The image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, wherein an electrostatic latent image is formed by illuminating light onto the photosensitive member charged; a developing device for adhering first toner to a portion of the electrostatic latent image to which light is illuminated to form a first toner image; a transferring device for transferring the first toner image onto a transferring medium; an adhering device for adhering second toner having polarity opposite to that of the first toner and light permeability to a portion of the electrostatic latent image to which light is not illuminated; and a light illuminating device for illuminating light onto at least the portion to which the second toner is adhered, after the second toner is adhered and before transferring is performed by the transferring device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an image by using an electrophotographic system, and more particularly, it relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer and the like, including an electrophotographic photosensitive member as an image bearing member and wherein an image is written on the image bearing member by charging and exposing and the image is formed on a transferring material by an image forming process including a developing step, a transferring step using transferring voltage and the like.
2. Related Background Art
In the past, as full color image forming apparatuses using an electrophotographic system, apparatuses of the type adopting an intermediate transferring system have been used more and more.
The intermediate transferring system is a system in which a developer image (toner image) formed on an image bearing member (photosensitive member) is primarily transferred on an intermediate transferring member provided as a second image bearing member in such a manner that, in particular, a plurality of color toner images are successively superimposed and thereafter the toner images laminated or superimposed by the primary transferring are secondarily transferring collectively on a transferring material such as a paper (recording material) or the like.
In this system, in comparison with a direct transferring system in which the toner images from the photosensitive member are superimposed directly on the transferring member, i.e., in comparison with an image forming apparatus in which, for example, the transferring material is conveyed to a contact position between the transferring material and the photosensitive member while fixing or adhering the transferring material to a transferring material conveying member for conveying the transferring material to the contact position and the toner images are transferred from the photosensitive member, since the toner images can be transferred from the intermediate transferring member without any treatment and control on the transferring material (for example, the transferring material is gripped by a gripper or the transferring material is absorbed or the transferring material is curved with a certain curvature or the like), there is obtained an advantage that various kinds of transferring materials from a thin paper (40 g/m2 paper) to a thick paper such as an envelope, a post card, a label paper and the like and transferring materials having various widths and lengths can be selected optionally.
Further, in comparison with a case where a rigid cylinder such as an intermediate transferring drum is used by designing the intermediate transferring member in a belt configuration, degrees of freedom of installation of the intermediate transferring member within the image forming apparatus are increased, so that there is obtained a merit that a main body of the apparatus can be minimized and a cost can be reduced due to effective use of a space.
Regarding the color image forming apparatuses using the plurality of color developers and adopting the intermediate transferring system, in particular the color image-forming apparatuses using the intermediate transferring belt, the following two main types are known:
One of such types is a first type (a so-called four-cycle type) apparatus in which a plurality of developing apparatuses containing different color developers are provided in an image forming portion including one photosensitive member and, when a plurality of color toner images corresponding to image information are formed on the rotating photosensitive member successively for each color by the electrophotographic process, when an every color toner image is formed, the image is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transferring belt contacted with the photosensitive member in the superimposed manner, and the superimposed toner images on the intermediate transferring belt are ultimately transferred onto the transferring material collectively. Namely, the image forming apparatus is designed so that only one image forming portion including one photosensitive member is provided and, following the formation of the toner image on the photosensitive member, the primary transferring onto the intermediate transferring belt is repeated a number of times corresponding to the number of colors to form the plural color composite toner images on the intermediate transferring belt and the toner images are secondarily transferred onto the transferring material collectively.
The other type is a second type (a so-called tandem type) apparatus in which a plurality of image forming portions each including one photosensitive member are provided and the toner image having a color corresponding to the image information is formed on each photosensitive member of each image forming portion by the electrophotographic process and the so formed toner images are primarily transferred, in the superimposed manner, onto the intermediate transferring belt rotated while contacting with the photosensitive members of the plurality of image forming portions and the superimposed toner images on the intermediate transferring belt are ultimately transferred onto the transferring material collectively. Namely, the image forming apparatus is designed so that the photosensitive members are provided in the respective plurality of image forming portions, and, when the intermediate transferring belt is passed by the respective image forming portions, the plurality of toner images are primarily transferred to form the composite toner images and, thereafter, the toner images are secondarily transferred onto the transferring material collectively.
