An ultraviolet radiation absorbing coating comprising cerium oxide in an inorganic oxide matrix formed by the hydrolysis and condensation of alkoxysilane and/or other metal alkoxide or oxide which has a higher absorbance per unit thickness of coating by virtue of its much higher concentration of colloidal particles in said matrix and a reduced tendency to craze when exposed to temperatures in excess of 1000.degree. C. and/or temperature cycling between ambient temperature and 1000.degree. C. by virtue of heating a coated article at elevated temperature between 500.degree. C. and 1100.degree. C. before cooling the coated article.

High intensity discharge tungsten halogen and metal halide lamps enclosed in quartz housings emit high levels of ultraviolet radiation which are not sufficiently blocked by their quartz housings. It is necessary to apply a suitable UV absorbing coating to absorb wavelengths less than 320 nanometers in order to protect personnel from detrimental health problems and interior furnishings and lamp fixtures. Sol gel coatings comprising colloidal cerium oxide particles in an inorganic oxide matrix formed by the hydrolysis and condensation of an alkoxysilane and/or other metal alkoxide have been developed for coating plastic substrates. These coatings have an absorbance of 0.1 to 0.25 per micron of coating thickness and require a thickness of several microns to assure an absorbance greater than 1, the minimum considered needed to prevent damage from exposure to dangerous ultraviolet radiation if such protective coatings are absent.
The techniques developed for coating plastic substrates with cerium oxide containing coatings of necessity are limited to a maximum curing temperature to cure the coated plastic substrates to insure the integrity of the substrate. Thus, prior art curing steps were performed at maximum temperatures of 120.degree. C. to 130.degree. C. When techniques developed for coating plastic substrates with these cerium oxide coating compositions were used on glass or quartz substrates cured under conditions suitable for plastic substrates, the absorbance obtained was on the order of magnitude developed for coated plastic substrates. However, coatings applied to glass or quartz substrates crazed and/or peeled when heated to elevated temperatures beyond the curing temperatures used for coating plastic substrates.
High intensity lamps enclosed in quartz housing cause the coatings applied by the techniques developed for coating plastic substrates to craze when the coated quartz housings are heated to temperatures exceeding 1000.degree. C., such as those approaching 1100.degree. C., during use. Also, when such lamps are not used continuously, they are subjected to temperature cycles that vary between ambient temperature and the aforesaid elevated temperatures. These wide temperature cycles increase the chance of the coating to craze and peel. A technique was needed to enable those skilled in the art of coating glass and quartz to obtain the benefits of the well known ultraviolet absorbance of coatings comprising colloidal cerium oxide particles essentially uniformly diffused through a silica-based matrix while avoiding the problem of crazed coatings associated with exposure of the coated article to elevated temperatures and of haze problems that occur due to agglomeration of the colloidal cerium oxide particles when the latter are not passivated efficiently in the oxide matrix.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,963 to Basil et al. discloses ultraviolet radiation resistant coatings comprising colloidal cerium oxide. Coatings that protect plastic substrates such as polycarbonate from damage caused by ultraviolet radiation are formed from aqueous sols containing colloidal cerium oxide and a glassy network of materials derived from metal alkoxides such as alkoxysilanes and other metal alkoxides. The alkoxysilane may be an organoalkoxysilane, such as an alkylalkoxysilane or organofunctional alkoxysilane. The alkoxide may contain alkyl or aryl groups and may be in higher condensed form so long as hydrolyzable alkoxide groups remain. The alkoxide may be added directly to an aqueous cerium oxide sol, with or without additional solvent such as alcohol. Hydrolysis and condensation polymerization occur in situ. Alternatively, the alkoxide may be partially or fully hydrolyzed, and condensed to some extent prior to combination with the cerium oxide sol.
The resulting silane/ceria sol may be used as a coating composition for either a primer or protective overcoat on a substrate or coated substrate. Or, the silane/ceria sol may be added to other coating compositions to increase their resistance to ultraviolet radiation. In either case, the coating compositions may be applied by any conventional technique, such as spraying, dipping or flow coating. The composition dries and cures to form a uniform durable coating with good adhesion to plastic substrates such as polycarbonate. The coating protects the substrate from ultraviolet radiation by providing a strong, broad absorption band in the 200 to 320 nanometer range.
In a preferred embodiment of Basil, an alkoxide is partially hydrolyzed before adding an aqueous sol of colloidal cerium oxide. Preferably, the alkoxide is an alkoxysilane of the general formula R.sub.x Si(OR').sub.4-x wherein R is an organic radical, R' is selected from the group consisting of low molecular weight alkyl radicals, and x is less than 4 and may be zero. The organic radical of R is preferably alkyl, vinyl, methoxyethyl, phenyl, .gamma.-glycidoxypropyl, or .gamma.-methacryloxypropyl. The alkoxide hydrolyzes according to the general reaction EQU R.sub.x Si(OR').sub.4-x +.sub.y H2O.fwdarw.R.sub.x Si(OR').sub.4-x-y (OH).sub.y +.sub.y R'OH
Condensation of the hydrolyzed alkoxide proceeds according to the general reactions ##STR1## Further hydrolysis and condensation follow.
The pH and/or degree of condensation of the alkoxides may be adjusted, if necessary, to prevent haze or precipitation upon mixing with the ceria sol. The cerium oxide sol preferably comprises about 10 to 30 percent by weight colloidal cerium oxide in water, with the colloidal cerium oxide particle size sufficiently small to minimize scattering of visible light, preferably less than 30 to 40 nanometers, most preferably less than 10 nanometers. Alkoxides of titanium and/or zirconium may also be included in compositions of Basil, as well as colloidal silica for abrasion resistance. The ultraviolet radiation protection provided by the cerium oxide containing coating of Basil may be determined by measuring the UV absorbance spectrum of the coating applied on a quartz substrate.
The Basil patent includes two examples of primed polycarbonate substrates and two examples of quartz substrates coated by applying aqueous sols containing colloidal cerium oxide and a network forming metal alkoxide to measure the absorbance of the coatings. The sols formed coatings containing on the order of 7 weight percent and 4 to 5.5 mole percent of cerium oxide based on the total metal oxide of the coatings. The coatings were cured at temperatures ranging up to on the order of 120.degree. C. A coating thickness of 6.5 microns was reported. The absorbance of the resulting coatings was on the order of 0.1 to 0.2 per micron of coating thickness.
The coatings containing colloidal cerium oxide reduced the tendency of polycarbonate articles of Examples I and II of the Basil patent to become yellow and embrittled upon exposure to UV radiation. The coatings applied to quartz improved the UV absorbance of the quartz articles of Examples III and IV. There is no report of testing these coated articles at elevated temperatures to determine the resistance of crazing of these coatings at such elevated temperatures.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 546,484, filed Jun. 29, 1990, by Lin et al. discloses and claims an abrasion resistant coating of organic hybrid polymers of alkoxysilanes containing colloidal cerium oxide for ultraviolet absorption properties that are formed from siloxane compositions that also contain polyvinyl pyrrolidone and sodium acetate applied to a rigid transparent plastic substrate treated with an acrylic primer by dip coating for five minutes at room temperature and cured at 120.degree. C. to develop a cured coating having a preferable thickness of about four microns. The polyvinyl pyrrolidone is provided to optimize film formation and the sodium acetate is added to promote complete cure of the siloxane polymer preferably in the range of 80.degree. C.
From the foregoing, it is evident that prior to the present invention, it was known to coat plastic and quartz substrates with sol-gel compositions containing colloidal cerium oxide particles in an inorganic oxide matrix formed by the hydrolysis and condensation of an alkoxysilane and/or other metal alkoxide to improve the UV absorbance of the coated substrates and reduce exposure of the substrates to UV radiation. Curing was accomplished at temperatures sufficient to bond the coating to the substrate without harm to the plastic substrate. The prior art did not appreciate that the low curing temperatures used after coating plastic substrates with such sol-gel compositions would not be suitable to insure craze-free coatings on quartz or glass substrates when quartz or glass substrates are exposed to elevated temperatures after being cured at the low curing temperature suitable for plastic substrates. Also, the prior art did not appreciate that the prior art concentrations of colloidal cerium oxide particles in sol-gel compositions necessitated coatings of such thickness required for a desired high level of absorbance that obtaining a crack-free, non-peeling coating was precluded.
The prior art was not aware that the higher curing temperatures after coating would reduce and even eliminate crazing of glass or quartz substrates coated with sol-gel compositions containing colloidal cerium oxide particles when the coated substrates are exposed to elevated temperatures and/or that using coating compositions having higher concentrations of colloidal cerium oxide than those used in the prior art would provide coatings having greater absorbance per unit thickness than those obtained from the prior art techniques, thereby obtaining better bonding of a sol-gel coating to a glass or quartz substrate for any desired absorbance.

