A manhole adjustment ring to be disposed in a manhole frame having a surrounding side wall structure and an inwardly depending lip on which a manhole cover is supportably disposed, the manhole adjustment ring including a base frame and a spacer ring, with the base frame having a substantially continuous, rigid, ring like configuration structured to maintain substantially continuous, mating engagement with the manhole frame, while the spacer ring is adjustably coupled to the base frame and extends upwardly therefrom to a height sufficient to extend above the surrounding side wall structure of the manhole frame and define a protruding rim that accommodates a layer of pavement in generally abutting engagement with an exterior surface thereof. The spacer ring also includes an adjustable diameter and is structured to maintain secure, adjustable, coupled engagement with the base frame, while also being structured to expand to a diameter sufficient to engage the surrounding side wall structure of the manhole frame for generally secure engagement therewith and for generally secure retention of the base frame on the manhole frame, with the manhole cover being received supportably on the spacer ring and the base frame such that an upper surface thereof is generally flush with a top of the layer of pavement disposed in abutting engagement with the exterior surface of the protruding rim of the spacer ring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manhole adjustment ring structured to facilitate the rapid adaptation of an existing manhole frame to accommodate resurfacing of a road in which it is disposed. The manhole adjustment ring of the present invention is substantially quick and easy to install despite potential variations in the precise dimensions of the existing manhole frame, is substantially durable, does not rattle, minimizes water infiltration, and is capable of withstanding repeated jarring from passing vehicles, while effectively accommodating a manhole cover in an elevated position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Manholes are a commonly used access to underground passageways beneath roads or other paved locations. Typically, the manholes are bordered by a manhole frame onto which a large sturdy manhole cover is disposed. As often heavy volumes of traffic pass over the manhole cover during normal use, the manhole cover is generally quite heavy and durable, formed of cast iron or another strong metal, and is positioned so as to completely cover and shield the manhole itself. Moreover, the manhole frame is sized so that the manhole cover is supportably maintained flush with the paved surface into which the manhole frame is disposed, thereby providing a generally uniform surface over which vehicles may pass.
As the original manhole frame is also usually formed of a strong, durable metal, such as cast iron, and is permanently connected to underground pipes and tunnels, the useful life of the manhole frame and manhole cover will often far exceed the life of the paved road into which it is positioned. Accordingly, it is often the case that a road having one or more manholes disposed therein must be repaved/resurfaced without having to repair the manhole cover or manhole frame. Of course, repaving a road calls for the addition of a new layer of pavement atop existing layers, such additional layers of payment rising above the rim of the existing manhole frames and thereby necessitating replacement or modification of the manhole frame.
Very often, however, the new layer of pavement is not as thick as the necessary height of a new seat portion of the manhole frame, and complete replacement of the entire existing manhole frame is not a practical option. Accordingly, a variety of adjustment fixtures have been developed in order to partially raise the seating region of the manhole frame a sufficient height to effectively seat the manhole cover. Such adjustment fixtures are typically rigid structures that are sized to precisely fit within the existing manhole frame. Unfortunately, however, variations often exist in the precise dimensions of different manhole frames such that the exact fitting of each adjustment frame must be achieved relative to the manhole frame into which it is to be disposed. Indeed, even small differences in the needed dimensions can result in either an impossible fit, or a small gap between the adjustment frame and the original frame. Furthermore, while it may appear that a small gap is not of major significance, due to heavy traffic and large amounts of stress which such manhole frames must withstand, even the smallest of gaps can lead to rattling and eventually to the loosening and/or damaging of the adjustment frame. As a result, a very precise fitting adjustment frame is preferred. Also, given that the adjustment fixture must expand to almost the precise dimensions of the existing manhole frame so as to effectively receive the manhole cover, existing devices often require an added layer of pavement, or generally protrude from the pavement creating a road hazard and providing an exposed surface that is more susceptible to wear or damage from heavy traffic.
Others in the art have attempted to develop adjustment frames which include an adjustable construction/configuration. Typically, these adjustable frames include a large number of thick segments secured to one another in an adjustable form. Such segmented devices, however, are very difficult and time consuming to install with precision because of the many adjustment variables associated with a highly segmented construction, and often do not fully and/or sufficiently engage the existing manhole frame, even after a large amount of adjustment and manipulation. Furthermore, such segmented designs often leave large gaps which can lead to water infiltration, and more rapid rusting and deterioration of the manhole frame and adjustment frame. Additionally, the often large exposed area of adjustment frame and the gaps in its construction also provide a large number of vulnerable areas in the adjustment frame's configuration, which are susceptible to yielding and deflection upon repeated impacts from the passage of motor vehicles thereover.
Accordingly, there is still a substantial need in the art for a manhole adjustment ring which is substantially quick and easy to install to a precise, mating dimension required by an existing manhole frame. Moreover, such an adjustment ring should minimize water infiltration and should be constructed so as to be substantially durable by minimizing gaps in its construction, and minimizing exposed areas, while still providing secure, accessible fit and retention of the manhole cover itself. Also, such an adjustment ring should attain the necessary dimension rapidly so as to eliminate protrusion thereof and of the manhole cover above the new layer of pavement.


This apparatus is a continuous processing device designed to remove labels and similar contaminants from granulated material prior to its reclamation into a manufactured product. The apparatus is particularly suited to the removal of adhesive backed product labels affixed to plastic base materials subsequent to granulation of the intact plastic item. This allows reprocessing of label-contaminated plastic containers into plastic pellets with greater economy and a higher purity of the end product. The need for this process is particularly acute with blow molded plastic containers which have paper or plastic labels affixed to large areas of their surface. Because this apparatus is continuous in operation, it can be placed in line with other automatic processing equipment such as granulators, washers, classifiers, and extruders. The success of this apparatus results from a combination of physical and thermal forces generated within the equipment which remove the adhesive from the plastic base. A further air classification process removes the waste fiber or adhesive products from the salvageable granulated material.

1. Field of the Invention
This apparatus provides a mechanism for continuously removing labels and similar contaminants from granulated material prior to its reclamation into a manufactured product. Primarily, the apparatus is used to remove adhesive backed product labels from granulated plastic containers prior to their reprocessing into plastic pellets. The need for this process is particularly acute with blow molded plastic containers which have paper and plastic labels affixed to large areas of their surface.
Because this apparatus is continuous in operation, it can be placed in line with other automatic processing equipment such as granulators, washers, classifiers, dryers, and extruders.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Within present plastic material reclamation technology, much attention is being given to the needs of increasing the quality of the end product. Removing contamination from the material prior to pelletizing in an extruder is now recognized as a mandatory step in this direction. A significant step in contamination elimination is the removal of product labels and the accompanying adhesive from blow molded containers.
To date, most processes specializing in fiber removal from granulated plastic have used one of two technologies. In some cases, separation is done directly after granulation with air classification systems where the granulated material falls through a labyrinth with a counter air flow which entrains the light materials. (See references to air classification in Tomaszek, U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,045.) Though this will effectively remove fibrous materials which are physically separated from the plastic granules, it can do nothing with the label material yet affixed to the plastic base.
A second, and most commonly used process, involves baths of aqueous solutions in which the label contaminated material is either soaked or agitated at high energy levels. Most notable among these processes are those by Hannigan et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,188), Nowicki et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,525), and Beck (U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,178). Though effective in removing labels from granulated plastic containers, these methods often result in complex batching apparatus and a high degree of complexity in clean-up to avoid cross-contamination in subsequent batches.
Other label removal technics have also been used. In one technology heat is used to deform the container prior to further label removal. (Refer to Baldyga, U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,804.) These processes consume relatively high input levels of energy in the form of radiant heat. They will also require additional separation methods as noted above.
A final process addressing the need to further remove the label and adhesive material is a batch process which subjects the material to repeated impact from rotating members. Though effective, these attempts are batch processes and lack the advantages of a continuous process. In general, batch methods are less adaptable to the requirements of other continuous production technologies, and often involve more complex and costly equipment.
The technology of this invention is a significant advancement over the prior art in that it has achieved an effective apparatus for removing adhesive and label contaminants from granulated plastic containers. Further, it has achieved this end with a continuous process.

Apparatus for continuous container label removal


An interface card communicates a scanner with a MACINTOSH computer. The scanner previously sends status value and 8-byte redundant data to the interface card before transmitting the image data. The 8-byte redundant data is not acceptable to the MACINTOSH computer and is converted into irregular image on the screen. In addition to a CPU, a memory, an address decoder, a counter and status registers, a S-to-P converter and an image data receiver, the interface card also has a circuit which consists of four AND gates, four flip-flops and a counter. The scanner sends a step trigger signal *ST and a synchronous signal *AR before sending data to the interface card. Therefore, the circuit processes the *ST and *AR signals and counts the clock pulses for transmitting redundant data so as to delete these data from the interface card.

