A staining preventive treatment process for polyamide fiber which comprises the application of the compound of general formula I below and the compound of general formula II below to the polyamide fiber: ##STR1## in which R independently represents ##STR2## X independently represents hydrogen or alkali metal, and 1 is a number from 3 to 20, provided that 50-70% of R is ##STR3## and the remainder is at least one group selected from --OX, ##STR4## in which A represents ##STR5## X independently represents hydrogen or alkali metal, m is an integer from 2 to 6, and n is 0, 1, or 2.. Staining by natural or artificial coloring agents is effectively prevented.

Polyamide fiber material like nylon carpeting is susceptible to staining by natural and artificial coloring pigments contained in numerous food and beverages. Thus, when food and beverages are accidentally spilled onto polyamide fiber, the polyamide fiber ends up being stained by the coloring pigment contained in those food and beverages. These stains cannot easily be removed under ordinary laundering conditions. Several efforts have been made thus far to deal with this shortcoming of polyamide fiber. For example, polyamide fibers are treated with fluorine-based or silicone-based compounds. Examples of processes used commercially include adsorbing the formaldehyde condensate of a phenolic compound such as bisphenol S, a sulfonide of bisphenol S or phenolsulfonic acid onto the fiber either by immersion treatment or steaming following application by padding, spraying, or foam coating. There are also processes wherein fluorine-based compounds are applied using similar methods after the initial adsorbing process described above. Although staining by pigment contained in food and beverages can definitely be prevented, according to these processes, when these types of formaldehyde condensates of phenolic compounds are exposed to environments containing acidic gas such as nitrogen oxide gas, the formaldehyde condensates have the shortcoming of turning yellow on the fibers. In addition, when formaldehyde condensates of phenolic compounds are exposed to light, they also have the shortcoming of turning yellow on the fibers. Thus, no satisfactory method exists at present for protecting polyamide fiber from coloring pigment contained in food and beverages.

Stain preventive treatment process for polyamide fiber


A transparent display substrate, a manufacturing method thereof and a transparent display panel are provided. The transparent display substrate includes: a base substrate; a plurality of sub-pixels arranged on the substrate, wherein each of the plurality of sub-pixels comprising a light emitting region and a first transparent region, and the light emitting region being provided with an organic light emitting diode (OLED); a driving circuit, located in each of the plurality of sub-pixels and configured to drive the OLED to emit light, the driving circuit comprising a capacitor disposed in the first transparent region.

In daily life, display devices include Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) devices that are developing to ultra-high resolution, small and medium-sized Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) devices that have been widely used in portable devices, such as mobile phones and tablet computers (Pad), and large-sized OLED display devices that are increasingly mature for Television (TV).

Transparent display substrate, manufacturing method thereof and transparent display panel


A fluid filter has a housing which consists of a top housing half 10 and a bottom housing half 11. Between these two housing halves a filter element is disposed. On the bottom housing half is an inlet for the raw fluid, and on the top housing half is an outlet for the clean fluid. The two housing halves are assembled with snap fasteners.

The invention relates to a fluid filter of the type having assembled parts and a filter disposed between such parts.
German Patent 31 23 269 discloses a filter for fluids in which the filter body is a folded sheet with a substantially rectangular outline and a housing is provided which is formed of two halves and encloses the filter body. Such filters serve for the filtration of transmission oil or fuels and are intended to achieve a high filtering action over a long period of time, in a very compact form.
In the known filter element one housing half is made of sheet metal, while the other housing half is a one-piece pressure-cast piece of fiber-reinforced polyamide. When this filter is assembled, the sheet metal is crimped onto the margin of the polyamide half, resulting in the permanent fastening together of the two housing halves.
In European Patent 03 96 385 A2 a filter for an automatic transmission is disclosed. It consists of two plastic housing parts. Between them is the filter material. The two plastic housing parts are joined together by friction welding at their peripheral surfaces.
A disadvantage in the use of friction welding is the fact that manufacturing inaccuracies impair the effect of the friction welding, i.e., there is the danger that part of the peripheral welding surface that had less than the best contact is welded imperfectly or not at all. Precisely in a filter of this kind, however, a reliable sealing of the filter element is essential, so that the vacuum prevailing in the filter will not be able to suck any air into the filter through the housing seam when the oil level is low or the vehicle is rounding a curve.
Even in the case of the filter referred to in German Patent 31 23 269 with the crimped margin there is the danger of leaks around the edges.
Another disadvantage of the known filter for fluids is to be seen in the fact that it is not possible to replace the used filter and reuse the housing.


A bed status system includes a patient support apparatus having a status, a location unit configured to provide a location to the patient support apparatus, and a bed status module coupled to the location unit and the patient support apparatus to receive the status and the location.

The present disclosure relates to a patient support apparatus, and in particular, to a patient support apparatus configured to communicate a status of the patient support apparatus to a remote output. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a bed status system configured to receive a location of the patient support apparatus and a status of the patient support apparatus and communicate the status to the remote output.
Patient support apparatuses may be configured to determine a status of various pieces of equipment included in the patient support apparatus. Status information may include a height of a patient support surface above ground, position of siderails included in the patient support apparatus, inflation state of an inflatable air mattress included in the patient support apparatus, whether a patient has attempted to or exited the patient support apparatus, and other similar statuses. Once statuses are known, the patient support apparatus may communicate locally the statuses to an area in a patient room in which the patient support apparatus is also located.
Caregivers desiring to determine the status of equipment included in the patient support apparatus must enter physically each room to receive the status communication provided by each patient support apparatus. As a result, caregivers must spend significant time and resources to obtain the status of each patient support apparatus in each patient room in a healthcare facility.

Bed status system for a patient support apparatus


A watering system that has first and second upright supports, a plurality of bendable water conduits and substantially rigid water channels and a first spray head is disclosed. Each of the first and second upright supports have substantially laterally oriented brackets dimensioned to releasably hold objects having a first outer diameter, including the bendable water conduits and substantially rigid water channels. The substantially rigid water channels each have a central body and left and right hose barbs in fluid relationship to one another through the central body. The central body has an aperture dimensioned to receive and mechanically engage the insertion end of the first spray head. The first spray head has a spray jet with a first water flow rate. The system may further include second and third spray heads with second and third water flow rates each different from each other and the first water flow rate. The bendable water conduits are preferrably formed from material capable of bending to an acute internal angle without breaking and without substantial kinking. Preferrably, the first upright supports are ornamentally camouflaged and may appear to be a picket fence with each first upright support being formed to allow interconnection of the upright supports one to another to allow flexibility.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates in general to garden irrigation and, in particular, to a system and method that provides a flexible water system.
2. Background Art
Gardening has long been a popular, but tedious pastime. Among the more tedious, but necessary activities in gardening is maintaining the proper hydration of flowers, vegetation, and saturation of the soil.
Some people spend a significant amount of time each day manually moving and positioning water sprinklers and garden hoses in various positions about their gardens to ensure that all of the flowers and vegetation receive sufficient water. Other people have installed underground sprinkler systems to minimize the time necessary each day to water their gardens. However, underground sprinkler installation is expensive work often requiring a specialized contractor to install. Installation of underground sprinkler systems requires the digging of trenches throughout the property and creates a significant disruption of the land. It is also difficult to install sprinkler systems around driveways and sidewalks. After installation, the location of sprinkler heads in the underground sprinkler systems are fixed necessitating the gardeners to plan their gardens to conform to the sprinkler system. These fixed sprinkler heads also spray water at a single rate and usually in a limited number of pattern-types, most often using a 360° fountain type water distribution pattern. Thus, there is a need for a more flexible watering system. Preferrably, a system that does not require the expensive disruptive installation required by underground sprinkler systems.
Some people have developed above-ground watering systems. However, these systems have largely failed to achieve popularity. One of the possible reasons for this failure results from the inflexible nature of many, if not all, of these systems. Thus, there is a further need for a more flexible water system.