Glass or quartz articles having high temperature UV absorbing coatings containing ceria


Sulfurous acid and/or sulfurous acid precursors, such as sulfur dioxide, are introduced into a hydrogen sulfide-containing geothermal brine or fluid prior to extracting energy from the resulting mixture by, e.g., passing the mixture through a flash vessel or a heat exchanger. The introduction of the sulfurous acid or its precursors into the geothermal brine or fluid inhibits scale formation and/or removes previously formed scale during processing of the brine or fluid.

In general, processes by which geothermal brine can be used to generate electric power have been known for some time. Geothermal brine from a producing well can be flashed from the reservoir to a reduced pressure to convert some of the geothermal brine into steam, e.g., a flash-condensing process. Steam produced in this manner is generally used in conventional steam turbine-type power generators to generate electricity.
The remaining geothermal brine still contains significant energy. The two most common ways of capturing the remaining energy are to flash the brine again for use in a steam turbine or to pass the brine in a closed-loop, binary fluid system in which a low-boiling point, secondary liquid (such as a hydrocarbon) is vaporized by the hot brine, e.g., a binary fluid system. The vapor produced from the secondary liquid is then used in a separate turbine-generator to generate electricity. The vapor from the turbine is recondensed and reused. Frequently, however, the brine cannot be further used because of problems with scaling.
Regardless of whether the brine is used for additional power generation, the geothermal brine is most commonly reinjected into the ground through a "reinjection well" for one or more reasons, such as replenishing the aquifer from which the brine was extracted, preventing ground subsidence, and minimizing the environmental impact of geothermal energy production.
Geothermal brines generally contain a high concentration of dissolved salts. In addition to being highly saline, most geothermal brines contain significant concentrations of non-condensable gases, such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and the like. In some localities such gases, particularly hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, must be abated to comply with environmental restrictions. Abatement methods can be very expensive.
The solubility of most dissolved ions in geothermal brine decreases with a decrease in brine temperature. Consequently, when a significant reduction in the brine temperature occurs or a loss of water due to a secondary flash occurs, supersaturation and precipitation of a portion of these supersaturated ions can result. Precipitates can combine and deposit as a scale on any solid surface with which they come into contact, such as a vessel, pipeline, or well in which the brine is confined. Scaling of the rock formation in the vicinity of the wellbore is also a well-documented occurrence.
As discussed by Bowen and Groh ("Energy Technology Handbook," D. M. Considine, Editor, at page 7-4 of Chapter 7 entitled "Geothermal Energy", incorporated by reference herein), liquid-dominated geothermal brine reservoirs may be conveniently divided into two types: one type having high-enthalpy fluids above 200 calories/gram; and one having low-enthalpy fluids below this point. High temperature type brines (i.e., high-enthalpy brines) have been defined by in-situ reservoir temperatures, the high temperature type having in-situ temperatures generally above 180.degree. C., typically above 200.degree. C., most commonly above 220.degree. C., whereas the low temperature type (i.e., low-enthalpy brines) have temperatures below these values. The high-enthalpy brines especially tend to dissolve reservoir rock or other contacted solids, and these brine types contain dissolved solids (and ions) in concentrations ranging from around 2,000 to as much as 260,000 ppm by weight.
Especially troublesome dissolved solid components of the geothermal brines are silicon-containing, metal sulfide and/or calcium carbonate precursors, which may be found at or near saturation concentrations in the form of oligomers or polymers of silicic acid, sulfide, iron or manganese, and calcium and carbonate or bicarbonate ions, respectively. Depending on the particular geothermal brine, such species may precipitate from the liquid brine at almost every stage of brine processing as the temperature is lowered, for example, as relatively pure silica or calcite, as a tightly adherent metal-silica/metal-silicate scale, as other solidified silicon-containing components, or as mixed metal-carbonate scale. The precipitation tendency of silica and silicates and metal sulfides increases as lower brine temperatures are reached during the cooling process. The tendency to form calcite-rich scales increases at high temperatures, particularly in producing wells. Unless the scaling tendency of saturated brine is inhibited, naturally occurring silica-rich and/or calcite-rich and/or metal sulfide-rich scale/precipitates must be frequently removed.
High enthalpy brines typically have larger concentrations of dissolved solids than low enthalpy brines. The removal of larger amounts of heat and steam therefore produce significant levels of supersaturation and faster precipitation kinetics. These brines therefore tend to produce copious quantities of scale which can foul or plug conduits, heat-exchangers, vessels, injection wells, and/or the subterranean formation in the vicinity of the immediate re-injection wells.
Because of such massive scaling, various proposals have been made to decrease the scale formation in flash-condensing or other non-heat-exchange surface equipment used in producing and handling high-enthalpy geothermal brines. In "Field Evaluation of Scale Control Methods: Acidification," by J. Z. Grens et al, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Geothermal Resources Council, Transactions, Vol. 1, May 1977, there is described an investigation of the scaling of turbine components wherein a geothermal brine at a pressure of 220 to 320 p.s.i.g. and a temperature of 200.degree. to 230.degree. C. (392.degree. to 446.degree. F.) was expanded through nozzles and impinged against static wearblades to a pressure of 1 atmosphere and a temperature of 102.degree. C. (215.degree. F.). In the nozzles, the primary scale was heavy metal sulfides, such as lead sulfide, copper-iron sulfide, zinc sulfide and cuprous sulfide. Thin basal layers of fine-grained, iron-rich amorphous silica appeared to promote the adherence of the primary scale to the metal substrate. By contrast, the scale formed on the wearblades was cuprous sulfide, native silver and lead sulfide in an iron-rich amorphous silica matrix. When the brine which originally had a pH of 5.4 to 5.8 was acidified with sufficient hydrochloric acid to reduce the pH of the expanded brine to values between 1.5 to 5.0, scaling was dramatically reduced or eliminated.
However, such acidification, especially at a pH near 1.5, tends to significantly increase the corrosion of the brine-handling equipment. Added wall thickness or excessively costly materials of construction are often required.
Strong acid treatments can also cause other geothermal fluid handling problems, such as the introduction of corrosive oxygen into an otherwise oxygen-free brine, or the embrittlement of equipment. Another major concern is that such strong acids must be transported to the site of the geothermal power plant which is frequently located in a relatively remote region. The transportation of these strong acids on public roads increases the risk of accidental spill, injury, and property damage.
Common commercial acid treatments of geothermal brines have frequently been limited to relatively small changes in pH such as those treatments disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,500,434, and 5,190,664, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,434, the moderately acidified brine was flashed in a series of separators and the formation of insoluble silicon components in the brine (and on the solid container surfaces) was substantially inhibited until disposal of the brine. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,664, a limited amount of sulfuric acid was added to a high-enthalpy brine in a carbon steel conduit prior to the brine passing through the mild steel heat-exchanger having titanium tubes and both silica scaling and corrosion were reduced in the tubes and downstream carbon steel injection piping.
Neither of such treatments achieves the complete elimination of scale deposition on flash-condensing or heat-exchange equipment (especially silica scale), although each treatment seeks acceptable corrosion rates and significant reductions in scaling rates. Consequently, periodic cleaning of the accumulated scale is still required-which may result in partial or complete shut down of the process, with consequent undue expense and reduced power output.
While the aforementioned acidified geothermal brine and modified acidified brine treatments have met with some success in some heat-exchanger and flash-separator applications, the need exists for more cost-effective processes which allow more economical energy extraction from a great number of geothermal brines.
Accordingly, a geothermal power process utilizing a more effective acid treatment and having reduced operating expenses is desirable.

pH modification of geothermal brine with sulfur-containing acid


A process for the preparation of an acid addition salt of ziprasidone base and intermediates thereof comprising exposing the ziprasidone base in solid form to a gaseous acid in a substantially dry environment.

Ziprasidone hydrochloride (5-[2-[4-(1,2-benzisothiazol-3-yl)-1-piperazinyl]ethyl]-6-chloro-1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2-one hydrochloride), I is a potent neuroleptic agent useful in the treatment of psychotic disorders, schizophrenia, and anxiety diseases. It is currently marketed under the proprietary name of Geodon.

