The invention comprises a composition and method for controlling the gloss of surface covering products through curing of the composition to create a wearlayer surface, and preferably on a floor covering product. The surface covering product preferably is prepared by application of an aromatic polyester acrylate composition including a flatting agent and/or hard particles, and at least one free-radical generating compound to a substrate, and then the coating is partially cured by exposure to low peak irradiance UV light in either ambient or inert air, followed by fully curing the coating with high peak irradiance UV light in preferably an inert atmosphere to form a low gloss abrasion resistant wearlayer surface. Alternatively, a high gloss wearlayer surface is obtained by solely exposing the preferred composition to high peak irradiance UV light in ambient atmosphere. Furthermore, a differential gloss flooring product is obtained by using the present inventive method described herein.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is generally directed to surface covering products such as floor tile and floor covering sheets. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wearlayer surface covering in which the wearlayer is coated onto a substrate and initially is cured with low peak irradiance UV energy and thereafter further cured with high peak irradiance to form a low gloss wearlayer surface coating.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cured coatings such as floor wearlayer surfaces function to provide scratch resistance and durability to flooring. The durability encompasses both wear and tear properties, and wearability includes scratch resistance and gouge resistance. Further, the property of scratch resistance includes the ability to withstand both fine and deep scratches from soils and grit particles resulting from foot traffic. Additionally, the property of gouge resistance includes the ability of the coating and flooring to withstand damage from foot traffic in the form of heel damage or dent damage from objects striking the flooring.
For many of the decorative patterns in the flooring industry, the desirable coating is a wearlayer surface that has a glossy appearance. In other cases, low gloss is desirable for natural decorative patterns such as wood, slate or brick. A low gloss or matte coating is more preferable to give a xe2x80x9cnatural or realxe2x80x9d appearance of the decorative layer. Accordingly, the gloss level of the coating must be specific for individual decorative patterns and therefore, it becomes a processing requirement to be able to control the gloss level of the coating for specific decorative patterns.
Furthermore, manufacturing differences in producing floor covering products may cause visible differences from batch to batch. Thus, in order to maintain a consistent gloss level throughout subsequent batches of floor covering products, gloss-level control must be addressed in the manufacturing process.
A prior art approach to obtaining low gloss coatings typically requires multiple ultraviolet (UV) medium pressure-mercury vapor lamps to cure a gloss-forming coating on the flooring material. The UV lamps typically have a long wavelength and a short wavelength output. To match the UV output of these sources, photoinitiators can be used to absorb UV light above 300 nm and below 300 nm. Microwave UV source lamps that exhibit characteristic spectral distributions above 300 nm, however, are more costly than standard medium pressure-mercury vapor lamps. Additionally, some of these photoinitiators (commonly referred to as phosphine oxides) are costly, and in many instances, have the problem of leaving an undesirable yellow color to cured final product.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,969 discloses a method to prepare low gloss or gloss controlled radiation coating by utilizing a two stage process. The first stage of the method involves UV cure of the resin material utilizing long wavelength UV spectral output where no substantial spectral distribution exists below 300 nm. The second stage of the method involves the curing the resin under a source comprised of short wave radiation where substantial spectral intensity is below 300 nm.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,415 teaches a method of preparing a low gloss coating by utilizing a three stage process including the steps of: (1) passing the coated substrate under ionizing radiation from an electron beam; (2) passing the coated substrate under UV lamps under an oxygen-containing atmosphere; and (3) passing the substrate under UV lamps in an inert atmosphere. The ""415 patent discloses the use of a pigmented resin material that contains a phosphine oxide photoinitiator to provide a thorough curing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,036 teaches a method to prepare low gloss coatings derived from a resin composition containing a flatting agent and air cure promoter, disclosed as benzophenone, and a second photoinitiator. The resin material is exposed to UV lamps in a high oxygen atmosphere to provide a wet surface and a partially cured, or xe2x80x9cgel,xe2x80x9d state followed by exposure to UV lamps in a low-oxygen atmosphere to fully cure the coating.
The present invention is based on a composition and method of making a surface covering product, and preferably a floor covering product, in which the composition is selectively curable to either a high or low gloss wearlayer. The gloss is controlled by the use of low peak irradiance UV energy under an atmosphere of ambient air, followed by exposure to high peak irradiance UV light, preferably under an inert atmosphere comprised of nitrogen. The inventive composition contains a conventional flatting agent to lower gloss and/or hard particulates to improve abrasion resistance of the final surface wearlayer.
In the preferred embodiment, gloss levels for the same composition can be controlled by varying UV peak irradiance. The level of peak irradiance for a given coating composition enables specific process parameters to control gloss level. The peak irradiance of the initial UV exposure can be changed, for example by varying the distance between the source and substrate, or alternately, by changing input power for the UV source.
In the preferred process of making the surface covering, the gloss controlled wearlayer composition is formed from an acrylated aromatic polyester in the presence of multifunctional acrylates and a flatting agent and/or hard particulate materials. Partial polymerization is catalyzed by low peak irradiance UV radiation to gel the coating to form a low gloss wearlayer surface. Further polymerization is catalyzed by either high peak irradiance UV radiation, or alternately, by low energy electron beam radiation. The gloss controlled decorative wearlayer surface exhibits many performance properties sought in a flooring material.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a process of making a UV curable composition capable of producing high, medium and low gloss on surface covering products from the same composition, and a surface covering product resulting from this process.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process to produce a variable gloss wearlayer surface on a floor covering product that does not require the usage of both long and short wavelength irradiation to control the gloss level.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a process of making a differential gloss product comprised of a discontinuous controlled gloss layer or a continuous controlled gloss layer.
Another object of the invention is to provide a flooring product including a high gloss and low gloss wearlayer surface.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after review of the hereinafter set forth Brief Description of the Drawing, Detailed Description of the Invention, and the Claims.

Process for providing a gloss controlled, abrasion resistant coating on surface covering products


A positive radiation-sensitive mixture is disclosed which contains a compound which forms an acid under the action of high-energy radiation, and an acid-cleavable compound, wherein the compound which forms an acid contains aliphatically bound halogen (chlorine or bromine) and has a pK.sub.a value of less than about 12 or is a derivative of a compound having such a pK.sub.a value which can be converted into the free compound by acid catalysis. A positive recording material and a process for recording high-energy radiation using the material are also disclosed. The mixture, and in particular the recording material produced therefrom, has relatively high sensitivity and improved resolution and, in addition, does not exhibit image fogging after development.

The invention relates to a positive radiation-sensitive mixture containing a compound which forms an acid under the action of high-energy radiation, and an acid-cleavable compound.
In classical UV lithography, the resolution limit is determined by the wavelength of the radiation used. The constant decrease in dimensions in chip production therefore requires new lithographic techniques in the submicron region, electron or X-ray radiation being employed due to its extremely short wavelength. At the same time, it has been shown that resist materials which are suitable as electron beam resist can also be employed as X-ray resist, and vice versa.
Known resist materials for this application are acrylates and methacrylates (G.M. Taylor, Solid State Technology, 124 (1984)). In the case of these materials, it has been shown that sensitivity and structural resolution are usually contrary properties. If it is to be possible for higher sensitivities to be achieved, halogens are usually incorporated into the resist. In this case, fluorine and chlorine are usually employed in positive resists, whereas it is usually bromine and iodine, besides chlorine, which are employed in negative resists (T. Yamaoka et al., Phot. Sci. Eng. 23. 196 (1979)).
In general, negative resists exhibit higher sensitivity than positive resists, but, in contrast, cannot simultaneously--as stated above--have a high resolution in the submicron region. On the other hand, positive methacrylate-based resists achieve high resolution, but, with the exception of polymethacrylonitrile-based resists, are not stable to the plasma etching processes used for semiconductor structuring. In turn, however, the methacrylates are not sufficiently sensitive.
The polymers having the highest radiation sensitivity known to date to electron beams or X-rays are polyalkene sulfones, in particular polybutene 1-sulfone. The disadvantage of this class of compounds is, however, that they are less resistant to plasma etching processes; they are therefore suitable for mask production, but not for semiconductor fabrication using a mask made of this material. It has therefore been proposed to combine polyalkene sulfones with novolak resins, which, as is generally known, are resistant to plasma etching (M. J. Bowden et al., J. Electrochem. Soc. 128, 1304 (1981); U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,845). However, it became apparent that the two polymers are extremely incompatible with one another, thus impairing the resolution. An attempt to improve the compatibility by admixing further components also had to pay the price of loss in sensitivity (U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,001).
Photocatalytic systems are described in DE-A-2,718,254 (=U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,611) and DE-A-2,928,636 (=U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,782) for use with electron and X-ray radiation. In these positive systems, chlorinecontaining compounds, in particular of the substituted triazine type, are employed as compounds which form an acid under the action of actinic radiation. During structuring of these materials using electron or X-ray radiation, however, it was apparent that the edges of the resist structures are very negatively eroded after development (edge angle around 60.degree. according to a photomicrograph using a scanning electron microscope (SEM)) and structures of less than about 2 .mu.m consequently can no longer be resolved or imaged or, in some cases, are extremely frayed.
In DE-A-2,928,636, as in DE-A-2,610,842 (=U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,323), 2,3,4,5-tetrachloroanaline, inter alia, is mentioned as the chlorine-containing compound. In addition, DE-A-2,610,842 also discloses compounds which contain aliphatically bound bromine and one which carries aromatically bound bromine: 2,2',4,4',6,6'-hexabromodiphenylamine.
Chlorine- and bromine-containing compounds in photo-sensitive materials also include hexabromodimethyl sulfoxide in photographic materials (DE-B 1,572,089=GB-A 1,163,324), 2,2-dibromo-2-(phenylsulfonyl)acetophenone and related compounds as polymerization initiators (DE-A 1,817,540=U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,455), trichloromethyl-substituted benzophenones as polymerization initiators (DE-A-1,949,010 =U.S. Pat. No. 3,686,084), haloalkylbenzoxazoles, -benzimidazoles and -benzothiazoles as polymerization initiators (U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,606) and side group-halogenated acetophenones as photocatalysts for acid-curable surface coatings (DE-A 2,317,846).
A number of these compounds result in significant losses in resolution. Without exception, undesired image fogging occurs, which excludes use of such compounds in practice as photolytic acid donors in X-ray lithography. The chlorine compounds in particular exhibit inadequate resolution. By contrast, the compounds mentioned containing aromatically bound bromine cause undesired image fogging. In general, however, this image fogging is attributable to inadequate solubility of the initiator compounds in aqueous alkaline developers.
It has therefore been proposed, in accordance with the earlier German Patent Application P 38 21 585.3, to use as initiator compounds, compounds containing aromatically bound chlorine or bromine which have a pK.sub.a value of less than 12. Although the compounds mentioned exhibit good sensitivities on irradiation with synchrotron radiation, the sensitivities which can be achieved using them on irradiation with UV radiation are, however, relatively low.

