When a failure detection part detects a failure in an inverter circuit in a first power supply system, a drive control part stops the inverter circuit from driving a motor. An on/off control part turns off a first power supply relay of a power supply on/off part. Under a state that the inverter circuit stops a motor driving operation, a first coil set of the motor generates an induced voltage by rotation caused by an external force. The induced voltage is regenerated to a battery from the inverter circuit through a second power supply relay and a parasitic diode of the first power supply relay. Thus, circuit elements in the power supply system, which is failing, are protected from breaking down.

A conventional motor drive apparatus has a plurality of inverter circuits, which supply electric power to coil sets of a motor. When any one of the inverter circuits or any one of the coils sets fails, the motor drive apparatus continues power supply to the motor by only other inverter circuits operating normally.
For example, according to a motor drive apparatus for an electric power steering system disclosed in JP-A-2011-131860 (US 2011/0156629 A1), power supply relays are provided in power supply branch paths connecting a DC battery and inverter circuits of two power supply systems. When either one of the inverter circuits fails, one power supply relay connected to the inverter circuit of the power supply system, which is failing, is turned off to interrupt the power supply and the motor is driven by only the other inverter circuit of the power supply system, which is operating normally.
Such a relay as used for interrupting the power supply from the battery to the inverter circuit may be a mechanical relay or a semiconductor relay. The semiconductor relay is used in more instances in view of space restraint and cost restraint. As the semiconductor relay, a MOSFET is used in more instances in a 12V-power supply system in view of its on-resistance and saturation voltage loss. The MOSFET has a parasitic diode. In view of a possibility that a power source is connected in reverse polarity through error, two MOSFETs are connected in series so that flow directions of free-wheeling currents of respective parasitic diodes are opposite to each other.
A motor generally operates as a generator, which generates an induced voltage when its rotary shaft is rotated by an external force. In an electric power steering system of a vehicle, for example, a motor is rotated by an external force when a tire wheel of a vehicle hits and runs on an obstacle and the like.
In this case, the energy of the induced voltage is regenerated to a battery from an inverter circuit through a power supply relay in a power supply system, in which the power supply relay is in the turned-on state. In a power supply system, which is failing, a power supply relay is turned off and all switching elements in the inverter circuit are turned off. Thus no current path for regenerating the induced voltage is provided. The induced voltage thus becomes excessively high and possibly breaks down circuit elements.


When an STB is powered off when it is not used (when it is changed to the sleep mode) for the purpose of power-saving, a difference in a subtracter immediately therebefore is held by a control circuit and an oscillation circuit is controlled on the basis of the difference, thereby performing reserved processing at a correct time even when the STB is in the sleep mode.

The present invention relates to a broadcasting receiver and, more particularly, to a broadcasting receiver having a power-saving (sleep) mode for reducing power consumption on standby, where precision of an internal timer is improved.
In recent years, plural broadcasting satellites have been launched, and thereby digital broadcastings using the satellite waves have been started by plural broadcast distributors. In order to receive services of the broadcastings, a set top box (hereinafter, also referred to as STB) should be installed as a receiver, which is to be a decoder for decoding compressed signals of the received broadcasting and converting the same into signals which can be displayed on a display unit such as a CRT.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram mainly illustrating a clock generation unit in a STB as the above-described receiver, which is shown in the standards of MPEG, SO/IEC 13818-1 generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio: systems, Annex D.0.3 System Time Clock recovery in the. decoder. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a capture PCR for capturing a PCR (Program Clock Reference) indicating a broadcasting time for each program, which is included in a transport stream. Numeral 11 denotes a subtracter for generating a difference between an output of an STC counter, which will be described later, and an output of the capture PCR 10. Numeral 13 denotes a low-pass filter for cutting high frequency components that are above a predetermined value so as to prevent an oscillation circuit 15, which will be described later, from significantly fluctuating (diverging) when the difference is abruptly changed. Numeral 14 denotes a D/A converter for converting a signal which passed through the filter 13 into an analog signal. Numeral 15 denotes an oscillation circuit, such as a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), oscillation frequencies of which are controlled by an analog signal (voltage). Numeral 16 denotes an STC (System Time Clock) counter operating with a frequency signal (clock) output from the oscillation circuit 15 and functioning as an internal timer in the system. In addition, around this clock generation unit, circuits such as a tuner for selecting a channel or a decoder for decoding data are placed.
Using the above-described structure, a predetermined frequency signal is generated on the basis of a PCR indicating a broadcasting time for each program, which is included in the transport stream, and the internal timer in the system is operated. That is, the PCR detected by the capture PCR 10 is converted into an analog signal by the D/A converter 14, after its high frequency components above the predetermined value are cut off by the filter 13. Then, the oscillation circuit 15 receives the converted analog signal (voltage) as an input and outputs a frequency signal, and the STC counter 16 in the latter stage operates with the frequency signal. Then, a difference between the output of the STC counter 16 and the output of the capture PCR 10 is generated by the subtracter 11. By adjusting a loop from the subtracter 11 to the STC counter 16 so as to have the difference of xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d, a clock in synchronization with an input signal can be reproduced.
Anyhow, in recent years, there are some household electrical appliances in which the power consumption during standby when they are not used is not much smaller than that during operation.
Also in the STB, as in a television apparatus, it is considered to be preferable that unnecessary elements, such as a tuner or a decoder, should be powered off when they are not used, i.e., they are not in operation. Therefore, some STBs are constructed so as to be in the sleep mode (referred to also as an operation standby state) till a reserved processing start time. However, since reservation processings are performed with respect to playback/recording or the like in the STB, when the power is turned off for a long time, an error occurs in the internal timer and the reserved processing cannot be executed at a correct time.
The conventional broadcasting receiver is constructed as described above, and it does not have a structure for realizing lower power consumption on standby or, even when it has a structure which can put the STB into the sleep mode for the lower power consumption, it cannot perform the reserved processing at a correct time due to the error in the internal timer.
The present invention is made to solve the above-described problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a broadcasting receiver which can perform the reserved processing at a correct time even when the STB is put into the sleep mode.
A broadcasting receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention, which generates a clock of a predetermined frequency on the basis of a reference signal included in digital data including time-axis information and has an internal timer operating with the clock, comprises: reference signal detection means for detecting the reference signal; clock generation means for generating a clock of a frequency on the basis of the reference signal; counter means for counting the clock; difference generation means for calculating a time difference between output of the counter means and the reference signal; and control means for holding the output of the clock generation means when the receiver is changed to an operation standby state.
According to the present invention, when the receiver is in the operation standby state, the reference signal detection means detects the reference signal, the holding operation of the control means is released, and the receiver is put into an operation state for a prescribed time.
According to the present invention, a transport stream is utilized as the digital data including the time-axis information and a PCR (Program Clock Reference) indicating a broadcasting time for each program is utilized as the reference signal.
According to the present invention, a transport stream is utilized as the digital data including the time-axis information and a TDT (Time and Data Table) indicating a broadcasting time for each program is utilized as the reference signal.
As described above, according to the broadcasting receiver of the present invention, when the STB is changed into the sleep mode, a difference is immediately held by the control circuit and the oscillation circuit is controlled on the basis of the difference. Therefore, even in the sleep mode when the PCR cannot be detected, the great divergence of the oscillation frequencies can be avoided, whereby processings such as reserved processings can be performed on time.
In addition, the receiver is started at a uniform time interval during the sleep mode, receives the transport stream to detect the reference signal, and thereby occasionally corrects the time. Therefore, the precision of the internal timer can be further improved.