The present invention relates to an interface card which connects a scanner with a MACINTOSH computer. More particularly, the present invention relates to an interface card which pre-processes the data from the scanner so as to ensure that all of the data are acceptable to the MACINTOSH computer.
As is well-known, a scanner communicates with a computer by an interface card in which the image data scanned by the scanner are stored in the memory of the interface card and sent to the computer in a manner of Direct Memory Access (DMA). Before the image data, the scanner previously sends a status value and eight-byte redundant data which follow the status value and are not acceptable to the MACINTOSH computer. The MACINTOSH computer reads all the data from the interface card and displays the data on the screen. However, the eight-byte redundant data are taken as the image data and converted into an irregular image on the screen.
The present invention aims to alleviate the abovementioned disadvantages and to provide an interface card which pre-processes the data from the scanner so as to ensure that all of the data are acceptable to the computer.

11th Fl., No. 11, Sec. 2, Nanking E. Rd.


A connector includes: a signal pin provided at a front end thereof with a terminal contacting a terminal provided in an electronic component, and electrically conducting a board with the electronic component; and a housing the signal pin, wherein the housing includes: a front end member within which the signal pin is secured, and connected to a connector provided in the electronic component; a rear end member secured in the board; and an elastic member arranged between the front end member and the rear end member, and having a block shape.

Conventionally, a connector ensures connection between a board provided in an electronic device such as a notebook computer and an electronic component attachable and detachable to and from the board. The general type of the attachable/detachable electronic component is a storage device such as an Optical Disc Drive (ODD) or a Hard Disc Drive (HDD). A housing of such a connector includes one end portion located in the storage device and a rear end portion located in the board. One end and rear end portions are integrally formed with each other. Then, a signal pin housed in the housing is secured within the housing by plastic molding.
The signal pin is inserted and soldered on the board, and the rear end portion is secured by screws, thereby attaching such a connector on the board. The board might vibrate. The vibration of the board is caused by the use of a speaker installed within the electronic device or by the falling of the electronic device. The vibration of the board is transmitted to the storage device through the connector.
The ODD and HDD each includes: a rotational mechanism for rotating a disk (storage medium) storing data; and a head accessing the rotating disk. The vibration transmitted from the board to the ODD or HDD causes the head to vibrate. Further, the vibration transmitted from the board to the ODD or HDD might cause a contact failure between a terminal of the connector and a terminal of the ODD or HDD. The vibration of the head or the contact failure between these terminals might cause an error in reading or writing data.
There are known a following connector which absorbs the transmission of the vibration from a chassis to the HDD via the connector at the time the dropping impact is applied to the chassis of the notebook computer. For example, there is a connector including an elastic member supporting a first connector portion on a second connector portion with the first and second connector portions separated from each other. In such an example of the connector, an upper connector is used as the first connector portion, and a lower connector is used as the second connector portion. Additionally, an electrical connecting pin is used as the elastic member. This electrical connecting pin is made of a metallic material having a plate shape. The plate-shaped metallic material configured as the electrical connecting pin includes a bending portion bent in the thickness direction thereof, and the bending portion functions as an elastically deformable portion (see Japanese Unexamined Patent application publication No. 2004-71356).
Further, there is known an electrical connector including a plastic member, as the conventional technique. For example, there is known an electrical connector where a viscoelastic member with plastic properties is arranged at a clearance defined between a connector housing and a fixing frame supporting the connector housing (see Japanese Unexamined utility model application publication No. 5-31158).
The vibration of the board provided in the electronic device might be caused by various reasons. For example, in the notebook computer as an example of the electronic device, its chassis houses a speaker. The use of this speaker might cause the vibration of the board. The vibration caused by the use of the speaker might include the rightward, leftward, forward, and rearward components, in addition to the upward and downward components. In such a way, the vibration occurring on the board might include the component other than the upward and downward components.
Correspondingly, it is conceivably difficult for the connector including the elastic member supporting the first connector portion on the second connector portion to effectively absorb and attenuate the impact or vibration in a direction other than the upward and downward directions. As mentioned above, the bending portion bent in the thickness direction is formed in the plate-shaped metallic material embodied as the electrical connecting pin corresponding to the elastic member. The elastic member with such a shape has the primary purpose of absorbing and restricting of the impact and the vibration in the upward and downward directions.
For this reason, in a case where the conventional connector as mentioned above is employed, the rightward, leftward, forward and rearward vibrations might be transmitted to the ODD or HDD. Further, the vibration is transmitted to the ODD or HDD, so that the contact failure might be caused in a terminal of the ODD or HDD. This might result in an error in reading or writing data.
Furthermore, the electrical connector, where the viscoelastic member with plastic properties is arranged the clearance defined between the connector housing and the fixing frame supporting the connector housing, has the purpose of facilitating the fitting operation of the connector. This electrical connector has a self-correcting mechanism of the fitting angle between the female and male connectors connected. That is, it is not assumed that this electrical connector absorbs the vibration of the board.
Moreover, this electrical connector is supposed to be attached to an end of a harness. That is, it is not assumed that the signal pin is directly inserted into the board and is then soldered. It is difficult for this connector to correspond to be applicable to the conformation in which the signal pin are directly inserted into the board

Connector, board having the same, and electronic device having the same


A cannulated sensing device is disclosed and can include a housing that can have a proximal end and a distal end. A cannula can extend from the proximal end of the housing to the distal end of the housing. Further, a sensor can be attached to the distal end of the housing.

Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in many tissues of the body such as skin, cartilage, and the vitreous humor. Hyaluronic acid can be used to treat osteoarthritis of various diarthrodial joints, e.g., knee joints, hip joints, etc. In order to properly treat certain diarthrodial joints, e.g., hip joints, it is desirable to inject hyaluronic acid deep into a joint capsule of the diarthrodial joint—regardless of patient size. As such, it is desirable to locate synovial fluid associated with a diarthrodial joint and it is desirable to locate a tip of an injection needle prior to injection of the hyaluronic acid within a joint capsule.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device for locating synovial fluid in a patient and for locating a needle tip within a patient prior to injecting a therapeutic agent such as hyaluronic acid.


A control method for controlling a switching power supply circuit has a control circuit including a setting device that limits the exciting current of a transformer at the time of changeover from a switching delay to a switching period. The setting value set by the setting device is changed slowly to prevent the exciting current of transformer from changing rapidly and to reduce the excitation noise of transformer, and the setting value is changed gradually to prevent the output voltage from lowering even when the load becomes heavier than a certain value during the light load operation. The control method facilitates reducing the electric power consumption of the switching power supply circuit under a light load, reducing the transformer excitation noise and preventing the output voltage from lowering when the load is light.