Ziprasidone hydrochloride is known to exist in various crystalline forms; namely, the monohydrate, hemihydrate and anhydrate form as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,831,031 and 5,312,925. As well, Canadian patent application 2,471,219 teaches an improved process for the preparation of ziprasidone hydrochloride anhydrate and other novel forms of ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate are described in WO 2004/089948 A1.
A considerable amount of effort has been devoted to improving the physical properties of ziprasidone hydrochloride, for instance in terms of the particle size, purity and water solubility of the finished product. Purported solutions include:
1) the use of ziprasidone hydrochloride having a mean particle size of less than 85 μm (U.S. Pat. No. 6,150,366);
2) the use of ziprasidone hydrochloride having a particle size greater than about 85 μm and less than about 300 μm (US 2005/049295 A1);
3) the use of water soluble clathrates of ziprasidone and its salts (WO 2004/054621 A1);
4) alternate salt forms such as the mesylate salt (Canadian patent 2,252,898);
5) pro-drugs of ziprasidone (U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,960); and
6) amorphous and other forms of ziprasidone hydrochloride (WO 2004/050655 A1 where the product has a water content of about 0.5% to 7.5%, most preferably 4.0 to 4.5%, Canadian patent application 2,467,538, and US 2005/0043324 A1).
Although the process taught in Canadian patent application 2,467,538 furnished highly pure ziprasidone hydrochloride, it required the use of a solvent in the salt forming step which had to be removed from the finished product in order to be used as a pharmaceutical ingredient. Noteworthy is that the preparation of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API's) must meet high purity specifications, for instance in terms of residual solvent content and to this end, regulatory authorities have set out quality guidelines regarding the permissible amounts of residual solvent in active pharmaceutical ingredients (for example, International Conference on Harmonisation, guideline Q3C). The use of a solvent also added to the cost of the finished product and increased the volumes required in the final step.
It is therefore very desirable to have a novel process for preparing amorphous ziprasidone hydrochloride in high yields and purity which is more reliable, consistent and suitable for large scale manufacturing, thus helping to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, for instance the need to remove residual solvent from the ziprasidone hydrochloride. In addition, a new process to alternate acid addition salts of ziprasidone having improved qualities such as the bulk density and particle size would be desirable.

Preparation of acid addition salts of ziprasidone and intermediates thereof by solid phase-gas phase reactions


A medical examination table has a seat section and a back section supported on a base. The seat and back sections are selectively adjustable to place a patient resting thereon in various positions for examination or the performance of medical procedures. The seat section has a relatively low profile that accommodates storing various accessories beneath the seat section while providing a high level of patient comfort and ensuring a low overall table height. In one embodiment, the seat section comprises a seat frame having a central open area, and a layer of web material extending over the open area.

Articulating medical examination tables are known in the art for supporting patients thereon and for placing patients in various positions that facilitate examination and/or the performance of various medical procedures. Conventional examination tables typically include a seat section and a back section supported on a base unit, which are moveable relative to one another and the base to place a patient in a desired position. The seat section or back section may be articulated by actuating mechanisms such as a motors, pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, or other devices to move the seat and back sections between the various positions and to adjust the height of the seat and back sections relative to the base. Most tables, for example, have a back section that is maneuverable from a first inclined orientation, relative to the seat section, for supporting a patient in an initial, seated position, and a generally horizontal orientation, relative to the seat section, for supporting a patient in a supine position.
To help patients relax and to place them at ease during the examination or medical procedure, the examination table should be as comfortable as possible. Accordingly, examination tables have conventionally been provided with well-padded, upholstered patient support surfaces to improve patient comfort. When the thickness of the padding is too great, however, the increased overall height of the table may make it difficult for elderly or disabled persons to get onto and off of the examination table. Ensuring patient comfort with thick upholstery and providing a relatively low height represent competing objectives that are exasperated by the fact that the articulating mechanisms for the table, as well as various accessories used during examination, are conventionally located beneath the seat and back sections of the table. A need therefore exists for an examination table that provides a relatively low height while ensuring a high level of patient comfort.


A lamp driving apparatus of a liquid crystal display includes a plurality of lamps arranged with a predetermined distance between adjacent lamps; a comparator to compare output voltages of lamps that are separated by more than the lamp distance; and a power interceptor to cut off the power supply of a lamp where mis-discharge is generated, in accordance with a comparison result of the comparator. A lamp driving method of a liquid crystal display which includes: comparing a designated reference voltage with lamp output voltages, and intercepting the power supply of the lamp of which the output voltage is different from the reference voltage to stop mis-discharge between lamps.

The range of applications of liquid crystal displays (hereinafter, referred to as "LCD") is gradually broadening due to characteristics such as light weight, thinness and low power consumption. The LCD is used in office automation equipment, audio/video devices and similar applications. The LCD displays a desired picture on a screen by controlling the amount of transmitted light in accordance with a video signal applied to a plurality of control switches which are arranged in a matrix configuration.
The LCD needs a light source like a backlight because it is not a self-luminous display device. A cold cathode fluorescent lamp (hereinafter, referred to as "CCFL") may be used as the light source in the backlight.
A CCFL is a light source tube using cold emission phenomenon; electrons are emitted because a strong electric field is applied to the surface of a cathode, so that low heat generation, high brightness, long life span and full colorization are obtained. The CCFL can be of light guide system, direct illumination system or reflection plate system, and a light source tube is adopted in accordance with the design requirements of the LCD.
The CCFL uses an inverter circuit to produce a high-voltage power from a low voltage DC power source.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the lamp driving apparatus of an LCD includes a lamp housing 10 into which a plurality of lamps 12 are put; an inverter part 22 with a plurality of inverters for supplying an output voltage to each of the lamps 12; a first printed circuit board 20 on which the inverter part 22 is mounted; a lamp protector 32 for protecting each of the lamps 12; and a second printed circuit board 30 on which the lamp protector 32 is mounted.
The lamp housing 10 has a space provided for receiving the lamps and is disposed on a main support (not shown).
Each lamp receives the lamp output voltage from the inverter part 22 and illuminates a liquid crystal display panel (not shown) with visible light.
The first printed circuit board 20 is arranged at one side of the support main (not shown) and folded to the direction of the rear surface of the support main.
The second printed circuit board 30 is arranged at one side of the support main (not shown) and folded to the direction of the rear surface of the support main.
As shown in FIG. 2, each inverter 24 constituting the inverter part 22 includes a switching circuit 26 to switch a voltage from a voltage source Vin in response to a switching control signal, and a transformer 28 to convert the voltage supplied by switching of the switching circuit 26 into an output voltage.
The switching circuit 26 switches the voltage from the voltage source Vin to the transformer 28 in response to the switching control signal from a pulse width modulator PWM 34. For this purpose, the switching circuit 26 includes at least one switching device.
The transformer 28 includes a primary winding wire connected to the switching circuit 26 and a secondary winding wire connected to the lamp 12. Both ends of the primary winding wire are connected to the switching circuit 26 and one end of the secondary winding wire is connected to a first electrode terminal of the lamp 12, and the other end is connected to a ground (GND). The transformer 28 converts the voltage supplied to the primary winding wire by a winding ratio of primary and secondary winding wires and induces it in the secondary winding wire. The voltage induced on the secondary winding wire is supplied to the lamp 12 through a first electrode terminal and lights the lamp 12.
The lamp protector 32 includes an open lamp protector OLP 36 to detect the presence or absence of the lamp 12 by the output voltage of the lamp 12; an over voltage protector OVP 38 to detect the voltage supplied to the electrode part of the lamp from the transformer 28; and a pulse width modulator 34 for switching the switching circuit 26 in response to a feedback signal FB2 from the over voltage protector 38.
The open lamp protector 36 detects the presence or absence of the lamp 12 by the output voltage of the lamp 12 to control the pulse width modulator 34. That is, in the case that the lamp 12 is not present, the open lamp protector 36 generates a feedback signal FB1 corresponding to the detected detection signal. In this circumstance, the pulse width modulator 34 inhibits the switching circuit 26 such that the voltage from the voltage source Vin is not supplied to the transformer 28, in accordance with a feedback signal FB1 from the open lamp protector 36. Thus, in case that the lamp 12 is not present, the inverter part 22 does not supply the voltage to the lamp 12.
The over voltage protector 38 detects the voltage supplied to the electrode part of the lamp 12 from the transformer 28 to control the pulse width modulator 34. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when an over voltage V2 of not less or more than voltage levels OVP1, OVP2, respectively, which would cause damage to the lamp 12 is supplied to the electrode part of the lamp 12 from the transformer 28, the over voltage protector 38 generates the feedback signal FB2 corresponding to the detected detection signal and supplies the generated signal to the pulse width modulator 34. In this circumstance, the pulse width modulator 34 controls the switching period of the switching circuit 26 by the feedback signal FB2 from the over voltage protector 38 to reduce the voltage supplied to the primary winding wire of the transformer 28 from the voltage source Vin. Thus, the voltage supplied to the lamp 12 from the secondary winding wire of the transformer 28 is reduced to V3 to prevent the lamp 12 from being damaged.
The pulse width modulator 34 controls the switching period of the switching circuit 26 in response to the feedback signal FB2 from the over voltage protector 38 and the feedback signal FB1 from the open lamp protector 36. That is, the pulse width modulator 34 controls the voltage supplied to the transformer 28 by controlling the switching period of the switching device, which constitutes the switching circuit 26 in response to the feedback signals FB1, FB2.
In the lamp driving device of the LCD, the lamp lighting voltage and the operating voltage required by the lamp 12 is directly proportional to the length of the glass tube of the lamp 12. As the voltage increased in this way, as shown in FIG. 4, it can generate an undesired mis-discharge between adjacent lamps 12 and render the output voltage of the inverter 24 unstable.
Hence, the lamp driving apparatus of the existing LCD designs can cause the lamps 12 to be damaged because no protective circuit is provided for responding to the mis-discharge that occurs between the adjacent lamps 12.