Clock generating based on a reference signal included in the digital input data of a digital broadcasting receiver

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Method and apparatus of network traffic offloading is disclosed. Network traffic offloading method may include receiving a first network traffic offloading frame from a base station in a cellular network, the first network traffic offloading frame comprising a frame type instructing a scanning start by broadcasting an advertising frame, traffic information indicating traffic expected to be offloaded by the base station and a transmission configuration indicating a period and a duration to transmit the advertising frame, broadcasting the advertising frame based on the transmission configuration to scan at least one access point (AP), receiving at least one invitation frame from the at least one AP and transmitting a probe request frame to an AP selected among the at least one AP to associate with the selected AP.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless communications and in particular to a method and apparatus of traffic offloading in a network.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Recently, a machine-to-machine (M2M) system may be considered, which system comes into the spotlight as the next generation communication technology and is enacted as a new standard so as to also support in the IEEE 802.11 WLAN. The M2M system means a network to transmit and receive information in which a communication subject as machines rather than people. Large machines such as process machinery in a plant, automobiles and the like may be also elements of the M2M system including the home appliances such as temperature or humidity sensors, a camera, a TV and the like. Recently, according to the introduction of a variety of communication services such as smart grids, e-Health, and ubiquitous services, the M2M technologies are utilized to support the services. The characteristics of the M2M system are as follows:
1) A large number of stations: It is assumed that the M2M terminal includes a large number of stations unlike the existing network. This is because all sensors installed at home, company, etc. may be considered as well as machines owned by individuals. Thus, the large number of stations may be connected to one AP.
2) A low traffic load for each station: The M2M terminal is not required to transmit information frequently and the amount of information is less since it has traffic patterns that collects and reports the surrounding information.
3) Uplink center: The M2M terminal has a structure that receives commands by mainly downlink and then reports the resulted data by uplink. Since the main data is usually transmitted by the uplink, the uplink is centered in the M2M terminal.
4) Long life of Station: The M2M terminal is mostly battery-operated, and it is often difficult to charge the battery frequently by users. Thus, the M2M terminal is required to ensure a long life by minimizing battery consumption.
5) Auto-recovery function: The M2M terminal is required to have an auto-recovery function since they are difficult to directly manipulate the terminal in a particular situation.
The IEEE 802.11ah standard is being discussed as one use case of such a M2M communication. The main feature of the standard is that the unlicensed band of sub-1 GHz, except for the TV white space band, has much wider coverage (up to 1 km) than that of the WLAN in the center of the existing indoor. That is, when the WLAN is used in the sub 1 GHz band represented as 700-900 MHz different from the existing 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, the coverage of the AP is extended about 2-3 times due to propagation characteristics of the corresponding band, compared to the same transmission power. This case has a feature in that the large number of STAs may be connected to one AP. The use case considered in the IEEE 802.11ah standard can be summarized as follows:
Use Case 1: Sensors and meters
1a: Smart Grid—Meter to Pole
1c: Environmental/Agricultural Monitoring
1d: Industrial process sensors
1e: Healthcare
1f: Healthcare
1g: Home/Building Automation
1h: Home sensors
Use Case 2: Backhaul Sensor and meter data
Backhaul aggregation of sensors
Backhaul aggregation of industrial sensors
Use Case 3: Extended range Wi-Fi
Outdoor extended range hotspot
Outdoor Wi-Fi for cellular traffic offloading
In the Use Case 1, which is the use case on the M2M communication using sensors and meters as described above, the various types of sensor devices can be connected to the 802.11ah AP to perform the M2M communication. In particular, in a case of the smart grid, the maximum 6,000 sensor devices may be connected to one AP.
In the Use Case 2, which is a case of the backhaul sensor and meter data, the 802.11ah AP that provides a wider coverage would serve as the backhaul link of other system such as the 802.15.4 g.
In the Use Case 3, it may be the use case aimed for outdoor extended range hotspot communication such as an extended home coverage, a campus wide coverage, shopping malls and the case aimed for distribution of the overflowing cellular traffic by which the 802.11ah AP supports traffic offloading of the cellular mobile communication.


The present invention relates to methods and agonist/antagonist compounds for modulating nuclear receptor coactivator binding. The invention includes a method for identifying residues comprising a coactivator binding site for a nuclear receptor of interest. Also included is a method of identifying agonists and/or antagonists that bind to a coactivator binding site of a nuclear receptor of interest. Agonists and antagonists of coactivator binding to nuclear receptors also are provided. The invention is exemplified by identification and manipulation of the coactivator binding site of the thyroid receptor (TR), and compounds that bind to this sites. The methods can be applied to other nuclear receptors including RAR, RXR, PPAR, VDR, ER, GR, PR, MR, and AR.

Cells contain receptors that can elicit a biological response by binding various molecules including proteins, hormones and/or drugs. Nuclear receptors represent a super family of proteins that are hormone/ligand-activated transcription factors that enhance or repress transcription in a cell type-, ligand- and promoter-dependent manner. The nuclear receptor family includes receptors for glucocorticoids (GRs), androgens (ARs), mineralocorticoids (MRs), progestins (PRs), estrogens (ERs), thyroid hormones (TRs), vitamin D (VDRs), retinoids (RARs and RXRs), peroxisomes (XPARs and PPARs) and icosanoids (IRs). The so-called "orphan receptors" for which ligands have not been identified are also part of the nuclear receptor superfamily, as they are structurally homologous to the classic nuclear receptors, such as steroid and thyroid receptors. Although overall sequence conservation between nuclear receptors varies between different families of receptors, sequence conservation between functional regions, or modules, of the receptors is high. For example, nuclear receptors can be organized into functional modules comprising an N-terminal transcriptional activation domain, a central DNA binding domain (DBD), and a C-terminal ligand binding domain (LBD). The LBD of nuclear receptors represents a hormone/ligand-dependent molecular switch. Binding of hormone to a nuclear receptor's LBD changes its ability to modulate transcription of DNA, although they may have transcription-independent actions. Nuclear receptors also bind proteins, such as chaperone complexes, corepressors, or coactivators, that are involved in receptor function. Hormone binding by a nuclear receptor can increase or decrease binding affinity to these proteins, and can influence or mediate the multiple actions of the nuclear receptors on transcription. For example, nuclear receptors can stimulate transcription in response to hormone binding by recruiting coactivator proteins to promoters of responsive genes (Glass et al., Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. (1997) 9:222-32); and Horwitz et al., Mol. Endocrinol. (1996) 10:1167-77).
Coactivators of the p160 family mediate activity of a transcriptional activation domain, called AF2, that is part of the nuclear receptor's LBD. A few receptor mutants deficient in coactivator-dependent activation have been isolated (TR: Collingwood et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (1997) 94:248-253; VDR: Jurutka et al., J. Biol. Chem. (1997) 227:14592-14599, Masayama et al., Mol. Endocrinol. (1997) 11:1507-1517; ER and RAR: Henttu et al., Mol. Cell Biol. (1997) 17:1832-1839). While these studies support the physiological relevance of the observed interaction, the structural and functional nature of the site to which coactivators bind has not been defined.
The medical importance of nuclear receptors is significant. They have been implicated in breast cancer, prostate cancer, cardiac arrhythmia, infertility, osteoporosis, hyperthyroidism, hypercholesterolemia, obesity and other conditions. However, limited treatments are available and current agonist/antagonist drugs used to target nuclear receptors are ligands that bind to the receptor's LBD buried deep within the receptor. Although additional targets on nuclear receptors are desired for drug development, the structural and functional basis of such sites, including the coactivator binding site, has not been described.
Accordingly, a need exists for identification and characterization of the coactivator binding sites of nuclear receptors, and molecules that affect their interaction with cellular coactivator proteins. This would provide a major new target for iterative drug design, synthesis, and selection. It also would be advantageous to devise methods and compositions for reducing the time required to discover compounds that target the coactivator binding site of nuclear receptors and administer them to organisms to modulate physiological processes regulated by nuclear receptors.
Relevant Literature
Wagner et al., (Nature (1995) 378:690-697) disclose the crystal structure of rat TR-alpha LBD. Various references disclose mutations in carboxyl-terminal helices of nuclear receptors (Henttu et al., supra; O'Donnell et al., Mol. Endocrinol. (1991) 5:94-99; Whitfield et al., Mol. Endocrinol. (1995) 9:1166-79; Saatcioglu et al., Mol. Cell Biol. (1997) 17:4687-95; Collingwood et al., supra; Kamei et al., Cell (1996) 85:403-14). Hong et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1996) 93(10):498-49452) and Hong et al. (Mol. Cell. Biol. (1997) 17:2735-2744) disclose cloning and expression of GRIP1 coactivator. Torchia et al., (Nature (1997) 387:677-84), Le Douarin et al., (EMBO J (1996) 15:6701-6715) and Heery et al. (Nature (1997) 387:733-736) disclose sequence alignment of various coactivator proteins showing a (SEQ ID NO: 1) LxxLL motif.