The present invention relates to a control method for controlling a switching power supply circuit that has a delay, for which switching is not conducted, to reduce the power consumption thereof when the load is light. Specifically, the present invention relates to a control method that facilitates reducing the transformer excitation noise and stabilizing the switching operations thereof.
Some conventional switching power supply circuits set a switching delay or pause, to stop the switching operations of the switching devices thereof for reducing the power consumption thereof when the load is light. However, the exciting current that flows through the transformer changes greatly at the changeover between the switching period and the switching delay, for which the switching is stopped, causing transformer excitation noise.
Japanese Patent document JP P 2002-136125 A discloses a switching power supply circuit that is directed to obviate the problems described above. The disclosed switching power supply circuit limits the peak value of the transformer exciting current to a certain value to reduce the transformer excitation noise.
FIG. 10 is a block circuit diagram of the switching power supply circuit disclosed in JP 2002-136125 A.
Referring now to FIG. 10, the disclosed switching power supply circuit includes a DC power supply 1, a first switching device 2, a control circuit 3, an output voltage feedback circuit 5, a transformer 6, a rectifying diode 7, a rectifying capacitor 8, a current detecting resistor 10, and a current limiting resistor 11. The control circuit 3 switches on and off first switching device 2. Output voltage feedback circuit 5 includes resistors 13, 14, 16, 19, and 20; a shunt regulator 15; a capacitor 17; and photocouplers 18a and 18b. Transformer 6 including a primary winding 6a, a secondary winding 6b, and a control winding 6c. Rectifying capacitor 8 and diode 7 smooth the output of the switching power supply circuit. A load 9 is also shown in FIG. 10.
The main circuit shown in FIG. 10 operates in the following manner. A voltage is generated via primary winding 6a across secondary winding 6b in transformer 6 by inducing the first switching device 2 switch on and off the DC voltage from power supply 1. The voltage generated across secondary winding 6b in transformer 6 is rectified by diode 7 and capacitor 8 and converted to a DC voltage. Output voltage feedback circuit 5 lowers the feedback signal thereof when the DC voltage described above rises so that the output voltage may be stabilized at a desired value.
FIG. 11 is a block circuit diagram of the control circuit shown in FIG. 10. Referring now to FIG. 11, control circuit 3 includes a driver circuit 101 that drives switching device 2, a start pulse generator circuit 104, an ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 for switching ON and OFF, an ON-timing-signal outputting circuit 106, a normal- and waiting-modes-changeover-signal outputting circuit 107 for changing over the normal mode to the waiting mode or vice versa (hereinafter referred to simply as a "changeover-signal outputting circuit"), a waiting mode RS flip-flop 111 used for the waiting mode, a switching stop comparator 113 for stopping switching, a switching start comparator 115 for starting switching, a waiting mode comparator 121 used for the waiting mode, a normal mode comparator 123 used for the normal mode, a constant current supply 117, constant voltage supplies 112, 114, 116, and 122, AND gates 103, 124, and 126, a NOT gate 125, and an OR gate 127.
The control circuit shown in FIG. 11 operates in the following manner. First, the normal mode of operations when the load is light will be described.
As the power supply to control circuit 3 is established, start pulse generator circuit 104 outputs start pulses to set ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105. As ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 is set, driver circuit 101 makes switching device 2 ON via the output terminal a of control circuit 3. As a current flows through switching device 2, a voltage is generated across current detecting resistor 10 and the voltage proportional to the current value is inputted to the input terminal d of control circuit 3.
Normal mode comparator 123 compares the current value signal inputted from the input terminal d of control circuit 3 with the feedback signal inputted to the input terminal b of control circuit 3. When the current value signal is higher than the feedback signal, normal mode comparator 123 outputs an OFF-signal (H-level). Since changeover-signal outputting circuit 107 is outputting a normal mode signal (L-level) at this timing, the output of AND gate 124 and the output of OR gate 127 are set at the H-level. As the output of OR gate 127 is set at the H-level, ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 is reset. As ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 is reset, driver circuit 101 switches off switching device 2 via the output terminal a. As the switching device 2 is switched off, a voltage is generated across secondary winding 6b in transformer 6 and energies are fed to capacitor 8 and load 9 through diode 7.
As the energy discharge is completed, the voltage generated across secondary winding 6b in transformer 6 reduces. At the same time, the voltage generated across control winding 6c in transformer 6 connected to the input terminal c also reduces. As ON-timing-signal outputting circuit 106 detects the trailing edge of the voltage generated across control winding 6c and inputted to the input terminal c, ON-timing-signal outputting circuit 106 sets ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105. As ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 is set, driver circuit 101 switches on switching device 2 via the output terminal a. As a current flows through switching device 2 and the current value signal exceeds the feedback signal to the higher side, normal mode comparator 123 outputs an OFF-signal.
As the OFF-signal is outputted, ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 is reset and driver circuit 101 switches off switching device 2. Control circuit 3 switches on switching device 2 in response to the ON-signal from ON-timing-signal outputting circuit 106 or the ON-signal from start pulse generator circuit 104. Control circuit 3 switches off switching device 2 in response to the OFF-signal from normal mode comparator 123. Control circuit 3 controls the ON-period of switching device 2 to stabilize the output voltage of the switching power supply circuit at a desired value.
Now, the waiting mode of operations when the load is light will be described below.
Switching start comparator 115 compares the feedback signal with the voltage from constant voltage supply 114. As the feedback signal exceeds the switching start voltage Vth (H) set by constant voltage supply 114 to the higher side, switching start comparator 115 resets waiting mode RS flip-flop 111. As waiting mode RS flip-flop 111 is reset, ON-OFFRS flip-flop 105 is released from the reset state thereof. As ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 is released from the reset state thereof, it becomes possible to set ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 and, therefore, switching is permitted.
As an ON-signal is outputted from start pulse generator circuit 104 or ON-timing-signal outputting circuit 106, ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 is set. As ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 is set, driver circuit 101 switches on switching device 2 via the output terminal a. As a current flows through switching device 2, a voltage is generated across current detecting resistor 10 and the voltage proportional to the current value is inputted to the input terminal d. Waiting mode comparator 121 compares the current value signal inputted from the input terminal d with the setting value set in constant voltage supply 122. As the current value signal exceeds the setting value to the higher side, waiting mode comparator 121 outputs a turnoff signal (H-level).
Since changeover-signal outputting circuit 107 is outputting a waiting mode signal (H-level) at this time, the output of AND gate 126 and the output of OR gate 127 are set at the H-level. As the output of OR gate 127 is set at the H-level, ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 is reset. As ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 is reset, driver circuit 101 switches off switching device 2 via the output terminal a. During the period, for which waiting mode RS flip-flop 111 is in the reset state thereof, control circuit 3 makes switching device 2 conduct switching operations thereof at a certain peak current value.
Switching stop comparator 113 compares the feedback signal with the setting value of constant voltage supply 112. As the feedback signal exceeds the switching stop voltage Vth (L) set by constant voltage supply 112 to the lower side, switching stop comparator 113 sets waiting mode RS flip-flop 111. As waiting mode RS flip-flop 111 is set, ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 is reset. As ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 is reset, it becomes impossible to set ON-OFF RS flip-flop 105 and switching is inhibited. When waiting mode RS flip-flop 111 is in the set state thereof, control circuit 3 does not make switching device 2 conduct switching operations and keeps stopping the switching operations of switching device 2 until the feedback signal exceeds the switching start signal Vth (H) to the higher side.
FIG. 12 is a wave chart describing the operations of the conventional switching power supply circuit shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 shows the output voltage waveform when the load is light, the feedback signal waveform, the output waveform of waiting mode RS flip-flop 111, and the exciting current waveform of transformer 6.
As shown in FIG. 12, the variation of the feedback signal changes the state of waiting mode RS flip-flop 111. When waiting mode RS flip-flop 111 is in the set state, control circuit 3 conducts the switching operations thereof at a certain peak current value. Control circuit 3 controls the burst duty determined by the ratio of the switching period and the switching delay to stabilize the output voltage at a desired value.
As described in detail above, the switching power supply circuit disclosed in the Patent Document 1 limits the peak transformer exciting current to be lower than a certain value to reduce the transformer excitation noise in the waiting mode of operations. However, when the load becomes heavier than assumed, the energies fed to the secondary side of the transformer are insufficient, causing a low output voltage.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a control system for controlling a switching power supply circuit that facilitates preventing the output voltage of the switching power supply circuit from lowering even when the load becomes heavier than assumed in the waiting mode of operations.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.

Control method for switching power supply circuit

Fuji Electric Device Technology Co., Ltd.


A reverse drive for a motorcycle. In one embodiment, the drive includes a flexible frame. A plurality of rollers are mounted to the flexible frame and configured to be positioned substantially horizontally. A motorcycle-interface is attached to the frame.

(1) Field
The present invention relates generally to reverse drives for motorcycles and, more particularly, to portable or removable or after-market devices that allow motorcycles to drive in reverse.
(2) Related Technology
Motorcycle transmissions having a reverse gear are known in the art. Most commonly, however, both new and old motorcycles lack reverse gears. To reverse motorcycles lacking a reverse gear, the rider must walk the motorcycle backwards. This can be very difficult, even dangerous, if the motorcycle is too heavy to for a particular rider to push or if the motorcycle needs to be reversed uphill. Others have recognized the problem.
United States Patent Application Publication 2003/0038437 ("Ungvari") discloses a portable reverse drive shown in FIG. 1a. Ungvari's drive includes a rigid frame having a lower frame portion 1a and an upper frame portion 1b. Attached to lower frame portion 1a, is a pair of lower rollers 2a mounted on lower axles 3a and secured by lower axle nuts 4a. Attached to upper frame portion 1b is an upper roller 2b mounted on an upper axle 3b.
FIG. 2 shows Ungvari's drive in use. The drive is placed in front of the rear wheel 7 of a motorcycle. The rider then drives forward, first up onto the drive, and then as power is transmitted to Ungvari's roller 2a′, the motorcycle is propelled backward 6 to the desired location. To get off the drive, the rider disengages the clutch, or shifts the motorcycle into neutral, and rolls backward. Ungvari's upper roller 2b is located toward the front of wheel 7 and is used to keep the motorcycle from advancing forward off the drive or to keep the motorcycle from advancing the drive out from under wheel 7. As a result of this configuration, Ungvari needs a rigid frame 1 to hold roller 2b at the desired height and distance relative to wheel 7. Applicant has discovered various problems with this technique. For example, Ungvari's solution of using upper roller 2b to prevent rearward movement of the drive necessitates a rigid upper frame to hold the upper roller at the desired height relative to wheel 7 and necessitates a rigid lower frame to prevent the forward movement of roller 2b relative to the lower frame. Further, Ungvari's drive only provides a reverse drive force through a single roller, the rearmost lower roller 2a′. Applicant's invention addresses these and additional problems.


A system and method distributes encryption and/or authentication capabilities among route processors in a manner that allows route processors in a set of route processors to back each other up in case one or more of the route processors in the set fail.