Flexible watering system and method for using same


An example magnetoresistive effect element includes a magnetoresistive effect film including a magnetization pinned layer, a magnetization free layer, and an intermediate layer interposed therebetween and having a magnetic region and a nonmagnetic region whose electrical resistance is higher than the magnetic region. A sense current is passed to the magnetoresistive effect film in a direction substantially perpendicular to the film plane thereof. The magnetic region of the intermediate layer penetrates the nonmagnetic region locally and extends in the direction substantially perpendicular to the film plane. The nonmagnetic region contains a nonmagnetic metallic element having a larger surface energy than a magnetic metallic element contained in the magnetic region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetoresistive effect element and a manufacturing method thereof, and a magnetic head, a magnetic reproducing apparatus, and a magnetic memory using the mangetresistive effect element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sensitivity improvement of a GMR (Giant Magnetoresistive Effect) head supporting a magnetic recording density of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is near to reach a limit. A renewed high sensitive reproducing head becomes necessary to increase a recording density over 100 gigabits per one square inch. A GMR head making use of a tunnel effect (TMR (Tunneling Magnetoresistive Effect) head) can be cited as one candidate thereof. However, the TMR head also includes a principle problem that resistance increases in accordance with the increase of the recording density.
A GMR head having so-called a CPP (Current Perpendicular to Plane) structure in which a sense current is passed in a film plane perpendicular direction of a magnetoresistive effect film is expectable, to realize the recording density of 200 gigabits or more. According to the GMR head having the CPP structure, it is possible to obtain an MR change ratio of approximately 10 times of a CIP (Current in Plane) structure. Further, the GMR head having the CPP structure also has an advantage that the resistance thereof is low compared to the TMR head.
However, even in the CPP type GMR head, a resistance change ratio thereof remains in approximately 15% at maximum, and a limit of the resistance change ratio in principle is also considered to be approximately several 10%. A miniaturization of recording bits is advanced owing to the increase of the recording density in a magnetic recording field. As a result, it becomes difficult to obtain sufficient signal strength. Consequently, magnetoresistive effect material with higher sensitivity is expected, and a requirement for the GMR head showing a larger resistance change ratio goes higher and higher.
Recently, a magnetic microcontact in which two acicular nickels are faced, or a magnetic microcontact in which two magnetites are brought into contact is reported as the magnetoresistive effect material showing the resistance change ratio of 100% or more. These materials show the large resistance change ratio, but every magnetic microcontact is created by facing two ferromagnetic materials processed into acicular states or triangle states. Therefore, it is difficult to apply to a practical GMR head as it is. Further, a magnetic microcontact in which two slim nickel wires are disposed in T-shape and a micro column is grown at a contact portion by using an electrodeposition method is reported. It is also difficult to apply this magnetic microcontact to the GMR head.
There are many opinions as for a beginning of the large resistance change ratio resulting from the magnetic microcontact, but a ballistic conduction effect at a contact portion can be cited as one of the beginning. It is conceivable that the magnetic microcontact exhibits an extremely large magnetoresistive effect (Ballistic Magnetoresistive Effect (BMR)) by generating a ballistic conduction between magnetic layers. In a manufacturing process of a spin-valve film in which the nonmagnetic intermediate layer is interposed between two ferromagnetic layers (magnetization pinned layer and magnetization free layer), a process becomes necessary to constitute a nonmagnetic intermediate layer practically with an insulator, and to form at least one micromagnetic region of nano-size within a part of the nonmagnetic intermediate layer to apply the above-stated BMR to a magnetic head.
When the micromagnetic region is formed by a normal lithography process, the minimum size thereof remains to be at approximately 10 nm even though an electron-beam lithography apparatus capable of realizing the finest pattern is used. Accordingly, it is difficult to create the micromagnetic region (magnetic point contact) with the size of several nm required for the exhibition of the BMR. In JP-A 2003-204095 (KOKAI), it is described that a hole with a maximum width of 20 nm or less is provided at an insulating layer disposed between a magnetization pinned layer and a magnetization free layer, and a magnetic microcontact is formed by filling a ferromagnetic material in the hole. However, it is difficult to form the magnetic microcontact capable of exhibiting the BMR with good repeatability by using the method as stated above.
The magnetic microcontact has a possibility to show a large magnetoresistive change ratio. However, the conventional magnetic microcontact has a structure in which a precise control at the time of creation is difficult, and further, a structure which is difficult to apply to the magnetic head. It is necessary to develop a structure and a manufacturing method of the magnetic microcontact capable of mass production and having good controllability to apply the BMR based on the magnetic microcontact to the magnetic head and so on.

Magnetoresistive effect element and manufacturing method thereof, and magnetic head, magnetic reproducing apparatus, and magnetic memory using the same


A plate cover assembly includes at least one portion that is removably securable onto a plate. For example, one cover includes a first covering portion and a second covering portion which are positionable to enclose an outer portion of a plate. Upon removably securing the respective first and second covering portions together, the plate cover assembly encloses the border of the plate while leaving a central region of the plate exposed.

Dinner plates come in a wide variety of styles, shapes, and sizes. Plate manufacturers spend a great deal of time and energy in developing styles to appeal to their customers. Given the relatively large price for obtaining a set of dinner plates, most consumers own just one or two sets of plates.


A system for detecting movement of a forcer of a motor directed for effecting movement of a forcer in a first direction in response to command pulses. There is a toothed platen for locating the forcer so that the forcer is movable over the platen. A magnetic structure is attached to move with the forcer and has a periodic configuration corresponding to the forcer and in magnetic interchange relation to the platen. A magnetic circuit is associated with the magnetic structure. Flux sensors generate signal variations corresponding to flux variations as the forcer moves relative to the teeth of the platen. The signal variations provide step count signals, and the step count signals are compared to the command pulses to detect a disparity.

Being able to sense the position and location of one or more elements of a linear motor moving on a platen is important. This invention relates to sensing the location of elements which move on a base in an open loop fashion. Certain linear stepper motors do not have a closed loop operation so there is no feedback to indicate whether the moving element has reached or overshot its destination. This can create significant problems when the moving element is wrongly positioned and work is to be performed on the workpiece associated with the moving element.
There is accordingly a need to have apparatus and a method for minimizing this problem. This invention is directed to solving this difficulty and providing apparatus and a method of sensing and controlling the location of the moving portion of a linear motor over a platen.

Sensing and controlling the location of elements of a linear motor


Device and method for fiberoptic transmission for a plurality of different communication protocols. A single electronic card is adaptable to any of a plurality of communication protocol configurations designed by the user.

With the ever widening reach of the public and private data networks used by the public and especially by business and government, there continues to be an increase in the flow of electronic data over such networks. Such communication may be from remotely located differing branches of government offices, or different divisions of a company. Further, such electronic communication may include video, audio, data, or other types of data signals, each with its own communication protocols that must be followed in the transmission and reception of intelligible communication signals.
Additionally, with this rise in electronic traffic worldwide, between remote locations, there is an ever increasing demand for a transmission system that can both transport and accommodate continuously increasing levels of bandwidth consisting of multiple channels of video, audio and data over long distances. The optimum solutions for this demand are systems which involve the least number of transmission mediums as possible and that are unaffected by environmental hazards from static, and electrical disturbances.
Fiber optics serve as the best solution to the problem of environmental interference. Transmission of electronic signals for data of all types over fiberoptic networks, will eliminate EMI radiation, EMI susceptibility and other factors which would otherwise affect copper or other cable. Consequently, this makes fiber the choice for high quality video transmission as well as conventional data transmission.
However, as noted there are a variety of video, audio and data signals, using protocols specific to the type of signal carried, that a multipurpose fiber optic transmission system must accommodate. For each of these signal types and its respective protocol, there is conventionally employed a generally unique transmission component to generate it.
Because each user at each transmission and reception site, may be employing any or all of the different electronic signals and protocols, it is a complex task to design and manufacture site-specific data transmission systems that will communicate with remote sites which in fact might have the same or other types of electronic data signals and associated protocols to accommodate. Such differing types of data stream transmission and reception requirements, even between two remote locations of the same company or government department, creates a logistics nightmare of sorts in designing a data transmission and reception system that will suit the customer's individualized needs.
Currently, such designs may entail computers with multiple types of data transmission cards or components engaged to local and wide area networks. Depending on the type of signal being communicated from one point to another over the network, any one of the differing transmission cards or components might be employed. Of course each of the differing components may also require software or drivers to allow it to communicate with the controller or computer with which it must send and receive the signal at using the proper communications protocol. Further complicating matters is the problem encountered when signals originate over an ethernet network and must be converted to transmission over a fiberoptic network for communication to the remote destination.
There is as such, a pressing need for a device, and method of configuration of the device, that provides a single system for communication of the various data signals that might originate in any highly customized client venue location, and allow for transmission of those signals to one or more remote locations using a fiberoptic network. Such a system should allow for any conventionally employed data protocol to be used by the originator and receiver of the signal, yet still allow the signal to be transmitted over a fiberoptic network.
Still further, in a particularly preferred mode of the invention, a configuration of the manufactured system should allow for customization by the buyer, of the produced device, according to the existing communications streams and protocols being currently used by the buyer. The buyer essentially should be able to design a customized component, to accommodate their current communications data streams and protocols, to communicate them to remote locations in a single device providing fiberoptic transmission. Such customization, heretofore being hard to achieve if at all, allows users to maintain the state of their network communications types and protocols, while still being able to take advantage of the benefit of fiberoptic network transmission. This eliminates any requirements for the users to upgrade and change all their systems and protocols before taking advantage of the benefit of fiberoptic network communication, thereby eliminating the costs and inevitable problems that such an upgrade would entail.

Device and method for provision of customized system for optical transmission of data


A system and method for fast temperature measurement during a cooking process uses a high temperature thermometer with a user settable memory feature. The thermometer includes a processor and a memory for storing recommended safe cooking temperatures for a plurality of food items, for example, different meats. A plurality of keys on the thermometer provide an input mechanism for a user of the thermometer to select a type of food item being cooked and display the recommended safe cooking temperature, or to change the stored cooking temperature for a food item.