Methods for modulating nuclear receptor coactivator binding

The Regents of the University of California


The present invention relates generally to dynamic and/or adjustable support devices, methods of providing dynamic and/or adjustable support to target tissues, and kits comprising these devices. These devices may have particular utility in providing support to the urethra. The dynamic support devices generally comprise at least one attachment member for attachment to bodily tissue, and at least one expandable member capable of assuming an unexpanded configuration and an expanded configuration. The adjustable support devices generally comprise at least one attachment member for attachment to bodily tissue, and at least one shape-changing portion that is capable of assuming first and second configurations, each with different shapes. Additionally, the dynamic support devices may comprise features of the adjustable support devices, and vice versa.

Loss of bladder control, also known as urinary incontinence, is a widespread, debilitating condition, affecting millions. Associated with symptoms such as sleep deprivation, urosepsis, and skin irritation, urinary incontinence can have significant physiological, psychological, and social impacts on quality of life. The most common form of urinary incontinence, stress urinary incontinence, involves the involuntary leakage of urine upon sneezing, coughing, or other exertion. This leakage generally occurs when an increase in abdominal pressure during a stress event overcomes the body's urinary continence mechanisms.
During urination, muscles in the bladder contract and force urine from the bladder into the urethra. At the same time, the musculature of the urethral wall and the urinary sphincter relax, allowing urine to pass through the urethra and out of the body. During other activity, the urinary sphincter and the musculature of the urethral wall remain contracted, coapting the urethra. The urethra is further supported by a hammock-like pelvic floor which includes endopelvic fascia and, in women, the anterior vaginal wall. Generally, increases in abdominal pressure (generated, for example, by stress events such as coughing or exertion) push the urethra against the pelvic floor, further coapting the urethra.
Stress urinary incontinence is thought to occur by one, or both, of two mechanisms. The first mechanism results from failure of the urinary sphincter and musculature of the urethral wall. In this mechanism, called intrinsic sphincter deficiency, the urethral sphincter muscles are unable to adequately constrict the urethra, which results in urine loss during stress events. Intrinsic sphincter deficiency may result from operative trauma, scarring, denervation or atrophy. The second mechanism, urethral hypermobility, occurs when support structures within the pelvic floor become weakened or damaged. In these cases, the pelvic floor no longer properly functions to compress the urethra upon increases in abdominal pressure.
Fecal incontinence results from a loss of bowel control and an inability to hold stool within the body. During defecation, muscles in the rectum contract and force stool through the anus. Simultaneously, sphincters of the anus relax, thereby allowing stool to pass out of the body. During other activity, the anal sphincters remain contracted, preventing passage of stool therethrough.
Fecal incontinence is thought to be caused by one, or more, of a number of mechanisms. Constipation can result in the stretching and eventual weakening of the rectal muscles, which makes the rectum unable to adequately contain stool. Similarly, physical damage to the internal or external anal sphincters may result in a similar effect. In some situations, nerve damage resulting from childbirth, a stroke or physical injury may prevent the anal sphincters from functioning properly.
Given the widespread and debilitating nature of urinary and fecal incontinence, additional devices for treating urinary and fecal incontinence would be desirable. In particular, adjustable devices, which may allow physicians to change, following or during implantation, the amount of support a device provides would be desirable. Devices that dynamically provide different levels of support during times of stress would also be desirable.

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


The present invention relates to disposable absorbent articles like sanitary napkins and pantiliners, which comprise spore-forming micro-organisms and/or spores which have the ability to germinate into microorganisms which exhibit antagonistic properties against undesirable strains of microorganisms when the articles are in use. The invention provides storage-stable disposable absorbent articles which can be worn for long periods of time with reduced generation of undesirable odors and enhanced fluid (e.g., bodily fluid) control within the articles.

