strips or reels of the packaging material, also of different sizes.
Each sector is served by corresponding removal and transport means, for the automatic feed of the packaging material to the working machine according to a feed line or more frequently, according to a plurality of overlapping feed lines.
Normally, in the plants thus made, the machine includes a loading device or selector, which receives the packaging material from the feed apparatus and conveys it toward a device to introduce the packaging material into the one or more work stations.
Though able to supply high productivity, known plants to make packages could have some limitations in terms of flexibility, in particular in the variety of conformation of the packaging materials that can be used. These limitations can be due, for example, to both the constraint defined by the sizes of the sectors of the storage and feed unit and to the configuration of the removal and transport means, and to the fact that said plants are applied with economic advantage only in continuous functioning or in the execution of large sized batches.
The execution, in known plants, of small production batches, heterogeneous, and/or with great diversity between the packaging materials needed, is at least disadvantageous, if not actually impossible, both for reasons concerning the times needed to prepare and modify the operating conditions, and also for reasons of design constancy.
There is therefore a need to perfect a plant and a corresponding method to make packages, which can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art.
In particular, one purpose of the present invention is to obtain a plant to make packages which is flexible and can be used for the production of a wide range of products for which a great variety of sizes of packaging materials is needed, and which at the same time allows to carry out in an economically advantageous way production batches of both large sizes and small entity and heterogeneous.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.


A convertible vibratory material separating apparatus, and kits to convert the apparatus to a woven-screen or finger-rod upper separating surface. The separating apparatus includes a universal shaker head adapted for vibratory movement within a frame with a tall and short end. The shaker head includes side plates and a centerplate, and removable support rails or plates when the shaker head is converted to finger-rod combs for a separating surface. The shaker head includes flanges on a lateral support tube enclosing an eccentric motor driven shaft and flanges when the shaker head is converted to a woven-screen upper separating surface. The kits include right angle flanges, bars and plates for conversion of the shaker head with woven-screens or combs of finger-rods.

Existing road-portable, or towable, commercial material screening equipment generally is either of one or two distinct designs or configurations. Each design and configuration includes a frame and one or more, typically a pair, of sloping, vibratory shaker surfaces supported within the frame. The frame has a tall end and a short end, joined by two sides, and has funneling surfaces on the sides inwardly directed to funnel feed material to a shaker head with a screen surface to separate soil or other waste material. The material to be screened is dumped onto the upper surface, such as by a payloader, and the larger material falls from the short end of the primary screening surface; while material which is smaller than the primary surface passes through the surface to a lower separating surface, with dimensions to permit coarser material to be discharged from the one short end of the frame, and finer material to fall to an open space within the frame or onto a conveyor belt for retrieval from the open space.
The first and most common soil separating apparatus has a primary surface composed of woven wire, for example, a woven wire or perforated flat surface. Such vibratory separating material apparatus, are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,197,194, 4,237,000 and 4,256,572, and U.S. Pat. No. 065,263,836, all hereby incorporated by reference. These apparatus are known in the industry as Screen-All.RTM. soil separators (Screen-All is a registered trademark of James L. Read of Middleboro, Mass.).
A second material separating design is not as widely employed, but is desirable in many special applications, such as in separation of soil compacted with or without waste, or with a wide variety of combinations of different types of materials. The second apparatus is useful due to its high level of effectiveness with other materials problems. The second separating material apparatus is designed with a plurality of vibrating fingers or elongated rods as the primary upper separating surface. Cylindrical rods or fingers are mounted as combs in planar rows, which overlap to form separate tiers or decks and are fit into shaker mechanisms or apparatus in a downwardly inclined arrangement. The plurality of combs are designed to form a pattern of staggered layers that breaks up the unscreened material that rolls upon it, and breaks up the material as it passes from the tall to the short end of the frame. This second type of waste material separating apparatus is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,078 issued Jun. 15, 1993 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,170, issued Jun. 21, 1994, both hereby incorporated by reference.
The existing screening equipment, with either the first or second designed shaker heads or even combination shaker heads, do not have capacity to be interchangeable. A significant need does exist in the industry, however, for interchangeable shaker heads; that is, interchangeable upper separating surfaces. There have been efforts to provide add-on screening apparatus, which attempt to offer the benefits of either woven wire or rod-finger upper screening surfaces. These existing add-on separating apparatus, in order to function, actually lessen the overall performance and longevity of the originally designed vibratory separating apparatus. For example, such add-ons increase the overall height of the existing apparatus, and therefore create problems for the discharge of material by a backhoe or payloader onto the add-on upper separating surface. Further, in order to obtain a single soil separating apparatus machine for convertibility of the upper material screening separation, the overall effectiveness of the apparatus is compromised.
Thus, it is desired to provide an improved waste material vibratory separating apparatus with a universal shaker head with means to provide for interchangeable screening surfaces on its primary upper surface, that is easy to change and does not compromise the height or effectiveness of the screen apparatus in use.