Positive radiation-sensitive mixture, and radiation-sensitive recording material produced therefrom for high-energy radiation


A body weight scale system with historical display. The system includes a transducer for generating a succession of digital weight signals representative of a user's body weight at a succession of points in time. The system further includes a data entry device which provides time signals representative of the points in time associated with the various weight signals. A data processing network stores the time and weight signals, selectively extracts those signals and generates display signals representative of the body weight of the person as a function of time. A display is responsive to the display signals to display information representative of this time function.

The present invention relates to body weight measuring systems and more particularly to such measuring systems with historical record display.
In the prior art, personal body weight scales typically include a spring loaded, graduated disc coupled to a weighing platform so that the weight of a person on the platform causes the disc to be angularly displaced by an amount proportional to the weight. The graduated disc generally includes a set of calibrated points which, as the disc is angularly displaced, pass before a transparent window and a pointer to provide an analog read-out of the weight of the person on the weighing platform.
With the advent of low cost digital electronics, the conventional analog personal weight scale has been supplemented in the marketplace by newly developed digital personal body weight scales. In such systems, a variety of force sensors may be used to obtain a digital signal representative of the person's body weight. Such sensors may include the rotating disc arrangement noted above, wherein that disc includes a digital position read-out device for generating such a digital weight signal. The digital weight signals are then conventionally displayed on a digital read-out, such as a light emitting code (LED) display, or a liquid crystal display (LCD). Such systems are known to provide easily-read personal body weight scales.
It is also known to combine such digital scales with digital networks to provide weight-related information. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,039 discloses a body weight digital scale in combination with a digital processor which compares a measured weight with a selected reference value (associated with the user's height and age), and generates a signal indicating whether the user is over, at, or below his "normal" weight at a point in time.
Yet another of such prior art systems is represented by U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,690. This patent discloses a digital read-out diet scale which provides a dieter with a signal which may be selectively chosen to be representative of either his weight, or a change of weight with respect to a previous measurement. While this latter system does provide information which is of importance to the dieter, the displayed information is only representative of a change from a single previous data point. In view of this feature, a dieter may be extremely frustrated by the relatively slow change in his weight over a period of time, since he can only view a weight at a previous moment in time.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a digital personal weight monitoring system with an historical record display of the user's weight as measured at a succession of weigh-ins.

Body weight scale with historical record display


A device for securing components (2) to frames, such as furniture frames. The device includes a first block (5) having a first face (8), a second opposite face (10), and a hole (6) passing through its center. An impression (9) is made in the first face to engage at least a portion of the circumferential perimeter of a frame. A second block (11) also has a first face, a second opposite face, and a hole passing through its center aligned with the hole (6) passing through the first block. That face (12) of said second block which is to lie in opposition to the first face (8) of said first block also has an impression (9') complementary to the impression (9) in the first face. A pin (7), rigid at one end with the component (2), passes through the central holes of both blocks to screw at its other end into a furniture part (3) or the like with which the frame is associated.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for mechanically securing components to frames in general, in particular furniture frames.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the specific furniture field, it is known to fix various components, in particular feet, to metal frames by welding or otherwise by relatively lengthy and complicated operations which negatively affect the final cost of the product.

Device for mechanically securing a furniture component, or the like, to a frame


This invention relates to the use of combinations of stereoisomers of dihydrotetrabenazine for the treatment of movement disorders, such as Tourette's syndrome.

Movement disorders can generally be classified into two categories: hyperkinetic movement disorders and hypokinetic movement disorders. Hyperkinetic movement disorders are caused by an increase in muscular activity and can cause abnormal and/or excessive movements, including tremors, dystonia, chorea, tics, myoclonus and stereotypies.
Hyperkinetic movement disorders often are often psychological in nature and arise through improper regulation of amine neurotransmitters in the basal ganglia.
A particular hyperkinetic movement disorder is Tourette's syndrome, which is an inherited neurological condition characterised by multiple physical and vocal tics. The tics are usually repetitive, but random, physical movements or vocal noises. The vocal tics can be of various forms and include repeating one's own words, the words of others or other sounds. Onset usually occurs in children and continues through to adolescence and adulthood.
While the tics associated with Tourette's syndrome are temporarily suppressible, those affected can usually only suppress their tics for limited time periods. There is yet to be an effective treatment to cover all types of tics in all patients, but certain medicaments for tic suppression have been developed.
It is known that dopamine receptor antagonists display an ability to suppress tics in Tourette's syndrome patients and a number dopamine receptor antagonists are currently used in the suppression of Tourette's tics, such as fluphenazine, haloperidol and pimozide.
Type 2 vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2) is a membrane protein responsible for the transportation of monoamine neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin and histamine, from cellular cytosol into synaptic vesicles. Inhibition of this protein hinders presynaptic neurons from releasing dopamine, resulting in a depletion of dopamine levels in the brain.
VMAT2 inhibitors can be used to treat the symptoms of Tourette's syndrome.
Tetrabenazine (Chemical name: 1,3,4,6,7,11b-hexahydro-9,10-dimethoxy-3-(2-methylpropyl)-2H-benzo(a)quinolizin-2-one) has been in use as a pharmaceutical drug since the late 1950s. Initially used as an anti-psychotic, tetrabenazine is currently used for treating hyperkinetic movement disorders such as Huntington's disease, hemiballismus, senile chorea, tic, tardive dyskinesia and Tourette's syndrome, see for example Jankovic et al., Am. J. Psychiatry. (1999) August; 156(8):1279-81 and Jankovic et al., Neurology (1997) February; 48(2):358-62.
The primary pharmacological action of tetrabenazine is to reduce the supply of monoamines (e.g. dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine) in the central nervous system by inhibiting the human vesicular monoamine transporter isoform 2 (hVMAT2). The drug also blocks post-synaptic dopamine receptors.
The central effects of tetrabenazine closely resemble those of reserpine, but it differs from reserpine in that it lacks activity at the VMAT1 transporter. The lack of activity at the VMAT1 transporter means that tetrabenazine has less peripheral activity than reserpine and consequently does not produce VMAT1-related side effects such as hypotension.
Tetrabenazine is an effective and safe drug for the treatment of a variety of hyperkinetic movement disorders and, in contrast to typical neuroleptics, has not been demonstrated to cause tardive dyskinesia. Nevertheless, tetrabenazine does exhibit a number of dose-related side effects including causing depression, parkinsonism, drowsiness, nervousness or anxiety, insomnia and, in rare cases, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, see for example the introductory section of WO2016/127133 (Neurocrine Biosciences).
The chemical structure of tetrabenazine is as shown below.