Hygiene articles like pantiliners, sanitary napkins, tampons, diapers and so on are used to absorb/retain bodily discharge. A problem associated with bodily discharge (vaginal discharge including vaginal fluids, and/or menstruation, urinal discharge, faeces or perspiration) is the generation of undesirable odors within such hygiene articles that have the tendency to escape out of the articles.
Many products and articles are available which aim to prevent the occurrence of malodours and/or to avoid and minimise the detection of malodours typically associated with bodily discharge.
Various odour control materials have been disclosed in the art to combat some of the unpleasant odours associated with body fluid discharges. Indeed solutions have been provided that use different technical approaches like masking, i.e., covering the odour with a perfume, or absorbing the odour already present in the bodily fluids and those generated after degradation, or preventing the formation of the odour.
Most of the focus in the prior art is found on the odour absorption technology. Examples of these types of compounds include activated carbons, clays, zeolites, silicates, absorbing gelling materials, starches, cyclodextrine, ion exchange resins and various mixture thereof as for example described in EP-A-348 978, EP-A-510 619, WO 91/12029, WO 91/11977, WO 89/02698, and/or WO 91/12030. All of these types of odour control agents are believed to control odour by mechanisms whereby the malodorous compounds and their precursors are physically absorbed by the agents and thereby hinder the exit of the odour from articles like absorbent articles. However, such mechanisms are not completely effective as the formation of the odour itself is not prevented and thus odour detection is not completely avoided. Also the drawback with these odour-absorbing agents is that, the bacteria are still able to grow, and the use of bacteria inhibiting agents, which are often selective, can create risks, for instance, in the form of allergenic properties or negative ecological consequences when handling waste. Furthermore, the use of bacteria inhibiting agents involves the risk that resistant strains will occur.
It is known within the medicine and foodstuff technologies to use bioconservation with the aid of bacterial antagonism as a conserving method, and to inoculate special bacteria strains to favourize bacteria populations that are beneficial to the stomach and intestines, for health-promoting purposes. Examples in this respect are conventional yogurt and soured milk, and also novel bioactive foodstuffs. This methodology also includes the use of bacteria such as so-called probiotic bacteria as a substitute for antibiotic bacteria.
International Patent Application WO 92/13577 describes a tampon or sanitary napkin that has been impregnated with a culture of lactic-acid producing bacteria, preferably of the genus Pediococcus, isolated from healthy individuals. The tampon or sanitary napkin is intended for the prophylactic treatment of urogenital infections. WO 97/02846 discloses an absorbent article with antagonistic microorganisms selected from the family Lactobacillaceae, preferably from the genera Lactobacillus or Lactococcus.
However, the problem encountered with such articles of the prior art is the stability of the articles both during storage and use. None of these prior art documents discloses anything about providing articles, especially disposable absorbent articles, which exhibit antagonistic properties against undesirable pathogens, which articles can be stored for a long time and still contain a sufficient amount of active and transferable bacteria. It is absolutely necessary that consumer products such as disposable absorbent articles can be stored for a long time and under non-ideal conditions without risking that the quality of the articles is impaired. Consequently, there is a need for articles delivering antagonistic properties against pathogens, which articles are specially adopted for long-time storage under unfavorable conditions and for maintaining their antagonistic properties against pathogens in use.
An attempt has been made in this direction in WO 99/17813 which discloses absorbent articles with a suspension of lactic acid bacteria from the genera Lactobacillus, Lactococcus or Pediococcus, the article being dried after application of the suspension, to a moisture content of less than 10% calculated as percentage of weight of the absorbent core in the article. However such articles do not fully meet the problems mentioned herein before. Also the production of such articles requires an extra drying step which impairs on the manufacturing requirements of speed and cost.
The object of the present invention is to provide an article for external application to a human or animal, without permitting pathogenic microorganisms to grow or to become active to an extent such as to promote undesirable odours.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide disposable absorbent articles which deliver a broader spectrum of odour control mainly by preventing the formation of malodours while not compromising on the overall protection delivered by such articles or even improving protection (e.g., reducing wet through and/or reducing re-wetting).
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such articles which are stable over prolonged time of storage without risking that the quality of the articles is impaired.
Yet, it is a further object of the present invention to provide articles which deliver a sustained antagonistic effect against undesirable strains of microorganisms. More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide articles, especially disposable absorbent articles, which deliver a sustained odour control over prolonged use time of the articles, i.e., a long lasting odour control by preventing the formation of odour over prolonged wearing time of the articles.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide articles, especially disposable absorbent articles, having the benefits mentioned herein before while meeting the requirements of ease of manufacturing, time effectiveness and cost effectiveness.
These objects have been achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing a disposable article comprising an absorbent core containing spores which are able to germinate under favorable conditions (typically in use conditions, e.g., when the article is applied to the external surface of a human or animal) in microorganisms (i.e., the corresponding living form of the spores) which exhibit antagonistic properties against undesirable strains of microorganisms, typically present or arisen in the article upon contact with bodily fluids.
The living form of the spores have an activity such as to restrain the growth of undesirable strains of microorganisms or establishing of new undesirable species of microorganisms. Even some killing of microorganisms of undesirable species may occur. Indeed, the living form of the spores used in the present invention have the ability to inhibit undesirable strains of micro-organisms by competing for substrate. The antagonistic properties of the living form of the spores used herein is further partly denoted their ability of producing different so called antimetabolites, such as lactic acid, lactoperoxidases, bacteriocins and carbon dioxides.
More particularly, it has been surprisingly discovered that the use, in the absorbent core of an disposable absorbent article, of spores of micro-organisms which exhibit antagonistic properties against undesirable pathogens (preferably B coagulans spores also called herein after L. sporogenes), provides an effective odour controlling article which can be stored for long time periods before its actual use, without risking that the odour control ability of the article in use is impaired. The use of these spores able storage stability upon prolonged periods of time up to the time the article is used, i.e., is applied on the external surface of a human or animal body where it typically comes into contact with bodily fluids, and undergoes environmental changes that will create favourable environmental condition for the germination of the spores. In use conditions, for example when a disposable article is applied onto the skin or in the urogenital zone, the body temperature, the micro-environmental humidity and the availability of nutriments like menses, vaginal discharge, urine, perspiration and the like, will allow transformation/germination of the spores (dormant form) in the microorganisms (living form).
Advantageously, the spore-containing articles according to the present invention retain their whole antagonistic properties against pathogens like the odour control capacity up to the time their are used. Thus the present invention also allows to provide articles with effective antagonistic properties, e.g., odour controlling ability, while using reduced total amount of active material (typically odour control material). Indeed a reduced total amount of spores according to the present invention is needed to obtain a given odour control activity for a given disposable article as compared to the total amount of non-spore forming antagonistic micro-organisms like Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, or Lactococcus that would be needed to get the same activity.
In one aspect of the present invention the disposable absorbent article will comprise within its absorbent core spore-forming microorganisms (living form of the microorganisms) exhibiting antagonistic properties against undesirable strains of microorganisms as an alternative or in mixture with the spores described herein.
Advantageously the spore-forming micro-organisms able to exhibit antagonistic properties against pathogens used herein, preferably the species B. coagulans, have the ability to create very quickly an environment that is not suitable for the growth of pathogens. This is due to the rapid growth, high yield and reproducibility of such micro-organisms in comparison to non-spore forming bacteria like Lactobacillus acidophilus. The spore forming micro-organisms used herein are able to survive longer and reproduce themselves in comparison to non spore-forming micro-organisms. In other words, by the formation of spores these micro-organisms can germinate and re-germinate in time sequence in line with the bodily fluid discharge (growth media) into an absorbent article, thereby ensuring long-lasting antagonistic properties against pathogens.
Without to be bound by theory, it is speculated herein that in the event where the bodily fluid discharge is reduced and hence less substrate is available for the micro-organisms, the micro-organisms used herein have the ability to be transformed in a dormant form, i.e., spore form, which will be activated again upon availability of further substrate, typically upon further bodily fluid discharge. Thus also when providing the disposable absorbent articles with the living form, i.e. the spore forming micro-organisms, effective antagonistic properties, e.g., odour controlling ability, while using reduced total amount of active material (typically odour control material).
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a disposable absorbent article which can be worn for a relatively long period of time without microorganisms being allowed to grow to an extent in which undesirable odours are generated. Advantageously the genetic identity, the lactic acid producing ability, the viability as well as the valuable antagonistic properties against pathogens are maintained even upon prolonged periods of use, typically during the whole wearing time of the article, e.g., up to 1 hour to 10 hours as need arises.
A further advantage associated with the disposable absorbent articles of the present invention (e.g., pantiliners or pads) comprising within the absorbent core a spore-forming antagonistic microorganism and/or the spores thereof (dormant form of the micro-organisms), is a better protection as well as better feeling and more acceptable cleanness level in use. Indeed, it has further been found that the spore forming microorganism and/or spores described herein, allow gelification of the bodily fluid discharge upon contact therewith, thereby facilitating fluid control into the article. Indeed the presence of the spore forming microorganisms and/or spores in the absorbent core of the absorbent article by changing the physical properties of the bodily fluid discharge enhances the fluid control properties of the article. Such gelification will have the benefits of retaining the bodily fluid within the absorbent core thereby reducing the rewetting of the topsheet and/or the soiling through as might otherwise result from squeezing the article for example as a consequence of legs movement of a person wearing the article.
Whereas the present invention is preferably directed to disposable articles like pantiliners, feminine napkins, incontinent pads, diapers, tampons, interlabial pads, perspiration pads, surgical pads, breast pads, human or animal waste management devices and the like, other articles may include the spores as described herein and/or micro-organisms too for the purpose of malodours control. Indeed, other applications include other articles designed to be worn in contact with the external surface of a human or an animal such as clothing, bandages, thermal pads, acne pads, cold pads, compresses, surgical pads/dressings and the like, body cleansing articles like impregnated wipes (e.g. baby wipes, wipes for feminine intimate hygiene), articles for absorbing perspiration such as shoe insoles, and articles for animals like litters and the like.

Articles with spores exhibiting antagonistic properties against pathogens and/or spores forming micro-organisms


A conductive polymeric tape has elongate electrodes, (6) extending along its long edges, and comprises a central longitudinal strip (8) of different resistance to the remainder of the tape. The strip (8) extends part way only along the tape. The tape may also, or instead, contain discontinuities (20) preferably extending across the tape. The purpose of the strip (8) and the discontinuities (20) is to control the passage of electrical current and also the heat output of different parts of the tape.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an article comprising a conductive material, preferably a conductive polymeric material, which may be used, for example, for modifying, e.g. joining or repairing one or more substrates. In particular the invention relates to such articles, preferably in the shape of tapes, in which the flow of electrical current, and also the heat output of various parts of the article are specifically controlled.


A rotary cutting apparatus for slicing food products into pieces such as helical strips includes a rotatable cutter head assembly having a radially extending thrust runner and discharge sleeve through which sliced food pieces are discharged. The cutter head assembly is supported by a plurality of radial motionless ring bearings in bearing contact with an outer periphery of the sleeve and by a plurality of motionless thrust bearings in supportive contact with the thrust runner. Bearing surfaces at the interfaces between the radial and thrust bearings and rotatable cutter head assembly are lubricated by circulating water. The rotatable cutter head assembly and belt drive system which drives the assembly are mounted as a unit on a pivotable frame to allow the combined structure to be pivoted away from a water feed inlet tube which delivers food products to the rotatable cutter head assembly.