Conventional networks such as the Internet may be made up of several autonomous systems, which are networks under the administrative control of a single entity, such as a conventional Internet Service Provider, or ISP. Each autonomous system ("AS") communicates topology and routing information with every other AS to which it is in communication directly, that is, without passing through another AS. The conventional (E)BGP protocol (known as the Border Gateway Protocol) may be used to communicate such information.
A border router at the edge one AS uses a different connection with each border router in the other AS to which it is connected to exchange (E)BGP information with the other border routers to which it is in communication. Additional connections are employed to accurately communicate this (E)BGP information to the other border routers in the AS. Because the computer processing the (E)BGP information may have a finite amount of resources, and each connection takes a certain amount of these resources, as the number of routers in other autonomous systems connected to a border router grows, and as the number of routers in the same AS as the router to which the router must be connected also grows, (E)BGP information is communicated through separate connections to each of these other devices, processor capacity can become a constraint.
It can be desirable to use processor capacity for other purposes. For example, because the communications between routers in different autonomous systems is unauthenticated and unencrypted, it subjects each autonomous system to attack by malicious parties. It would be desirable to encrypt and/or authenticate the (E)BGP information arriving from outside of an AS, but in many cases, there may be no processor capacity available to perform these functions. Even if there is, as the network grows, the processors in the route processors may be needed for the additional connections required, making parties reluctant to commit capacity to authorization and encryption that may be needed in the future to support additional connections.
An additional problem can occur if encryption is employed. If a route processor fails, another route processor cannot take over the duties of that route processor because the second route processor will not have the encryption state needed to continue the session. Instead, another session must be started, further reducing the capacity of the route processor.
What is needed is a system and method that can accurately disseminate (E)BGP information between and within an AS that can encrypt and/or authenticate (E)BGP information and have sufficient capacity available for connections to communicate (E)BGP and other routing information even as a network grows, and can allow for redundancy among route processors.

System and method for secure communication of routing messages


A flexible pipe unit for an exhaust pipe line of an internal combustion engine comprises a metal bellows which has a front open end adapted to be connected to a first exhaust pipe and a rear open end adapted to be connected to a second exhaust pipe. A cylindrical outer case of metal is coaxially disposed about the metal bellows in a manner to define therebetween a cylindrical space. A first structure is arranged between a front end of the outer case and a front end of the bellows to achieve a mechanical connection therebetween. A second structure is arranged between a rear end of the outer case and a rear end of the bellows to achieve a mechanical connection therebetween. At least one of the first and second structures comprises a spring member by which the bellows and the outer case are resiliently connected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to exhaust systems of automotive engines, and more particularly to a flexible pipe unit installed in an exhaust pipe line of the automotive engine for absorbing or compensating an inevitable dimensional change of the exhaust pipe line during practical use of the same. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a flexible pipe unit interposed between the front and rear pipe parts of an exhaust pipe of the automotive engine for compensating a relative displacement between the two pipes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to clarify the task of the present invention, some of conventional flexible pipe units of the above-mentioned type will be briefly described in the following with reference to FIGS. 34, 35 and 36 of the accompanying drawings.
Referring to FIG. 34, there is shown a conventional flexible pipe unit which is shown in Japanese Utility Model Provisional Publication 61-187916. The unit of this publication comprises a metal bellows 100 having axial ends connected to front and rear pipe parts 102 and 104 of an exhaust pipe of an automotive engine (not shown) respectively.
For ease of understanding, the front and rear pipe parts 102 and 104 of the exhaust pipe will be designated by front and rear exhaust pipes in the following.
An outer cover 106 of copper mesh houses therein the bellows 100 having axial ends thereof slidably put on axial ends of the bellows 100 respectively. Protectors 108a and 108b of metal are spot-welded to the front and rear exhaust pipes 102 and 104 in a manner to cover and protect the ends of the outer cover 106. When the unit is subjected to a dimensional change of the exhaust pipe line, the bellows 100 absorbs the change. During this, the axial ends of the outer cover 106 slide on the ends of the bellows 100 thereby having no effect on the outer cover 106.
In FIG. 35, there is shown another conventional flexible pipe unit which is shown in Japanese Utility Model Provisional Publication 2-14418. The unit of this publication comprises a metal bellows 100 having first and second metal collars 110a and 110b welded to both ends thereof respectively. The first and second end collars 110a and 110b are to be welded to the front and rear exhaust pipes 102 and 104 respectively. A plurality of spring wires 112 are arranged to extend between the first and second end collars 110a and 110b. When the unit is subjected to a dimensional change of the exhaust pipe line, the bellows 100 absorbs the change. During this, the spring wires 112 bias the first and second metal collars 110a and 110b toward each other.
In FIG. 36, there is shown still another conventional flexible pipe unit which is shown in Japanese Utility Model Provisional Publication 4-6523. The unit of this publication comprises a metal bellows 100 having axial ends connected to the front and rear exhaust pipes 102 and 104 respectively. An outer cover 106 of stainless mesh houses therein the bellows 100. A rear axial end of the outer cover 106 is welded to the rear exhaust pipe 104, while a front axial end of the outer cover 106 is slidably put on the front end of the bellows 100. The front axial end of the outer cover 106 has a spring retainer 114 connected thereto. The spring retainer 114 has an annular flange part received in an annular housing 116 secured to the front exhaust pipe 102. A plurality of compression springs 118 are received in the annular housing 116, which are compressed between the flange part of the spring retainer 114 and one wall of the annular housing 116. When the unit is subjected to a dimensional change of the exhaust pipe line, the bellows 100 absorbs the change. During this, the front axis end of the outer cover 106 slides on the fixed front end of the bellows 100 thereby having no effect on the outer cover 106.
However, due to inherent construction, the above-mentioned conventional flexible pipe units have various drawbacks which are as follows.
That is, the unit of FIG. 34 is costly due to usage of the outer cover 106 made of copper mesh. Furthermore, for the same reason, the unit is heavy in weight, which induces the need of usage of robust and thus costly holder devices through which the exhaust pipe line is supported from a vehicle floor. Furthermore, as is shown by the graph of FIG. 21, the unit fails to exhibit a satisfied dimensional change compensating performance. In fact, the unit tends to show unstable compensating performance when it is expanded. In the unit of FIG. 35, the bellows 100 and the spring wires 112 are bared and thus tend to be deformed or damaged by foreign objects such as stones during running of an associated motor vehicle. The unit of FIG. 36 is costly due to usage of the outer cover 106 which is made of stainless mesh. Furthermore, due to usage of various and numerous parts, the unit is complicated in construction and heavy in weight.

Flexible pipe unit for use in exhaust pipe line of automotive engine


A wavelength conversion device includes a wavelength conversion plate, a reflective layer, a driving component and a thermal conductive layer. The wavelength conversion plate includes a lateral edge, at least one surface and a conversion region. The reflective layer is disposed on the surface of the wavelength conversion plate. The driving component is disposed near the lateral edge of the wavelength conversion plate and configured to displace the wavelength conversion plate. The thermal conductive layer is disposed on the surface of the wavelength conversion plate and thermally connected to the conversion region for conducting heat generated by the conversion region during a wavelength conversion. By disposing the thermal conductive layer on the surface of the wavelength conversion plate, the thermal conductive layer is thermally directly connected to the conversion region, so that the heat generated at the conversion region during the wavelength conversion is efficiently dissipated.

The wavelength conversion device utilizes for example a laser light source to excite a phosphor to obtain a predetermined monochromatic or polychromatic light, and has been widely applied in the fields of illumination sources, projection displays, and so on. Taking the projection display as an example, a laser light source is utilized to irradiate the phosphor wheel to produce the desired display color.
In the projection display application, the wavelength conversion device can be distinguished as a reflective type and a transmissive type. Taking the reflective wavelength conversion device as an example, the conventional reflective wavelength conversion device mainly includes a substrate, a reflective layer and a phosphor layer. The reflective layer is disposed between the substrate and the phosphor layer, and the phosphor layer is excited by the light source to generate predetermined monochromatic or polychromatic light. The generated monochromatic or polychromatic light is reflected by the reflective layer at the same time. When the phosphor layer is excited by the excitation light source, it is accompanied with heat generation. Furthermore, as the power of the excitation light is gradually increased, the amount of heat generated by the phosphor layer is also increased. However, a conventional reflective wavelength conversion device with the reflective layer disposed on one side of the substrate and a heat dissipation device disposed on an opposite side of the substrate for heat dissipation suffers a limitation that the effective area of heat dissipation is limited. Under the condition of high power excitation light, the heat generated by the phosphor layer being excited by the excitation light source cannot be dissipated in time. Consequently, the phosphor layer is performing the wavelength conversion at a high temperature and tends to deteriorate, thereby causing the light-emitting rate of the reflective wavelength conversion device to be sharply reduced. On the other hand, a transmissive wavelength conversion device has a transparent substrate and a phosphor layer, and heat dissipation is limited by the high thermal resistance between the phosphor layer and the transparent substrate. Under the condition of high power excitation light, it also suffers from poor dissipation of heat generated from the phosphor layer excited by the excitation light source. Similarly, the phosphor layer is performing wavelength conversion at a high temperature and tends to deteriorate.
Therefore, there is a need for providing a wavelength conversion device with enhanced thermal conductive efficiency and to address the above issues encountered by the prior arts.