Instant-read thermometers are used to quickly and conveniently detect when food has reached a temperature during a cooking process at which it is safe to eat. Elevating food to at least a minimum cooking temperature is particularly important when cooking meat, poultry and eggs, for example, so that exposure to harmful bacteria and foodborne illnesses are eliminated.
Although many cooks have opinions on whether food is done cooking based on appearance and color, these indications are not always reliable. Studies have shown that the only way to tell if food is safe is by checking internal temperature with a food thermometer, yet only a small percentage of cooks regularly use thermometers to check food while it is cooking to determine doneness.
One of the factors that discourage cooks from using food thermometers is the need to remember or look up the different safe cooking temperatures for various types of food. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has compiled charts listing safe cooking temperatures, an example of which is shown in the table of FIG. 1. This table shows that there is a considerable variation between safe temperatures for different types of food. This variation may be difficult for cooks to remember and contributes a disinclination to use thermometers during food preparation.

Thermometer with user settable memory functions

EWIG INDUSTRIES MACAO COMMERCIAL OFFSHORE LIMITED


An ink jet printing apparatus includes a printhead controller including a printhead driver circuit having a set of ink jet nozzle control outputs and a printhead select circuit having a plurality of printhead select outputs. A plurality of printheads are provided, wherein each printhead includes a plurality of ink jet nozzles, a plurality of individually controllable ink jet nozzle firing circuits, and a printhead enable circuit, wherein the printhead enable circuit is electrically coupled between the plurality of individually controllable ink jet nozzle firing circuits and the set of ink jet nozzle control outputs, and wherein the printhead enable circuit is electrically coupled to one of the plurality of printhead select outputs and enables the electrical conduction of the plurality of controllable ink jet nozzle firing circuits upon receipt of a printhead select signal from one of the printhead select outputs of the printhead select circuits.

Ink jet printing systems are available which have either a single printhead, or multiple printheads. In systems having multiple printheads, a separate printhead controller/driver circuit is provided for each printhead. Although providing a separate printhead controller/driver for each printhead simplifies the design implementation, such duplication typically results in an increase in cost for each printhead controller/driver added to the system.

Apparatus for driving multiple ink jet printheads with a single set of drive outputs


A method and device for cooling electronics is disclosed. The device includes a doped crystal configured to resonate at a Stark manifold resonance capable of cooling the crystal to a temperature of from about 110K to about 170K. The crystal host resonates in response to input from an excitation laser tuned to exploit the Stark manifold resonance corresponding to the cooling of the crystal.

Optical refrigeration can include laser excitation of rare-earth doped glass and crystal host material systems. In some systems, optical refrigeration can include use of ytterbium doped fluorozirconate glass (Yb:ZBLAN).
In an optical refrigeration system, a cooling cycle is based on conversion of low-entropy low-energy input of an optical field (e.g. laser) into an isotropic higher-energy spontaneous emission (fluorescence). The excitation laser is red-shifted from a mean wavelength of the emitted fluorescence (λf). Following absorption, out of equilibrium excitation becomes thermalized within the ground and exited state manifolds of the rare-earth ion. This is accomplished by phonon absorption from lattice vibrations of a material host. Thermal quanta of energy kT are carried away from the host in a form of spontaneously emitted photons, thereby cooling the material.
Heat generating, non-radiative recombination pathways are undesirable, leading to a demand for high quantum efficiency (ηeqe) materials. Rare-earth ions (e.g. Ytterbium) exhibit metastable transitions in the lowest energy levels, satisfying a requirement for high quantum efficiency. An additional requirement is for high host purity. Impurities (e.g. transition-metals) introduce extrinsic heat generating recombination pathways, which are manifested in reduction of absorption efficiency, ηabs, further defined below. Both of these requirements for high quantum efficiency and absorption efficiency are captured in an expression for cooling efficiency, defined as a ratio of cooling power to absorbed power:
                                          η            c                                          (                          λ              ,              T                        )                          =                                            P              cool                                      P              abs                                =                                                                      η                  eqe                                                                  [                                      1                                          1                      +                                                                        α                          b                                                /                                                                              α                            r                                                                                (                                                          λ                              ,                              T                                                        )                                                                                ]                                                                                λ                                                      λ                    f                                                                          (                    T                    )                                                                        -            1                                              (        1        )            where λ denotes laser wavelength, αb is the background absorption coefficient, and αr(λ) is the resonant absorption coefficient of Yb ions. The product in brackets is denoted as absorption efficiency ηabs. In practical applications, material sheds a kBT of thermal energy per excitation, which means that the product ηeqeηabs>1−kBT/hνF, where νF=c/λF, and c=speed of light. For example, for room temperature Yb emission, this product must be larger than 96.8%, while at a temperature of 100K, this product must be larger than 99%. Because ηeqe is governed by intrinsic recombination mechanisms for a given material, ηabs must be improved in order to obtain low temperature operation of an optical refrigerator.
As material cools, resonant absorption in the anti-Stokes tail falls exponentially, following the Boltzmann law. This is the main reason which halts cooling at low temperatures. In order to achieve cooling to lower temperatures requirement of high absorption efficiency has to be met. In order to increase the absorption efficiency (ηabs) one has to minimize the ratio αb/αr(λ). A common approach to accomplish that has been to lower background absorption by purifying a material growth process and starting materials. A more recent method has relied on an increase of the resonant absorption (together with low αb) to enhance the absorption efficiency.
These challenges can be been dealt with herein, using Stark manifold resonances to increase cooling efficiency in optical refrigeration devices, as will be described in connection with the exemplary embodiments that follow.

Solid state optical refrigeration using stark manifold resonances in crystals


The present application includes embodiments of a connector in an image forming device that establishes an electrical connection with a cartridge. The connector may include an electrical contact that is able to rotate in a first direction when in contact with the cartridge during a first amount insertion of the cartridge into the image forming device. The electrical contact may be adapted to stop rotating after the cartridge is inserted the first amount. As a result, the electrical connector may slide across the surface of the cartridge during additional insertion. The sliding motion may scrape off an oxidation or contamination layer thus providing a reliable electrical contact between the connector and the cartridge.

The present application is directed to an electrical connector in an image forming device that establishes an electrical connection with a cartridge.
Image forming devices, such as but not limited to printers, facsimile machines, copiers, and all-in-one combination units, include removable cartridges. The cartridges may be removed from the image forming device and replaced as necessary, such as when the toner has been depleted. The image forming device includes an electrical connector for engaging with the cartridge. The connector contacts against the cartridge and establishes an electrical connection that may provide electrical power, charge, and/or data signals between the image forming device and the cartridge.
It is necessary for the connector to establish an adequate contact with the cartridge to form the electrical connection. In some previous devices, the connector was constructed in a manner that failed to make a reliable connection. This resulted in print error state or a defect in print quality.
It is necessary for the cartridges to be precisely aligned when mounted to the image forming device to enable the cartridge to be part of the image formation process and produce quality images. The connector should not interfere with the alignment of the cartridge, and also allow for necessary movement of the cartridge during the image formation process.

Electrical connector for an image forming device


The present invention relates to a compound which is an antagonist of IL-1 beta or an inhibitor of IL-1 beta expression for use in the treatment or the prevention of aneurysm. In another embodiment, the invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for use in the treatment or the prevention of aneurysm comprising an antagonist of IL-1 beta or an inhibitor of IL-1 beta expression.

Aneurysm is a localized dilation (balloon-like bulge) of a blood vessel caused by disease or weakening of the vessel wall. Aneurysms most commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain (the circle of Willis) and in the aorta (the main artery coming out of the heart), a so-called aortic aneurysm. The bulge in a blood vessel can burst and lead to death at any time. The larger an aneurysm becomes, the more likely it is to burst and since aneurysms naturally grow, given enough time they will inevitably reach the bursting point if undetected.
Given the severe consequences of an aneurysm, screening is now commonly performed in order to early detect the presence of an aneurysm. In case of an aortic aneurysm the blood-filled dilation is commonly located in the abdomen in the infra-renal aorta close to the iliac bifurcation extending to the legs. At this location the aorta is typically about 2.5 centimeters wide, which can be measured for example using ultra-sonic or X-ray based measuring devices.
Existing treatment when detecting an aortic aneurysm includes implantation of a grafted around the vessel using open surgery. An alternative surgical procedure is to implant a tube from the groin and guide a stentgraft via arteria femoralis into position where the blood flow can by-pass the aortic aneurysm via the tube. The latter treatment has the drawback of increased rates of re-intervention.
Thus, there exists a need for alternative treatment of aneurysm that does not involve surgery.