Helical french fries, or curlicue fries as they are more commonly known, have long been a popular food item. Apparatus suitable for making strips for curlicue french fries have been known for decades. Early devices typically used a simple hand crank mechanism or motor to rotate the potato against a fixed slicing means adapted to slice the potato into helical strips.
More recently, automated commercial equipment has been developed for slicing potatoes into helical strips on a mass production basis. Such commercial equipment typically includes means for feeding non-rotating potatoes into slicing engagement with a rotating knife assembly designed to slice the potatoes into helical strips. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,838 to Samson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,418 to Julian et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,726 to Julian; U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,342 to Julian; U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,784 to Foster et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,881 to Frey et al., the teachings of which are herein incorporated by reference.
More specifically, such commercial equipment generally includes a potato conveying system or feed means for transporting the potatoes in singulated fashion to the rotating knife assembly. In the '838, '418 and '726 patents, the conveying system disclosed therein is a mechanical conveying system with moving parts. In the '342, '784 and '881 patents, the conveying system disclosed therein is a hydraulic conveying system or "water gun" which conveys the singulated potatoes in a fast moving water flow to the rotating knife assembly. The potatoes are entrained in the water flow and pumped through an enclosed passageway to the knife assembly.
In the foregoing commercial machines, the rotating knife assembly generally is supported by ball bearings or support rollers, and is driven mechanically by a drive belt or gear mechanism. The '881 machine employs a hydraulically driven turbine to rotate the knife assembly which rides on graphite-copper ring bearings press fit onto the turbine rotor. The bearing surfaces of the ring bearings are lubricated by a circulating stream of water.
One problem associated with ball bearing supported knife assemblies is that the bearings fail relatively frequently and must be replaced. Another problem is that the ball bearings typically are located near the interior of apparatus, requiring a significant amount of time to dismantle the equipment in order to replace the bearings. Both problems result in relatively high equipment down-time and expense.
While the '881 apparatus avoids the use of ball bearings to support the rotating knife assembly, it appears to be designed to channel lubricating water past the graphite-copper bearing surfaces, which are subject to wear, to the interior of the knife assembly. Thus, the possibility exists that graphite-copper particles sloughing off the bearing surfaces may enter the downstream flow of helical strips. In addition, this apparatus appears to require a number of valves which must be properly adjusted to maintain optimum performance, thereby adding to the complexity of its operation.
The present invention provides an apparatus for slicing vegetables, such as potatoes and the like, into helical strips or other types of cuts.
One object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a food slicing system that is relatively simple and efficient.
Another object is to provide a food slicing system that prolongs the life of the bearing system supporting the rotating knife assembly.
Still another object is to provide a food slicing system that is relatively easy to maintain.
Yet another object is to provide a food slicing system with a knife assembly that is easily accessible and removable.
Another object is to provide a food slicing system which is less expensive to manufacture and less likely to break down.
A further object is to provide a food slicing system that eliminates the need for mechanical bearings to support the knife assembly.
Still another object is to provide a food slicing system having a fluid lubrication system which does not intermix with the fluid carrier used to transport cut food pieces.
Yet another object is to provide an improved food slicing system for slicing potatoes and the like into helical strips.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following summary and detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Food processing system with rotating knife


A mechanism for coupling vehicle components to a vehicle frame made of a plastic material. A bolt is received by generally aligned openings defined by the frame and the component, and a first nut threaded onto the bolt securely presses the frame and component together. A spacer or second nut carried by the bolt between the first nut and the component is positioned within the opening in the frame. The spacer is slightly smaller in depth than the frame member, and allows the frame to become slightly compress. The spacer limits the travel of the nut on the threads, thereby preventing the frame from being compressed beyond the elastic range of deflection. A module plate having the vehicle engine thereattached is carried between the second nut and the vehicle component. The second nut keeps the module plate and the component securely coupled together when the first nut is removed from the bolt, such that the module plate, the engine and the vehicle component can be removed from the frame as a single unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to mechanisms for coupling vehicle components such as engines and transaxles to vehicle frames.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional lawn vehicles are provided with an engine and other vehicle components that must be supported or coupled with the vehicle frame. A metal or steel vehicle frame is typically utilized, and attachment mechanisms such as bolts are often used for coupling the components to the frame. The metalic frame material is rigid enough to withstand the large compressive force applied by the bolt mechanism.
However, it may be desirable to provide a vehicle having a frame made of a plastic or composite material such that the engine and other vehicle components must be coupled to the plastic frame. These plastic or composite materials will behave elastically within an initial range of stress. If the given stress is high enough, then the plastic material will deform plastically or permanently. Furthermore, plastic or composite materials show properties which are time dependent under load. They can flow under a constantly applied given load (ie. creep) or they can relax under a given deflection (ie. stress relaxation). There are stresses high enough within the elastic range that, when applied to the plastic material over an extended period of time, will cause the material to undergo permanent deflection over time. The load at which the plastic will begin to creep after a period of time is dependent on the particular material used, the time of exposure to the load, the temperature, and other operating conditions. The load at which the plastic will begin to creep after a period of time is dependent on the particular material used, the time of exposure to the load, the temperature, and other operating conditions.
When plastic material is compressed away from conventional bolt connections, the stress within the plastic material may decrease or relax over a period of time if the bolt is not retightened against the plastic. If the bolt connection is retightened against the plastic, then the plastic or composite may continue to flow or creep away from the bolt connection over time.
Since plastic material can be squeezed away from the bolt connection, the thickness of the material can decrease at the location of the bolt. The frame can become weaker as the plastic material continues to flow away from the bolt. The frame may become so weak at the connection point that the frame may fail or the component may break away from the frame.
Many operators do not possess the tools required to measure the torque applied to a bolt. Therefore, a user who has removed a conventional bolt from a plastic frame is capable of applying an amount of torque to the bolt that will cause the plastic to deform non-elastically, or to creep over time.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a mechanism for coupling a component to a vehicle having a frame made of a plastic or composite material. It would be desirable for such a mechanism to prevent the plastic material from being compressed into a non-elastic range of stress. Furthermore, it would be desirable for such a mechanism to prevent the plastic material from undergoing stress high enough within the elastic range to cause the material to creep. It would be desirable for the plastic material to remain sufficiently strong to withstand the loads transferred from the component.

Mechanism for coupling a component with a vehicle


An image transfer system comprising an endless belt serving as an image carrier and passing through a first processing station where it is maintained at a low temperature and through a second processing station where it is maintained at a higher temperature, and a heat exchanger formed by two portions of said belt moving in opposite directions and held in sliding contact with each other by a pressing member, the pressing member being a deflecting roller that co-rotates with the belt portion that is directly in contact therewith.

The present invention relates to an image transfer system comprising an endless belt serving as an image carrier and passing through a first processing station where it is kept at a low temperature and through a second processing station where it is kept at a higher temperature, and a counter flow heat exchanger formed by two portions of said belt moving in opposite directions and held in sliding contact with each other by a pressing member.
An image transfer system is used for example in a copier or printer in which a toner image is developed on or transferred onto an image carrier in the first processing station and is then transferred onto a sheet of copy paper and fused thereon in the second processing station. Especially when the transfer step and the fuse step in the second processing station are combined into a single transfusion step, the belt needs to be heated to an elevated temperature before it is fed to the second processing station. On the other hand, the first transfer step or the developing step in the first processing station generally requires a lower belt temperature. In a specific type of copying or printing machine, the toner image is developed on a photoconductive drum or is directly formed on the surface of an electrode drum in a direct induction printing process and is then transferred to the belt which serves as an intermediate image carrier.
The arrangement in which portions of the belt are configured as a counter flow heat exchanger has the advantage that the losses of heat energy and hence the power consumption of the machine can be reduced significantly because a substantial part of the heat of the belt leaving the second processing station can be recovered and used for pre-heating the belt which is fed to the second processing station. In order to achieve a high efficiency of the heat exchanger and to reduce the length of the heat exchanger, it is preferable that the belt is formed by a relatively thin endless support and is made of a material which has a small heat capacity and a high thermal conductivity. Further, the two portions of the belt forming the heat exchanger should be held in close contact with each other. On the other hand, the force with which these two belt portions are pressed against one another should not be too large in order to limit the amount of friction between the belt surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,263 discloses an image transfer system of the type indicated above in which the heat exchanger is configured as a straight path defined between two deflecting rollers. One of the belt portions moves tangentially past the two deflecting rollers without being substantially deflected, whereas the other portion is deflected at both rollers so as to be in sliding contact with the first portion only in the straight path between the two deflecting rollers. A plate-like pressing member is used for slightly pressing the second belt portion against the first one over the length of the heat exchanger.
It is an object of the present invention to improve the efficiency of the heat exchanger and to thereby allow for a more compact construction of the overall system.
According to the present invention, this object is achieved by the feature that the pressing member has a curved surface over which portions of the belt are guided over a substantial part of the length of the counter flow heat exchanger, and the curved surface co-rotates with the belt portion that is in direct contact therewith.
Thus, the heat exchanger is essentially formed by a curved path on which the two belt portions are superposed on the curved surface of the pressing member. As a result, the outer portion of the belt is pressed against the inner one, which is directly supported by the pressing member, with a force that is proportional to the belt tension and increases with increasing curvature of the pressing member. As a result, the two belt portions moving in opposite directions are held in close contact with each other due to the pressing force which can be finely adjusted by appropriately selecting the belt tension. This assures a good reproducible heat transfer from one belt layer to the other, so that the efficiency of the heat exchanger is increased and the length thereof can be reduced. As will be illustrated hereinafter, the efficiency of the heat exchanger is remarkably increased in comparison with the configuration as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,263.
In addition, the curved configuration of the counter current heat exchanger makes it possible to arrange the first and second processing stations in relatively close proximity to one another, in spite of the necessary length of the heat exchanger. As a result, a compact construction of the overall system is achieved.
It will be further understood that the second processing station operating at higher temperature should be insulated against thermal losses, so that, ideally, the heat is dissipated only through the heat exchanger.
According to the present invention, the pressing member is a cylindrically shaped member which co-rotates with one of the belt portions forming the heat exchanger. Thus, no friction will occur between the pressing member and the belt portion directly supported thereon. Friction will occur only between the opposed surfaces of the two belt layers superposed on the circumference of the rotating drum. These surfaces, however, which are not the image carrying surfaces of the belt, may have a comparatively low friction coefficient, so that the frictional resistance is minimised.
The drum forming the pressing member should be made of a material which has a small heat conductivity and a small heat capacity, so that the heat of the hot portion of the belt will be dissipated substantially to the cooler belt portion but not to the drum serving as a pressing member.
In order to further minimise the thermal contact between the belt and the drum, it is preferable to provide a pattern of grooves on the surface of the drum, so that the drum will be in contact with the belt only in ridge or island portions defined between the grooves. Of course, the width of the grooves should be small enough to avoid any distortion of the belt layers which could have a negative effect on the image quality or on the durability of the belt and to assure appropriate thermal contact of the entire belt areas in the heat exchanger.
In order to increase the temperature of the belt up to the process temperature needed in the second processing station, a heater will generally be arranged between the heat exchanger and the second processing station. As a result, there exists a temperature difference between the belt portion exiting from the heat exchanger toward the second processing station and the portion re-entering from the second processing station into the heat exchanger. Such a temperature difference is necessary for maintaining the heat transfer from one belt layer to the other within the heat exchanger. If thermal losses are reduced to such an extent that they may be neglected, conservation of energy requires that the same temperature difference is present between the two belt layers over the whole length of the heat exchanger. Consequently, this temperature difference will also be present between the belt portion exiting from the heat exchanger towards the first processing station and the portion re-entering into the heat exchanger from the first processing station. This means that the heat energy which has been supplied by the heater on the side of the second processing station must be extracted on the side of the first processing station.
In order to achieve a compact construction, this heat extraction is preferably promoted by an active cooling system, e.g. an air or a water-cooled drum which preferably deflects the belt by a comparatively large angle, e.g. an angle of about 180xc2x0. For example, the cooling drum may be situated upstream of the first processing station and may be arranged to cool the belt to a temperature sufficient low to avoid that the first procession station is warmed up by the belt above the operating temperature of the first processing station. This design has the advantage that the cooling function is completely removed from the first processing station itself, so that the component parts forming the first processing station can be reduced in complexity.