Apparatus and method for driving lamp of liquid crystal display device


A moldable polyblend of thermoplastic polyesters, one or more polymers selected from polyamides, polyolefins and mixtures thereof, and ethylene copolymers containing epoxy groups. The ethylene copolymers contribute improved compatibility between the thermoplastic polyesters and the polyamides or polyolefins, permitting the blending of these polymers without detracting from the mechanical or thermal properties of the individual polymers.

The present invention relates to moldable polyblends of thermoplastic polyesters blended with an ethylene copolymer containing epoxy groups, which ethylene copolymer contributes both improved impact strength and improved polymer compatibility to the blend. In particular, the present invention relates to moldable polyblends of thermoplastic polyesters and an ethylene-ethyl acrylate-glycidyl methacrylate (EEA-GMA) impact modifier having improved compatibility with polyamides and polyolefins.
Thermoplastic polyesters are a widely used class of thermoplastic molding polymers selected for their good balance of physical properties. The impact properties of these polymers can be improved by compounding with elastomeric polymer impact modifiers.
The versatility of thermoplastic polyesters has made it desirable to blend these polymers with other thermoplastic molding polymers. For example, it would be desirable to blend thermoplastic polyesters with higher-cost polyamides such as nylons to form a more economical polyblend. The polyblend would also exhibit lower moisture absorption when compared to the polyamide, thereby improving the dimensional stability of the molded parts of the polyblends. It would also be desirable to blend thermoplastic polyesters with lower-cost polyolefins such as polyethylene or polypropylene to form a highly economical polyblend possessing good impact strength and solvent resistance characteristics of the polyester.
Until now, it has not been possible to blend thermoplastic polyesters with these polymers because these polymers do not form compatible polyblends with thermoplastic polyesters. The incompatibility results in a reduction of the mechanical properties of the polyblend.
Ethylene copolymers containing epoxy groups are known impact modifiers of thermoplastic polyesters. U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,859 includes such copolymers among the thousands of suitable elastomeric impact modifiers disclosed for thermoplastic polyesters. Ethylene-methyl acrylate-glycidyl methacrylate is illustrated as an impact modifier for polybutylene terephthalate. However, none of the elastomeric impact modifiers of U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,859 are disclosed as improving the compatibility of thermoplastic polyesters with polyamides or polyolefins.
Published PCT Application 89-5,838 discloses the use of ethylene copolymers containing epoxy groups as impact modifiers for thermoplastic polyesters, but contains no disclosure regarding the impact modification of blends of thermoplastic polyesters and polyamides or polyolefins. Improvement of the impact properties of polyester molding compositions by the addition of ethylene copolymers containing epoxy groups is also disclosed in published PCT Application Publication No. WO 85/03718. This prior art reference also contains no disclosure regarding the impact modification of blends of thermoplastic polyesters and polyamides or polyolefins.
Japanese Kokai 63-113,056 discloses blends of thermoplastic polyesters and ethylene copolymers containing epoxy groups having an excellent balance of low-temperature impact strength, rubber elasticity, heat resistance, wear resistance, chemical resistance, cold strength and rigidity. However, this prior art reference also contains no disclosure regarding blends of thermoplastic polyesters and polyamides or polyolefins. Japanese Kokai 64-9,254 discloses a polyblend of polypropylene, a polyolefin, blended with an ethylene copolymer containing epoxy groups, which functions as an impact modifier to improve the low temperature impact strength and coatability of the polypropylene. There is no disclosure in this prior art reference regarding the blending of the polypropylene with thermoplastic polyesters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,284 discloses blends of poly(phenylene ethers) with thermoplastic polyesters and ethylene copolymers containing epoxy groups, which improve the workability and impact strength of the poly(phenylene ether). There is no disclosure in this reference that thermoplastic polyesters and ethylene copolymers containing epoxy groups can also be blended with polyamides and polyolefins. There remains a need for multiple polyblends of thermoplastic polyesters or impact modified thermoplastic polyesters with polyamides and polyolefins.

Impact modified polyester blends with improved polymer compatibility


Thermally processed fruits and vegetables are softer in texture than fresh. It is challenging to obtain acceptable texture from thermally processed IQF fruits and vegetables. The soaking method of the invention enhances the texture of high quality IQF fruits and vegetables before thermal processing resulting in a processed, shelf-stable fruit or vegetable product with significantly improved texture. When compared to other traditional firming methods using calcium salts added directly to the pack medium or finished product, or using a food enzyme, such as pectinmethylesterase (PME), the soaking method yields fruit and vegetable products with significantly better post-cook textures. Using this method will also enable manufacturers of shelf-stable fruit and vegetable products to use IQF ingredients in continuous year-round production.

Fresh fruits and vegetables typically have a very short harvest season and spoil quickly. Canning is one method of preserving perishable fruits and vegetables. During post-harvest production, canned fruits and vegetables are packed in water, or a liquid syrup, or juice or brine, hermetically sealed, and thermally processed to achieve commercial sterility. Production of canned fruits and vegetables typically takes place within days or weeks of harvest. There is a strong commercial interest to be able to pack canned items throughout the year, not just during harvest. One method of year-round production is to use frozen fruits and vegetables in place of fresh produce in canning operations. However, when compared to fresh produce, frozen fruits and vegetables that are later thermally processed have relatively poor texture. Canning frozen fruits and vegetables worsens the texture because the thermal process softens the produce further. For these reasons, there is also a strong commercial interest in developing a method that would allow production of canned items with consumer accepted texture from individually quick frozen ("IQF") fruits and vegetables.
Some fruit and vegetable manufacturers add calcium salts to certain products to improve texture. The FDA specifies which calcium salts are allowed in food products. For example, the Standard of Identity for canned berries allows for inclusion of calcium salts. Federal Regulations (21 C.F.R. §145.120) allow calcium salts as firming agents provided that the calcium salt added is no more than 0.035 percent of the weight of the finished canned berries. Among the products that are allowed by the FDA to contain calcium salts for firming, adding calcium is considered common practice, but it is not universal in the industry.
Calcium salts may be added to products using one of the following methods: spraying or dipping fruits or vegetables as pretreatment and adding calcium in the topping of finished products. Existing manufacturing techniques to enhance texture and firmness of fruits and vegetables produce soft fruits and vegetables. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,117 teaches application of a preservative of calcium ions, ascorbate ions—or both—as a solution or in dry form to fresh fruit, such as apple slices, and then storing the fruit covered with the preservative in a container between −7° C. and 30° C. The preservative can be applied by spraying, dipping, sprinkling, tossing, immersing, or drenching. Immersing or dipping the fruit must be limited to no more than 5 minutes because the preservatives can adversely impact fruit flavor.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,273 teaches preserving fruit or vegetables by exposing them to a spray, vapor, or pool of organic compounds, such as, aldehydes, amides, esters, hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, ketones, etc., for 10-20 minutes between 0° C. to 75° C. Preservation with this technique requires washing or rinsing the organic compound from the fruit or vegetable prior to heat processing. The flavor of the fruit or vegetable may be adversely affected by overexposure to the organic compound if not washed or rinsed properly.
In yet another example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,645,879 and 5,843,511 teach blanching fruits and vegetables before conventional sterilization. Blanching may occur in a solution with food-grade multivalent salt compounds or food-grade acids—or both—and must be carefully regulated to avoid adversely affecting firmness of the fruit or vegetable. Blanched fruits or vegetables must also then be properly cooled by immersion in cold water to stop enzyme activity on the flesh of the fruit or vegetable.
In a further example, European Patent Application No. 0853886 teaches wetting fresh or frozen fruit with an aqueous system containing at least as much sugar and as many calcium ions as the liquid phase of the fruit for no less than 2 days at temperatures above the freezing point of the aqueous system and less than 10° C.
The aforementioned processes have the following disadvantages: soft post-preservation texture and complex manufacturing steps, such as, sensitive blanching temperatures, precise rinsing schedules for food-grade salts or acids to avoid flavor degradation, or use of organic compounds that must be carefully rinsed at precise times.
Consumers are becoming more health conscious. Demand for fruits and vegetables in daily consumption have increased. There is a strong commercial interest to have year-round industrial processing capacity for preserving high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables.
There is currently no method available that allows manufacturers to thermally process IQF fruits or vegetables that yield an acceptable texture post-sterilization. The invention enables this. It provides firmly-textured, high quality fruit and vegetable products after thermally processing IQF products.

Firming process to enhance texture of thermally processed IQF fruits and vegetables


The integrated water treatment control system incorporates control of filtration, heating, chemical treatment and water conditioning; a programmable display shows values of key parameters, operational settings and system status; a user-selectable multi-line, multi-language display panel has menus and submenus; a remote access displays through modems and computers; an in-line computation of water saturation index handles sensor and panel keyboard inputs; and a dynamic probe failure detection system is also included.