Method for use in the treatment of aneurysm

INSERM (Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale)


Digital compressed codes, associated with advertisements enable a user to selectively record additional information, which would be broadcast on a television channel at a later time. The advertisement could be print advertisement or broadcast advertisement on television or radio. The user enters the digital code (I code) associated with an advertisement into a unit with a decoding means which automatically converts the code into CTL (channel, time and length). The unit within a twenty four hour period activates a VCR to record information on the television channel at the right time for the proper length of time. The decoded channel, time and length information can be communicated directly to a VCR and used by the VCR directly to automatically activate the VCR to record a given television information broadcast corresponding to the communicated channel, time and length. Alternately, the channel, time and length information can be decoded directly in a remote control unit and only start record, stop record and channel selection commands sent to the VCR at the appropriate times. Algorithms for decoding the I codes can be a function of time to ensure security of the decoding method. A method is included for use of the I codes with cable channels.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to video cassette recorder systems and particularly to the timer preprogramming feature of video cassette recorders (VCRs) and to an apparatus and method for using encoded information to shorten the time required to perform timer preprogramming and also an apparatus and method for enabling a user to selectively record, for later viewing, detailed information that is associated with an earlier publication or broadcast of an advertisement.
2. Prior Art
The video cassette recorder (VCR) has a number of uses, including playing back of tapes filmed by a video camera, playing back of pre-recorded tapes, and recording and playing back of broadcast and cable television programs.
To record a television program in advance of viewing it, a two-step process is often used: (1) obtain the correct channel, date, time and length (CDTL) information from a television program guide, and (2) program this CDTL information into the VCR. Depending on the model, year and type of the VCR, the CDTL information can be programmed in various ways including: (i) pushing an appropriate sequence of keys in the console according to instructions contained in the user's manual, (ii) pushing an appropriate sequence of keys in a remote hand-held control unit according to instructions contained in the user's manual (remote programming), and (iii) executing a series of keystrokes in the remote hand-held control unit in response to a menu displayed on the television screen (on-screen programming). Other techniques for timer preprogramming have been suggested including: (iv) reading in certain bar-code information using a light pen (light pen programming), and (v) entering instructions through a computer or telephone modem. These various methods differ only in the physical means of specifying the information while the contents, being CDTL and certain power/clock/timer on-off commands are generally common although the detailed protocol can vary with different model VCRs. Methods (i) and (ii) described above can require up to 100 keystrokes, which has inhibited the free use of the timer preprogramming feature of VCRs. To alleviate this, new VCR models have included an "On-Screen Programming" feature, which permits remote input of CDTL information in response to a menu displayed on the television screen. Generally on screen programming of CDTL information requires an average of about 18 keystrokes, which is less than some of the prior methods but still rather substantial. Some of the other techniques such as (iv) above, require the use of special equipment such as a bar code reader.
In general the present state of the art suffers from a number of drawbacks. First, the procedure for setting the VCR to record in advance can be quite complex and confusing and difficult to learn; in fact, because of this many VCR owners shun using the timer preprogramming record feature. Second, the transcription of the CDTL information to the VCR is hardly ever error-free; in fact, many users of VCR's timer preprogramming features express concern over the high incidence of programming errors. Third, even for experienced users, the process of entering a lengthy sequence of information on the channel, date, time and length of desired program can become tedious. Fourth, techniques such as reading in bar-code information or using a computer require special equipment. These drawbacks have created a serious impedance in the use of a VCR as a recording device for television programs. The effect is that time shifting of programs has not become as popular as it once was thought it would be. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a simpler system for effecting VCR timer preprogramming which will enable a user to take advantage of the recording feature of a VCR more fully and freely.
The prior art in the area of enabling a user to selectively record for later viewing, detailed information associated with an advertisement is the familiar advertisement by a network during a television channel commercial break that there will be "news at 11" or that there will be an "interview with the winning coach at 9". A viewer watching the channel that sees/hears this announcement could preprogram his VCR to record the "news" or "interview" at the appropriate time. Thus, the concept of having a cue broadcast simultaneously with a advertisement that alerts a user that supplemental information regarding the advertisement will be broadcast at a later time can be implemented easily with standard apparatus such as a television and a VCR and is not new to the state of the art. The user could also be informed of an "interview with the winning coach" through print advertisement, which would indicate the channel time and date of the the interview. When the user is informed either through a broadcast or a printed advertisement that a winning team's coach will be interviewed later that day, the viewer uses his standard remote controller to program his VCR to automatically record this later program. The VCR stores the schedule information from the controller and, via its display panel, provides acknowledgment to the user of his programming commands.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,455 for a System and Process for VCR Scheduling discloses a television broadcast system in which a cue is broadcast and displayed simultaneously with a primary program. The cue alerts a user that supplemental information regarding the primary program will be broadcast at a later time. If the user responds to the cue via a remote controller, then data embedded in the primary program broadcast during the video blanking interval segment of the video signal, but not visible to the viewer, will be automatically stored and interpreted by a microprocessor and used to control a VCR to record the supplemental broadcast at the later time. Young does not contemplate the use of printed media at all and requires that a special unit be associated with the television receiver to store and interpret the data embedded in the primary program broadcast, and also to respond to the user cue, for the system to work at all, even for television advertisements, as shown in elements 4, 5, 9, 10, and 15 of FIG. 1, of U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,455.

Apparatus and method using compressed codes for scheduling broadcast information recording


A padlock with a status indicator includes two locking units. The two locking units operate independently to execute locking and unlocking operations. The lock has a body that contains an indicator in the lock underneath. After the execution of the unlocking operation has been done sequentially, the indicator switches from an indication position to the other indication position. Thus through the window, which is formed on the body surface and corresponding to the indicator location, the indication positions of the indicator may be recognized.

Locks are widely used to guard articles that have obvious or potential security concerns. For instance, a padlock may be used to lock the zipper of a piece of luggage to prevent unauthorized opening.
Due to security reasons, nowadays airports have very strict standards for luggage security inspection. With luggage that may be a security risk, mandatory opening of the luggage for security inspection could take place. For the luggage that has been locked, the lock has to be broken. After security inspection, the lock is damaged and becomes unusable. As a result, the damaged lock can no longer provide protection after the security inspection has been completed.
To remedy the problem of lock damage during security inspection, a lock equipped with two locking units has been developed. For instance, Travel Sentry™ Co. of U.S.A. introduced a number of locks for this purpose. They mainly have one locking unit to allow luggage owners to lock and unlock during use, and another locking unit for security inspection. Hence the security inspection people can perform routine security inspection through a normal unlocking procedure to open the lock, and close the lock after the security inspection is finished. Therefore damage of the lock may be prevented, and the luggage has proper protection after security inspection.
However, the lock mentioned above still has a drawback, namely that after the security inspection was done and the lock is relocked again, there is no indication to warn the luggage owners that the lock has been unlocked.


A safe multi-functional foldable leisure chair composed of a chair frame body, a chair pad disposed thereon, and a waters guiding pad, wherein the water-guiding pad is optionally detachably disposed on the chair frame body, permitting the leisure chair to alternatively serve as a shampooing chair; the chair frame body being composed of a plurality of frame members which are connected by pivot means and formed with stopper blocks, whereby when not used, the chair frame body can be folded into a flat and small body for easy storage, and when folding the chair frame body, the stopper blocks form an obstacle at a bending corner to keep a space between the frame members for protecting the hands of the user from being clamped and injured.

The present invention relates to a safe multi-functional foldable leisure chair comprising a chair frame body, a chair pad disposed thereon and a water-guiding pad, wherein the water-guided pad is optionally detachably disposed on the chair frame body, permitting the leisure chair to alternatively serve as a shampooing chair. The chair frame body is composed of a plurality of frame members which are connected by pivot means and formed with stopper blocks, whereby the chair frame body can be folded into a flat and small body for easy storage, and when folding the chair frame body, the hand of the user is prevented from being clamped and injured.
Conventional leisure chair is generally composed of a chair frame body, a front and a rear legs which are pivoted thereto and a chair pad laid over the chair frame body. Such structure can only serve as a leisure chair while lacking other functions. When not used, the front and rear legs can be pivoted toward each other into a folded state for storage. However, the conventional leisure chair cannot be folded into a desirably small body for easy storage. Moreover, the conventional leisure chair is not designed with any safety mechanism and therefore, the hands of the user are likely to be clamped and injured by the chair frame body when folding the same.

Safe multi-functional foldable leisure chair


A method and system for enhancing e-commerce transactions by placing product marketing information in front of targeted potential customers by analyzing the product, mapping it to one or more product categories, creating dynamic e-commerce Web sites for the product, selecting appropriate e-commerce marketplaces based on previous placement results and client-product objectives, placing the created e-commerce Web site on the appropriate e-commerce marketplaces, collecting data based on activity on the placed Web sites, and updating either or both of the created dynamic e-commerce Web sites or the e-commerce marketplace selection criteria. This invention also manages the transactions associated with the e-commerce facilitated by the process of placing the product information on the selected marketplaces. An e-mail manager is also provided to communicate with buyers and potential buyers as well as product clients.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods and system for on-line selling. More specifically, this invention relates to methods and systems for on-line selling, which identifies targeted buyers and places on-line product marketing information at the preferred on-line locations of the targeted buyers.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of different on-line marketing and/or selling systems are well known in the art, however, typically these previous methods require the potential buyer to find the web site where the product information is posted.
The reader is referred to the following U.S. patent documents for general background material: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,703,423, 4,789,235, 4,850,007, 5,099,422, 5,105,184, 5,220,501, 5,305,195, 5,319,542, 5,347,632, 5,377,354, 5,442,771, 5,446,919, 5,515,270, 5,537,314, 5,566,353, 5,584,025, 5,590,197, 5,594,910, 5,636,346, 5,715,399, 5,717,923, 5,724,521, 5,727,163, 5,729,594, 5,740,549, 5,764,601, 5,768,521, 5,796,945, 5,862,223, 5,930,769, 5,933,811, 5,949,044, 5,954,582, 5,987,464, 5,987,480, 5,991,751, 6,026,368, 6,029,141, 6,049,787, 6,058,417 and 6,067,532. Each of these patent documents is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for the material container therein.