An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display is provided. The OLED display includes a substrate, a subpixel on the substrate, and a multi-layered protective layer covering the subpixel. The multi-layered protective layer has a structure in which organic layers and inorganic layers are alternately stacked in a repeated manner and at least one moisture absorbing layer is interposed in the multi-layered protective layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This document relates to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display.
2. Discussion of Related Art
An organic light emitting element used in an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display has a self-emission structure in which a light emitting layer is formed between two electrodes on a substrate.
The OLED display may be classified into a top emission type OLED display, a bottom emission type OLED display, and a dual emission type OLED display depending on an emitting direction of light. The OLED display may be classified into a passive matrix type OLED display and an active matrix type OLED display depending on a driving manner.
A subpixel of the OLED display includes a switching transistor, a drive transistor, a capacitor, an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and an organic light emitting layer. Because the subpixel having the above-described structure is weak in moisture or oxygen, a multi-layered protective layer having several dozen layers is formed on the subpixel.
In a related art, a multi-layered protective layer on a subpixel is disadvantageous in a mass production aspect. However, the multi-layered protective layer can reduce the generation of a pin hole and can lengthen a traveling path of penetrating moisture to increase penetration time of moisture into a cathode electrode and an organic light emitting layer of the OLED display. In other words, the moisture penetration is delayed. Hence, life span of the related OLED display can increase.
The related art multi-layered protective layer can delay the moisture penetration, but cannot hinder the penetration of moisture. Hence, the multi-layered protective layer is not advantageous in the mass production and the life span.


In a facsimile apparatus, image data receiver receives compressed image data transmitted from a transmission apparatus apart from the facsimile apparatus. A first expanding section expands the received image data using a first expanding method, and a second expanding section expands the received image data using a different second expanding method. A data converter converts white and black binary image data into multi-value image data in multi-gradation stages representation, and a judging section judges whether the received image data are binary image data or multi-value image data. Further, a controller controls the first expanding section and a printer to expand the compressed image data judged as multi-value image data and thereafter print in multi-gradation stages an image corresponding to the expanded image data, and also controls the second expanding section, the data converter and the printer to expand the compressed image data judged as binary image data, convert the expanded image data into multi-value image data, and thereafter print in multi-gradation stages an image corresponding to the converted multi-value image data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus, and more particularly, to a facsimile apparatus comprising an image recovery circuit for recovering pseudo half-tone binary image data into image data of multi-gradation stages including an image density of half-tone (referred to as a multi-value image data hereinafter).
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional facsimile apparatus, for the purpose of transmitting an image signal through a public telephone line, a half-tone image such as a photograph image or the like is converted into pseudo half-tone binary image data by binarizing the half-tone multi-value image data by a dither method or the like at the transmitting terminal, while at the receiving terminal the received pseudo half-tone binary image data are recovered into multi-value image data.
A method and an apparatus of this type are disclosed, respectively, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publications Nos. 62-114378 and 62-107573.
The former first conventional image processing method has such a feature that a multi-value printer is used even for processing conventional type binary image data to sufficiently draw the capability of the apparatus, and to improve the quality of character images to be recovered, a half-tone image is recovered from the binary image data and then the recorded binary image data are subject to a prescribed image process such as an image expansion process, an image reduction process, an image emphasis process or the like. According to the first conventional method, in order to convert the binary image data into the multi-value image data by a recovering process, a square window having specified dimensions has been set up around a pixel to be recovered or processed (referred to as "a specified pixel" hereinafter) to perform a smoothing process within the square window.
Further, the latter second conventional image processing apparatus has the following features. In order to prevent possible image deterioration from occurring when a simple binary circuit for effecting the process using the dither method or the like and also to allow the apparatus to be made up of simple circuits, the second image processing apparatus is provided with means for dividing binary image data into prescribed block areas, discrimination means for discriminating a kind of image tone of each of the divided block areas, and conversion means for converting the image data of each of the block areas into image data having multi-value levels every pixel according to the discrimination result of the discrimination means. In the above-mentioned second image processing apparatus, binary image data are handled upon transmitting and storing image data to increase the efficiency in editing the image of the image data displayed on a display, while the image is expressed in a form of multi-value image similar to an analog image upon reproducing the image. The above-mentioned discrimination means and the conversion means are in practical composed of an image tone judgment ROM for judging image tone using a pattern matching method within a block area corresponding to a dither matrix size and a conversion ROM, respectively.
By performing the above-mentioned recovery of binary image data into multi-value image data, the received image can be printed out as a multi-value image. However, since the image data are once converted into binary image data in the course of data transmission, the resulting image cannot be prevented from deteriorating in fidelity and resolution with respect to the original.
In the above regard, any conventional facsimile apparatus transmits a non-half-tone image such as a character image in the form of binary image data, and further transmits a half-tone image such as a photograph image in the form of pseudo half-tone binary image data. Therefore, the conventional facsimile apparatus does not transmit multi-value image data, which means that there has been no facsimile apparatus capable of managing multi-value image data as received image data.
In view of the above, it can be considered to transmit image data in the form of compressed multi-value image data, and data compression and expansion method (referred to as "a third conventional method" hereinafter) for transmitting multi-value image data of a color still image through a communication line is disclosed, for example, in Saito, et al. "Lecture on Image Data Compression of Still Image Coding System", Television Academy Journal, Vol. 44, No. 2, February, 1990 According to the above-mentioned third conventional method, a data compression and expansion process is performed by the ADCT (Adaptive Discrete Cosine Transform) coding method.
Therefore, it is expected that the above-mentioned type of facsimile apparatus for transmitting image data in the form of multi-value image data will be popularized in future. However, since facsimile apparatuses which transmit image data in the form of binary image data are widely used currently, such a future facsimile is also required to cope with binary image data transmitted from the current facsimiles to avoid practical inconvenience.

Facsimile apparatus comprising converting means for converting binary image data into multi-value image data


A suction brush for a vacuum cleaner is provided. The suction brush a vacuum cleaner includes a brush main body connected to a cleaner main body and having a dust suction port provided on a bottom surface of the brush main body, first and second wheels rotatably engaged with both sides of the brush main body, and at least one hair removing unit, arranged in front of the suction port of the brush main body, for receiving rotation drive forces from the first and second wheels and raking up hair existing on a surface to be cleaned toward the dust suction port.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to a suction brush for a vacuum cleaner. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a suction brush for a vacuum cleaner which facilitates the removal of hair or animal fur that is deeply stuck in a carpet and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a vacuum cleaner is composed of a cleaner main body and a suction brush, which is separably connected to the main body through a connection tube and a flexible hose, or is directly hinge-engaged with the main body. This suction brush sucks in dust and other foreign materials using a suction force generated by a suction motor installed in the main body as it moves on a surface to be cleaned.
A conventional suction brush for a vacuum cleaner secures a power source from a turbine installed in a suction flow path provided in a brush main body. Air being sucked through the suction flow path at high speed results in the rotation of the turbine. The driving force of the turbine is transferred to a rotating brush that is arranged in a dust suction port provided on a bottom surface of the brush main body, and the rotating brush cleans the surface to be cleaned. In this case, however, since the turbine is arranged on the suction flow path, it disturbs the flow of the sucked air, and thus the suction force in the suction brush is lowered.
On the other hand, Korean Patent Publication No. 165065 discloses a suction brush which drives duster plates up and down so that the duster plates beat a surface to be cleaned as wheels installed in a brush main body rotate without employing a rotary drum and a turbine. Through this suction brush structure, however, it is not easy to remove hair or pet fur stuck in a carpet.
In addition, Korean Patent Publication No. 170848 discloses a structure in which a drive fan that is rotated by air being sucked through a dust suction port of a suction brush is installed on a bottom surface of the suction brush, and a brush fixture combined with a brush member goes and returns in a direction perpendicular to a brush forwarding direction, by a rotating force of the drive fan. Although this structure is advantageous in removing foreign materials inserted in mat textures, it is improper for raking up hair stuck in a carpet and moving the raked hair toward a suction port.


A “Smart Micro-catheter” (SMC) system comprising a device for controlled particle release and drug delivery into a blood vessel, hepatic artery or any patho-physiological target is disclosed. Methods of using the micro-catheter system for optimal targeted delivery of therapeutic microspheres comprising using subject-specific computer simulations of particle-hemodynamics are further provided.