The compound has chiral centres at the 3 and 11b carbon atoms and hence can, theoretically, exist in a total of four isomeric forms, as shown below.

The stereochemistry of each isomer shown above is defined using the "R and S" nomenclature developed by Cahn, Ingold and Prelog, see Advanced Organic Chemistry by Jerry March, 4th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1992, pages 109-114. Here and elsewhere in this patent application, the designations "R" or "S" are given in the order of the position numbers of the carbon atoms. Thus, for example, RS is a shorthand notation for 3R,11bS. Similarly, when three chiral centres are present, as in the dihydrotetrabenazines described below, the designations "R" or "S" are listed in the order of the carbon atoms 2, 3 and 11b. Thus, the 2R,3S,11bS isomer is referred to in short hand form as RSS and so on.
Commercially available tetrabenazine is a racemic mixture of the RR and SS isomers and the RR and SS isomers are generally considered to be the most thermodynamically stable isomers.
Tetrabenazine has somewhat poor and variable bioavailability. It is extensively metabolised by first-pass metabolism, and little or no unchanged tetrabenazine is typically detected in the urine. It is known that at least some of the metabolites of tetrabenazine are dihydrotetrabenazines formed by reduction of the 2-keto group in tetrabenazine.
Dihydrotetrabenazine (Chemical name: 2-hydroxy-3-(2-methylpropyl)-1,3,4,6,7,11b-hexahydro-9,10-dimethoxy-benzo(a)quinolizine) has three chiral centres and can therefore exist in any of the following eight optical isomeric forms:

The synthesis and characterisation of all eight dihydrotetrabenazine isomers is described by Sun et al. (Eur. J. Med. Chem. (2011), 1841-1848).
Of the eight dihydrotetrabenazine isomers, four isomers are derived from the more stable RR and SS isomers of the parent tetrabenazine, namely the RRR, SSS, SRR and RSS isomers.
The RRR and SSS isomers are commonly referred to as "alpha (α)" dihydrotetrabenazines and can be referred to individually as (+)-α-dihydrotetrabenazine and (−)-α-dihydrotetrabenazine respectively. The alpha isomers are characterised by a trans relative orientation of the hydroxyl and 2-methylpropyl substituents at the 2- and 3-positions—see for example, Kilbourn et al., Chirality, 9:59-62 (1997) and Brossi et al., Helv. Chim. Acta., vol. XLI, No. 193, pp 1793-1806 (1958).
The SRR and RSS isomers are commonly referred to as "beta (β)" isomers and can be referred to individually as (+)-β-dihydrotetrabenazine and (−)-β-dihydrotetrabenazine respectively. The beta isomers are characterised by a cis relative orientation of the hydroxyl and 2-methylpropyl substituents at the 2- and 3-positions.
Although dihydrotetrabenazine is believed to be primarily responsible for the activity of the drug, there have been no studies published to date that contain evidence demonstrating which of the various stereoisomers of dihydrotetrabenazine is responsible for its biological activity. More specifically, there have been no published studies demonstrating which of the stereoisomers is responsible for the ability of tetrabenazine to treat movement disorders such as Tourette's syndrome.
Schwartz et al. (Biochem. Pharmacol. (1966), 15: 645-655) describes metabolic studies of tetrabenazine carried out in rabbits, dogs and humans. Schwartz et al. identified nine metabolites, five of which were unconjugated and the other four of which were conjugated with glucuronic acid. The five unconjugated metabolites were the alpha- and beta-dihydrotetrabenazines, their two oxidised analogues in which a hydroxyl group has been introduced into the 2-methylpropyl side chain, and oxidised tetrabenazine in which a hydroxyl group has been introduced into the 2-methylpropyl side chain. The four conjugated metabolites were all compounds in which the 9-methoxy group had been demethylated to give a 9-hydroxy compound. The chirality of the various metabolites was not studied and, in particular, there was no disclosure of the chirality of the individual α- and β-isomers. Scherman et al., (Mol. Pharmacol. (1987), 33, 72-77 describes the stereospecificity of VMAT2 binding between racemic α- and β-dihydrotetrabenazine. They reported that α-dihydrotetrabenazine had a 3- to 4-fold higher affinity for the Chromaffin Granule Monoamine Transporter than the β-isomer, when studied in vitro. However, Scherman et al. does not disclose the resolution or testing of the individual enantiomers of the α- and β-dihydrotetrabenazines.
Mehvar et al. (J. Pharm. Sci. (1987), 76(6), 461-465) reported a study of the concentrations of tetrabenazine and dihydrotetrabenazine in the brains of rats following administration of either tetrabenazine or dihydrotetrabenazine. The study showed that despite its greater polarity, dihydrotetrabenazine was able to cross the blood-brain barrier. However, the stereochemistry of the dihydrotetrabenazine was not disclosed.
Mehvar et al. (Drug Metabolism and Disposition (1987), 15:2, 250-255) describes studies of the pharmacokinetics of tetrabenazine and dihydrotetrabenazine following administration of tetrabenazine to four patients affected by tardive dyskinesia. Oral administration of tetrabenazine resulted in low plasma concentrations of tetrabenazine but relatively high concentrations of dihydrotetrabenazine. However, the stereochemistry of the dihydrotetrabenazine formed in vivo was not reported.
Roberts et al. (Eur. J. Clin. Pharmacol. (1986), 29: 703-708) describes the pharmacokinetics of tetrabenazine and its hydroxy-metabolite in patients treated for involuntary movement disorders. Roberts et al. reported that tetrabenazine was extensively metabolised after oral administration resulting in very low plasma concentrations of tetrabenazine but much higher concentrations of a hydroxy-metabolite. Although they did not describe the identity of the hydroxy-metabolites, they suggested that the high plasma concentrations of the hydroxy-metabolites may be therapeutically important (since the metabolites were known to be pharmacologically active) and that, in view of the disclosure in Schwartz et al. (idem), the combination of cis and trans isomers (i.e. beta and alpha isomers) could be more therapeutically important than the parent drug.
Michael Kilbourn and collaborators at the University of Michigan Medical School have published a number of studies relating to the various isomers of dihydrotetrabenazines. In Med. Chem. Res. (1994), 5:113-126, Kilbourn et al. describe the use (+/−)-α-[11C]-dihydrotetrabenazine as in vivo imaging agents for VMAT2 binding studies.
In Eur. J. Pharmacol (1995) 278, 249-252, Kilbourn et al. reported competition binding studies using [3H]-tetrabenazine to study the in vitro binding affinity of (+)-, (−)-, and (+/−)-α-DHTBZ. The binding assays gave a Ki value of 0.97 nM for (+)-α-dihydrotetrabenazine and 2.2 μM for (−)-α-dihydrotetrabenazine, thereby showing that the (+) alpha isomer has much greater binding affinity for the VMAT2 receptor than the (−) alpha isomer. However, no studies were reported, or conclusions drawn, as to the usefulness of either isomer in the treatment of movement disorders such as Tourette's syndrome.
In Chirality (1997) 9:59-62, Kilbourn et al. described studies aimed at identifying the absolute configuration of (+)-α-dihydrotetrabenazine from which they concluded that it has the 2R, 3R, 11bR configuration shown above. They also referred to the Schwartz et al. and Mehvar et al. articles discussed above as indicating that the α- and β-dihydrotetrabenazines are likely to be the pharmacologically active agents in the human brain but they drew no explicit conclusions as to the precise stereochemical identities of the active metabolites of tetrabenazine.
In Synapse (2002), 43:188-194, Kilbourn et al. described the use of (+)-α-[11C]-dihydrotetrabenazine as an agent used to measure specific in vivo binding of the VMAT receptor, in "infusion to equilibrium methods". They found that (−)-α-[11C]-dihydrotetrabenazine produced a uniform brain distribution, consistent with the earlier observations that this enantiomer has a low VMAT affinity.
Sun et al. (idem) investigated the VMAT2 binding affinities of all eight dihydrotetrabenazine isomers. They found that all of the dextrorotatory enantiomers exhibited dramatically more potent VMAT2 binding activity than their corresponding laevorotatory enantiomers with the most active (+)-α-isomer being found to be the most active. However, Sun et al. did not carry out any investigations into the relative efficacies of the individual isomers in treating movement disorders such as Tourette's syndrome.
WO 2011/153157 (Auspex Pharmaceutical, Inc.) describes deuterated forms of dihydrotetrabenazine. Many deuterated forms of dihydrotetrabenazine are depicted but the application only provides sufficient information to allow a small number of the depicted compounds to be synthesised. Although racemic mixtures of d6-α-dihydrotetrabenazine and d6-β-dihydrotetrabenazine are disclosed, these mixtures were not resolved and the properties of the individual (+) and (−) isomers were not studied. Similarly, WO 2014/047167 (Auspex Pharmaceutical, Inc.) describes a number of deuterated forms of tetrabenazine and its derivatives. Again, the individual (+) and (−) isomers of deuterated forms of α- and β-dihydrotetrabenazine were not separated or studied.
WO 2006/053067 (Prestwick) described the use of combinations of amantadine and tetrabenazine for treating hyperkinetic movement disorders. Although the document is primarily concerned with using tetrabenazine, it is envisaged that amantadine can be administered with a "tetrabenazine compound" which may be tetrabenazine or dihydrotetrabenazine.
The Examples section of the patent application only discloses experimental protocols of how the combinations of amantadine and tetrabenazine could be administered. Based on the wording of the Examples section, it appears that the combinations had not been administered at the time the application was filed and the application contains no results demonstrating the efficacy of combinations of amantadine and tetrabenazine.
In addition, the Examples section only describes the use of tetrabenazine rather than any dihydrotetrabenazine isomers.