Method for refining an online marketplace selection for enhancing e-commerce


Disclosed herein is a common mode filter including an internal electrode manufactured in a coil electrode form and provided with a simultaneous coil pattern in which two coil electrodes are overlapped with each other in a single layer in a direction in which a coil is wound, wherein a height of a second insulating layer formed on the internal electrode is higher than an interval between the coils. Therefore, a portion at which a parasitic capacitance is generated may be basically blocked, and a self resonant frequency (SRF) may be increased while filtering performance as the common mode filter is maintained.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a thin film type common mode filter, and more particularly, to a thin film type common mode filter including an internal electrode manufactured in a coil electrode form and provided with a simultaneous coil pattern in which two coil electrodes are overlapped with each other in a single layer in a direction in which a coil is wound, wherein a height of a second insulating layer formed on the internal electrode is higher than an interval between the coils to decrease a parasitic capacitance component.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, electronic devices such as cellular phones, electric home appliances, personal computers (PCs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), navigations, or the like, have been digitized and accelerated. Since the electronic devices are susceptible to a stimulus from the outside, a circuit is damaged or a signal is distorted in the case in which a small level of abnormal voltage and a high frequency noise are introduced from the outside into an internal circuit of the electronic device.
The abnormal voltage and the noise are resulted from a switching voltage generated in the circuit, a power supply noise included in a power supply voltage, unnecessary electromagnetic signal, and an electromagnetic noise, or the like, and a common mode filter (CMF) has been used as a means for preventing the abnormal voltage and the noise from being introduced to the circuit.
In general, in a differential signal transmission system, a passive component such as a diode, a varistor, or the like, has been separately used in order to suppress an electro static discharge (ESD) generated at input and output terminals together with the CMF for removing a common mode noise.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing a structure of a common mode filter of the related art. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the general common mode filter includes a base substrate 1, a first insulating layer 2 formed on the base substrate 1, an internal electrode 3 formed on the first insulating layer 2, a second insulating layer 4 formed on the first insulating layer 2 so as to receive the internal electrode 3, an external electrode terminal 5 formed on the second insulating layer 4 so as to ground an exposed end of the internal electrode 3, and a ferrite resin layer 6 formed on the second insulating layer 4.
However, in the above-mentioned common mode filter of the related art, a parasitic capacitance is generated due to structural properties.
A region indicated by the part "A" of FIGS. 1A and 1B is a region at which the parasitic capacitance is generated.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the parasitic capacitance is intensively generated at different electrified circuits, that is, above and below a vicinity at which the internal electrode 3 and the external electrode terminal 5 are mutually close to each other, in particular, in the vicinity of a boundary therebetween.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 1B, the parasitic capacitance is generated between a plurality of internal electrodes 3 formed in each layer.
The internal electrode 3 of the related art is manufactured in a coil form, and a structure thereof in the related art having different forms of coils formed in a single layer cannot but generate the parasitic capacitance. In addition, the parasitic capacitance is a main reason that a self resonant frequency (SRF) is damaged.


A structural assembly has a first set of first elongate structural members alternately spaced apart from a second set of second elongate structural members by locking blocks, the first set defining a first plane and the second set defining a second plane forming an intersection at an angle with the first plane, the structural members and locking blocks defining an assembly of adjoined blocks and structural members at the intersection, and a compressive mechanism spanning the assembly of adjoined blocks and structural members at the intersection. Compressing the adjoined blocks and structural members by the spanning compression mechanism locks the blocks and structural members together in a manner to resist applied forces.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of construction, pertaining more specifically to the art of framing in construction and methods and apparatus for securing and locking structural members into position, applicable in many areas, such as construction for sub flooring, ceiling, roof, and other framings requiring structural members, and for structures in furniture, containers, models, and temporary shelters, among many other uses.
2. Discussion of the State of the Art
In the field of framing for construction joisting is regularly employed to form a load-bearing floor, roofing, or ceiling framework comprising of multiple structural members laid parallel to one another and fastened to common end plates or beams. A typical structural member defines the elongate member laid with other like members to form a sub-floor, roof, or a ceiling truss. In constructions of differing materials the structural members are laid somewhat uniformly in the arrangements or structures according to certain standards set for those types of constructions. A problem with standard joisting is that it is limited to simple or continuous spans with bearing-type connections and is particularly weak with respect to resisting force from certain directions variant from typical load-bearing (vertical) forces or dead weight.
Depending on construction materials used in a particular project, there are various standard methods for securing structural members to each other and to end plates. Nails, screws, metal bracing, and other components may be used depending on specifications for the construction project. A problem with typical joisting and joisting with prefabricated truss works is that other than vertical load-bearing, there is no inherent structural integrity for resisting certain directional forces that can occur such as wind shear, earthquake, and other forces.
Therefore, what is clearly needed is a structural member lock and positioning system that distributes load resistance to vertical members across the construction and adds structural strength to resist forces other than vertical load forces.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for providing structure having multiple interwoven structural members enhanced for resistance of multi-directional force


A projection-type display device using twisted nematic liquid crystal light valves having multi-twist and/or multi-polarization angles. The photoelectric transfer characteristics of three light valves are optimized for reflecting red, green and blue light with high efficiency and similar reflectivity by selecting proper twisted angle and polarization angle for each corresponding liquid crystal light valve. The twisted angle or polarization biasing angle of each light valve may be different.

Projection-type display devices using liquid crystal light valves become highly popular because of their compact size and light weight as compared to conventional projection-type display devices using cathode ray tubes. Many different liquid crystal light valves have been presented for improving gray scale, color reproducibility, and color purity as well as resolution and contrast ratio. As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,702 issued to Aruga shows a projection-type display device using three twisted nematic liquid crystal light valves. The product of the birefringence and the thickness of the liquid crystal cell is selected to fall within a predetermined optimal range of values dependent on the wavelength of light which travels through the light valve.
Liquid crystal light valves have been used in both reflection-type and transmission-type projection display. In general, high efficiency, high contrast, low color difference and low driving voltage are four important requirements for the liquid crystal valves used in projection displays. Twisted nematic (TN) liquid crystal cells have been widely used in transmission-mode active matrix liquid crystal displays of high quality. However, when a transmission-mode TN cell is used in reflective-mode display, it results in poor brightness and low resolution.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,289 issued to Sonehara et al. describes an improved reflection-type projection display with liquid crystal electro-optical device by optimizing the twist angle, the product of layer thickness and birefringence of the liquid crystal cell. Mixed-mode twisted nematic (MTN) liquid crystal cells for reflection-type projection displays have also been proposed by Wu et al. lately in (1) ixed-mode twisted nematic liquid crystal cells for reflective displays" of Applied Physics Letter Vol. 68, No. 11, pp. 1455-1457, 11 Mar. 1996, (2) igh-Brightness Projection Displays Using Mixed-Mode Twisted-Nematic Liquid-Crystal Cells" of SID 96 Digest, pp. 763-766, and (3) igh Brightness Liquid Crystal Projection Displays" of Japan Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 35, No. 10, pp. 5349-5354, October 1996.
The structure and fabrication process of the MTN cell are nearly identical to a conventional 90.degree. TN cell except for two major differences. One is that MTN cell has a smaller product of birefringence and thickness than a nominal TN cell. The other 2 is that the front director of the MTN cell must be aligned at an angle to the polarization state of the incident light. In Wu prior arts (2) and (3), mixed mode chiral-homeotropic cells (or inverse TN cells) are introduced for reflective-mode displays. In a voltage-off state, the liquid crystal directors are aligned perpendicular to substrates in spite of the existence of the chiral molecules. In a voltage-on state, they tend to follow the twist of the chiral molecules and act as a TN cell. The electro-optic effects of a reflective mixed-mode chiral-homeotropic cell is equivalent to an inverse MTN cell.