Convertible material separating apparatus, and convertible kits


A thread accumulation device that essentially consists of a discharge chute for receiving and guiding a strand that is formed by a thread take-up device (10) and a carriage (14) for taking up a thread spiral, guided in parallel to the longitudinal axis of the discharge chute that is equipped with a tension rail device and resting on the end of the strand of the side that is opposite to the thread take-up device (10). The device is characterized in that the carriage (14) for taking up a thread spiral that is guided on the discharge chute is equipped with a unit (16) for monitoring its movement and support on the end of the strand of the side that is opposite to the thread take-up device (10). The invention can be applied more particularly in the field of the textile industry, in particular of the treatment of thread.

The machines for treating threads, used in the field of the textile industry, are often placed in a line to make possible different treatments of the textile threads continuously and thus a resultant high yield from a minimum number of interruptions of the process for production or treatment, for example for the sake of modifying the speed of advance of the threads in a machine relative to the preceding and/or following machines, and even for the sake of a necessary total stop of a machine, for example a winder for the replacement of full spools.
It is therefore advisable to ensure an intermediate storage of the threads to compensate for the speed differential that may exist between two thread treatment stations, so as to allow collision-free operation of a line for production and/or treatment.
For this purpose, a textile thread-accumulating device that uses a device for taking up threads in coils on the end of a longitudinal support and means for taking up said threads at the other end of this support is known by FR-A-2 576 885.
Such a device makes it possible to carry out a correct accumulation of threads but it is not suitable for modern treatment and/or production lines whose very high operating speeds call for a significant accumulation capacity to take into account programmed cyclic interruptions or to make possible a smooth stopping of the line, i.e., with no significant impact requiring a very long reactivation time in the case of an accidental failure of a work station.
To prevent this drawback, it has been proposed to produce an accumulator device that consists essentially of a discharge chute that is placed as an extension from the outlet of a device for taking up the thread from a stranded-thread spiral, whose end that is opposite to the thread take-up device is guided in such a way as to be taken up and unwound by a downstream treatment or production station, whereby said discharge chute has a lateral upward slope starting from the thread take-up device toward its opposite end.
So as to regulate the speed and the tension of the strand during the unwinding, the discharge chute is equipped with a carriage that is guided over said discharge chute and that rests on the end of the strand of the side that is opposite to the thread take-up device, whereby this carriage is provided with strand guide means in the form of a guiding eyelet and/or a guiding and return bar. In addition, this carriage can be weighted in order to produce a support force on the head of the strand, at the outlet of the thread spiral, essentially to brake and monitor the strand during unwinding, i.e., to allow a certain tension of the thread spiral, as well as to obtain a predetermined strand density.
The devices of this type make possible, from the very fact of their constitution, an easy adaptation to the work conditions, i.e., that if a significant accumulation is to be made, the only thing that needs to be done is to extend the discharge chute accordingly.
However, the accumulation devices of this type have the drawback of always having to be more or less inclined relative to the horizontal line to allow an effective action of the weighted carriage on the thread strand in formation and to ensure a correct tension of the thread spiral at the outlet of said carriage. In addition, taking into account this slope of the discharge chute, the vertical space that is occupied by these devices can become significant as the discharge chute is extended, and it then becomes necessary to provide for the operator elevated access means that extend over several levels, such as walkways, etc. High installation costs are the result.
In addition, the thread strand moves into the discharge chute by sliding into the latter and, starting from a certain length and based on the thread, the thus produced friction action on the wall of the discharge chute becomes significant, which, in combination with the action of the carriage, leads to an increase in the density of the strand.
This results in an impossibility of forming a homogeneous accumulation and a difficulty in taking up the thread spiral, such that the good operation of the treatment line can be affected. However, with the enhancement of the performance levels of the current treatment lines, the speed of taking up the threads increases proportionally and the adjustment of the take-up tension is difficult to carry out and takes too long because, to make this adjustment, the operator has to walk along the discharge-chute service walkway and install a ballast weight on the carriage. Consequently, the reaction time between the verification of a poor separation and the moment of the intervention that tends to modify the parameters of loads by means of the carriage is too long, and the action carried out runs the risk of being unsuitable.
In addition, the current increase of the speeds brings about a critical disadvantage for the safety of the operator. Actually, because of the tension of the wires, a break in the separation zone of the latter may have the consequence of the formation of a lasso-shaped loop that can hook onto the carriage, which can then be abruptly entrained at the same speed as the wires and can be ejected from the discharge chute without the automatic safety devices being able to react.