Combinations of isomers of dihydrotetrabenazine


An electronic circuit device having a power-supply structure capable of supporting fast signals in and above a GHz band is offered. A driver transistor is formed in a surface of a semiconductor substrate. Power-supply/ground pair transmission lines which provide the driver transistor with power and signal/ground pair transmission lines which transmit signals to a receiver are formed on the semiconductor substrate. The power-supply/ground pair transmission lines are connected to a drain layer of the driver transistor and a P+ layer in a P well. The signal/ground pair transmission lines are connected to a source layer of the driver transistor and a P+ layer in the P well.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic circuit device, specifically to an electronic circuit device having a structure to provide a power-supply capable of supporting fast signals in and above GHz band.
2. Description of the Related Art
A transistor which processes digital signals (and analog signals) in and above the GHz band makes fast switching with less than 100 ps of rise time and fall time. Electric energy corresponding to such fast switching has to be provided from the power-supply.
Issues of the power-supply are plainly explained through a metaphor of municipal water supply system. Even when a valve at a facet is opened very quickly, water does not come out of the faucet immediately. For example, transfer velocity of water power is 1500 m/s, thus it takes 6.7 μs for the water to run from the valve to the faucet when length between them is 10 mm. Even if the valve is fully opened in less than 6.7 μs, water only comes out from the faucet 6.7 μs later. In addition to that, it takes some time to accelerate the water to the velocity of 1500 m/s due to inertia of still water, the water does not reach such a high velocity because of friction resistance from a wall of the pipe due to viscosity of water. Water pressure in a main pipe connected with branch pipes to individual residential units is reduced to due to water discharged from the faucet since it is not possible to respond the rapid change when there is the inertia.
However, if the main pipe is 100 time larger than the branch pipe, the reduction in the water pressure is only 1/100 and practically negligible. Similar approach has been taken in conventional power-supply system. That is, a plane ground and a plane power-supply facing each other are provided. When they are not available, a bypass capacitor is used instead.
Transfer velocity of electric current due to charge transfer is equal to the velocity of an electromagnetic wave in a certain structure. When dielectric constant of the structure is 4, the transfer velocity is 1.5×108 m/s. When the electric current begins to flow in the structure, a voltage drop Vdrop expressed by the following equation is caused by a parasitic inductance Ls in a circuit.
 Vdrop=Lsdi/dt
A notion of the friction resistance from the wall of the water pipe is somewhat different in the world of electricity. In rapidly changing electric current, the corresponding notion to it is a characteristic impedance of a wiring. A direct current resistance related to a cross-section of the wiring is less than a hundredth of the characteristic impedance and gives no problem in general. However, the direct current resistance due to the skin effect caused by the rapid change has to be taken into calculation in the GHz band.
As appreciated from the foregoing, the power-supply to a fast switch should have no inertia, i.e. no parasitic inductance Ls and should have current capacity large enough to provide the switch with enough current when the switch is turned on. An electric current Imax corresponding to conductance G of the switch is expressed by:Imax=G Vdd
where Vdd is a power supply voltage. It is independent from load conditions since it is the maximum allowable electric current. A voltage at an end of a receiver is determined by the electric current and the load. Generally speaking, although the notion that a power-supply has to be supported according to the magnitude of the load is useful in slow switching, it should be designed based on the maximum electric current Imax in fast switching.
So, what would be a power-supply structure which can realize Ls=0 and Imax=G Vdd? The bypass capacitor always has the parasitic inductance Ls. The parasitic inductance Ls is approximately 200 pH with a 1005 type capacitor. Another parasitic inductance of approximately 200 pH from an electrode portion to connect the bypass capacitor is added to it. That is, the parasitic inductance is 400 pH in total. With a 0603 type capacitor on the other hand, corresponding parasitic inductances are 120 pH and 150 pH, respectively, resulting in a total parasitic inductance of 270 pH. It would be very difficult to reduce the total parasitic inductance including the inductance from the electrode portion to less than 100 pH, even if a smaller capacitance would be developed in future.
Next, the electric current I of the bypass capacitor system is 5 mA, when a conductance G of a bus driver is 0.02 S (Siemens) and Vdd is 1 V. Assuming that a pulse frequency is 10 GHz, a slew rate is about 30 ps. The voltage drop with the 0603 type capacitor is calculated by:Vdrop=270 pH×5 mA/30 ps=45 mV
Even when the minimum parasitic capacitance of 100 pH is assumed:Vdrop=100 pH×5 mA/30 ps=17 mV
When eight drivers are connected to the power-supply, the voltage drop for each case is 0.36 V and 0.136 V respectively, presenting a serious problem. Improving the power-supply with the bypass capacitor is very difficult as described above. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-210959 describes the issues described above.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An arterial compression device having a band for securably fastening the arterial compression device around a wrist of a subject, a compression portion that is moveable so as to selectively apply pressure to the radial artery of the subject, and an aperture permitting access to the ulnar artery of the subject when the arterial compression device is securably fastened around the wrist of the subject.

Increasingly, the radial artery is used for access to the arterial vasculature when performing interventional procedures such as angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures. This is in contrast to alternative access sites, such as the femoral artery. Radial artery access may be considered to be preferable over femoral artery access for certain procedures as it may allow vascular closure in a vessel that is more easily closed. This may result in less hospital-based recovery time for the patient thereby reducing costs and improving patient comfort.
Following a transradial catheterization procedure, closure of the radial artery puncture site can occasionally result in permanent occlusion of the radial artery. In the event that the adjacent ulnar artery is not fully functional, occlusion of the radial artery may lead to improper perfusion of the hand. Furthermore, loss of radial artery patency (normal blood flow) can prohibit future use of the radial artery for further procedures.
It is known to provide an arterial compression device to provide a compressive force to the radial artery following transradial catheterization with the aim of achieving patent hemostasis. Known arterial compression devices include bands that are secured around the wrist of the patient, where the devices additionally include a movable pad or inflatable bladder for applying the compressive force to the radial artery. Such arterial compression devices may be used for several hours following removal of a sheath/cannula from the radial artery puncture site to achieve patent hemostasis.
There exists a need, however, for providing an improved arterial compression device and methods of using the same.
It is an object of embodiments of the present disclosure to provide an arterial compression device and methods of using an arterial compression device that overcome certain disadvantages associated with the prior art.

Arterial compression device and methods of using the same


Vectors and methods for the production of influenza viruses suitable as recombinant influenza vaccines in cell culture are provided. Bi-directional expression vectors for use in a multi-plasmid influenza virus expression system are provided.