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A semiconductor light emitting device which produces mixed light of a desired emission color by a combination of a semiconductor light emitting element and a wavelength converting layer containing a fluorescent substance, and a vehicle lamp including the semiconductor light emitting device. The wavelength converting layer has different wavelength conversion characteristics respectively at its portion covering an area of relatively high current density at light emission operation of the semiconductor light emitting element and at its portion covering an area of relatively low current density so as to reduce chromaticity difference over the light extraction surface of the mixed light due to non-uniformity of current density in the light emitting layer at light emission operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor light emitting device including a semiconductor light emitting element such as an LED (light emitting diode), and a vehicle lamp comprising the semiconductor light emitting device.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known semiconductor light emitting devices which have a semiconductor light emitting element (hereinafter also called simply a light emitting element) that emits light having a specific wavelength when a current is injected and a fluorescent substance that absorbs part of light from the light emitting element to emit light having a wavelength longer than that of the light from the light emitting element in combination. With these semiconductor light emitting devices, light from the light emitting element and light from the fluorescent substance are mixed, so that mixed light of a desired emission color can be obtained.
For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a semiconductor light emitting device which comprises a case having a cavity formed therein, an LED element provided at the bottom of the case, and resin containing a fluorescent substance and filled in the cavity to bury the LED element. Patent Literature 2 and Patent Literature 3 describe a semiconductor light emitting device wherein the top and side surfaces of a semiconductor light emitting element are covered with a wavelength converting layer having a fluorescent substance dispersed therein. In this configuration, by making the coating thickness of the wavelength converting layer uniform which covers the semiconductor light emitting element, the proportion of light wavelength-converted by the wavelength converting layer becomes uniform across the entire area, so that the mixing ratio of blue light emitted from the semiconductor light emitting element to yellow light emitted from the fluorescent substance becomes uniform, and thus mixed light with less color unevenness can be obtained. For example, in the case where a semiconductor light emitting device is configured with a blue light emitting element having an emission wavelength of about 450 nm and a YAG-based yellow fluorescent substance having an emission wavelength of about 570 nm in combination, mixed light with a degree of chromaticity on the line segment joining point B and point Y on a chromaticity coordinate system shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained. For example, when trying to obtain mixed light with a degree of chromaticity corresponding to point W on line segment B-Y, the coating amount (thickness) of the wavelength converting layer should be adjusted as needed according to the brightness of the light emitting element.
For example, a light emitting element made of group III nitride-based semiconductors is produced by crystal growing sequentially an n-type semiconductor layer, a light emitting layer, and a p-type semiconductor layer, which are made mainly of a group III nitride-based semiconductor, over a sapphire substrate. An n-electrode is formed on the surface of the n-type semiconductor layer exposed by partially removing the p-type semiconductor layer and the light emitting layer from the p-type semiconductor layer side as described in, e.g., Patent Literature 4 and Patent Literature 5. Or, as described in Patent Literature 6, the n-electrode may be formed on the surface of the n-type semiconductor layer exposed by removing the sapphire substrate after a support substrate is bonded to the surface of the p-type semiconductor layer. Sometimes the former is called a lateral element and the latter is called a vertical element because of the placement relationship between the n-electrode and the p-electrode. For each electrode of the light emitting element, in addition to a bonding pad, line portions extending over the surface of the semiconductor film may be provided in order to promote current diffusion in the semiconductor film. By providing the line portions, the entire light emitting layer can be made to function effectively, thus improving light output and luminous efficiency.

Semiconductor light emitting device and vehicle lamp


An arc detection system includes a radio frequency (RF) signal probe that senses a RF signal at an input of a RF plasma chamber and that generates a signal based on at least one of the voltage, current, and power of the RF signal. A signal analyzer receives the signal, monitors the signal for frequency components that have a frequency greater than or equal to a fundamental frequency of the RF signal, and generates an output signal based on the frequency components. The output signal indicates that an arc is occurring in the RF plasma chamber.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
RF plasma has been extensively used for semiconductor manufacturing in recent decades. Field data shows that arcing is a main cause of wafer defects and damage. Real-time arc detection is critical to maintain and improve the yield in IC manufacturing.
Arcing is a sudden release of energy between parts in a plasma chamber, which accompanies fast electromagnetic transients typically in the range of 1 to 100 microseconds. Arc detection equipment generally includes two parts: a Langmuir probe for picking up signals and a real-time signal-processing unit. Based on the probe coupling, the detection can be classified as invasive and non-invasive techniques.
Referring now to FIG. 1, one of several configurations is shown of a radio frequency (RF) plasma delivery system 10. RF plasma delivery system 10 includes a RF generator 12 that provides power to a plasma chamber 14. An impedance matching network 16 can be inserted in a feed line between the output of RF generator 12 and the input of plasma chamber 14. A Langmuir probe 18 can be inserted into plasma chamber 14. Langmuir probe 18 generates a signal based on the plasma in plasma chamber 14. A data acquisition instrument 20 receives and processes the signal to characterize the plasma.
Langmuir probe 18 is a typical probe for plasma diagnostics and is well developed for determination of plasma characteristics including densities, temperatures, and energies. Langmuir probe 18 is essentially an antenna that is inserted into the plasma sheath to obtain plasma information. Because Langmuir probe 18 is inserted inside the plasma chamber 14, Langmuir probe 18 is invasive to the chamber processes. While this method of assessing the plasma behavior is accurate and informative, the intrusiveness of Langmuir probe 18 inhibits its use in a production environment.
Non-invasive arc detection can be based on broadband radiation that occurs during the arcing. Techniques using optical detection and florescence spectroscopy are based on this principle. These methods generally need a variety of sensors and are thus more expensive than Langmuir probe 18.


Improved thermoplastic polymer elastic film blend compositions including a crystalline isotactic polypropylene component and a crystallizable alpha-olefin and propylene copolymer component, the copolymer having crystallizable alpha-olefin sequences. In a preferred embodiment, improved thermoplastic polymer blends are provided made up of from 0% to 95%, preferably 2% to 40 weight % of the crystalline isotactic polypropylene and from 5% to 100%, preferably 60% to 98 weight % of a crystallizable ethylene and propylene copolymer, wherein the copolymer has isotactically crystallizable propylene sequences and is predominately propylene. The resultant blends manifest unexpected compatibility characteristics, and improved resistance to elastic deformation of the crystalline isotactic polypropylene and from of a crystallizable ethylene and propylene copolymer.