Powder image transfer system with heat exchanger


A high-yield paper sheet generally includes at least about 50 weight percent mechanical pulp, wherein the basis weight of the sheet is in the range of about 24 to about 60 pounds, and wherein the porosity of the sheet is in the range of about 40 to about 100 Sheffield porosity.

High-speed ink jet printing is a newly developed form of printing that currently is the highest speed of printing available for variable information printing. Due to the speed, the cost per page is relatively low compared to other forms of variable information printing. High-speed ink jet markets generally include high volume variable data applications, such as bills, statements, promotional and direct mail, as well as other transactional communications. A low basis weight paper, similar to a newsprint basis weight is desirable for these high-speed ink jet applications to reduce costs associated with the paper and the postage, as well as to reduce paper waste.
Past low basis weight paper grades have not been suitable for high-speed ink jet printing applications. For example, newsprint grade paper has a desirable basis weight; however, it is not fit for high-speed ink jet applications as a result of the ink and newsprint paper interactions, such as bleeding, cockling. etc. In addition, the image quality for newsprint, which is directly proportional to the specialty treatment of the paper, is poor.
Therefore, there exists a need for a high-yield paper, particularly designed to have desirable basis weight and porosity values, as well as other desirable qualities particular for high-speed ink jet printing applications.

High-yield paper and methods of making same

North Pacific Paper Corporation (NORPAC)


A method for removing gaseous inclusions from a viscous liquid in which a viscous liquid stream having gaseous inclusions is introduced into a refining chamber, resulting in a flowing viscous liquid layer. The viscosity of a bottom portion of the viscous liquid layer is reduced in a first refining zone in the refining chamber so as to produce an upwardly mobile reduced viscosity portion of the viscous liquid layer. Heat is introduced into the viscous liquid layer from above the viscous liquid layer in a second refining zone in the refining chamber downstream of the first refining zone, reducing the gaseous inclusions in said viscous liquid layer. Thereafter, the viscous liquid layer having substantially reduced gaseous inclusions is discharged from the refining chamber.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for removing gaseous inclusions from viscous liquids. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for removing gaseous inclusions from high viscosity molten materials, such as molten glass.
Description of Related Art
There are a variety of commercially important materials which exist as viscous liquids during processing and contain a substantial number of gaseous inclusions. Exemplary of such viscous liquids is molten glass. New methods for melting materials such as glass have been proposed in the form of compact, high-intensity melters which employ, for example, submerged combustion melting, plasma melting, electric melting, or other means. These new melters offer significant operations and cost benefits in industrial practice, but they may produce a molten material having large quantities of gaseous inclusions. As a result, the advantages of such high intensity melters are mitigated if removal of the gaseous inclusions is slow or requires large, costly equipment.
Quality specifications for solid products produced from molten materials vary depending on the type of solid product but generally require the removal of gaseous inclusions over a certain diameter and may require removal of gaseous inclusions down to a specified number of inclusions per unit volume of the solid product. Because the inclusions cannot be reduced from a solid product, such inclusions must be removed while the precursor material is in the form of a viscous liquid.
For gaseous inclusions disposed in a viscous liquid, the natural tendency is for the gaseous inclusions to rise to the surface of the viscous liquid. However, the rate at which the gaseous inclusions rise to the surface of the viscous liquid is a function of the viscosity of the liquid and the size of the gaseous inclusions. That is, the rate at which the inclusions rise to the surface decreases with increases in liquid viscosity and decreases in gaseous inclusion diameters. Depending upon the liquid viscosity, conventional means for increasing the rate at which the gaseous inclusions rise to the surface frequently require large, costly furnaces which provide sufficient residence time to allow removal thereof by buoyancy alone. Thus, a method which provides for rapid removal of gaseous inclusions from viscous liquids, particularly from viscous liquids such as molten glass, is highly desirable.
Under normal gravity conditions, a gaseous inclusion, or bubble, will rise to the upper surface of a liquid. This is a consequence of the lower density of the insoluble gas. Increasingly precise mathematical descriptions have been developed which describe this well-known phenomenon in various liquids over a wide range of liquid viscosities, but a general description known as Stokes Law provides a reasonable understanding of the process. Stokes Law states that the velocity at which a bubble rises is proportional to the square of the bubble diameter, proportional to the acceleration of gravity, proportional to the difference in density between the liquid in the gas, and inversely proportional to the viscosity of the liquid. Most methods for speeding the removal of bubbles from liquids, particularly viscous liquids, take advantage of Stokes Law. Proposed and implemented methods for bubble removal have included putting the liquid under vacuum, or reduced pressure, so as to increase bubble diameter and increase bubble velocity; spinning a liquid to increase the effective gravitational constant, g, and, thus, increase bubble velocity; heating a viscous liquid with localized heating by various means, such as electrodes, burners, microwave, and the like, to decrease viscosity which leads to higher bubble velocity; injecting additional bubbles by using bubblers, adding a "fining agent", or injecting a light gas such as helium, so as to effect bubble coalescence, which effectively increases bubble diameter and bubble velocity; passing the liquid over a substantially planar surface to create a thin layer, thereby reducing the distance through which the bubbles must travel to reach the upper surface of the liquid; using acoustic or ultrasonic energy to cause bubbles to vibrate, or to coalesce, or to be pushed toward coalescing zones or the surface to assist in removal of bubbles from a viscous liquid; and stirring the liquid, i.e. mechanically lifting liquid from the bottom toward the surface.
Each of the aforementioned methods to speed bubble removal has associated costs and limitations. Vacuum systems are costly to build and complex to operate. Centrifuges can be complex and are impractical when working with high temperature liquids, such as molten glass. Conventional heating of the liquid to lower the viscosity, whether using burners, electrodes, or microwaves, costs energy. The addition of new bubbles can lead to complexity, add cost for the gas, and does not assure complete capture of the smallest bubbles that are the most difficult to remove. Thin-film bubble removal by itself is impractical because a large surface area must be maintained without variations in temperature or flow rate and without excessive wear of the surface. Acoustic or ultrasonic approaches are promising, but they suffer from difficulties in scaling to a practical method that will work with the volumes of liquid commonly processed on an industrial scale. Stirring methods are used currently, but they are of limited utility and must be implemented with care to avoid the addition of new bubbles to the liquid.
The most straightforward approach to removing gaseous inclusions is to simply wait for them to rise to the surface. However, as previously indicated, this approach is particularly slow in viscous liquids because the bubbles can take a long time to rise and because small bubbles, in particular, can take an order of magnitude more time to rise. In addition, once the bubbles do reach the surface, they may stay on the surface for some time before they break.
One way to increase the rate of bubble rise and, thus, reduce refining time is to increase the temperature of the liquid containing the bubbles to decrease the liquid viscosity. For many liquids, molten glass being a prime example, a relatively small temperature increase produces a significant decrease in viscosity. Common practice is to heat the molten glass from above, thereby transferring heat down into the glass by radiation and convection. However, glass at the bottom of the molten bath also must be heated in order to fully clarify the glass, thereby necessitating overheating of all the glass above the bottom of the bath. In addition, overheating of the molten glass surface in this manner results in excessive heat loss, damage to the furnace materials, and potential volatilization of components such as boron and sodium. On the other hand, heating molten glass from above is beneficial because the bubbles reaching the surface are in a lower viscosity liquid and, as a result, are much easier to break. However, this approach to heating is inefficient because breaking bubbles on the surface of the molten glass is only useful when all of the bubbles are at the surface. If the bulk glass still contains rising bubbles, then the bubbles lower in the molten glass will need additional heat to break once they reach the surface.
As indicated above, another conventional method for decreasing refining time for molten glass is to hold the glass in a shallow bed or thin film so as to decrease the distance the bubbles are required to travel before reaching the surface to break. Typical glass melters use bed depths of 30-36 inches and forehearth (refining) channels having depths of approximately 6 inches. Using a forehearth depth for refining decreases the time required to clarify the glass by a factor of five or six. This decrease is significant but comes with the penalties of greater surface area and faster flow of glass across refractory surfaces that abrade during processing. Using depths under 4 inches for refining is impractical due to increases in surface area, heat loss, and refractory wear from the high velocities of the molten glass flowing across the surface.
The benefits of employing both the conventional method of heating molten glass and the method of holding molten glass in a relatively shallow channel are cumulative. Refining times can be decreased substantially, leading to refining times for bubbles as small as 0.1 mm in diameter in the range of about 1 to 3 hours. However, such a process would be expected to be inefficient and may also suffer from evaporative loss of some volatile components. Even with the known penalties of this approach, the practice would still suffer from a much longer refining time than desired. Production rates of glass in industrial furnaces range from about 1 to 25 tons per hour; thus, a refining chamber providing a residence time of 1 to 3 hours would be prohibitively large and costly. For a refining unit to be small enough in size to be cost-effective and practical, residence times must be reduced by another factor of 3-6 so that refining times of about 20 minutes can be achieved.
Stokes Law describes the buoyant behavior of bubbles in a viscous liquid. However, the effect of bubble surface tension is not described by Stokes Law. Depending upon the composition of the viscous liquid and the gas composition of the bubbles, bubble surface tension impacts bubble coalescence when the bubbles come in contact. Bubbles that coalesce tend to act like larger bubbles and, thus, rise more quickly. In molten glasses, the bubbles do tend to coalesce, such that when the molten glass is very bubbly and the large bubbles rise as a single mass, small bubbles cannot move around the larger bubbles and are forced to attach to the larger bubbles and rise with them. A process that provides a means for all the bubbles to rise in a single mass is, thus, much more effective at removing even the smallest of bubbles from liquid.