A significant cause of death from cancer is uncontrolled disease from metastatic cancer. This results in significant suffering and eventual death in hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide each year. Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world and the third leading cause of cancer related death (Parkin 2005). For instance the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in 2006 hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer alone claimed more than 800,000 lives while another 662,000 died from hepatoma.
Surgical resection is the preferred, and presently most effective, treatment approach for primary and metastatic liver malignancies; however, 80 to 90% of patients are precluded from surgical intervention due to tumor size, location, or complexity (Ibrahim 2009, Welsh 2006). Depending on cancer tumor characteristics, alternative treatment options include full body chemotherapy, ablative therapies, trans-arterial embolization (TAE), trans-arterial chemo-embolization (TACE), radiation therapies, the newly developed radioembolization (RE) treatment, jet-injection of gel-like chemotherapy drugs, or a combination of radioactive microspheres and chemo-drug (i.e., RE plus TACE). Chemotherapy treatments are effective for the many cancer types; however, the liver remains an area of tumor persistence (Kennedy, 2004), with more than 50% of patients with solid tumors experiencing full resistance to chemotherapy (Welsh et al., 2006).
TAE techniques capitalize on the unique anatomic and pathologic features of liver tumors. Among the many established and evolving techniques for treating liver cancer that are not related to chemotherapy is hepatic arterial particle delivery—with or without radiation embedded in the particles. The liver possesses a dual blood supply; portal venous blood supplies at least 75% of the normal liver requirements while the hepatic arterial vessels provide only a small amount of blood to normal parenchyma but, nearly 100% of the required blood flow to metastatic and primary cancers in the liver. Furthermore, there are a higher number of hepatic arterial vessels surrounding the tumor site compared to normal liver tissue (Kennedy 2004). This dual blood supply can be used to a therapeutic advantage. Any microspheres released into the hepatic artery can preferentially reach the tumor as opposed to normal tissue. Additionally, larger sized microspheres (>10 μm) will become permanently lodged in hepatic vessels, as they are too large to pass through the capillary bed (8-10 μm) and into circulation. Over the past 40 years the anatomic advantage of the dual blood supply has been exploited with increasing success using the hepatic artery in two ways: (i) to mechanically block blood flow and (ii) to implant radioactive microspheres on tumors.
The first method is to deliver bland (i.e. non radioactive) microspheres (typically 100-300 microns diameter) with or without chemotherapy to mechanically block blood flow to tumors causing destruction via ischemia and high concentrations of chemotherapy. With traditional TAE, bland microspheres are delivered into the hepatic arteries destroying tumors via ischemia. However, liver tumors are highly vascularized, with the ratio of tumor vessels to normal-tissue vessels estimated to be 3:1, decreasing the efficacy of this singular approach. Combination treatments have been developed, including TACE, where high dosages of chemotherapy alongside microspheres are introduced directly into the hepatic arteries. Due to the localized delivery, the chemotherapy drugs have a greater impact than with full body therapies.
The second method, brachytherapy, uses radioactive (usually 90Y) microspheres (typically 20-35 microns diameter) which implant permanently and preferentially in the terminal arterioles of tumors. Contrary to chemotherapy, radiation therapy has consistently demonstrated efficacy in treatment of liver tumors. Native liver tissue, however, has a lower tolerance to radiation than tumor tissue or adjacent organs, limiting the usage of external radiation therapies. In recent years, embolization procedures utilizing radioactive microspheres for localized treatment of liver tumors have surfaced with promising results. Microspheres (20-40 μm in diameter) infused with a radioactive isotope (usually 90Y) are injected into the hepatic arteries and implant permanently and preferentially in the terminal arterioles of tumors (Kennedy et al., 2004; Welsh, 2006; Salem & Thurston, 2006a-c). 90Y microspheres emit doses of radiation with high energy, but low penetration (d90=2 mm), maximizing the effect on tumor tissue while leaving most normal liver parenchyma unharmed (Kennedy, 2004).
Despite some success to date with both mechanical blocking and brachytherapy approaches, more detailed information about and discovery of important factors influencing micron particle transport in the hepatic arterial system is needed to improve treatment.
The hepatic artery is 6 mm in diameter and its daughter vessels collapse to 1.2 mm. Beyond the daughter vessels are capillaries which get smaller than the diameter of microspheres. The microspheres have to be released upstream because the catheter itself, is between 1.5-2 mm in diameter. It can hardly be inserted in the daughter vessels without rupturing them, let alone into the capillaries which supply the nutrients to the tumors.
The effectiveness of a cancer therapeutic methodology or device can be measured by its ability to reduce or even eliminate tumors without damaging healthy tissue. Effective treatments can require a high-percentage of drug deposition at specific sites, such as tumors, or in desired regions. Some drugs are so aggressive and/or expensive that targeted delivery is imperative.
Existing drug delivery devices, however, exhibit poor target deposition efficiencies. Consequently, significant portions of the often-aggressive and expensive therapeutic agent used to combat diseases such as cancer can deposit on healthy tissue. Thus, there is a need in the art for improved microsphere delivery devices, especially delivery devices that can target specific patho-physiological areas in the body.

Methods and devices for targeted injection of microspheres


A flexible strip of material having four predetermined leg segments comprised of left inner leg segment (10), left outer leg segment (14), right outer leg segment (18), and right inner leg segment (22). Said leg segments are distinguishable by three creases comprised of left leg crease (12), center crease (16), and right leg crease (20).

1. Field
This invention relates to interlocking links which can be interlaced for the purpose of creating various user defined creations.
2. Description
People of all age groups have commonly crafted bracelets, belts, picture frames, etc. by weaving various materials. Children of the past have folded gum wrappers into links which could be interlocked to form a chain for the purpose of making bracelets.
These paper links were made by folding the paper twice parallel to the length to make a strip, then carefully and accurately folded perpendicular in quarters to create evenly spaced open leg segments. Dollar bills have also been used to construct these links, but even more folds were utilized to make them.
These paper links suffer from a number of disadvantages:
(a) The use of paper as a medium alone is not susceptible to repeated use and the links tear easily, because of low tensile strength. PA1 (b) The bulkiness of these multi-layer links are cumbersome to interlace. PA1 (c) The hand construction of these links require careful and tedious folding, to ensure the accuracy of equal and proportionate leg length. PA1 (d) The use of paper as a medium is not water repellent. PA1 (a) provides high tensile strength and endurance. PA1 (b) provides uniform link dimension, while eliminating parallel folds. PA1 (c) provides pre-formatted leg segments for ease of folding and interlacing. PA1 (d) provides resistance to moisture. PA1 Singular strip design facilitates the formation of the link with three easy folds. And they're reversible. Leg segments can be folded inward from either side. PA1 Durable material allows reuse of links. Will not tear under normal use. Water resistant. PA1 Precise perimeter cutting of links provides accuracy and uniformity in interlacing of links. PA1 Perpendicular creases insure precise segment dimension and allow folding of each segment to be quick and effortless.
This invention offers several advantages and improvements for consumer utilization:

Manufactured strip for forming interlocking link


A borehole tool analyzes the composition of gases flowing from a formation. The tool includes an optical fluid analyzer (OFA) and a gas analysis module (GAM). The OFA determines when fluid flowing into the tool has become substantially only gas. The gas is then diverted to the GAM, thereby avoiding the possibility of oil depositing itself on a optical window and interfering with a proper analysis. The GAM includes a near infrared ray light source, at least one photo-detector, a gas sample cell (or cells) having portions with different path lengths, each portion having an optical window, and fiber optics which direct light in first paths from the source to the sample cell, and from the sample cell to the photo-detectors. By providing cells with different path lengths, issues of dynamic range are obviated. The GAM also preferably includes a second optical path which goes directly from the light source to the photo-detectors and is used for canceling drift, and a third optical path which goes from the light source, through a known standard such as methane to the photo-detectors and is used for compensation of shifts in actual hydrocarbon peak locations or shifts in optical filter wavelengths. Analysis of the different hydrocarbon gas components of the gas stream is conducted by analysis of selected CH vibrational peaks in the 5700 cm.sup.-1 to 6100 cm.sup.-1 range.