A clasp suitable as button for clothes, buckle for belt or the like adapted to facilitate operation of fastening and unfastening. To provide such clasp suitable as button for clothes, buckle for belt or the like adapted to ensure its reliable fastening. A pair of basic bodies connected to front ends of a pair of swingable arms, respectively, contain therein magnets having opposed poles, respectively. These basic bodies are provided with at least one set of mutually opposed protruberances and notches adapted to come in engagement with each other as the front ends of the swingable arms get nearer toward each other and thereby to prevent the pair of basic bodies coupled to each other under attractive effect of the magnets from moving in horizontal direction as well as from swinging away from each other. Of the pair of basic bodies coupled to each other in vertical direction, the upper interlocking element may be depressed downward to move the front ends of the respective arms and thereby to disengage the protruberance from the notch.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clasp such as a button for clothes or buckle for belt.
2. Description of the Related Art
While various types of clasp have already been developed and available, it has not always easily to fasten or unfasten these conventional types of clasp.
Problem to be Solved by the Invention
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a clasp such as a button for clothes or a buckle for belt improved so that the clasp can be easily fastened or unfastened. Another object of the invention is to provide such clasp particularly improved so that the clasp can be reliably fastened.
Measure to Solve the Problem
The object set forth above is achieved, according to the present invention, by a clasp comprising a pair of swingable arms, basic bodies connected to front ends of the respective arms and magnets mounted on the respective basic bodies so that the pair of basic bodies may be detachably coupled to each other under mutual attraction of these magnets.
The basic bodies are formed with at least one set of protruberances and notches opposed to each other, respectively, adapted to come in engagement as the front ends of the swingable arms get near to each other so that the pair of basic bodies once having been coupled together under the mutual attraction of the magnets can neither relatively shift in horizontal direction nor swing away from each other. According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, two sets of protruberances and notches adapted to come in engagement, respectively, are provided on peripheral edges of the basic bodies so as to be oriented orthogonally to longitudinal direction of the arms.
An assembly of the paired basic bodies and the arms present a curved shape as the basic bodies are coupled to each other and the basic bodies connected to the front ends of the arms lie at a level above pivot pins adapted to support the arms in a swingable fashion. According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the assembly of the paired basic bodies and the arms present a circular arc-like shape as the interlocking element are coupled.
Of the pair of basic bodies coupled to each other in vertical direction, the front ends of the swingable arms are moved downward as the upper interlocking element is depressed downward so that the protruberances and the notches may be disengaged from each other.
According to still another preferred embodiment of the invention, one of the basic bodies connected to the front ends of the arms is formed on its front peripheral edge with a cutout so that the end of the one arm may come in engagement with the cutout of the interlocking element connected to the front end of the other arm and thereby the pair of basic bodies coupled to each other are position-determined with respect to the arms.
From the state in which the front end of the one arm is in engagement with the cutout of the interlocking element connected to the front end of the other arm and the paired basic bodies are coupled to each other, the front end of the one arm is progressively disengaged from the cutout without affecting the positions at which the respective basic bodies are connected to the associated arms.
According to further another preferred embodiment of the invention, of the paired basic bodies coupled to each other in vertical direction, the upper interlocking element has its top surface being flat or gently curved.
The clasp further includes a pair of anchoring means each comprising a ring-like frame surrounding an opening and the arms are pivotally mounted on these anchoring means.
According to still further another preferred embodiment of the invention, the pair of arms are length-dimensioned to be different from each other.