Influenza viruses are made up of an internal ribonucleoprotein core containing a segmented single-stranded RNA genome and an outer lipoprotein envelope lined by a matrix protein. Influenza A and B viruses each contain eight segments of single stranded RNA with negative polarity. The influenza A genome encodes at least eleven polypeptides. Segments 1-3 encode the three polypeptides, making up the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Segment 1 encodes the polymerase complex protein PB2. The remaining polymerase proteins PB1 and PA are encoded by segment 2 and segment 3, respectively. In addition, segment 1 of some influenza A strains encodes a small protein, PB1-F2, produced from an alternative reading frame within the PB1 coding region. Segment 4 encodes the hemagglutinin (HA) surface glycoprotein involved in cell attachment and entry during infection. Segment 5 encodes the nucleocapsid nucleoprotein (NP) polypeptide, the major structural component associated with viral RNA. Segment 6 encodes a neuraminidase (NA) envelope glycoprotein. Segment 7 encodes two matrix proteins, designated M1 and M2, which are translated from differentially spliced mRNAs. Segment 8 encodes NS1 and NS2 (NEP), two nonstructural proteins, which are translated from alternatively spliced mRNA variants.
The eight genome segments of influenza B encode 11 proteins. The three largest genes code for components of the RNA polymerase, PB1, PB2 and PA. Segment 4 encodes the HA protein. Segment 5 encodes NP. Segment 6 encodes the NA protein and the NB protein. Both proteins, NB and NA, are translated from overlapping reading frames of a biscistronic mRNA. Segment 7 of influenza B also encodes two proteins: M1 and BM2. The smallest segment encodes two products: NS1 is translated from the full length RNA, while NS2 is translated from a spliced mRNA variant.
Vaccines capable of producing a protective immune response specific for influenza viruses have been produced for over 50 years. Vaccines can be characterized as whole virus vaccines, split virus vaccines, surface antigen vaccines and live attenuated virus vaccines. While appropriate formulations of any of these vaccine types is able to produce a systemic immune response, live attenuated virus vaccines are also able to stimulate local mucosal immunity in the respiratory tract.
FluMist™ is a live, attenuated vaccine that protects children and adults from influenza illness (Belshe et al. (1998) The efficacy of live attenuated, cold-adapted, trivalent, intranasal influenza virus vaccine in children N Engl J Med 338:1405-12; Nichol et al. (1999) Effectiveness of live, attenuated intranasal influenza virus vaccine in healthy, working adults: a randomized controlled trial JAMA 282:137-44). FluMist™ vaccine strains contain HA and NA gene segments derived from the currently circulating wild-type strains along with six gene segments, PB1, PB2, PA, NP, M and NS, from a common master donor virus (MDV). The MDV for influenza A strains of FluMist (MDV-A), was created by serial passage of the wt A/Ann Arbor/6/60 (A/AA/6/60) strain in primary chicken kidney tissue culture at successively lower temperatures (Maassab (1967) Adaptation and growth characteristics of influenza virus at 25 degrees C. Nature 213:612-4). MDV-A replicates efficiently at 25° C. (ca, cold adapted), but its growth is restricted at 38 and 39° C. (ts, temperature sensitive). Additionally, this virus does not replicate in the lungs of infected ferrets (att, attenuation). The ts phenotype is believed to contribute to the attenuation of the vaccine in humans by restricting its replication in all but the coolest regions of the respiratory tract. The stability of this property has been demonstrated in animal models and clinical studies. In contrast to the ts phenotype of influenza strains created by chemical mutagenesis, the ts property of MDV-A did not revert following passage through infected hamsters or in shed isolates from children (for a recent review, see Murphy & Coelingh (2002) Principles underlying the development and use of live attenuated cold-adapted influenza A and B virus vaccines Viral Immunol 15:295-323).
Clinical studies in over 20,000 adults and children involving 12 separate 6:2 reassortant strains have shown that these vaccines are attenuated, safe and efficacious (Belshe et al. (1998) The efficacy of live attenuated, cold-adapted, trivalent, intranasal influenza virus vaccine in children N Engl J Med 338:1405-12; Boyce et al. (2000) Safety and immunogenicity of adjuvanted and unadjuvanted subunit influenza vaccines administered intranasally to healthy adults Vaccine 19:217-26; Edwards et al. (1994) A randomized controlled trial of cold adapted and inactivated vaccines for the prevention of influenza A disease J Infect Dis 169:68-76; Nichol et al. (1999) Effectiveness of live, attenuated intranasal influenza virus vaccine in healthy, working adults: a randomized controlled trial JAMA 282:137-44). Reassortants carrying the six internal genes of MDV-A and the two HA and NA gene segments of the wt virus (6:2 reassortant) consistently maintain ca, ts and att phenotypes (Maassab et al. (1982) Evaluation of a cold-recombinant influenza virus vaccine in ferrets J Infect Dis 146:780-900).
To date, all commercially available influenza vaccines in the United States have been propagated in embryonated hen's eggs. Although influenza virus grows well in hen's eggs, production of vaccine is dependent on the availability of eggs. Supplies of eggs must be organized, and strains for vaccine production selected months in advance of the next flue season, limiting the flexibility of this approach, and often resulting in delays and shortages in production and distribution.
Systems for producing influenza viruses in cell culture have also been developed in recent years (See, e.g., Furminger. Vaccine Production, in Nicholson et al. (eds) Textbook of Influenza pp. 324-332; Merten et al. (1996) Production of influenza virus in cell cultures for vaccine preparation, in Cohen & Shafferman (eds) Novel Strategies in Design and Production of Vaccines pp. 141-151). Typically, these methods involve the infection of suitable immortalized host cells with a selected strain of virus. While eliminating many of the difficulties related to vaccine production in hen's eggs, not all pathogenic strains of influenza grow well and can be produced according to established tissue culture methods. In addition, many strains with desirable characteristics, e.g., attenuation, temperature sensitivity and cold adaptation, suitable for production of live attenuated vaccines, have not been successfully grown in tissue culture using established methods.
Production of influenza viruses from recombinant DNA would significantly increase the flexibility and utility of tissue culture methods for influenza vaccine production. Recently, systems for producing influenza A viruses from recombinant plasmids incorporating cDNAs encoding the viral genome have been reported (See, e.g., Neumann et al. (1999) Generation of influenza A virus entirely from cloned cDNAs. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96:9345-9350; Fodor et al. (1999) Rescue of influenza A virus from recombinant DNA. J. Virol 73:9679-9682; Hoffmann et al. (2000) A DNA transfection system for generation of influenza A virus from eight plasmids Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97:6108-6113; WO 01/83794). These systems offer the potential to produce recombinant viruses, and reassortant viruses expressing the immunogenic HA and NA proteins from any selected strain. However, unlike influenza A virus, no reports have been published describing plasmid-only systems for influenza B virus.
Additionally, none of the currently available plasmid only systems are suitable for generating attenuated, temperature sensitive, cold adapted strains suitable for live attenuated vaccine production. The present invention provides an eight plasmid system for the generation of influenza B virus entirely from cloned cDNA, and methods for the production of attenuated live influenza A and B virus suitable for vaccine formulations, such as live virus vaccine formulations useful for intranasal administration, as well as numerous other benefits that will become apparent upon review of the specification.

Multi plasmid system for the production of influenza virus


A display device includes a substrate including a display area in which a plurality of pixels is disposed, and a non-display area near the display area; an insulating layer disposed on the substrate; a metal wiring disposed on the substrate; and a plurality of dummy patterns disposed in the non-display area of the substrate. The plurality of dummy patterns includes a plurality of first patterns including an insulating material and a plurality of second patterns including a metal material.

Field
The present disclosure relates to a display device.
Description of the Related Technology
As the manufacturing technology for a display device, such as for example an organic light emitting device and a liquid crystal display, has developed, the display device has been made relatively thinner.
When the display device is thin, if an external force is continuously applied to the display device, physical damage is caused outside the display device such that a crack is generated, the crack is propagated into a display area from the outside through an insulating layer, and a moisture-permeable path is formed along the crack propagation path, thereby causing defects such as, for example, pixel shrinkage.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only to enhance the understanding of the background of the invention, and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


A method of manufacturing a bond pad structure may include depositing an aluminum-copper (Al—Cu) layer over a dielectric layer; and depositing an aluminum-chromium (Al—Cr) layer directly over the Al—Cu layer.

Bond pads are used to bond bonding wires to a semiconductor device, e.g., an integrated circuit. Aluminum bond pad corrosion is a common occurrence in the fabrication of aluminum-copper (Al—Cu) bond pads. One particular corrosion mechanism is galvanic corrosion, which happens when a metal alloy (such as Al—Cu) is exposed to processing chemicals and/or atmospheric moisture. The corrosion may degrade conductive and/or bonding performance of the bond pad, and may also lead to other types of reliability problems in the semiconductor device.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Corrosion resistant aluminum bond pad structure

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A device for fitting a holding part onto an eyeglass lens comprises a plate adapted to receive the eyeglass lens pivoted to a fixed base and a calibrated spring arrangement and a displacement sensor operative between the plate and the base.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally concerned with fitting a holding part onto an eyeglass lens to be worked on, for example trimmed, the holding part being adapted to adhere to the lens temporarily, by means of a sucker, for example, to enable the lens to be fitted to and locked in position on a machine for carrying out the work.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is more specifically concerned with a device used to fit a holding part onto an eyeglass lens and comprising a member adapted to receive removably the holding part to be fitted and carried by a carriage movable along a path on which the holding part comes into abutting contact with the eyeglass lens.
One problem to be solved in devices of this kind is the need to control the travel of the carriage accurately and reliably so that after contact with the eyeglass lens the load exerted on the lens is not likely to break it.
A general object of the present invention is a particularly simple and economical arrangement meeting this requirement.