The invention relates to elastic films comprising at least one and preferably two polyolefin thermoplastic components.
Ethylenexe2x80x94propylene copolymers and blends of isotactic polypropylene and ethylene propylene rubber are well known in the prior art. However, the traditional Ziegler-Natta catalysts used to make the ethylene propylene elastomer have limitations. Thus polymers which are simultaneously uniform in compositional distribution, have substantially stereospecific propylene residues and have less than 35 wt. % ethylene are not available with these catalysts. These limitations in the synthesis have lead to the absence of elastic films from blends of ethylene propylene copolymers and isotactic polypropylene.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,197 describes blends of stereoregular propylene/alpha-olefin copolymers, stereoregular propylene, and ethylene copolymer rubbers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,949 suggests the synthesis of blend compositions containing isotactic polypropylene and copolymers of propylene and an alpha-olefin, containing between 6-20 carbon atoms, which have improved elongation and tensile strength over either the copolymer or isotactic polypropylene. Copolymers of propylene and alpha-olefin are described wherein the alpha-olefin is hexene, octene or dodecene. However, the copolymer is made with a heterogeneous titanium catalyst resulting in copolymers with non-uniform composition distribution and a broad molecular weight distribution. Non-uniform intramolecular compositional distribution is evident in U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,949 by the use of the term xe2x80x9cblockxe2x80x9d in the description of the polymer where the copolymer is described as having xe2x80x9csequences of different alpha-olefin content.xe2x80x9d Within the context of the invention described above the term sequences describes a number of olefin monomer residues linked together by chemical formed during polymerization.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,461,872, improved on the properties of the blends described in 3,888,949 by using another heterogeneous catalyst system which is expected to form copolymers which have statistically significant intermolecular and intramolecular compositional differences.
Two successive publications in the journal of Macromolecules, 1989, V22, pages 3851-3866, described blends of isotactic polypropylene and partially atactic polypropylene which purportedly have desirable tensile elongation properties. However, the partially atactic propylene has a broad molecular weight distribution as shown in FIG. 8 of the first publication. The partially atactic polypropylene is also composed of several fractions, which differ in the level of tacticity of the propylene units as shown by the differences in the solubility in different solvents. This is shown by the corresponding physical decomposition of the blend which is separated by extraction with different solvents to yield individual components of uniform solubility characteristics as shown in Table IV of the above publications.
More recently several authors have shown the formation of more refined structures of partially atactic, partially isotactic polypropylene which have elastomeric properties. It is believed that in these components each molecule consists of portions which are isotactic and therefore crystallizable while the other portions of the same polypropylene molecule are atactic and therefore amorphous and not crystalllizable. Examples of these propylene homopolymers containing different levels of isotacticity in different portions of the molecule are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,080, in the article in the Journal American Chemical Society (1995), 117, p. 11586; in the article in the Journal American Chemical Society (1997), 119, p. 3635; in the journal article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (1991), 113, pp. 8569-8570, and in the journal article in the Journal Macromolecules (1995) 28, pp. 3771-3778. These articles describe the copolymer of the present composition but do not describe the compositions obtained in blends with a more crystalline polymer such as isotactic polypropylene, nor its resultant desirable physical properties.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,853,969 and 3,378,606, suggest the formation of in situ blends of isotactic polypropylene and xe2x80x9cstereo blockxe2x80x9d copolymers of propylene and another olefin of 2 to 12 carbon atoms, including ethylene and hexene. The copolymers of this invention are necessarily heterogeneous in intermolecular and intramolecular composition distribution. This is demonstrated by the synthesis procedures of these copolymers which involve sequential injection of monomer mixtures of different compositions to synthesize polymeric portions of analogously different compositions. In addition, FIG. 1 of both patents shows that the xe2x80x9cstereo blockxe2x80x9d character, which is intra or intermolecular compositional differences in the context of the description of the present invention, is essential to the benefit of the tensile and elongation properties of the blend of these patents.
Moreover, all of these compositions either do not meet all of the desired properties for various applications.
Similar results are purportedly achieved in U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,992 wherein the authors suggest that the addition of a stereoblock copolymer of ethylene and propylene to isotactic polypropylene leads to improved mechanical properties of the blend compared to isotactic polypropylene alone. However, these benefits are described only for the stereoblock copolymers of ethylene and propylene. These copolymers were synthesized by changing the monomer concentrations in the reactor with time. This is shown in examples 1 and 2. The stereoblock character of the polymer is graphically shown in the molecular description (column 2, line 65) and contrasted with the undesirable random copolymer (column 2, line 60).
The presence of stereoblock character in these polymers is shown by the high melting point of these polymers and the poor solubility in hydrocarbons at ambient temperature.
Notwithstanding these descriptions of the polymer blends containing isotactic propylene segments it is apparent that useful articles such as elastic films have not been constructed from any of these materials. The utility of elastic films is that they (a) are soft to the touch, (b) can recover from temporary tensile deformation to essentially their original dimensions, this latter property may be of advantage in disposable garments to aid in retaining their shape. In addition, there is a need for elastic films which are easily processible in conventional thermoplastic plastics film equipment using conditions similar to that used for conventional thermoplastic films. Further, any or all of the conventional processes used for film fabrication should be usable to fabricate the elastic film blend. These include but are not limited to the following: compression molding, blown film extrusion and cast film extrusion. It is also further desireable to have elastic films composed essentially completely of polyolefins such that they are thermally stable, heat resistant, light resistant and generally suitable for thermoplastic applications.
There is a need therefore for elastic films composed generally completely of polyolefins but having simultaneously a crystalline stereospecific polypropylene component to obtain good tensile strength as well as a crystallizable ethylene-propylene copolymer to provide good elastic recoverability, resistance to elastic flow at a load sustained for specified period, as well as a glass transition temperature below that of polypropylene.
Embodiments of our invention include forming elastic films from predominantly crystallizable, semicrystalline polyolefin polymers. Further, embodiments include improving the aforementioned properties of films by blending a generally minor amount of a crystalline polyolefin where the type of crystallinity of the two components are similar, as for instance both will be substantially isotactic or syndiotactic, but the amount of crystallinity differs. Isotactic and syndiotactic arrangement of monomers in a polymer are defined in xe2x80x9cPrinciples of Polymerizationxe2x80x9d by G. Odian (3rd Ed), 1991, p. 607 (John Wiley) which is incorporated herein by reference. Substantially pertains to an arrangement of monomer units where greater than 50% of adjacent monomer units have the defined tacticity. Other embodiments of our invention are directed to polyolefins and polyolefin blends where the crystallizable and crystalline components have a stereoregular polypropylene component, especially preferred is isotactic polypropylene. A crystalline polymer is one with a heat of fusion, a measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to be greater than 50 J/g. A crystallizable polymer is one with a heat of fusion, as measure by DSC, to be less than 50 J/g. In the semicrystalline, crystallizable polymer this is achieved with a crystallizable copolymer of propylene and a C2, C3-C20 alpha-olefin, preferably propylene and at least one other alpha-olefin having less than 6 carbon atoms, and more preferably propylene and ethylene. Improvements in the properties of the semicrystalline, crystallizable copolymer can be obtained by blending it with the crystalline stereoregular polypropylene component, particularly isotactic polypropylene. This crystallizable copolymer is less crystalline than the crystalline isotactic polypropylene. In the crystallizable copolymer the propylene is polymerized substantially stereospecifically. Preferably, the crystallizable copolymer is an ethylene propylene crystallizable copolymer, e.g., ethylene propylene elastomer that is thermoplastic. The crystallizable copolymer has a substantially uniform composition distribution, preferably as a result of polymerization with a metallocene catalyst. Composition distribution is a property of these crystallizable copolymers indicating a statistically significant intermolecular or intramolecular difference in the composition of the polymer. Methods for measuring compositional distribution are described later.
We have found that a crystallizable, semicrystalline propylene alpha olefin crystallizable copolymer, hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9cfirst polymer componentxe2x80x9d (FPC) can be used to make elastic films. The properties of the film can be improved by blending an amount of a crystalline propylene polymer, hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9csecond polymer componentxe2x80x9d, (SPC). These blends have the advantageous processing characteristics while still providing a composition having decreased flexural modulus and increased adjusted or normalized load capacity and low values of set and load decay. The decrease in set and load decay refer to the ability of the elastic film to withstand instantaneous and sustained loads, respectively, without substantial deformation. These improvements are most apparent as a function of the 200% tensile modulus (designated as load in the data below) of the blend. Historically, the examples of the prior art have been able to duplicate the improvements in the blend but only for compositions with a very low 200% tensile modulus.
It is possible to have a third polymeric component which is another crystallizable propylene alpha olefin copolymer indicated as FPC2 in the text below, which has crystallinity intermediate between the FPC and the SPC. The FPC2 also has a narrow composition distribution and is made with a metallocene catalyst. The addition of FPC2 leads to a finer morphology of dispersion of the FPC and improvements in some of the properties of the blend of FPC and SPC. In addition, these blends for elastic films may contain non-polymeric ingredients such as process oil, inorganic components such as particulate fillers such as carbon black, mica or calcium carbonate.
The term xe2x80x9ccrystalline,xe2x80x9d as used herein for SPC, characterizes those polymers which possess high degrees of inter- and intra-molecular order.
FPC2 describes those polymers or sequences which are substantially crystalline in the undeformed state (however, less crystalline than the SPC). Further crystallization may also occur in the presence of the crystalline polymer such as SPC.
The blends and the films made therefrom, contain a continuous phase of low crystallinity. For blends containing at least two polymeric components, an additional dispersed phase of greater crystallinity is also present. In this latter case the sizes of the individual domains of the dispersed phase are very small with the smallest length dimension for the dispersed phase being less than 5 xcexcm. This phase size of the dispersed phase is maintained during processing even without crosslinking. The dispersed phase consists of a crystalline mixture of SPC with some amount of FPC2 (when present in the blend) and FPC, due to thermodynamic mixing of polymers. The continuous phase consists of the balance of the polymers not included in the dispersed phase. Blends directed to low flexural modulus may have in addition, a heterogeneous phase morphology with continuous phases of lower and greater crystallinity.
Commonly available reactor copolymer consisting of a single phase blend of isotactic polypropylene and copolymers of propylene and ethylene are not included within the scope of the present invention since they are a single phase with no prominent dispersed or continuos phases. Impact copolymer, thermoplastic olefins and thermoplastic elastomers have heterophase morphology made by a combination of a SPC and a FPC of the present invention. However, the more crystalline polymer is the continues phase in these blends and they are excluded from the present invention. The components of the blend in both cases are also compatible to the extent that no preformed or insitu formed compatibilizer needs to be added to attain and retain this fine morphology. Furthermore, embodiments of this invention describe improving the mechanical deformation recoverability of the aforementioned blends by annealing the blends and/or mechanically orienting the films formed from these blends.
The films made from these blends are made either by casting, compression molding or blowing films or by any of the other procedures known in the art. Typically, these films are between 0.1 to 100xc3x9710xe2x88x923 inch in thickness.
A preferred composition for the formation of the elastic films comprises 0%-95% by weight, preferably 2%-30% by weight and more preferably 2%-25% by weight of SPC and the balance of the composition being the FPC. The FPC comprising a crystallizable copolymer of the FPC of the invention, has isotactically crystallizable propylene sequences with a crystallinity less than 40 J/g and greater than 65% by weight propylene and preferably greater than 80% by weight propylene.
According to another embodiment, a thermoplastic polymer blend for the preparation of the elastic film composition of the invention comprises a SPC and a FPC with added process oil. The SPC comprises isotactic polypropylene, a reactor copolymer or an impact copolymer as described above. The balance of the polymer blend composition may consist of a mixture of the process oil and the FPC and FPC2 if used.
Still further embodiments of our invention are directed to a process for preparing thermoplastic blends suitable for the preparation of elastic films is contemplated. The process comprises: (a) polymerizing propylene or a mixture of propylene and one or more monomers selected from C2 or C3-C20 alpha olefins in the presence of a polymerization catalyst wherein a substantially isotactic propylene polymer containing at least 90% by weight polymerized propylene is obtained; (b) polymerizing a mixture of ethylene and propylene in the presence of a chiral metallocene catalyst, wherein a crystallizable copolymer of ethylene and propylene is obtained comprising up to 35% by weight ethylene and preferably up to 20% by weight ethylene and containing isotactically crystallizable propylene sequences; and (c) blending the propylene polymer of step (a) with the crystallizable copolymer of step (b) to form a blend. Prochiral catalysts suitable for the preparation of crystalline and semi-crystalline polypropylene copolymers include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,145,819; 5,304,614; 5,243,001; 5,239,022; 5,329,033; 5,296,434; 5,276,208; 5,672,668; 5,304,614; and 5,374,752; and EP 549 900 and 576 970, all incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, metallocenes such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,510, 502 (incorporated herein by reference) are suitable for use in this invention.
According to still a further embodiment, the invention is directed to a process for preparing of elastic films from these thermoplastic polymer blends. The process comprises: (a) generating the thermoplastic blend (as described immediately above), (b) forming the elastic film by casting, blowing or compression molding as described in the art, (c) annealing the resulting films for a period of time less than 20 days at a temperature not to exceed 170xc2x0 C. and (d) orienting the film either uniaxially or biaxially by extension to not greater than 700% of its original dimension. The annealing and/or the orientation may be conducted in a single operation or as distinctive sequential operations.
Another embodiment includes a film including a blend of polymers, the film has excellent resistance to set and excellent resistance to load decay, the blend of polymers being substantially noncrosslinked, comprising a first polymer component (FPC), the FPC has:
i) a composition distribution such that at least 75 weight percent of the polymer is isolated in two adjacent soluble fractions, each of these fractions has a composition difference of no greater than 20% (relative) of the average weight percent ethylene content of the whole first polymer component;
ii) a melting point, as determined by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) less than 105xc2x0 C.;
iii) a heat of fusion less than 45 J/g;
iv) propylene and an alpha-olefin present in said FPC, wherein the alpha-olefin is present in the FPC from 4-35 weight percent, wherein the alpha-olefin is selected from the group consisting of ethylene and C4-C12 alpha-olefin, the propylene making up the balance of the FPC. The FPC is present in the blend in the range of from 5-100 weight percent.
Also included is a second polymer component (SPC), the SPC being crystalline polymer having:
i) a melting point above 115xc2x0 C.;
ii) a heat of fusion above 60 J/g;
iii) propylene present at least 90 weight percent, and an alpha-olefin present at less than 9 weight percent, wherein the total of the propylene and the alpha-olefin in the SPC adds to 100 weight percent;
the SPC being present in the blend in the range of from 0-95 weight percent;
wherein the film exhibits a resistance to set equal to or less than that described by the equation:
Set=7+[9/1000]xc3x97 Adjusted Load (L2);
and
xe2x80x83
wherein the film exhibits a load decay that is equal to or less than 20%.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims.