In the image forming apparatuses of the above-mentioned two types, regarding the transferring of the toner images from the photosensitive member(s) to the intermediate transferring belt, in many cases, such transferring is carried out by a transferring device in which a transferring member such as a primary transferring roller contacting with a back side of the intermediate transferring belt is provided in a contacting portion (transferring portion) between a photosensitive member and the intermediate transferring belt and the toner images on the photosensitive member(s) are electrostatically transferred onto the peripheral surface of the intermediate transferring belt by applying transferring voltage (transferring bias) having polarity opposite to charging polarity of the developer (toner) to the transferring member(s).
However, in such image forming apparatuses, there arose a problem that, immediately after the toner image is primarily transferred to the intermediate transferring belt, a part of the developer (toner) constituting the toner image, and particularly of the toner constituting corners of the toner image is dispersed around the toner image, thereby deteriorating image quality.
Such toner dispersal phenomenon is considered to be caused by the following reason.
In a reversal developing system, in comparison with an image area as an image part (exposure part) formed on the photosensitive member on which the toner is rested, a non-image part (non-exposure part) on which the toner is not rested has a high potential condition that potential of the photosensitive member is maintained to primarily charged charging potential and, since there is no toner layer, a thickness of a dielectric layer between the photosensitive member and the transferring member becomes small, so that electrostatic capacity of the non-image part becomes great. In this condition, if the process for transferring the toner image from the photosensitive member to the intermediate transferring belt is carried out, in the area of the non-image part, more charges than in the area of the image part are applied to the intermediate transferring belt. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, regarding charge distribution on the intermediate transferring belt, plus charging density of the non-image part having no toner becomes greater than that of the image part including the toner.
Since the applied charge has polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner, due to such charge distribution, a force for dispersing the toner acts on the toner on the intermediate transferring belt, with the result that, the toner of the toner image is dispersed on a portion of the intermediate transferring belt which has past through the transferring portion.
Particularly, such toner dispersal phenomenon tends to occur immediately after the second color toner image and so on is transferred. Further, also in a case where the developer includes spherical toner, i.e. substantially spherical particles, such a phenomenon tends to occur.
In order to reduce the charge applied to the portion of the intermediate transferring belt corresponding to the non-image portion, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H5-165383 describes a method (pre-transferring exposure) in which a whole longitudinal area of the photosensitive member is exposed before the transferring. In this case, however, a toner holding force on the photosensitive member is reduced, thereby causing a problem that the toner is dispersed before the transferring.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-72602 describes a technique in which toner having opposite polarity is adhered to a non-exposed portion in the vicinity of a boundary between an exposed portion and the non-exposed portion and, thereafter, light is illuminated onto the surface of the photosensitive member by an electricity removing lamp. With this arrangement, in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-72602, the toner having the opposite polarity can prevent the exposure of the non-exposed portion in the vicinity of the boundary between the exposed portion and the non-exposed portion, with the result that the toner adhered to the exposed portion is held by the potential which is not completely reduced in the vicinity of the boundary. However, due to such potential which is not completely reduced in the vicinity of the boundary, much charge is applied to the non-image portion of the belt, with the result that the toner dispersal cannot be prevented properly in the transferring portion.
Incidentally, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-24425 describes a technique in which volume specific resistance is specified and an intermediate transferring belt has an outermost layer including anti-weather adding agent, and, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-57963 describes a technique in which, after transferring voltage is applied by the transferring member, voltage having polarity opposite to that of the transferring voltage is applied from the back side of the intermediate transferring belt. However, in both cases, it is not possible to prevent the charge having the same polarity as that of the transferring bias from being applied to the area of the intermediate transferring belt corresponding to the non-image portion.