The invention relates to a water treatment control system, particularly one that integrates the control of various aspects of a water reservoir or stream using various probes and which includes provision for probe failure detection. Modern water treatment requires the use of both physical and chemical processes. They have traditionally been controlled independently. Typical applications of water treatment systems include, but are not limited to, municipal or industrial water treatment plants, cooling towers, swimming pools, agricultural or food processing plants, and carwash systems.
The physical processes include pumping of the water being treated through filters to remove suspended particles and replacement of contaminated water with fresh water. The chemical processes include injection of sanitizers, oxidizers, pH adjustment chemicals, biocides and other chemicals. In addition, heaters or coolers are used to maintain proper water temperature.
All these processes depend on the use of sensors, timers and outputs for control and monitoring, including remote display and operation. Because the equipment is usually made by different manufacturers, each process has an independent control system which results in large, cumbersome installations and a lack of compatibility and an inability to communicate between different instruments.
An object of the present invention is to integrate all the monitoring and control functions into a single control unit using a microprocessor to manage the different processes. Such an integrated control system makes it easy for the operator to supervise all the different aspects of the water treatment system and to respond rapidly to any malfunction or other emergency.
Another object is to access the control unit remotely by modem and computer, and simulate the display remotely of the actual on-site panel for the purpose of monitoring and control from a remote location.
A further object of the invention, using a microprocessor, is the monitoring of water balance conditions through the computation of the saturation index, or Langelier Index, based on water pH, temperature, alkalinity and hardness. This index shows whether the water is properly balanced, or corrosive, or scaling.
Still another object, using a microprocessor, includes a dynamic probe failure test based on recovery analysis of an induced sensor offset condition. This test is more reliable and more general than static probe failure testing used in conventional applications. In particular, it can be applied to any type of sensing element.

Integrated water treatment control system with probe failure detection


A needle shielding and use-facilitating apparatus has a first sleeve with a coupling at one end for attachment to a syringe and a hypodermic needle carried by the first sleeve. The needle extending beyond the opposite end of the first sleeve. A second sleeve is slidably received in the first sleeve and surrounds part of the needle which extends beyond the first sleeve. A spring in the first sleeve urges the second sleeve out of the first sleeve. An end coupling is attached to the second sleeve and is selectively attachable to any of a plurality of articles puncturable with the needle.

In recent years attention in the medical field has been directed to the prevention of the transmission of infectious diseases through normal contact with patients. Only recently has the medical profession become acutely concerned with transmission of infectious diseases from the patient to the health care personnel, and vice versa, during routine treatment. In particular, the medical profession is now actively considering new techniques and devices to prevent the accidental transmission of the HIV virus (AIDS), hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases between the health care personnel and patients.
In several instances, doctors and nurses have contracted hepatitis or the AIDS virus by accidentally puncturing a finger, hand or other body part with a hypodermic needle which has been in contact with a patient infected with hepatitis or the AIDS virus. One of the more common manners in which health care personnel are at risk and have become infected is during injection with a hypodermic needle when the needle slips or breaks and is accidentally plunged into the hand of the person administering the care. Accidents have occurred during injection directly into the patient and also during injection into the coupling of an IV tube.
It is common practice to administer drugs to a patient by inserting a syringe with a needle into a y-shaped coupling in the IV supply tube. This operation typically requires forcing the hypodermic needle with one hand through a puncturable septum in the coupling while the coupling is held with the other hand. The coupling is usually quite small and difficult to handle, thereby creating a high risk of injuring the operator while attempting to insert the needle and when replacing the safety cap on a used needle.
Whether or not there is a serious risk of transmitting a disease, it is desirable to find ways to prevent injury to medical personnel during the always risky procedures concerning the handling and use of exposed needles whether the needle is being used to add medications to an IV, extract a medication from a bottle, administer intramuscular injections, or perform any one of several other needle-related operations.


An infant care station is described herein that can include a wall of the infant care station, wherein the wall includes a primary latch and at least one secondary latch that includes a hinge with at least one bottom pin and at least one top pin, wherein the infant care station is an incubator, a warmer, or a combination thereof. In some examples, one or more pin acceptors are proximate the hinge, wherein the one or more pin acceptors hold the at least one bottom pin and the at least one top pin of the hinge in a closed position of the wall, and wherein the at least one top pin of the wall is released from the one or more pin acceptors in response to a force applied to the wall.

The present disclosure generally relates to an infant care station, such an incubator, an infant warmer, or a hybrid device, among others. Prematurely born infants can require specialized treatment and care due to their small size and still-developing organs and physiological systems. After being born, premature infants are typically placed in devices that create a carefully controlled micro-environment around the patient. The infant care station operates to control environmental conditions of the micro-environment, such as oxygen concentration, temperature, humidity and light in such a manner as to promote the health and well-being of the infant patient.
One type of infant care station is generally referred to as an incubator in which the patient is placed within a physical enclosure and the temperature within the enclosure is carefully controlled with convective heating provided by a forced flow of heated air into the enclosure. Within the micro-environment, the oxygen concentration and humidity can also be accurately controlled.
Another type of infant care station is referred to as a radiant warmer. The radiant infant warmer has an overhead canopy with heating elements that produce radiant heat directed downward onto the infant patient to maintain the temperature of the infant patient.
Hybrid systems are another type of infant care station that incorporates both convective heating systems and radiant heating systems.
Infant care stations typically include various components that enable controlling a micro-environment within the infant care stations. For example, the infant care stations can have multiple operational elements that are accurately controlled to maintain the micro-environment at desired levels. Further, the infant care stations can include one or more walls to maintain the micro-environment. In some examples, the infant care station can include any number of latches that enable the treating clinician to open and close a wall or a door of the infant care station.

System for latching an infant care station


Apparatus for closing the front of an air purifying unit that includes a main support frame upon which is secured a rear cover and a top cover. A removable front cover is arranged to pass over the front section of the support frame and closes against the top and rear cover. A latching device acts between the support frame and the top cover to secure the cover to the frame. Biasing members are mounted upon the support frame for urging the walls of the front and rear covers outwardly and guiding the covers into edge to edge alignment.

This invention relates to a removable cover for an air handling system and, in particular, to an access cover for a portable air purification unit.
As the air we breathe becomes more contaminated, the need for better, higher efficiency air purification equipment becomes more pronounced, particularly in the more densely populated areas. Much of the air pollution in these populated regions is caused by automobile exhaust emissions and industrial plants that burn fossil fuel in order to satisfy their power demands. This type of pollution is difficult to cleanse from the air and cannot be effectively handled by conventional filters found in furnace and air conditioning systems. As a consequence, people who suffer from respiratory ailments are oftentimes forced to remain indoors when the air quality drops below a certain safe value. Ideally, while indoors, these people should breathe air that has been circulated through a high efficiency air purifying system. These systems are typically costly and not easily transported from place to place. The dependability and efficiency of presently available low cost portable units, however, generally is less than satisfactory.
More specifically, this invention relates to a removable cover for a housing containing an air purification system wherein a changeable or cleanable air filter is mounted inside the housing. Removing the cover provides ready access to the filter assembly so that it can be removed from the housing for maintenance. Generally this type of cover becomes loosened with usage and thus allows air to leak from the housing lowering the efficiency of the air purification system. A loose cover also tends to rattle when the system blower is in operation which can be very annoying to anyone situated near the unit. These problems become more pronounced in portable units because of the additional stress that is placed on the housing when the unit is lifted and carried about.


A steering column including an upper body, two connection flanges for connecting the upper body to a support element, and a tightening and blocking device the upper body in position on an internal tube, where the tightening and blocking device includes a clamp screw extending through the flanges, a set of cams comprising a fixed cam and a movable cam mounted such that it can move freely in translation along the clamp screw and arranged so that it can bear on one of the flanges, a rack capable of cooperating with a notched arrangement provided on the other flange, and a resilient means arranged between the movable cam and the rack in order to exert a return force on the rack in the direction of the notched flange.

A steering column allows for the adjustment in depth and/or in height of the steering wheel. Conventionally per se, a steering column comprises a support element intended to be fixed to the chassis of the vehicle, an upper body mounted mobile in the support element, an internal tube mounted in the upper body and a tightening and blocking device the upper body in position on the internal tube. On known adjustable steering columns, the controlling of the tightening and blocking device is carried out by means of a control lever. The control lever makes it possible to place the tightening and blocking device in a locked position wherein the upper body is blocked in position on the internal tube and a unlocked position wherein the adjusting in depth and/or height of the steering column is authorized, as the upper body is no longer blocked in position on the internal tube.
In order to prevent the device for adjusting and blocking from moving during a collision of the vehicle with another vehicle or an obstacle, and consequently the position of the airbag during its deployment from not being provided, a mechanism is provided in steering columns that makes it possible to block the adjusting in depth of the steering column during the impact of the driver on the steering wheel during the collision.
Patent application EP2100795 and EP2100796 relate to steering columns comprising such a blocking mechanism. The blocking mechanism implemented comprises a toothed member cooperating with a notched arrangement provided on the upper body or the support element.
The mechanisms implemented in the steering columns described in the abovementioned documents have however a certain number of disadvantages. In particular, they generate an excessive effort on the control lever, with this excessive effort primarily observed when the toothed member is in contact with the notched arrangement provided on the upper body or the chassis element according to a tooth-on-tooth configuration. The excessive effort on the lever is furthermore sometimes such that it is impossible in certain cases to maneuver the control lever in order to place the device for adjusting and blocking in locked position. Furthermore, the blocking in depth of the upper body is no longer provided in this case.