Device for fastening a holding part on an eyeglass lens

Essilor International CIE Generale d'Optique


An object of the present invention is to provide a printed wiring board in which conductive layers formed on two surfaces of a base layer that contains a fluororesin as a main component are reliably connected to each other through a via-hole. A printed wiring board according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a base layer containing a fluororesin as a main component, a first conductive layer stacked on one surface of the base layer, a second conductive layer stacked on the other surface of the base layer, and a via-hole that is formed along a connection hole penetrating the base layer and at least one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer in a thickness direction and that electrically connects the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer to each other. At least a part of an inner circumferential surface of the base layer in the connection hole has a pre-treated surface having a content ratio of oxygen atoms or nitrogen atoms of 0.2 atomic percent or more.

In printed wiring boards that transmit electrical signals, with an increase in the frequency of the electrical signals to be transmitted, dielectric loss due to an insulating material disposed around a conductor increases. In view of this, it has been proposed that, in a printed wiring board, a base on which a conductive layer is formed contains, as a main component, a fluororesin having a low dielectric constant and a low dielectric loss tangent (refer to, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-165171).
With the miniaturization of electronic devices, an increase in the wiring density of printed wiring boards has been desired, and thus multilayer printed wiring boards including a plurality of conductive layers are used. In such a multilayer printed wiring board, a via-hole (tubular conductor) that connects conductive layers to each other is formed. A known method for forming such a via-hole includes forming a hole in a printed wiring board, performing electroless plating on an inner circumferential surface of the hole, and then performing electroplating to form a metal layer that connects two or more conducting layers together. A technique has also been proposed in which a layer including conductive fine particles is formed on an inner circumferential surface of a hole of a printed wiring board, and electroless plating and electroplating are then performed (refer to, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-214785).

Printed wiring board and method for producing printed wiring board

SUMITOMO ELECTRIC PRINTED CIRCUITS, INC.


According to the present invention, in a battery can forming a container or cover of a sealed type battery, a cruciform incision is made on a metal plate forming the battery can. Said incision being V-shaped in cross-section and the cruciform intersection point being constructed to present an X-shaped, wedge-shaped tip as seen in the view plan forming a thin part in the metal plate so that, when the internal pressure of the battery becomes abnormally high, before the sealed part is opened, by the pressure the thin part may tear and open to let the abnormal pressure escape and prevent the explosion and bursting of the battery.. By such construction, the fluctuation of the pressure resisting the tearing and opening of the above mentioned thin part can be reduced and a safe and positive operation can be made.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a safe and explosion preventing sealed type battery.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, in sealed type batteries such as alkaline storage batteries, when the battery is overcharged or overdischarged, an excess gases exceeding the capacity of the electrode body for absorbing the gas will be generated from time to time. When this pressure within the battery becomes higher than the limited resisting pressure of the battery sealed part, an explosion accident will often occur and will damage the instrument being used. Therefore, various contrivances have been suggested whereby, when the internal pressure of the battery becomes higher than the limited resisting pressure, this internal pressure will be alllowed to escape to prevent the explosion of the battery. For example, as represented by U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,819, there is a method wherein a film is provided within a battery so that, when the internal pressure rises abnormally, the film will expand and is broken by a thrusting blade located outside the film and the internal gas may escape through there. In this method, a comparatively large space is required to within the battery and the component parts are many. It is also suggested to form a cruciform stamp on a battery can so that, when the internal pressure rises abnormally, the can may tear open. However, in fact, there have been many difficulties with such prior art devices.


A compressor motor includes a rotor and a stator disposed radially outside of the rotor. The rotor includes a rotor core, and a plurality of magnets circumferentially arranged on the rotor core at center angles of equal intervals. The rotor core has an axial length L and a radial length D. Each of the magnets has a thickness t. L/D <0.7, and t>(1×K×N)/(L1.5×D×P), where P is the number of poles, K is 100000, and N is a factor that depends on a compressor output.

Conventionally, a compressor includes a closed container, a compression element placed within the closed container, and a motor placed within the closed container and acting to drive the compression element via a shaft. The motor has a rotor, and a stator placed radially outside the rotor.
The rotor has a rotor core, and a plurality of magnets arrayed on the rotor core in its circumferential direction at center angles of equal intervals. The stator has a stator core, and a coil wound around the stator core (see JP H9-191588 A (JP 3017085 B)).


A toner including: toner base particles; and an external additive, the toner base particles each comprising a binder resin and a colorant, wherein the external additive comprises non-spherical particles and spherical particles, wherein the non-spherical particles are each a secondary particle in which spherical primary particles are coalesced together, and wherein the non-spherical particles and the spherical particles in the external additive satisfy a relationship expressed by the following formula (1):3Ca(%)<Cb(%)  Formula (1)

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner, a two-component developer containing the toner, and an image forming apparatus using the toner.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, image forming apparatuses have been required to provide a higher quality image, and development has been made on a toner excellent in, for example, heat resistance storageability, transferability, flowability, filming property and chargeability.
In order to improve a toner in heat resistance storageability, a toner having a core-shell structure is proposed which has, on the toner surface, a shell layer containing a resin different from a binder resin (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2006-267950). In this proposal, however, a pigment is not successfully dispersed in the shell layer and localized in the surface. As a result, this toner is poor in image quality due to its poor transferability and flowability.
In order to improve the above toner in transferability and flowability, there is proposed a toner to which an external additive containing inorganic particles has been added (see, for example, JP-A Nos. 2005-173480 and 2010-128216). According to these proposals, the external additive acts as a spacer on the toner surface, preventing adhesion between toner particles and formation of aggregates of toner particles during transportation. As a result, the toner is improved in transferability and flowability, achieving reduction of abnormal images resulting from degradation of the toner. In these proposals, however, the inorganic particles are excessively added to the toner and thus are easily exfoliated. The exfoliated inorganic particles accelerate abrasion of a cleaning blade and cause filming, raising a problem that abnormal images are formed due to impaired chargeability.
In order to improve the above toner in filming property and chargeability, there is proposed a toner to which silica having a relatively broad particle size distribution have been added as an external additive (see, for example, JP-A Nos. 11-174731 and 2010-243664). According to these proposals, an external additive having a relatively broad particle size distribution can provide a toner with a wide range of chargeability depending on the particle size distribution of the toner. In terms of an ability to impart chargeability to the toner, the silica is superior to alumina. The silica is not limited to silica obtained by a sol-gel method (i.e., sol-gel silica), and use of dry silica is recommended since the dry silica can provide a toner with a wide range of chargeability depending on the particle size distribution of the toner. The toners according to these proposals, however, use the dry silica only, and involve a problem of being poor in heat resistance storageability. When the toner is made to have a sharp particle size distribution, the external additive having a broad particle size distribution does not have to be used. Even an external additive having a sharp particle size distribution can provide uniformly chargeable toner particles. The dry silica has a non-spherical shape and contacts with each toner particle at a plurality of contact points. Thus, the dry silica is more difficult to roll on the toner than a spherical silica does thereon, so that the toner tends to be impaired in flowability.
Therefore, at present, strong demand has arisen for rapid development of a toner that is satisfactory in all of heat resistance storageability, transferability, flowability, filming property and chargeability as well as is excellent in image quality.

Toner, two-component developer and image forming apparatus

Abstract: where Ca is greater than 10% but smaller than 20% and Cb is greater than 40% but smaller than 70%, and Ca and Cb are values given by:

Abstract: Ca    =                                                                                (                                      an                                                                                amount                                                                                of                                                                                the                                                                                non                                                              -                                                            spherical                                                                                particles                                                                                (                                                  %                                                                                by                                                                                mass                                                )                                            /                      100                                                        )                                ×                                                                                (                                  a                                                                                projected                                                                                area                                                                                of                                                                                the                                                                                non                                                        -                                                      spherical                                                                                particles                                                                                (                                                                  cm                        2                                                                                /                                                                  g                                        )                                                  )                                                                                (                                      an                                                                                amount                                                                                of                                                                                the                                                                                toner                                                                                base                                                                                particles                                                                                (                                                  %                                                                                by                                                                                mass                                                )                                            /                      100                                                        )                                ×                                                                                (                                  a                                                                                surface                                                                                area                                                                                of                                                                                the                                                                                toner                                                                                base                                                                                particles                                                                                (                                                                  cm                        2                                                                                /                                                                  g                                        )                                                  )                                                        ×      100            Cb    =                                                                                (                                      an                                                                                amount                                                                                of                                                                                the                                                                                spherical                                                                                particles                                                                                (                                                  %                                                                                by                                                                                mass                                                )                                            /                      100                                                        )                                ×                                                                                (                                  a                                                                                projected                                                                                area                                                                                of                                                                                the                                                                                spherical                                                                                particles                                                                                (                                                                  cm                        2                                                                                /                                                                  g                                        )                                                  )                                                                                (                                      an                                                                                amount                                                                                of                                                                                the                                                                                toner                                                                                base                                                                                particles                                                                                (                                                  %                                                                                by                                                                                mass                                                )                                            /                      100                                                        )                                ×                                                                                (                                  a                                                                                surface                                                                                area                                                                                of                                                                                the                                                                                toner                                                                                base                                                                                particles                                                                                (                                                                  cm                        2                                                                                /                                                                  g                                        )                                                  )                                                        ×      100


A thermoplastic resin composition containing an oxygen-absorbing agent, wherein a resin matrix of the thermoplastic resin composition is substantially non-compatible and is composed of a blend of thermoplastic resins or elastomers, and the non-compatible thermoplastic resins and elastomers are present as a non-uniformly distributed structure in the resin matrix. The packaging container or cap of this invention suppresses the lowering of flavor retention incident to the dissolving out of the oxygen absorbing agent or its oxidation product even after retorting sterilization. The preservability of the contents and flavor retention can be achieved for a long period of time. According to a preferred embodiment, the oxygen absorbing speed can be increased. After storage for a long time, or after heat sterilization, a rugged state does not occur. There can be formed the oxygen-absorbing resin composition and the packaging container having excellent outer appearance.