Image forming apparatus with a first toner and a light permeable second toner


An integrity verification manager (101) verifies the integrity of a backup (102) of a computer (103). The integrity verification manager (101) audits the computer (103), and stores information (107) concerning items of interest such as executing processes (109, 111) and open listening ports (113). The integrity verification manager (101) restores a backup (102) of the computer (103) to a virtual machine environment. The integrity verification manager (101) audits the restoration of the backup (102) in the virtual machine environment, and compares audit information (107) concerning the restoration to the stored audit information (107). Responsive to the results of the comparison, the integrity verification manager (101) determines whether the restoration succeeded or failed.

Some of the most important and logistically difficult issues for IT staff are disaster recovery, patch management and software distribution. Best practices call for frequent backups of computers, and for frequent application of patches to keep machines secure and current.
Critical machines have to be available at all times. In addition, there can be hundreds of thousands of desktop machines to be managed by a single IT department, and problems with patch or software distribution to just a few percent of those machines can cost a company large sums of money in the form of support and remediation.
In the event of the failure of a critical machine, a restore from backup is often the only means of recovery. Unfortunately, the restore from a given backup sometimes fails. What is needed are methods, computer readable media and systems that ensure reliable and convenient verification that a given backup will properly restore the image of a computer, without having to put the computer at risk in order to perform such a test.
Application of a patch can sometimes cause a machine to stop functioning properly; a condition that cannot be tolerated in the case of a critical computer. On the other hand, not patching a machine can leave it vulnerable to attack, or to failure due to a bug that the patch is designed to fix. Unfortunately, this state of affairs puts 15, the IT administrator in the awkward position of having to weigh the cost of patching (with the possibility of causing the machine to fail) with the cost of not patching (with the possibility of attack and/or system failure). What is further needed are methods, computer readable media and systems that can reliably and conveniently verify that a given patch will not destabilize or otherwise disable a computer, without having to put the machine at risk in order to perform such a test.
Software distribution that involves targeting various classes of desktop machines throughout a large enterprise poses problems similar to those already described for backup restoration and patch application. A system which targets certain sets of software to different sets of machine types adds even more complexity to the problem. The administrator wants to verify that a particular software distribution job will result in the proper software being installed on the target set of computers. Furthermore, the administrator needs assurance that the software does not cause incompatibility or other problems once installed on the proper set of machines. All of this should preferably be accomplished prior to the rollout of the installation job. Therefore, what is also needed are methods, computer readable media and systems that can reliably and conveniently verify that a given software distribution job will successfully install the desired software on the desired machines, without causing failure thereof, prior to administrating the distribution.

Verification of desired end-state using a virtual machine environment


A driving game machine provided with a road data memory for storing coordinate data of a road set in a game space, a player""s car controller for controlling the running of a player""s car on the road according to a player""s operation, and a display processor for displaying an image within a field of view set in advance. The road has a start point and a goal point, a running course from the start point to the goal point has a plurality of branched roads in its intermediate positions. The player""s car controller causes the player""s car to run in a direction selected at each branching point in accordance with a player""s operation. This makes it possible for a player to freely choose the course while competing with his rivals.