Steering column comprising an improved depth-blocking mechanism

ROBERT BOSCH AUTOMOTIVE STEERING VENDOME


A method and apparatus for managing persistent change operations on user data is disclosed. For each change, a record of the change is saved. An index tracks the current state of the user data. Changes can be undone or redone in a sequential manner if certain criteria are met. Variables pertaining to the changes are saved in a persistent storage, enabling an undo/redo history to be preserved if a program is exited and restarted.

Nowadays, there are many types of software application where the user of that application is able to save data or information in any format through that application. In a conventional scenario, software dealing with user data provides functionality for undoing or redoing the changes the user makes to the data, but the record of the said changes is lost once the software application exits or the machine goes offline. It is therefore desirable to have improvements in the management of redo and undo operations.

Performing persistent undo and redo operation within computer software


A seal assembly for a turbine blade tip shroud including a one-piece bent metallic sheet inter-segment seal having an axial component and a vertical component adapted to fit in a groove formed in the end walls of each shroud segment, wherein the shroud segment has a platform and radially extending ribs, and the seal fits tightly in the groove providing an axial and a radial component to the seal. A ring seal is also provided for sealing a joint between the shroud and a mounting structure where an annular gap is formed having an "L" shaped cross-section, the ring seal having a "C" shaped configuration and one of the legs of the "C" extending within an axial component of the "L" shaped gap. The leg has a wave pattern with the peaks of the wave in contact with opposite radial walls of the axial component of the gap for creating a gas seal at the joint.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gas turbine engines, and more particularly, to turbine blade shroud seals for reducing the leakage of cooling fluid in the casing surrounding the turbine blades.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been many attempts to improve the sealing capabilities of annular shrouds surrounding the tips of turbine blades. The engine casing surrounds the turbine section of an aircraft engine and is constructed to conduct cooling gases within the casing to various elements, such as the shrouds themselves. The turbine section of the engine, which is concentric to the casing, is in the path of very hot gases. It is preferred that the surrounding casing structure be maintained relatively cool.
The annular shroud for the turbine blade tips is normally segmented in the circumferential direction. Seals are required to prevent gas leakage at the gaps formed between the ends of the shroud segments. U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,260 to Clevenger et al, issued Aug. 30, 1988, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,430 to Dixon et al, issued Oct. 27, 1992, show variations on feather seals placed between the platforms of the vane assemblies. U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,866 to Sandy, Jr. et al, issued Mar. 4, 1986, shows a feather seal in a radial plane between the ends of the blade tip shrouds. U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,402 to Bailey et al, issued Jun. 7, 1994, shows a spline or feather seal and a circumferential spacer band that locks the shrouds and the feather seals together.
Different sealing rings are also required for different shroud and casing configurations. For instance, in a configuration involving a split joint with a groove having an axial component, it is conventional to use a "C" shaped ring. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,866, a bellows type ring is utilized in such a groove. Although such ring seals provide excellent sealing qualities, they tend to be stiff in compression due to the radial cross-section thereof and are, therefore, not easily replaced during engine maintenance. In fact, special tools may be required to replace such a seal.


An extendable device for providing radiation occlusion and/or aero-thermal protection is disclosed. In various representative aspects, the present invention generally includes an extendable collar and a flexure configured to provide elastic properties (e.g., to facilitate stowage and/or deployment with respect to conformational disposition of the flexure). The flexure is coupled to a collar and is also coupled to the housing of an optical device.

In a variety of applications and operating environments, it may be desirable to provide protection against incident radiation and/or aero-thermal heating. In the field of optics, with respect to ambient radiation, an optical device with a given field of view may be capable of detecting radiation from a variety of sources. In certain cases, some radiation sources may obstruct detection of other radiation sources. This obstruction may reduce the utility of specific optical systems with regard to analysis of particular radiation sources. For these systems, it may be desirable to shield the system for radiation in order to improve the utility of the optical device.
With respect to aero-thermal protection, some optical devices may be configured for use in conditions likely to produce aero-thermal heating, as in the case of aerial projectiles. If this heating is transferred to an optical device, it may impair use of the device. In such situations, it may be desirable to shield the system from aero-thermal heating in order to improve the utility of the optical device.
In certain practical applications, some projectile systems may be configured to jettison a nose cone at a particular stage in their operation. Prior to being jettisoned, the nose cone may substantially constrain the geometry of an occlusive and/or aero-thermal protecting collar. When the nose cone is jettisoned, such constraints are generally irrelevant.
Various conventional systems have been proposed to provide radiation occlusion and/or aero-thermal protection. A representative system uses expandable welded bellows coupled to the optical system. When extended, the bellows take the shape of a substantially cylindrical, substantially hollow collar surrounding the optical device and having a principal axis substantially coincident with that of the optical device. The expanded bellows may be configured to prevent obstructive radiation from interfering with radiation sources inside the field of view of the optical system. The expanded bellows may also be configured to provide the optical device with aero-thermal protection. When a bellows system is configured for one or both of these features, the utility of the optical system is generally increased; however, problems with the bellows system include a high number of moving parts (along with attendant heightened probability of failure), a relatively high mass, a corresponding complexity of the translation calculation when employed in a projectile, a relatively low stiffness, and a tendency to deform.
Accordingly, there is a need for an extendable protective device that may be used to provide radiation occlusion and/or shielding against aero-thermal heating that is both lightweight and mechanically simplified. Additionally, there is a need for an extendable protective device that provides a low probability of failure and that addresses other deficiencies associated with the conventional art.

Device and method for providing radiation occlusion and aero-thermal protection


A new and distinct cultivar of Lobelia plant named ‘Wespinstar’, characterized by its cascading plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit with short internodes; dense and bushy plant form; continuously and freely flowering habit; and light purple-colored flowers.

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lobelia plant, botanically known as Lobelia erinus, and hereinafter referred to by the name 'Wespinstar'.
The new Lobelia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Südlohn, Germany. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new vigorous Lobelia cultivars with unique flower colors.
The new Lobelia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 2002 of a proprietary selection of Lobelia erinus identified as code number 02P616, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Lobelia erinus identified as code number 02P725, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Lobelia was discovered and selected by the Inventor from within the resultant progeny from the above-mentioned cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Südlohn, Germany in 2002.
Asexual reproduction since 2003 of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings in a controlled environment in Südlohn, Germany, has shown that the unique features of this new Lobelia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


Vertical mount packages and methods for making the same are disclosed. A method for manufacturing a vertical mount package includes providing a device substrate with a plurality of device regions on a front surface, and a plurality of through-wafer vias. MEMS devices or integrated circuits are formed or mounted onto the device regions. A capping substrate having recesses is mounted over the device substrate, enclosing the device regions within cavities defined by the recesses. A plurality of aligned through-wafer contacts extend through the capping substrate and the device substrate. The device substrate and capping substrate can be singulated by cutting through the aligned through-wafer contacts, with the severed through-wafer contacts forming vertical mount leads. A vertical mount package includes a device sealed between a device substrate and a capping substrate. At least of the side edges of the package includes exposed conductive elements for vertical mount leads.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to vertical mount packages for integrated circuits or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices refer to very small mechanical devices driven by electricity. MEMS devices can include one or more of mechanical elements, sensors, and actuators formed on a substrate, such as a silicon substrate, through micro fabrication technology. Such MEMS devices in a state before packaging can also be referred to as a "MEMS die" in the context of this document. In this document, "dies" is used as a plural form of "die," but "dice" can also be used as a plural form.
MEMS dies are typically placed in a package (hereinafter, referred to as "MEMS package") to protect the MEMS dies and facilitate electrical connection to larger electronic devices. Such MEMS packages are often designed to be attached to a printed circuit board (PCB) or similar interface for larger devices. A MEMS package can typically include a casing defining a cavity to contain a MEMS die, bond pads for electrical connection to the MEMS die, leads for electrical connection to a larger device, and interconnects for electrical connection between the bond pads and the leads. A MEMS die is attached to a mounting surface of the MEMS package, and can be electrically connected to the bond pads, e.g., via bond wires. The cavity can be defined in various ways, such as a substrate and metal "can" or three-dimensional lid, a molded package with integrated substrate and walls with a planar lid, etc.
Other devices, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and memory chips, can be similarly packaged for protection and to facilitate electrical connection of devices to larger electrical circuits. Such IC dies can be independently packaged or packaged together with MEMS devices.
Most packages are designed to mount onto larger boards with the die parallel to the mounting board. Dies that are to be mounted vertically with respect to the mounting surface, such as gyroscopes and other motion sensors, present additional challenges for efficient component manufacturing and assembly of packages.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Vertical mount package and wafer level packaging therefor


An antenna comprises a base member (3), a ground conductor (5), a first antenna element (7) and a second antenna element (9). The base member (3) is formed in a thin plate shape and made of dielectric material. The ground conductor (5) is formed of a thin-film shaped and rectangular conductor and disposed on the base member (3). The first antenna element (7) is formed of a thin-film shaped and L-shaped conductor, is disposed on the base member (3) and has one end connected to one end (5A) of the ground conductor (5). The second antenna element (9) is formed of a thin-film shaped and rectangular conductor and is disposed on the base member (3) to be isolated from the ground conductor (5) and the first antenna element (7).