(1) Field of the invention
This invention relates to an oxygen-absorbing resin composition and a packaging container, a packaging material, a cap or a liner material having oxygen absorbability. More particularly, it relates to an oxygen-absorbing resin composition having a non-uniform multilayer distributed structure in which the stress produced by volume expansion through an oxidation reaction of an oxygen absorbing agent can be alleviated within the resin composition and also relates to a packaging material, a packaging container, a cap, and a liner material for caps which have an oxygen-absorbability, and excellent preserbability of the contents.
(2) Prior art
Metal cans, glass bottles and various plastic containers have heretofore been used as packaging containers. Among them, plastic containers have been used in a variety of applications owing to their light weights, shock resistance and cost.
However, though no oxygen is permitted to permeate through the walls of the metal cans and glass bottles, oxygen permeates through the walls of the plastic containers to an extent that cannot be neglected, arousing a problem from the standpoint of preserving the contents.
In order to prevent this, the walls of the plastic containers are formed in a multi-layer structure and in which one layer is composed of a resin having resistance against the permeation of oxygen, such as ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer.
An oxygen-absorbing agent has long been used in order to remove oxygen in the container. An example of using the oxygen-absorbing agent in the container wall has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1824/1987, according to which a layer obtained by blending an oxygen permeable resin with an oxygen-absorbing agent comprising chiefly a reducing substance is laminated on a layer that does not permit the permeation of the oxygen gas, in order to realize a multi-layer structure for packaging.
The oxygen-absorbing agent of the iron type features a large oxygen-absorbing rate and a large oxygen-absorbing capacity, and is advantageous from the standpoint of cost. When iron and the compounds thereof elute out into the content, however, the content loses flavor though the amount of elution may be very small.
In order to prevent the iron-type oxygen-absorbing agent from eluting into the content, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 114371/1998, means has been employed in which a resin layer without blended with the oxygen-absorbing agent is applied onto the inner and outer surfaces of the resin layer blended with the iron-type oxygen-absorbing agent in order to prevent the iron-type oxygen-absorbing agent from being exposed.
It was, however, learned that the elution of iron or a compound thereof into the content is not sufficiently prevented by simply applying a thermoplastic resin layer without blended with an oxygen-absorbing agent onto both sides of the thermoplastic resin layer that is blended with the iron-type oxygen-absorbing agent.
That is, the iron-type oxygen-absorbing agent in the layer remains completely covered with the thermoplastic resin layers that are not blended with the oxygen-absorbing agent within not long periods of time after the production of the multi-layer plastic containers. When the multi-layer plastic containers are preserved for extended periods of time, however, particles of the iron-type oxygen-absorbing agent penetrate through the thermoplastic resin coating layers and are exposed to the outside of the coating layers. As the particles penetrate through, the oxygen-absorbing agent elutes into the content to deteriorate the flavor in addition to the factor of oxygen.
This tendency is especially conspicuous in the case of retorting sterilization.

Oxygen-absorbing resin composition and packaging container, packaging material, cap or liner material having oxygen absorbability


A rotary capping system services inkjet printheads in an inkjet printing mechanism. A rotary service station has a tumbler with a dual pivoting link that supports a cap platform. The cap platform is gimbal mounted to the link and spring-biased away from the tumbler. The platform has an extending arm that contacts the printhead carriage to align the cap and printhead. When the printhead is positioned for capping, rotation of the tumbler around an axis parallel to the printhead scanning direction brings the platform arm into contact with the carriage. Continued rotation of the tumbler pivots the link and the platform to sweep the cap through a non-linear, generally arcuate path into a capping position at the printhead. The illustrated cap has a multi-ridge lip for sealing over surface irregularities on the printhead nozzle face. A method of sealing inkjet printhead nozzles is also provided.

Inkjet printing mechanisms use pens which shoot drops of liquid colorant, referred to generally herein as "ink," onto a page. Each pen has a printhead formed with very small nozzles through which the ink drops are fired. To print an image, the printhead moves back and forth across the page shooting drops as it moves. To clean and protect the printhead, typically a service station is mounted within the printer chassis. For storage, or during non-printing periods, service stations usually include a capping system which humidically seals the printhead nozzles from contaminants and drying. Some caps are also designed to facilitate priming, such as by being connected to a pumping unit that draws a vacuum on the printhead.
During operation, clogs in the printhead are periodically cleared by firing a number of drops of ink through each of the nozzles in a process known as "spitting." Typically, the waste ink is collected in a stationary reservoir portion of the service station, which is often referred to as a "spittoon." After spitting, uncapping, or occasionally during printing, most service stations have an elastomeric wiper that wipes the printhead surface to remove ink residue, as well as any paper dust or other debris that has collected on the printhead.
To improve the clarity and contrast of the printed image, recent research has focused on improving the ink itself. To provide faster, more waterfast printing with darker blacks and more vivid colors, pigment based inks have been developed. These pigment based inks have a higher solids content than the earlier dye based inks, which results in a higher optical density for the new inks. Both types of ink dry quickly, which allows inkjet printing mechanisms to use plain paper. Unfortunately, the combination of small nozzles and quick drying ink leaves the printheads susceptible to clogging, not only from dried ink and minute dust particles or paper fibers, but also from the solids within the new inks themselves.
Partially or completely blocked nozzles can lead to either missing or misdirected drops on the print media, either of which degrades the print quality. Thus, spitting to clear the nozzles becomes even more important when using pigment based inks, because the higher solids content contributes to the clogging problem more than the earlier dye based inks. Unfortunately, while stationary spittoons were suitable for the earlier dye based inks, they suffer a variety of drawbacks when used with newly developed pigment based inks.
For example, FIG. 8, is a vertical sectional view of a conventional prior art spittoon S which has been receiving waste ink of the newer variety for a period of time. The rapidly solidifying waste ink has gradually accumulated into a stalagmite I. The ink stalagmite I may eventually grow to contact the printhead H, which could interfere with printhead movement, print quality, and/or contribute to clogging the nozzles. Indeed, ink deposits along the sides of the spittoon often grow into stalagmites which can meet one another to form a bridge blocking the entrance to the spittoon. To avoid this phenomenon, conventional spittoons must be wide, often over 8 mm in width to handle these new pigment based inks. This extra width increases the overall printer width, resulting in additional cost being added to the printer, both in material and shipping costs.
This stalagmite problem is particularly acute for a polymer or a wax based ink, such as an ink based on carnauba wax, or a polyamide. In the past, inkjet printers using polyamide based inks have replaced the conventional spittoon of FIG. 8 with a sheet of flat plastic. The nozzles are periodically cleared by "spitting" the hot wax ink onto the plastic sheet. At regular intervals, an operator must remove this plastic sheet from the printer, flex the sheet over a trash can to remove the waste ink, and then replace the cleaned sheet in the printer. This cleaning step is particularly inconvenient for operators to perform on a regular basis, and is not suitable for the new pigment ink. In comparison to the wax or polymer based inks, these new inks leave a dirty, sticky residue, due to the high amount of solids used to improve the contrast and quality of the printed images. Thus, operator intervention to regularly clean a pigmented ink spittoon could lead to costly staining of clothing, carpeting, upholstery and the like.
In addition to increasing the solids content, mutually precipitating inks have been developed to enhance color contrast. For example, one type of color ink causes black ink to precipitate out of solution. This precipitation instantly fixes the black solids to the page, which prevents bleeding of the black solids into the color regions of the printed image. Unfortunately, if the mutually precipitating color and black inks are mixed together in a conventional spittoon, they do not flow toward a drain or absorbent material. Instead, once mixed, the black and color inks instantly coagulate into a gel, with some residual liquid being formed.
Thus, the mixed black and color inks have the drawbacks of hot-melt inks, which have an instant solid build-up, and the aqueous inks, which tend to run and "wick" (flow through capillary action) into undesirable locations. To resolve the mixing problem, two conventional stationary spittoons are required, one for the black ink and one for the color inks. As mentioned above, these conventional spittoons must be wide to avoid clogging from stalagmites growing inward from the spittoon sides. Moreover, using two spittoons further increases the overall width of the printer, which undesirably adds to the overall size of the inkjet printer, as well as its weight and material cost to build.
To maintain a high print quality in the hardcopy output, pens containing the new pigment based inks require new capping strategies. The pigment based inks have posed new challenges for efficiently capping the printheads. To maintain the desired ink characteristics, the area around the printhead nozzles must be kept clean and moist to prevent drying or decomposition of the ink during periods of printer inactivity. These principles are equally applicable to pens containing dye based inks.
In the past, a variety of different systems have been used to seal an inkjet printhead during periods of printer inactivity. These capping systems may be divided into three general categories based upon the direction of movement to engage the printheads, specifically, (1) linear caps, (2) vertical caps, and (3) rotary caps. The first group, linear caps, unfortunately require excessive carriage overtravel well beyond the print zone to seal the printheads. The mechanisms employed by these linear capping systems include an in-line four bar linkage mechanism, a ramp mounted sled, a four bar linkage including a spring mechanism, and combination ramp and spring mechanisms. Typically, these linear caps are pushed by the printhead in a direction parallel to the printhead scanning axis, and during this lateral motion, the caps are raised to seal the printhead nozzles.
Second, the vertical capping group of mechanisms move the caps upwardly to engage the printheads. One system uses a vertical rack and pinion mechanism, driven by a motor to move the caps upward to seal the printheads. Another vertical system uses a spring loaded vertical cam drive mechanism to cap the printheads.
The third capping system involves rotating the caps into position. One known rotary capping system rotates the caps about an axis which is perpendicular to the scanning axis of the printhead, and then cams the cap upward to engage the printhead. Another rotary system rotates a spring-biased lever to pivot the cap into a sealing position. This particular system gimbal-mounts the cap to the lever for limited angular tilting with respect to the printhead.
Unfortunately, each of these earlier capping systems has a variety of disadvantages. For example, many of them require extra carriage travel beyond the width required to mount the caps. This extra carriage travel results in a wider product with a large "footprint" (the work surface area occupied by the product). Some of these capping systems also have difficulty in sealing substantially irregular or nonplanar surfaces, such as those encountered when ink residue or other debris has accumulated on the printhead. These earlier systems also have difficulty in maintaining critical capping tolerances. Additionally, many of these earlier capping systems are sensitive to ink leakage from the pens, and accumulations of ink aerosol within the capping mechanism. The sticky aerosol and/or ink leakage build up may impede motion of critical components, leading to ineffective capping. Moreover, ink leakage from the capped pens often blocked or clogged vent ports within these earlier capping mechanisms.