This invention relates to a driving game machine for displaying a three-dimensional image which changes when a car is simulatively driven by the operation of a player on a display monitor in real time and also to a storage medium for storing such a driving game program.
Driving game machines in which a player seats on a seat provided with an operation unit including a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal and the like as in a driver""s seat of an automotive vehicle and a car is simulatively driven within a screen by operating the operation unit while viewing a three-dimensional image displayed on the display monitor have been spread. In these driving game machines, on the road of the screen are displayed, in addition to a car driven by the player (hereinafter, xe2x80x9cplayer""s carxe2x80x9d), computer-controlled rival cars which are competitors of the player""s car, computer-controlled general cars (cars not participating in the race) which function as simple obstacles, and a communications car controlled by an other player in the case that a data communication with an other driving game machine is possible. The player enjoys the game by passing other cars by driving his car on a three-dimensionally configured road having curves and elevations at high speed.
However, among the conventional driving game machines, there is no such one with which a player can freely choose a running course between predetermined start and goal points. In other words, the respective cars run on a predetermined race track or on a predetermined course in a town. In some conventional driving game machines, the running course is merely preliminary provided with a route to enter a pit.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a driving game machine and a game program storage medium which have overcome the problems residing in the prior art.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine comprises operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player""s operation; road data storage means for storing coordinate data of a road set in a game space; player""s car control means for controlling the running of a player""s car on the road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means; and display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a field of view set in advance. The road has a start point and a goal point, and a running course from the start point to the goal point is provided with a plurality of branched roads in its intermediate positions. The player""s car control means causes the player""s car to run in a direction selected by the player at each branching point which leads to one of the branched roads based on the operation signal from the operation means.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine capable of affording a competition between a player""s car and a rival car, the driving game machine comprises: operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player""s operation; road data storage means for storing coordinate data of a road set in a game space; player""s car control means for controlling the running of a player""s car on the road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means; rival car control means for controlling the running of a rival car on the road; and display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a field of view set in advance. The road has a start point and a goal point, and a running course from the start point to the goal point is provided with a plurality of branched roads in its intermediate positions. The player""s car control means causes the player""s car to run in a direction selected by the player at each branching point which leads to one of the branched roads based on the operation signal from the operation means.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine comprises: operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player""s operation; three-dimensional data storage means for storing coordinate data of a three-dimensional road which are set in a three-dimensional coordinate system within a game space; player""s car control means for controlling the running of a player""s car on the three-dimensional road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means; general car control means for controlling the running of a plurality of general cars on the three-dimensional road; display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a predetermined field of view by applying a three-dimensional image processing; and position determination means for determining a positional relationship between the player""s car and the general cars, the position determination means determining the positional relationship using only two-dimensional coordinate data.
According to yet still another aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine for displaying an image changeable with simulative driving of a car on a road set within a game space on a display monitor in real time, comprises: road data storage means for storing coordinate data of the road; player""s car control means for controlling the running of the player""s car according to a player""s operation; and map display processing means for displaying a map showing the entire road on the display monitor on the basis of the running direction of the player""s car.
According to further aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine comprises: operation means including a steering wheel for changing the orientation of a car, an accelerator pedal for accelerating the car, a brake pedal for decelerating the car, and a side brake for locking the rear wheels of the car to generate an operation signal in accordance with player""s operation of them; player""s car control means for controlling the running of a player""s car on a road set in a game space in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means. The player""s car control means includes: steering wheel operated amount detection means for detecting an operated amount of the steering wheel; accelerator pedal operated amount detection means for detecting an operated amount of the accelerator pedal; brake pedal operated amount detection means for detecting an operated amount of the brake pedal; side brake operated amount detection means for detecting an operated amount of the side brake; car speed calculation means for calculating the car speed based on the detected operated amounts of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal; and lock condition determination means for determining whether the lock condition is satisfied using the calculated car speed and the detected operated amount of the side brake; lock condition storage means for storing a predetermined lock condition under which the rear wheels are locked according to a car speed and an operated amount of the side brake; and display processing means for displaying an image corresponding to the running of the player""s car by applying an image processing.
According to still further aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine for displaying an image which is changeable with simulative driving of a car on a road set within a game space on a display monitor in real time, comprises: operation means for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player""s operation; road data storage means for storing coordinate data of the road; player""s car control means for controlling the running of a player""s car on the road in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means; rival car control means for controlling the running of a rival car on the road; display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a predetermined field of view on the display monitor; contact determination means for determining whether the player""s car and the rival car have contacted; and target display control means for displaying on the display monitor a target representation indicating that either one of the player""s car and the rival car is target, the target display control means switching the target representation from one of the player""s car and the rival car to the other when there is discriminated to be a contact between the player""s car and the rival car.
According to yet still further aspect of the present invention, a driving game machine for displaying an image which is changeable with simulative driving of a car on a road set within a game space on a display monitor in real time, comprises: a plurality of operation units respectively provided for a plurality of players, each operation unit for generating an operation signal in accordance with a player""s operation; road data storage means for storing coordinate data of the road; player""s car control means for controlling the running of player""s cars corresponding to the plurality of players on the road in accordance with operation signals from the plurality of operation units, respectively; display processing means for displaying an image of the game space within a predetermined field of view on the display monitor; contact determination means for determining whether player""s cars have contacted to one another; and target display control means for displaying on the display monitor a target representation indicating that one of the player""s cars is target, the target display control means switching the target representation from one of player""s cars to another when there is discriminated to be a contact between player""s cars.
According to yet still further aspect of the present invention, a computer readable storage medium storing a driving game program which render a computer to execute a procedure that a player""s car simulatively runs on a road set within a game space in accordance with an operation signal from operation means operable by a player, and an image of the game space within a predetermined field of view is displayed on the display monitor, the road including a start point and a goal point which defines a running course which has a plurality of branched roads in intermediate positions thereof, the driving game program comprises: a control step of controlling the player""s car to run at each branching point which leads to one of the branched roads in a direction in accordance with an operation signal from the operation means.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

Driving game machine and a storage medium for storing a driving game program


An apparatus adapted to obtain a profile of a density gradient sample independently of fractionation is provided. The apparatus includes a light source, a probe comprising a first probe needle actuatable to extend into a tube containing a sample, a first light-transmitting means to receive light from the light source and transmit light through the sample as the probe needle extends into the sample, a second light-transmitting means to receive light transmitted by the first light-transmitting means and transmit the received light to a signal-producing means capable of translating the received light into a recordable signal to produce a profile of the sample. The apparatus may additionally be adapted to fractionate the sample following generation of the gradient profile.