Recently, radio communication apparatuses such as a portable telephone, PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) and wireless LAN are daily employed. Since the radio communication apparatuses are designed on a premise that these are carried by users at all times, these apparatuses tend to be miniaturized and formed in a thin structure. With such a tendency, component parts, to be installed in the radio communication apparatuses, have similar tendencies.
In recent radio communication, there are increasing cases where a plurality of frequency bands are utilized. For example, the wireless LAN utilizes wavelengths in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. For this reason, the antennas for use in the radio communication apparatuses are required to be usable at a plurality of separate frequency bands.
A notebook-sized PC and a portable telephone use an inverted-F antenna, a dielectric antenna or a substrate antenna as built-in antenna. These antennas have features such as omnidirections and high-gains.
However, due to limited conditions in structure, it is hard to minimize the antenna in size and, especially, to form the antenna in a thin structure. When the antenna is installed in the notebook-sized PC, the antenna must be disposed in a limited area, such as a position near a hinge or a frame portion of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) because many of the component parts are densely located inside the notebook-sized PC.
Further, the inverted-F antenna of the related art has inherent problems listed below.
As one of the inverted-F antennas of the related art, an antenna which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2000-68737 has been known. The inverted-F antenna 100 is formed by folding a metallic plate 102 into a substantially U-shaped configuration as shown in FIG. 1. The inverted-F antenna 100 is available to be placed in a narrow space and can be manufactured in a low conducting loss and low cost. An inner conductor 132 of a coaxial cable 130 is electrically connected to a radiating portion 102a of the metallic plate 102. An outer conductor 134 of the coaxial cable 130 is electrically connected to a ground portion 102b of the metallic plate 102.
In order to operate the inverted-F antenna 100 in a plurality of frequency bands, an antenna 110 in which the inverted-F antenna 100 is provided with a parasitic circuit body 104 as shown in FIG. 2 has been known. The antenna 110 comprises the metallic plate 102, the parasitic circuit body 104 and a spacer 106. The parasitic circuit body 104 is disposed on an upper surface of the spacer 106. The spacer 106 is made of dielectric material (non-conductor) and inserted between the radiating portion 102a and the ground portion 102b. Under such a structure, if the inner conductor 132 of the coaxial cable 130 is electrically connected to the radiating portion 102a and the outer conductor 134 of the coaxial cable 130 is electrically connected to the ground portion 102b, the radiating portion 102a and the parasitic circuit body 104 generate a first resonant frequency and a second resonant frequency, respectively.
When the spacer 106 is disposed on the metallic plate 102, it is generally hard to precisely match a distance between the metallic plate 102 and the spacer 106 to a given length. For this reason, the distance between the radiating portion 102a and the parasitic circuit body 104 can not be accurately adjusted into a given length. As a result, the antenna 110 can not obtain accurate resonant frequencies because electrical capacitance between the radiating portion 102a and the parasitic circuit body 104 deviates from a given value. In a case where the resonant frequency generated by the antenna 110 increases, this problem becomes more serious.
An antenna 120 is a modified form of the antenna 110. As shown in FIG. 3, the antenna 120 has the same structure as the antenna 110 except for a shape in which a spacer 122 is different from the spacer 106. The antenna 120 is smaller than the antenna 110 because the spacer 122 is entirely accommodated in a space between the radiating portion 102a and the ground portion 102b of the metallic plate 102. However, the antenna 120 can not obtain accurate resonant frequencies because it is difficult to precisely match the distance between the radiating portion 102a and the parasitic circuit body 104 to a given length.
Also, the above problems arise in a case where a plurality of parasitic circuit bodies are provided to generate a plurality of resonant frequencies.


A cellular communications system may include a cellular base station and at least one mobile cellular device communicating with the cellular base station. The at least one mobile cellular device may include a receiver and a processor cooperating with the receiver for implementing a hybrid dynamic and static received signal measurement scheduling control. The processor may include a dynamic scheduler for scheduling recurring received signal measurement times, a static schedule memory for storing common data for received signal measurements, and a micro-scheduler for scheduling received signal measurements based upon the recurring received signal measurement times and the common data for received signal measurements.

Cellular communications systems continue to grow in popularity and have become an integral part of both personal and business communications. Cellular phones allow users to place and receive voice calls most anywhere they travel. Moreover, as cellular telephone technology has increased, so too has the functionality of cellular devices. For example, many cellular devices now incorporate personal digital assistant (PDA) features such as calendars, address books, task lists, etc. Moreover, such multi-function devices may also allow users to wirelessly access electronic mail (email) messages and the Internet via a cellular network.
With all of the functionality that a user can perform with such devices, calls made by users, and the overhead operations required of the device, battery life may be a significant concern for cellular phone manufacturers. For example, the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM)/Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UTMS) (i.e., 3G) systems require handsets to perform measurements of Receive Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) of neighboring base station on a periodic basis (e.g., every 30 seconds). These operations are even required when a device is in a "sleep" or power saving mode.
Various approaches have been implemented for attempting to reduce power consumption in mobile cellular devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,918 to Heiman et al. discloses a communications network including a cellular local area wireless network which includes a plurality of access points connected to a housed computer and each other, and a plurality of mobile units. Each mobile unit is arranged for association with an access point. The mobile units are also arranged to periodically scan for and identify the most eligible access point for association on the basis of the criteria of best quality signal strength and loading factor. To identify when mobile units are being removed from a predetermined area, access points having directional antennae are situated adjacent exit points to detect when mobile units are in a vicinity. Each mobile unit may include paging facilities, including the capability of transmitting information in a coded form known both to the unit and to a host, and power-saving facilities.
Despite the existence of such systems, further approaches and techniques for mitigating the power consumption of handheld device operations may be desirable to extend mobile device battery life.

Mobile cellular device providing hybrid dynamic/static received signal measurement scheduling control and related methods


An image forming device including a pair of fixing rollers, a sheet guide unit displaceable to one of first and second positions, a position detector detecting a position of the sheet guide unit, first and second sheet sensors respectively detecting the sheet at a first fixed position upstream of the fixing rollers and at a second fixed position downstream of the fixing rollers, and a control unit including a determination unit and a determination part. The determination unit includes a retrieving part that retrieves first and second threshold time periods when the position detector detects the first and second positions, respectively. The determination part determines whether a first or second time period starting from detecting by the first sheet sensor and ending when detecting by the second sheet sensor are within the first and second threshold time periods, respectively, when the position detector detects the first and second positions, respectively.

The laser printer includes a fixing device for fixing a toner image to a sheet. The fixing device includes a heat roller and a pressure roller in pressure contact therewith. A sheet on which a toner image has been transferred is conveyed to pass between the heat roller and the pressure roller, whereupon the toner image is fixed to the sheet under heat and pressure. The image fixed sheet is then discharged to a sheet discharge portion through a pair of conveyer rollers.
Due to the application of heat to the sheet, the image fixed sheet may be curled in conformance with an outer peripheral surface of the heat roller. The curl may cause sheet jamming or disarray on the sheet discharge portion. In order to avoid sheet curling, a mechanism for changing a sheet nip position by the pair of conveyer rollers has been proposed. More specifically, a lever is pivotally movably provided about an axis of a rotation shaft of one of the conveyer rollers, and the lever supports the other conveyer roller. By the operation of the lever, the nip position between the pair of conveyer rollers can be changed taking a curling state of the sheet into consideration.
Further, in the printer, a first sheet sensor is provided at an upstream side of the fixing device, and a second sheet sensor is provided at a downstream side thereof in order to detect a passing of the sheet. Determination falls "sheet jamming" in case of a non-detection of the sheet at the second sensor within a predetermined time period starting from the detection timing of the sheet at the first sensor.

Image forming device and a combination of a fixing device and a sheet jamming determination device


A firmware-based mechanism for creating, storing and retrieving variable-length records associated with error events occurring in a computer platform. The mechanism responds to error notifications by invoking a firmware-based error-handling module. The error-handling module retrieves processor-specific error information and may also interrogate the other components of the computer platform to determine their error status. Then, according to the nature of the discovered errors, the error-handling module may assemble the retrieved error information and status information into a variable-length error record, which the error-handling module may then store in a memory. On request from a processing agent, the error-handling module may retrieve a previously-stored error record and present it to the requesting agent. Thus, the invention provides a unified and standardized approach to computer error handling at the firmware level.