A heat exchange unit and internal support therefor are disclosed. The internal support is bowl shaped and has portions for the support of fan means, an inner heat exchanger and an outer heat exchanger. An air inlet portion in the support allows air to be circulated therethrough by the fan means. A base pan having an air inlet portion allows air to enter the interior of the unit such that there is a separate air flow path for each heat exchanger, both air flow paths including flow through the air inlet portion of the internal support.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention in general relates to heat exchange units and more particularly to an internal support adapted to serve several functions within a heat exchange unit.
2. Prior Art
A heat exchange unit, as may be used in an air conditioning or refrigeration application, is typically designed to have a heat exchanger and a fan for circulating heat transfer media, typically air, in heat exchange relation with a fluid flowing through the heat exchanger. In many applications such as air conditioning the heat exchange unit is mounted exterior of the enclosure to be conditioned to transfer heat energy between refrigerant used for heating or cooling the air of the residence and ambient air flowing in heat transfer relation with the outdoor heat exchanger.
A fan is usually mounted to circulate air through the heat exchanger of the unit. The fan provides a forced air flow to promote heat transfer between the air and the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger.
It has been found that in some applications, it is more efficient to use multiple heat exchangers in the heat exchange unit. These multiple heat exchangers may be mounted side by side such that air entering the unit flows first through one heat exchanger and then the other heat exchanger. Mounting in this arrangement acts to decrease the heat transfer efficiency of the inner heat exchanger since the ambient air flowing in heat exchange relation therewith has already had its temperature raised or lowered by the outer heat exchanger. Consequently, the temperature difference between the air and the refrigerant flowing through the inner heat exchanger is lowered and the overall heat transfer efficiency of the inner heat exchanger is thereby decreased.
Another method for providing multiple heat exchangers is to stack one on top of the other such that ambient air flows directly through both. The disadvantage of this type of system is the large heat exchange unit size required.
The present heat exchanger arrangement provides for two heat exchangers in a single unit, each having ambient air flow directly therethrough. The heat exchangers are mounted such that air flows directly through the outer heat exchange unit and is discharged from the unit by the fan. Air flows into the unit through an air inlet segment of the base pan and then through the inner heat exchanger and again is discharged from the unit by the fan. Consequently, a unit has been provided having two separate air flow paths, one for each heat exchanger.
The unit support as claimed herein is a bowl shaped support member having portions to connect to each heat exchanger. Additionally provided is a fan motor support portion in the center thereof and air flow openings located between the two heat exchangers. The fan is mounted such that the fan blades draw air through the air inlet portions between the two heat exchangers creating two separate air flow paths, one for each of the heat exchangers.

Heat exchange unit having an internal support