The present invention is related to co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,671 to Safinya et al., No. 5,167,149 to Mullins et al., 5,201,220 to Mullins et al., No. 5,266,800 to Mullins et al., and No. 5,331,156 to Hines et al., all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the analysis of downhole borehole fluids. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods for the downhole compositional analysis of gas in a geological formation through the use of spectroscopy.
2. State of the Art
Techniques for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of gas, liquid, and solid samples are well known. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,284 to R. P. Schnell, a helium-neon laser is used to provide photons of a 0.633 micron wave length which are directed at a sample flowing through a pipeline in an oil refinery. The resulting Raman scattering (scattering of light by molecular excitation) which comprises scattered light at different wavelengths than the incident light is then measured, and the measured spectrum is compared with previously obtained reference spectra of a plurality of substances.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,821 to C. F. Summers, especially prepared rock cutting containing at least oil from an oil-based mud are excited with UV radiation with a 0.26 micron wave length. Instead of measuring the Raman spectrum as is done in the aforementioned Schnell patent, in accord with the Summers disclosure, the frequency and intensity of the resulting excited waves (fluorescence) which are at a longer wavelength than the incident radiation are detected and measured. By comparing the fluorescent spectral profile of the detected waves with similar profiles of the oil used in the oil-based mud, a determination is made as to whether formation oil is also found in the rock cuttings.
While the Summers and Schnell disclosures may be useful in certain limited areas, it will be appreciated that they suffer from various drawbacks. For example, the use of laser equipment in Schnell severely restricts the environment in which the apparatus may be used, as lasers are not typically suited to harsh temperature and/or pressure situations (e.g., a borehole environment). Also, the use of the Raman spectrum in Schnell imposes the requirement of equipment which can detect with very high resolution the low intensity scattered signals. The use by Summers of light having a 0.26 micron wavelength severely limits the investigation of the sample to a sample of nominal thickness. In fact, the Summers patent, while enabling a determination of whether the mud contains formation oil, does not permit an analysis of formation fluids in situ, and has no sensitivity to water.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the ability to conduct an analysis of formation fluids downhole is extremely desirable. With that in mind, the assignee of this application has provided a commercially successful borehole tool, the MDT (a trademark of Schlumberger) which extracts and analyzes a flow stream of fluid from a formation in a manner substantially as set forth in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,851 to Urbanosky U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,575 to Urbanosky which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The OFA (a trademark of Schlumberger), which is a module of the MDT, determines the identity of the fluids in the MDT flow stream and quantifies the oil and water content based on the previously incorporated related patents. In particular, previously incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,671 to Safinya et al. provides a borehole apparatus which includes a testing chamber, means for directing a sample of fluid into the chamber, a light source preferably emitting near infrared rays and visible light, a spectral detector, a data base means, and a processing means. Fluids drawn from the formation into the testing chamber are analyzed by directing the light at the fluids, detecting the spectrum of the transmitted and/or backscattered light, and processing the information accordingly (and preferably based on the information in the data base relating to different spectra), in order to quantify the amount of water, gas, and oil in the fluid. As set forth in previously incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,800 to Mullins, by monitoring optical absorption spectrum of the fluid samples obtained over time, a determination can be made as to when a formation oil is being obtained as opposed to a mud filtrate. Thus, the formation oil can be properly analyzed and quantified by type. Further, as set forth in the previously incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,156 to Hines et al., by making optical density measurements of the fluid stream at certain predetermined energies, oil and water fractions of a two-phase fluid stream may be quantified.
While the Safinya et al., Mullins, and Hines et al. patents represent great advances in downhole fluid analysis, and are particularly useful in the analysis of oils and water present in the formation, they do not address in detail the gases which may be plentiful in the formation. The issue of in situ gas quantification is addressed in the previously incorporated U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,167,149 to Mullins et al., and 5,201,220 to Mullins et al., and in O. C. Mullins et al., "Effects of high pressure on the optical detection of gas by index-of-refraction methods", Applied Optics, Vol. 33, No. 34, pp. 7963-7970 (Dec. 1, 1994) which is also incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, where a rough estimate of the quantity of gas present in the flow stream can be obtained by providing a gas detection module having a detector array which detects light rays having certain angles of incidence. While rough estimates of gas quantities are helpful, it will be appreciated that compositional analysis of the gas would be more useful. In particular, gas analysis can be useful in determining which zones of a formation to produce, as gas zones with higher hydrocarbon content and with higher BTU content are more valuable than gas zones with lesser hydrocarbon content. In addition, it would be advantageous to be able to control the BTU content of the gas being produced without undergoing gas separation and recombination uphole, but rather by controlling quantities being produced from different locations in the borehole with advance knowledge of their respective BTU contents. Furthermore, downhole gas analysis could reveal the presence of noxious gases such as H.sub.2 S. Since H.sub.2 S is reactive with logging tool metals and is also reactive with basic materials contained in water based mud filtrate, analysis of samples carried to the surface often underestimate the noxious gas content of the samples.
While techniques such as chromatography are routinely used for the analysis of gas in laboratories, the use of gas chromatography downhole is impractical due to several reasons. First, gas chromatography requires the use of a carrier gas flow stream whose volume far exceeds the sample gas volume. The handling of carrier gas within closed volumes of wireline tools represents a major problem especially considering that the formation gas pressures far exceed typical operating pressures of gas chromatography equipment. Second, handling of sample gas in gas chromatography equipment is difficult as very small volumes are used, and it is difficult to collect and transfer such small volumes from a large flow stream and guarantee representative samples. Third, the standard detectors for hydrocarbons in gas chromatography are a flame ionization detector and a thermal detector, both of which are impractical downhole because of the requirement of the maintenance of a stable flame downhole, and the wide variation in temperatures downhole. Finally, gas chromatography requires discrete measurements lasting several minutes which is undesirable in wireline applications. On the other hand, while spectroscopy has been used downhole for distinguishing between oil and water (in the near infrared spectrum), and for distinguishing among oils (in the visible spectrum), downhole spectroscopy has not been suggested for distinguishing between different hydrocarbon gases such as methane (CH.sub.4), ethane (having methyl components (CH.sub.3)), and higher hydrocarbons which contain methylene (CH.sub.2) for several reasons. First, because the density of a gas is a function of pressure, and because downhole pressures can vary by a factor of thirty or more, the dynamic range of the gas densities likely to be encountered downhole is extremely large. As a result, the dynamic range of the spectral absorption at frequencies of interest is also extremely large such as to make a measurement unfeasible; i.e., the sensitivity of the downhole spectroscopy equipment is typically incapable of handling the large dynamic ranges that are encountered. Second, due to fact that the condensed phase of hydrocarbon (oil) has a much higher density at downhole pressures than the gas phase, a thin film of liquid on the OFA window can yield significant absorption. Thus, interpretation of the results would yield a determination of a rich gas mixture, where no or little amounts of hydrocarbon gas was actually present. Third, the type of spectral analysis typically done uphole to distinguish among hydrocarbon gases cannot be done downhole. In particular, in uphole applications, individual gas constituents are detected by modulating a narrow band source on and off of mid-infrared absorption lines of the gas, where a resulting oscillation in absorption at each modulation frequency would indicate a positive detection of a particular gas. However, at the high pressures encountered downhole, not only are the narrow gas absorption spectral lines merged, but mid-infrared spectroscopy is hindered by the extreme magnitude of the absorption features. Fourth, spectrometers are typically sensitive to changes in temperature, and elevated temperatures encountered downhole can induce spectral changes of the gas sample, thereby complicating any data base utilized.

Method and apparatus for the downhole compositional analysis of formation gases


A valve assembly for use with spring-set air-release vehicle parking brakes comprises a particular arrangement of conventional components providing desired spring brake operational characteristics heretofore requiring costly, complex specially-designed units. The valve assembly typically employs a plurality of interconnected check valves in combination with pressure protection and quick release valves to provide the desired characteristics. These include a system whereby at startup pressurized air from the tractor fills the trailer reservoir tanks and the spring brake chambers simultaneously. The valve assembly also assures that if during tractor-trailer operation the supply air from the tractor is severed or otherwise lost, service brake air in the trailer reservoir tanks is retained at a sufficient pressure to provide adequate service brake operation. Similarly, if pressurized air in the trailer reservoir tanks is lost, sufficient pressure is maintained in the system to keep the spring brakes released for safe parking of the tractor-trailer combination.

Spring-set air-release parking brakes, also referred to as spring brakes, are commonly utilized in trailers and heavy duty over-the-highway trucks and the like. Various valve assemblies have heretofore been specially designed and used to obtain desired operational characteristics for these spring brakes, as hereinafter set forth. Such valve assemblies are in most instances capable of providing these operational characteristics.
Such prior valve assemblies, however, are beset with one or more shortcomings. These include the fact that a) the valve assembly embodies an inordinate number of components; b) the assembly is of complex and bulky construction; c) the assembly is difficult to integrate with other existing braking components of the vehicle; and d) the assembly is unduly costly.

Valve assembly for a vehicle air brake system


A flat-angled coil having a three-dimensional shape for maximizing a space factor according to the present invention comprises a unit coil comprising multiple layers which are provided to surround the peripheries of teeth of a core provided on an electric motor and laminated along the longitudinal direction of the teeth of the core so as to be integrally connected to each other continuously. The unit coil is formed such that at least a part of an adjacent portion thereof, which is adjacent to another unit coil provided in the same slot formed between the surrounded teeth of the core and the teeth of an adjacent core, is non-parallel with the side surfaces of the surrounded teeth of the core.

In recent years when research for increasing the efficiency of electric motors is actively being conducted, the improvement of the efficiency of electric motors and generators used in electric vehicles and power generation facilities may cause a very great economic effect.
Accordingly, as a part of the method for improving the efficiency of the electric motor, various methods for improving a coil space factor or conductor occupying ratio of a coil wound around a rotor or stator of the electric motor and generator have been studied.
As a general method for improving such a coil space factor, a method of increasing a diameter of the coil wound around the stator or the rotor or increasing the number of windings has been mainly used.
However, in the case of conventional coils, a copper wire having a circular shape in a vertical cross section is mainly commonly used, and when the diameter of such a circular coil is increased, a wasted space between the wound coil layers occurs due to the circular cross section, and thus, there is a fundamental problem that the space factor of the coil is lowered.
On the other hand, when a coil having a too small diameter is wound, the number of windings is increased compared to the same area, and thus, a decrease in efficiency and a heat generation problem may be caused due to a relative increase in electrical resistance.
Such a conventional electric motor has a problem that there is a limitation that efficiency and output density cannot be increased by a certain level or higher due to a low space factor.
Therefore, there is a need for methods to solve these problems.