This invention relates to computer error handling. More specifically, the invention relates to a firmware-based error handling mechanism to support the creation, storage and retrieval of customized and extendible error records in computer platforms.
Modern computers are designed to monitor their own performance and frequently to test themselves to assure that operations have been performed properly. When a fault occurs, a machine interrupt typically is issued, and the hardware and software attempt to locate and identify the error. Depending on the severity of the error, control programs may shut down the entire machine, may avoid use of the faulty component, or may simply record the fact that an error has occurred.
System error detection, containment and recovery are critical elements of highly reliable and fault tolerant computing environments. While error detection is primarily accomplished through hardware mechanisms, system software plays a greater role in the containment and recovery of errors. The degree to which overall error handling is effective in maintaining system integrity depends upon the level of coordination and cooperation between the system CPUs, platform hardware fabric, and system software. Vendors of such computer systems therefore have developed maintenance and diagnostic facilities as part of their computer platforms. When a system failure occurs, diagnostic software may attempt to determine the cause of the failure and may also attempt to store information describing the failure, so that subsequent efforts to resolve or eliminate the failure may benefit from the stored information.
In the prior art, software-based error handling mechanisms of the type described have traditionally resided in a portion of the computer operating system. As a result, operating system designers have been required to develop unique error handling subsystems for each supported computer platform. Because of this constraint, computer error handling capabilities have been relatively limited in the prior art. In particular, designers of multiple computing environments have been forced to isolate the error management functions of each component operating system. Similarly, designers of complex computer platforms having multiple domains and/or partitions have been forced to deploy separate and isolated error management systems. Additionally, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have been restricted in their ability to develop customized computer platforms that provide enhanced maintenance capabilities.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a unified and standardized approach to computer error handling at the firmware level, outside the traditional sphere of an operating system. Such an error handling mechanism would allow computer platform designers and operating system engineers to develop standard error management subsystems that make effective use of common interfaces and methods. A standard error handling mechanism would also permit OEMs to develop error parsers, utilities and enhanced maintenance diagnostics that do not depend on the specific features any particular operating system.


A wall hook includes an inserting head defining a rotational axis, and a levering handle. The inserting head has a front penetrating tip adapted for rotatably inserting into a wall surface of the wall and a rear fulcrum end rearwardly extended from the penetrating tip along the rotational axis. The levering handle has a transverse arm integrally and transversely extended from the fulcrum end of the inserting head to substantially prolong a torque distance along the transverse arm with respect to the rotational axis, and a controlling arm integrally extended from the transverse arm in such a manner that when the levering handle is rotated, the inserting head is driven to rotate for rotatably penetrating into the wall so as to minimize a torque required to directly apply at the inserting head.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a wall hook, and more particularly to a wall hook, wherein the wall hook comprises an inserting head and a transverse arm transversely extending therefrom for increasing the torque distance to minimize a torque required to directly apply at the inserting head.
2. Description of Related Arts
A wall hook is considered as one of the common wall accessories to hold an item on the wall. Generally speaking, there are two types of wall hook in the existing market. The first type of wall hook is a wall hanger adapted for mounting on a flat wall surface to hang the item, such as cloth or picture frame, on the wall. Accordingly, such wall hanger, which is a one-piece hanging device, generally comprises a pin head having a screwing axis and a hanging hook rearwardly extended from the pine head along the screwing axis, such that when the user drives the hanging hook to rotate with respect to the screwing axis by his or her hand in a tool-less manner, the pin head is rotated to insert into the wall. However, such wall hanger has a major drawback that the user must apply a relatively large rotational force at the hanging hook in order to force the pin head to penetrate through the wall surface. It is worth to mention that when the pin head is driven to penetrate through the wall surface along the screwing axis by the rotational force, the pin head will be unintentionally forced in a radial direction. In other words, the mounting hole formed by the insertion of the pin head will be bigger than the circumferential size of the pin head. Since the wall hanger is used as a hanging device to hang the item on the wall, the deformation of the mounting hole will weaken the retention force along the pin head so as to reduce the hanging ability of the wall hanger.
In order to solve the above mentioned problem, an improved wall hanger comprises a wall base affixing to the wall surface by a screw and a hanger body mounted to the wall base such that the hanger body is adapted to substantially support the item on the wall. However, the improved wall hanger requires a tool, such as a screw driver, to install the wall base on the wall and involves different components, i.e. the wall base, the hanger body, and the screw, which will complicate the overall structural configuration and will significantly increase the manufacturing cost of the wall hanger. Thus, the size of the improved wall hanger is relatively larger than the conventional one-piece wall hanger such that the user will not use the improved wall hanger for hanging the picture frame on the wall.
Another type of wall hook is a cable clip for mounting on the flat wall surface to hold the cable on the wall. Accordingly, the cable clip, which is a one-piece holding device having the similar structure of the wall hanger, comprises a pin head having a screwing axis and a clip hook rearwardly extended from the pine head along the screwing axis. When the user drives the clip hook to rotate with respect to the screwing axis by his or her hand in a tool-less manner, the pin head is rotated to insert into the wall, such that the cable can be held at the clip hook. As it is mentioned above, once the user applies the relatively large rotational force at the clip hook to force the pin head to penetrate through the wall surface, the mounting hole will be deformed. In addition, the clip hook having a C shape cannot securely hold the cable in position. It is a hassle for the user to place the cable within the clip hook if the size of the opening of the clip hook is reduced to prevent the cable accidentally detaching therefrom. On the other hand, the cable will be easily detached from the clip hook if the size of the opening of the clip hook is enlarged.
As a result, no matter which type of the wall hook is used, the wall surface will be damaged by the deformation of the mounting hole. It is worth to mention that when the wall hook is used for supporting a relatively heavy item, the deformation of the mounting hole will be getting more serious. In other words, if the user is able to use his or her hand to install the pin head into the wall to form a prefect mounting hole, the wall hook is adapted to maximize the hanging ability by distributing the force to the wall through the surrounding surface of the mounting hole and to minimize the damage of the wall.


A system and method for a distributed earthquake analysis and reporting system are provided. The system includes a facility control system at a facility that obtains earthquake information sent from one or more seismic sensors, and sends the earthquake information over a network directly or indirectly to other facility control systems. The facilities which include the facility control systems can be owned/operated by different business organizations or by the same organization, in examples. The facility control system at each facility responds to received earthquake information from the other facility control systems by configuring building systems such as public address systems to warn building occupants, industrial machine controllers to stop machinery, and elevator controllers to stop elevators at a nearest floor and open its doors, in examples.

Earthquakes are caused by a sudden release of built up energy created from tectonic forces within the Earth. The starting point of an earthquake is known as its epicenter. The strength of the earthquake dissipates as its waveforms radiate away from the epicenter. Most epicenters occur within the Earth's crust, being located approximately 40 km (25 mi) below the Earth's surface.
Detection of earthquakes is accomplished using seismometers, also known as seismic sensors. Seismic sensors detect ground motion by identifying the waveform of the motion and its magnitude. The magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake and is often expressed using the Richter scale. Richter scale numbers are calculated on prior/historical data, after the earthquake has occurred. However, real-time calculations must still be made based on the measured acceleration of the earthquake waveform at each location. Most destructive earthquakes typically have magnitudes between about 5.5 and 9 on the Richter scale.
The earthquake waveforms are generally of two main types: a Primary Wave (P Wave) and a Secondary Wave (S Wave). P waves are compression waveforms that shake the ground back and forth in the direction that the waveform is moving, where the displacement of the medium is in the same direction as the direction in which the waveform propagates. S waves, also known as shear or transverse waves, create oscillations that occur in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of waveform motion/energy transfer. P waves travel fastest, are perceived first and arrive before S waves, and typically cause minimal damage. P waves have a velocity that typically ranges from 5 to 8 km/sec (3 to 5 mi/sec). S waves, in contrast, are more destructive than P waves, travel at approximately 60% the velocity of the P waves, and can move only through solids.
For the real time earthquake calculations, magnitudes of ground acceleration are also used as means to measure the intensity of an earthquake. The magnitude of acceleration of an earthquake is typically measured in G's or in m/s2. Typical values for the magnitude of acceleration associated with the relative intensity of an earthquake include: 0.001 G (0.01 m/s2), which is associated with an earthquake that people can perceive; 0.02 G (0.2 m/s2), which is associated with an earthquake in which people can lose their balance; and 0.50 G (0.5 m/s2), which is associated with a high intensity earthquake that causes significant damage to most buildings lacking adequate earthquake-resistant features and endangers personnel safety. However, buildings that are either originally designed with such protective features or have the features added to the buildings often incur minimal damage if the earthquake is short in duration.

Multi facility earthquake automation system and method