Convective thermal removal of gaseous inclusions from viscous liquids


A front substrate and a back substrate are placed opposing each other separated by a discharge space. The front substrate is made of a semitransparent material such as a dark color glass with a mean transmittance for visible light of 60 to 80%. On the front substrate, a group of electrodes including pairs of scanning electrodes and sustaining electrodes covered with a dielectric layer and a protective coating are provided. Data electrodes and spacers are formed on the back substrate, and phosphors are provided on the data electrodes towards the side of the spacers. A front filter, which is made of a semitransparent glass sheet with a mean transmittance for visible light of 60 to 80%, is disposed on the front side of the front substrate. The present invention realizes a display with less halation and high contrast. Also, a detection rate of a defect in electrodes, which are formed on the front substrate, improves.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel used for displaying an image in a television receiver or a computer and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 7 shows a conventional AC type plasma display panel. As is shown in FIG. 7, the conventional AC type plasma display panel (hereinafter, referred to as a panel) 1 is provided with a front substrate 3 and a back substrate 4 opposing each other separated by a discharge space 2. The front substrate 3 is a transparent glass substrate, on which a group of electrodes including pairs of belt-like scanning electrodes 7 and sustaining electrodes 8 covered with a dielectric layer 5 and a protective coating 6 are arranged in parallel. Belt-like data electrodes 9 are arranged in parallel on the back substrate 4 in the direction perpendicular to the scanning electrode 7 and the sustaining electrode 8. Belt-like spacers 10 are provided between the data electrodes 9 in order to separate data electrodes 9 and form the discharge space 2. Also, phosphors 11 are formed on the data electrodes 9 towards the side of the spacers 10. Mixed gas of xenon and at least one of the rare gases selecting from helium, neon and argon is sealed in the discharge space 2.
In this panel 1, an image display is seen from the front substrate 3 side. Ultraviolet light, which is generated by discharges between the scanning electrode 7 and the sustaining electrode 8 in the discharge space 2, excites the phosphors 11, then visible light from this phosphors 11 is used for the light emitted by the display.
In general, a contrast ratio of the display in a bright ambience needs to be at least 50:1. When the inventors measured the brightness at the illumination of 150 lxc3x97 of an AC type plasma display panel using a conventional transparent glass substrate (mean transmittance for visible light is approximately 94%) as the front substrate, the maximum brightness of the light emitted by the display was 450 cd/m2 and the background brightness due to reflection of external lights was 16 cd/m2. Accordingly, the contrast ratio was as small as about 28:1. In this case, the mean transmittance for visible light means a mean value of the transmittance within the wavelength range of the visible light (360 to 830 nm), and, in the following, the mean transmittance refers to the mean transmittance for visible light.
As a method for making the contrast ratio at least 50:1, a glass substrate with a dark color can be used as the front substrate. For example, the mean transmittance r of this dark color glass substrate can be calculated with the formula below so that the contrast ratio may be 50:1.
450(r/0.94)/{16(r2/0.94)}=50
r=0.52 is obtained with this formula. Therefore, the required mean transmittance of the front substrate is approximately 50%.
However, as is described above, the scanning electrodes 7, the sustaining electrodes 8, the dielectric layer 5 and the protective coating 6 are formed on the front substrate 3. During their forming step, a pattern defect in the scanning electrodes 7 and the sustaining electrodes 8, an internal defect and dust in the dielectric layer 5 or the protective coating 6 are checked for. A defect checking device for this purpose has been automated with image recognition technologies. In order to increase the defect detection rate, an appropriate illumination from both surfaces of the front substrate 3 is necessary. When a glass substrate with a mean transmittance of 50% is used as the front substrate 3, especially the illumination from the front side of the front substrate 3 (the side of the front substrate 3 that opposes the one on which the scanning electrodes etc. are formed) is not appropriate, resulting in a considerable decrease in the defect detection rate with this defect checking device.
In addition, as another method for making the contrast ratio at least 50:1, a filter made of a dark color glass with a mean transmittance of approximately 50% can be provided on the front surface of the transparent front substrate 3. However, when an image with black and white displays adjacent each other is displayed on this panel, the white display is blurred in the region near the border that should be the black display. This is called halation.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the problems above and to provide a plasma display panel and a method for manufacturing the same, which realizes a preferable display with less halation and high contrast and improves the detection rate of a defect and dust in the scanning electrodes and the sustaining electrodes, which are formed on the front substrate.
The plasma display panel in accordance with the present invention includes a front substrate, a back substrate opposing the front substrate and separated therefrom by a discharge space, and a front filter provided on a front side of the front substrate. Mean transmittances for visible light of the front substrate and the front filter are 60 to 80% respectively.
With this configuration, halation and external light source reflection lessen, contrast increases, and reflected images can be suppressed. Also, a defect and a dust in the scanning electrodes and the sustaining electrodes, which are formed on the front substrate, can be detected with a high probability.
The method for manufacturing the plasma display panel in accordance with the present invention includes forming scanning electrodes and sustaining electrodes on a front substrate with a mean transmittance for visible light of 60 to 80%, checking for defects by illuminating from a front side of the front substrate, forming a dielectric layer and a protective coating covering the scanning electrodes and the sustaining electrodes, placing a back substrate in opposition to the front substrate and sealing a place therebetween, sealing a gas between the front substrate and the back substrate, and providing a front filter with a mean transmittance for visible light of 60 to 80% in the front side of the front substrate.
With this method, a defect and dust in the scanning electrodes and the sustaining electrodes, which are formed on the front substrate, can be detected with a high probability, leading to a reliable inspection in the manufacturing step.