Flat-angled coil having three-dimensional shape for maximizing space factor and electric motor comprising same

KOREA INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY


The invention is directed to an integrated circuit that includes a plurality of functional circuit blocks. Respective associated multiplexers are used to change over between a normal mode and a test mode. The input side of the multiplexers each have a test register connected thereto which is coupled to a serial bus. A control unit controls the transfer of test data to a selected function block on the basis of the state of a mode-of-operation memory cell in the respective test register. This means that there is little involvement required to put individual function blocks of a chip deliberately into a test mode and to program them as appropriate, while other function blocks are operating in normal mode. The principle described allows a high degree of flexibility with regard to the testing of integrated circuits with a multiplicity of functional assemblies.

Integrated circuits are integrating more and more different functional units, with the scale of integration continually increasing. This means that, by way of example, the different transmission and receiver assemblies which need to be integrated into mobile radios are arranged in just one, fully integrated transceiver chip. This integrated circuit integrates one or more phase locked loops (PLLs), voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs), mixer cells, and in some cases even filter units.
Each of these assemblies, of which there are many present on a chip, normally has control signals applied to it externally, for example from a baseband chip, when the chip is turned on or else during operation, in order to select particular modes of operation, to set frequencies, to perform calibration operations etc. It is obvious that it is not possible to route all of these control lines to the outside. Rather, there is normally a programming interface which can be used to address the internal functions. Since, although the individual assemblies on the chip need to be controlled, no information needs to be read from the chip, this interface is normally in the form of a serial, one-way interface.
One option for implementing such a control bus with little involvement is the "three-wire bus". This affords sufficient speed, little protocol involvement during operation and relatively simple implementation. The three lines in the three-wire bus normally comprise a clock line, a data line and an enable line.
An integrated circuit having a plurality of function groups which can be programmed via a three-wire bus, as described, is shown in FIG. 3. This figure contains a three-wire bus 1, 2, 3 comprising a data line 1, a clock line 2, and an enable line 3 for the purpose of programming a plurality of different assemblies. By way of example, just two assemblies are shown in this case. Each assembly has an associated shift register 4, 5 for programming the assembly, said shift register comprising an address part and a data part. By way of example, the address part comprises three bits and the data part comprises 21 bits. The parallel output for the 21 data bits has a respective transfer register 6, 7 connected to it for reading the data from the shift registers 4, 5 on the basis of a transfer signal, which is provided by a respective decoder 8, 9. The decoders each have four inputs, which are connected firstly to the enable line 3 of the three-wire bus and secondly to the three address bits of the associated shift register 4, 5. On the output side, the decoders 8, 9 provide a respective transfer signal and supply it to the control input of the transfer register 6, 7 which control input is connected to the output. This transfer signal is provided at the precise point at which the enable signal from the three-wire bus is present and the address matches the address of the respective shift register 4, 5.
The allocation of programming data to a particular assembly is accordingly performed using address bits in a "programming word". The actual transfer of the data to the internal registers in the assemblies is performed by virtue of the enable line becoming inactive. In the case of the present embodiment, the shift registers 4, 5 respectively all accept the same and each programming word. The allocation of a programming word to the respective assembly is performed on the basis of the address, with only one selected transfer register ever transferring the data to the respective assembly in each case.
The chip architecture means that the maximum number of bits which a programming word can comprise is normally limited, for example in the present case to 24 bits. A further restriction on the maximum volume of information which can be transmitted for the chip which is to be programmed arises on account of the time sequence conditions which are stipulated in the respective specifications, which conditions permit the transmission of just a relatively small number of programming words in succession in a defined time frame.
On the other hand, as already explained, the number of different functional units integrated on a chip is large and increasing, and it is also an aim to be able to program these functional units independently of one another.
The increasing complexity of the functions integrated on a chip, on the one hand, with the aim of setting a large number of operation-dependent parameters, and a limited number of address and data bits, on the other hand, mean that the bits which are available for test modes of operation in the integrated circuit are becoming fewer and fewer.
On the other hand, it is normally necessary to be able to test all of the functions of an integrated circuit during production, however. This requires that particular functional units be put into suitable operating states in order to allow measurements. In addition, it is often necessary to measure functional units in a signal chain individually and independently of one another. This requires that these functional units be able to be activated in special test modes of operation. For test purposes, it is also an aim to be able to turn on numerous special operating states.
A solution to this problem could be obtained by altering the metallization layers during the production of the integrated circuit in order to obtain appropriate settings such that particular functions are added or removed by adding or omitting pieces of interconnect. However, this requires additional, undesirable involvement during production and a further drawback in that the test options are significantly restricted in terms of flexibility.


The present disclosure relates to a method for preparing 1-(4-benzyloxy-benzyl)-3-methyl-thiourea and a method for preparing a novel stable crystalline form A of 1-(4-benzyloxy-benzyl)-3-methyl-thiourea.

RORα, also known as NR1F1, RORA, or RZR, is a member of the steroid hormone receptor superfamily, and a transcriptional factor regulating gene expression. It is known that the activation of the RORα gene is useful for preventing or treating a metabolic disease or inflammatory disease.
Compounds of Formula 1, which activate the RORα gene, are disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1450960 and US Patent Publication No. US 2018/0265462.

A method for preparing 1-(4-benzyloxy-benzyl)-3-methyl-thiourea (hereinafter, "compound of formula 1") is also described in Korean Patent No. 10-1450960 and US Patent Publication No. US 2018/0265462, which are incorporated herein by reference. Further, they are also disclosed in Arch Pharm Res Vol 35, No 8, 1393-1401, 2012.
A method for preparing the compound of formula 1 comprising the steps of i) reacting the compound of benzaldehyde structure with thionylurea using titanium (IV) catalyst to prepare a reaction intermediate; ii) reacting the reaction intermediate through reductive aminization to prepare the compound of formula 1; and iii) purifying the compound of formula 1 by filtration or column chromatography is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1450960, US Patent Publication No. US 2018/0265462, and Arch Pharm Res Vol 35, No 8, 1393-1401, 2012, as indicated in Reaction Scheme A below.

Specifically, in Korean Patent No. 10-1450960 and US Patent Publication No. US 2018/0265462, 4-benzyloxybenzaldehyde and N-methylthionylurea in excess amount were put into a reaction container and dissolved in a tetrahydrofuran solvent. And then, 1.7 equivalent of titanium (IV) isopropoxy oxide was added to synthesize an imine compound, a reaction intermediate, at reflux condition, followed by reacting through a reduction using a sodium borohydride reagent at ambient temperature to synthesize the desired compound of formula 1 in a synthetic yield of 30%.
In addition, it is disclosed in Arch. Pharm. Res. Vol 35, No 8, 1393-1401, 2012 that using Reaction Scheme A that is the same as the method described above, a compound of formula 1 was synthesized, and then, the obtained compound was purified by column chromatography using silica gel to synthesize the compound of formula 1 in a synthetic yield of 30%.
As such, titanium (IV) isopropoxy oxide used in a conventional known method for preparing the compound of formula 1 is an inflammable material, and thus, when exposed to moisture, the reagent is well decomposed and has an influence on a synthetic yield. Further, since a flash point of the reagent is as very low as 45° C., it should be cautiously used and stored. In addition, if the compound prepared using the reagent is used as a pharmaceutical product, it is mandatory to manage a titanium metal rigorously. Generally, this reagent is able to be utilized industrially, but it should be under very strict management in regard to safety and environmental problem and the like, and there may be some difficulties to maintain the quality of the reagent to be used. In order to overcome these difficulties, reactions using various reagents have been tried, but the desired compound could not be synthesized, or the desired compound could not be obtained in a synthetic yield of the desired extent.
In addition, in small scale (in hundreds mg scale), a synthetic yield of Step 1 is as very low as 30%, and a process of column chromatography for purification is not advantageous to utilize in commercial production in terms of economic profits.
On the other hand, crystalline forms of the compound of formula 1 have never been reported before. If the compound of formula 1 is prepared by using the reaction condition mentioned above, it was confirmed that a crystalline form of the compound was not consistent and its stability decreased. According to published guidelines or regulations in each country, there are fundamental requirements that pharmaceutically active ingredients need to meet. For example, stability of a pharmaceutical ingredient, stability during the preparation of a pharmaceutical formulation, and stability of a pharmaceutical substance in a final pharmaceutical composition are considered. There are various factors that affect the stability of a pharmaceutically active ingredient, but it is well known that the crystalline forms of the same active ingredient may have substantially different and pharmaceutically important properties such as an elution and bioavailability, as well as stability. With a view mentioned above, it is considered that it is difficult to utilize the preparation method commercially.
Thus, the present inventors have tried to find the preparation method suitable for a commercial mass production while using a stable and commercially available reagent and also enhancing a synthetic yield. In particular, based on the results of studying a method for preparing the compound of formula 1 in a stable crystalline form, a commercially available and economical and improved preparation method for preparing the compound of formula 1 in a stable crystalline form in a high yield was secured, and it was confirmed that the preparation method is able to be applied to a mass production, and thus, the present invention has been completed.

Method for preparing novel crystalline forms of 1-(4-benzyloxy-benzyl)-3-methyl-thiourea