Multi-ridge capping system for inkjet printheads


A method and apparatus is provided for locally routing calls in a communication system. The method and apparatus provide PSTN interconnects (N, P, Q,) at each of the base station controllers (11, 14) and at the mobile switching center (12). A control intercept (13) intercepts PSTN command information being communicated between the mobile switching center (12) and the base station controllers (11, 14), and routes the PSTN command information to a PSTN interconnect (N, P) at a base station controller (11, 14) when local call service is required.

A coverage area or cell in a cellular radiotelephone communication systems is provided by a Base Transceiver Station (BTS). The BTS communicates with the Mobile Subscribers (MS) via a defined air interface. In early cellular systems, each BTS communicated directly with a Mobile Switching Center (MSC). Later network architecture provided for each BTS to be connected and controlled by a Base Station Controller (BSC). The BSC and controlled BTSs form a Base Station System (BSS). A number of BSS's may be combined into a cellular radiotelephone communication system (FIG. 1) controlled by a MSC that, in turn, may be interconnected with a public switch telephone network (PSTN) composed of a number of trunk groups (N, Q, and P) (e.g. T1 lines).
The cellular system, covering a geographic area, allows MS's to communicate among MS's or a MS to communicate with a public switch telephone network (PSTN) subscriber through the PSTN interconnect provided at the MSC. Calls received through a BTS are routed to the BSC which, in turn, routes the call request to the MSC. The MSC then routes the call to a land party through the PSTN or to another MS back through a BSC and BTS.
The BSC provides message transfer and call switching as directed by the MSC. Control information received from an MS through a BTS of the BSC are routed to the MSC. Calls received by a BSC through the MSC, on a channel of communication link A, are switched under control of the BSC to the appropriate BTS in communication with the MS. Routing of all calls including those between MS's communicating through BTS's under the same BSC are routed through the MSC.
The MSC upon receipt of a call from an MS first determines whether the called party (target) is another MS under its control. If the target is another MS the MSC causes a page message to be generated for the target which is then transferred to each BSC which covers the location area in which the MS was last known to be in. The BSCs then cause the page to be transmitted through each antenna of each BTS connected to the BSC. Upon identification of a location of a target the MSC issues switching commands, directed to requesting and target BSCs, providing a signal path between the MS initiating the call and the BTS/BSC where the called party has been located.
If the MSC determines the target to be a PSTN subscriber, then the MSC composes a call request message to be transmitted into the proper trunk group of the PSTN interconnect. Trunk groups, in general and channels within trunk groups in particular, are associated with specific geographic areas. An MSC determines the geographic area in which the target is located by a translation of the called number and transmits the call request into the trunk group associated with the targers geographic area.
If the call request is received from the PSTN interconnect, then the MSC composes a page message for transmission through each BSS within the system. If the MS is within the system the MS responds through the nearest BTS. The response is transferred to the BSC, which in turn transfers the response to the MSC along with an identification of the receiving BTS. The MSC matches the call response with the call request and allocates a signal path from the PSTN interconnect to a selected trunk of the MSC to the BSC. The MSC instructs the BSC to connect the selected channel of the receiving BTS to the selected MSC trunk.
The BSCs is often located miles from the MSC, perhaps even in different PSTN area codes. Such remote locations can result in a landline telephone user having to pay toll call charges associated with having the voice "backhauled" to the MSC even when reaching a radiotelephone that is physically near the landline user. Similarly, a call from a radiotelephone to a nearby landline user may be routed miles to the MSC for connection to the PSTN and back to the landline user.
Spear (U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,531) provides one solution to this problem. The instant invention extends that solution by minimizing the charge impact on previously installed BSCs and "tricking" them into providing local PSTN interconnect functionality. The instant invention employs a control intercept to trick existing MSCs and BSCs into performing a similar function.

Method of and apparatus for providing a local PSTN interconnect with a cellular base site


A bipolar water ionizing electrode and a process employing such an electrode in an electrodialytic cell are disclosed. The cell has a plurality of ion exchange compartments separated by cation permselective membranes and the bipolar water ionizing electrode. The bipolar electrode is permeable to gas and electric current and impervious to liquid.

This invention relates generally to electrodes for use in electrodialytic processes and, more specifically, to a bipolar electrode that produces hydroxyl ions on a side facing an anode and hydrogen ions on the opposite side nearest the cathode in a multi-compartment electrolytic cell.
Techniques exist to employ water splitting membranes in electrodialytic processes. One approach, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,305, employs a process that uses a two compartment electrodialytic unit that alternates bipolar ion exchange membranes and cation permselective ion exchange membranes between the two electrodes. This process electrodialytically converts impure solutions of sodium bicarbonate to high purity carbon dioxide and high purity and concentrated sodium hydroxide. However, the process disclosed in this reference is not cost effective when compared to the reliable lime-soda process traditionally employed to produce sodium hydroxide. This process has relatively high resistance that prevents it from being practiced at high current densities. The bipolar ion exchange membranes would be unstable if exposed to the high temperatures needed to reduce the electrolyte's resistance in the electrolytic cell. Further, it is unlikely that high current density operation could be achieved simultaneously with the complete removal of sodium from the solution, since the conductivity of the solution is reduced when the sodium bicarbonate is depleted. Anion impurities, such as sulfate, must be added to the solution to improve the performance of the process.
Bipolar membranes previously employed in water splitting applications transport water, but are limited by their ability to operate in strongly corrosive solutions, their inability to withstand high operating temperatures and their relatively high operating resistance.
These problems are solved in the process and in the design of the water ionizing electrode of the present invention by providing a water ionizing electrode for use in an electrodialytic process capable of producing acids and alkali solutions from neutral salts.

Water ionizing electrode and electrochemical process for using