Plasma display panel with semitransparent front substrate and filter


A fabric panel clean change-out frame, for use on a containment structure having rigid walls, is formed of a compression frame and a closure panel. The frame is formed of elongated spacers, each carrying a plurality of closely spaced flat springs, and each having a hooked lip extending on the side of the spring facing the spacer. The closure panel is includes a perimeter frame formed of flexible, wedge-shaped frame members that are receivable under the springs to deflect the hooked lips. A groove on the flexible frame members engages the hooked lips and locks the frame members in place under the springs. A flexible fabric panel is connected to the flexible frame members and closes its center.

Rigid-structured containments are employed in the processing of nuclear, biological, chemical or other material whose spread into the general environment is regarded as undesirable contamination. According to the state-of-the art, a typical containment is a glove box, which is provided with glove ports to which flexible gloves are mounted. The glove box permits a worker outside the containment to manipulate materials within the containment. Also, a glove box permits change-out of a glove without requiring opening the containment, as it can be important that the integrity of the containment be maintained. However, no method is known to permit such clean change-out with irregularly shaped fabric panels. The use of glove boxes and similar containments is increasing in both the nuclear and non-nuclear industries, as the trend is to contain the work rather than the worker.
Fabric panels are employed on containments and glove boxes for several purposes. They provide a flexible seal between two parts of the containment that move relative to each other, or that are misaligned, or that vibrate enough to ruin a rigid connection. Further, they are used on some portable containments in lieu of steel or Lexan walls to reduce weight. Additionally, they are used to cover large passage openings used to pass in and out large items. In view of these many uses, the ability to replace the fabric panel without opening the containment would be very valuable, especially on containments with more hazardous interior elements. It has been necessary to construct and remove secondary contamination barriers at the time of a change-out, which is a source of delay and expense.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a means of securing a fabric panel to a glove box or containment in a contamination-controlling manner, wherein the panel can be changed without violating the integrity of the containment.
In particular, it would be desirable to have a means of securing a fabric panel to a containment in such as way that the fabric panel can be replaced with a new one without first removing the old one.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the fabric panel clean change-out frame and method of use of this invention may comprise the following.


A base station includes: a controller configured to perform Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) communication with a user terminal; and a transmitter configured to transmit, to a neighbor base station, transmission power information that indicates restriction of downlink transmission power related to the CoMP communication. The transmission power information comprises: a threshold; a bit string that indicates, for each resource block, whether the downlink transmission power exceeds the threshold; and start subframe information that indicates a start subframe at which the restriction becomes valid.

In 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) that is a project aiming to standardize a mobile communication system, the standardization of CoMP (Coordinated Multi-Point) communication is in progress (see Non Patent Literature 1).
The CoMP communication is a communication mode in which an antenna group arranged in the same place is positioned as one "point" and a plurality of points coordinate with one another to perform communication with a user terminal A point group that performs communication with a user terminal by using one time-frequency resource is called a CoMP coordinating set.


A substantial apparatus width along a board carrying direction of an electronic component placing apparatus for placing electronic components on a board having a length L along the board carrying direction is a total dimension 4L+SL. Specifically, 4L denotes a length of the sum of the lengths of a first board retreat position, a first component placement position, a second board retreat position and a second component placement position. Further, SL denotes a length of the sum of the lengths of the spaces for positioning a board stop mechanism provided at each of the first board retreat position, the first component placement position, the second board retreat position and the second component placement position. Finally, the substantial apparatus width is between 450 mm and 1000 mm inclusively.

The present invention relates to an electronic component placing apparatus for placing electronic components on a board and a mounted-board producing apparatus.
Conventionally, when electronic components are mounted on a board such as a printed board, processes of printing a cream-like solder paste on the board, placing the electronic components on the printed solder paste, and heating and cooling the board on which the electronic components are placed to solidify the solder so that the electronic components are fixed on the board are performed.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an electronic component placing system 9 for placing electronic components on a board in a conventional mounting system for mounting electronic components on a board. In the electronic component placing system 9, a board on which solder pastes are printed is carried in from a printer from a direction shown with an arrow 901, and the board is carried along a carrying path 902 in the electronic component placing system 9. Various electronic components are placed on the board while the board is carried, and the board is carried out in a direction shown with an arrow 903. Then, the board is carried into a reflow apparatus, and the electronic components are fixed on the board.
In the electronic component placing system 9 shown in FIG. 12, three high-speed placing apparatuses 91 and two multifunctional placing apparatuses 92 are successively disposed, and an inspection apparatus 93 for inspecting electronic components-placed states is disposed between the high-speed placing apparatus 91 and the multifunctional placing apparatus 92. The high-speed placing apparatus 91 is an apparatus for placing a large number of micro electronic components at high-speed on a board, and the multifunctional placing apparatus 92 is an apparatus for placing many types of electronic components on a board.
Meanwhile, the electronic component placing system 9 shown in FIG. 12 is designed such that electronic components can also be placed on a large-size board. On the other hand, as a portable terminal including a cellular phone is widely used, miniaturization of a board incorporated in the portable terminal is also being progressed.
Thus, in order to efficiently place electronic components on a board for a portable terminal by using the electronic component placing system 9, circuits for a multiplicity of portable terminals need to be formed on one board that is carried. However, with diversification of portable terminals, production (mounting) of many types of boards in a small number is more strongly required, and hence the configuration of the electronic component placing system 9 shown in FIG. 12 is becoming unsuitable to placement of electronic components on a board for a portable terminal.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic component placing apparatus and a mounted-board producing apparatus suitable to production of a small-size board in consideration to the aforementioned issue.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An evolved NodeB (eNB), user equipment (UE) and mobility management entity (MME), as well as method of communicating using a power saving mode (PSM) are generally described. A PSM configuration indication of the UE may be received at the eNB from the UE or MME in an Initial UE Context Setup Request, a UE Context Modify Request, core network assistance information, or a dedicated message to the eNB. The eNB may adjust the time for transmitting to the UE an RRC connection release message based on the PSM configuration indication. The eNB may determine whether the UE is in a connection mode and the inactivity timer of the eNB having reached the activation timer of the PSM configuration indication, transmit the RRC connection release message to the MME. The PSM configuration may be provided between eNBs during handover.

Mobile networks may support various devices that may operate according to vastly different characteristics or requirements. Smartphones or similar devices may receive high data rates and download large amounts of data while Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices may transmit or receive far less data. The number of MTC devices is expected to explode to tens of billions of devices over the next decade. MTC devices may have different requirements than other 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) user equipment (UE) in terms of optional feature support, traffic characteristic support, access priority, congestion management, ratio of signaling to user plane traffic, etc. Many MTC devices generate very low user plane traffic on the network and many such MTC devices can be considered as low access priority as defined in 3GPP Rel-10 specifications.
Even if the MTC devices use low priority access and send only small amount of data, the sheer increase in the number of MTC devices transmitting the data through Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks has the potential to overload the radio access network and/or core network of the LTE networks. Moreover, certain MTC devices may not be able to charge their batteries, making it desirable for these MTC devices to save battery power.
It would thus be desirable to improve power consumption of UEs, especially MTC devices.

User equipment and methods to indicate power saving mode configuration to RAN nodes