Elastic films including crystalline polymer and crystallizable polymers of propylene


The present invention provides an input processing system which enables input of Chinese characters by kana-kanji conversion (Japanese syllable-Chinese character) or English words, etc. promptly with easy operation. All candidates of characters for input objects are set to a predetermined order and grouped into plural hierarchies, and are stored in a dictionary where a higher hierarchy group consists of each of the top item for one level lower hierarchy. According to an input position defined by an input unit, the lower hierarchy menu is displayed which is selected in the menu item in one level upper menu. The selected character is executed as an input object by pointing the menu item in the hierarchial menu.

There are approximately three kinds of input systems for characters, (1) input by keyboard, (2) input by handwriting, and (3) input by voice.
However, in cases where people who have handicapped arms and/or fingers use a computer system with these input methods, there will be several problems, as outlined below:
Input by Keyboard
In the case of input by a keyboard, it is difficult for people who have handicapped arms and/or fingers to press the keys on a keyboard, and substantial training is required to operate the keyboard at a certain level. Moreover, there are limitations in the size of the keyboard due to an alignment of the keys. This is a bottleneck for attempting to produce a small-sized and lightweight input unit.
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing examples of input by a keyboard. To input kanji (Chinese character) using kana-kanji (Japanese syllable-Chinese character) conversion with a keyboard, either kana (using Japanese kana character) keys input or alphabetic keys are generally used.
In FIG. 22A, using kana keys input, converted character "(ha)" will be displayed when "(ha)" key is pressed in an "entering kanji by kana character" mode. While using alphabet keys, the converted character "" will be displayed when the "H" key and "A" key are pressed in an "entering kanji by Romaji (alphabet for spelling out Japanese syllables)" mode.
Next, when a conversion key is pressed, a part of a group of candidate characters for the kana-kanji conversion will be displayed in an item list of a menu, where a cursor will be positioned on the very top menu item of the menu. As shown in FIG. 22B, by pressing the conversion key again, the cursor will move down to the next menu item of the menu.
By repeatedly pressing the conversion key, the cursor moves down to the bottom of the menu and then the rest of the group of candidate characters not previously displayed will be displayed, as shown in FIG. 22C.
Input by Handwriting
In the case of input by handwriting, there are problems as follows: An input unit such as a pen must be available; a high level of software technology is needed to recognize the handwriting; and these factors result in a high cost of production.
On the other hand, the accuracy of recognizing handwriting is not yet sufficient. In order to input characters correctly, the users have to write characters accurately, according to each system. For these reasons, it is difficult, especially for handicapped persons, to use these input systems.
Input by Voice
Input by voice is rather expensive for general users, due to the high cost of development of voice recognition techniques.
Further, since there is a problem in the accuracy of voice recognition, that type of system would not be practical for use at the present time.
The present invention aims to resolve the problems mentioned above, and to provide an inexpensive input processing means of characters that enables a user to input characters into information processing units, such as computers, with easy operation, even for people physically handicapped in their arms and/or fingers.


The present invention discribes a rotatable print drum apparatus for supporting thereon a printable medium having leading and trailing edges. The print drum comprises a relieved support surface for supporting the print medium wherein the relieved surface is formed with a recessed surface and a plurality of ribs protruding from the recessed surface in order to minimize contact of the print medium with the support surface of the drum.

The present invention relates generally to securing a sheet medium onto a support surface and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for supporting a flexible film sheet medium on a relieved support surface of a print drum which desensitizes the systems to the effects of contamination and air turbulence for allowing the sheet to be imprinted with improved resolution.
A wide variety of sheet processing systems has been proposed for effecting clamping of a sheet medium onto a cylindrical surface of a rotatable print drum. For example, in facsimile machines, computer printers, and xerographic copiers, there are requirements for releasably clamping and wrapping a sheet medium to and about a rotary drum, whereby the medium can be imprinted while the drum is rotating. In general, the rotary drums of the above devices are rotated at relatively slow speeds, for example, in the order of about 10-100 rpm. However, with the advent of high speed digital dry laser imaging processes, such as the type commercially available from Polaroid Corporation of Cambridge, Mass., USA for use in obtaining high-quality radiographic images, there is a requirement that the film or medium be printed while being rotated at high speeds, such as in the order of about 1200 to 6000 rpm in order to produce images within the commercially accepted time frame of conventional techniques.
Another requirement is that the sheet being imaged remain in a preferred wrapped position for insuring the degree of image resolution required in the medical field. For example, one consequence of a sheet being misaligned or spaced from its desired wrapped position is that the quality of the resolution can be compromised significantly. This is especially critical with, for instance, radiological images of the medical type. It is evident that even minor deviations of a sheet from its intended wrapped position may cause unacceptable medical images.
The potential for a sheet deviating from its intended wrapped condition during digital imaging of the above type becomes even more significant whenever the size of the sheet to be printed increases. This is so because the larger format film sheets must be rotated at higher speeds so that they can be imprinted with considerably more information within the same general time frame as the smaller format sheets having less information. Because of increases in rotational speeds, there are increases in centrifugal forces acting on the sheet. If the film sheet bulges or otherwise separates from the drum surface irregularly, then the printing laser head, which automatically moves toward and away from the sheet during printing in an effort to maintain the laser head at its desired focal plane distance to the print surface, will not be able to move or track in and out fast enough to maintain the desired focal distance. As a consequence, the rendered radiological images can be less than satisfactory. This tends to create problems with the sheet separating radially.
The problem with sheet profile deviation such as bulging may be further aggravated when dirt or other contamination is present on the drum surface or on the medium. The dirt or contamination may be in the form of minute dust particles which cause a localized disturbance in the medium. In particular, such dust particles can create so-called tenting issues, whereby the media is disturbed from a smooth profile such as being sloped or inclined from the dust particles. Such tenting in effect magnifies the disturbances to the desired media shape when wrapped. It also has been further determined that air turbulence over and under the sheet will cause the media shape profile to change undesirably.
One known approach for clamping a flexible sheet of dry laser imaging film onto a cylindrical surface of a rotatable drum, so as to be imprinted by a laser, is described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,957, issued Feb. 27, 1990. This patent discloses use of leading and trailing edge clamps which are mounted axially on a rotatable drum and are sequentially operated by external cams to clamp and release both the leading and trailing edges of the flexible sheet that is to be wrapped on a rotating drum. Efforts have been undertaken to maintain the media shape on the drum. In this regard, some of the clamps proposed tend to minimize the radial separation of the sheet by clamping the sheet so that it is tightly wrapped on portions of the drum surface. An example of such latter clamping is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,096, which is incorporated herein as a part hereof.
While the foregoing approaches are satisfactory, there is nevertheless a desire to improve upon printing performance by reducing sensitivity of the media and thus the autofocus to dust and debris and air turbulence that causes displacement of the media from a desired shape, especially in situations where high rotational speeds are to be encountered.

Method and apparatus for desensitizing print media on a print drum to the effects of debris contamination and air turbulence