Solution gradients or density gradients are utilized in biochemical research to separate macromolecules such as proteins, DNA and RNA, and larger aggregates such as viruses and cells. More recently, density gradient centrifugation has found application in the field of nanotechnology. Researchers at Northwestern University have used gradients to separate and purify different classes of carbon nanotubes.
Solution gradients usually utilize a solute of varying concentrations to aid in the separation of particles. Examples of appropriate solutes are: sucrose, glycerol, CsCl, Optiprep™, Percoll™, ficoll, metrizamide, Nycodenz™ and/or sodium acetate. Particles are separated during centrifugation either by their velocity of sedimentation, or by their density if there is an isopycnic point within the solution column in the tube. Faster, or denser particles, respectively, will appear lower in the tube.
After the sample has been subjected into the appropriate density gradient in the centrifuge, the particles are recovered from the gradient for analysis. Fractionation methods and apparatus used to recover the sample in the gradient involve the transfer of the entire gradient or certain layers or bands of the solution gradient to other vessels. It is often desired to extract only desired bands from the solution gradient for electron microscopy, liquid scintillation or gel electrophoresis.
One of the earliest and simplest methods of fractionation is to pierce the bottom of the centrifuge tube with a fine bevelled needle and collect the drops of the solution gradient as it flows through the needle into a second vessel. The flow of the solution into the opening of the needle becomes conical. In other words, the particles directly in front of the needle opening and within a zone best described as an inverted cone above the needle are drawn into the needle opening before particles outside the cone. The resulting fractionation of different layers of the solution gradient significantly degrades the resolution achieved in the gradient.
Bottom puncture with side hole needles have also been used for fractionation. Side hole needles have a hole on each side of the needle tip. Side hole needles are more effective than the bevelled needle, but side hole needles also draw the solution into the needle in a conical fashion preventing high resolution of the fractionation.
One of the most common methods for fractionating solution gradients introduces a dense solution at the bottom of the centrifuge tube, which floats the gradient up to an inverted collection funnel placed on the top of the gradient. Some loss of resolution results from the retardation of particles near the tube wall during this upward movement, and at any but the slowest flow rates, the shallow collection cone fails to prevent the shallow collection cone fails to prevent the same cone-shaped extraction of liquid directly below the cone's central orifice experienced by the bevelled needle described above. The result is mixing of different layers in the gradient and the resultant loss of resolution.
These problems were addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,834 to Coombs, issued Jan. 18, 1977, an apparatus is disclosed for the fractionation of a solution gradient by displacement with a piston, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,715 to Coombs issued 1995 which discloses a piston collection tip with a unique trumpet shape collection face. The use of a piston to displace the gradient from the top down solves the problem of particles adhering to the wall during the upward movement of the entire gradient since the gradient remains stationary until it is displaced by the downward movement of the piston. The trumpet tip prevents the cone-shaped mixing by gradually compressing horizontal bands into thin vertical columns prior to collection. Tubing carrying both air and rinse is disposed within the piston to allow for cleaning of the collection tubing, further improving resolution by preventing cross contamination between fractions. Pumping air into the piston tip transfers any solution gradient left in the tubing to a second vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,834 also provides a means for visualizing bands of particles large enough to scatter visible light. However, many particles of interest are too small to scatter visible light or are present at too low a concentration to be detected. Since the nucleic acids and proteins found in these particles absorb UV light in the 260-280 nm range, it is the current practice to detect bands of these particles by passing the gradient outflow through a UV flow cell as is frequently done in HPLC and FPLC. The UV gradient profile obtained by the flow cell can be used as a diagnostic tool in its own right; however, in this application, the profile is generated as the gradient is being removed from the centrifuge tube.
There are two potential problems with this type of UV-based fractionation. Firstly, it is difficult to accurately and reproducibly identify the beginning and end of UV absorbance peaks (bands) in the profile as it is being generated. Secondly, unless the user manually interrupts the flow at the start and end of each peak, the fraction collector typically used to separate the gradient outflow into discrete fractions is doing so at a constant time interval or rate of flow. Thus, there is no relationship between the peaks of absorbance and the fractions and this requires the user to scan a range of fractions to identify those containing the particles of interest. Some UV-based collection systems have "peak-picking" algorithms built into their software so that rapid changes in UV absorbance in the outflow trigger sample collection into a new vessel. While providing adequate separation of discrete peaks of particles, these devices have difficulty detecting and separating overlapping peaks or shoulders. Volume- or time-based fractionation of the UV-flow cell output is disrupted by peak-picking, so the overall sampling profile is then lost. Thus, one must choose between obtaining uniform size samples for analysis or isolating peaks, as they are mutually exclusive.
Certain inventions (i.e. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,873,875; 6,479,239) have attempted to obtain a UV or fluorescent profile of the contents of a centrifuged gradient by vertically scanning the gradient with a beam of light from the outside of the tube. These have not seen widespread use because the only centrifuge tubes that can withstand the severe stress of ultracentrifugation (100,000-1,000,000×g) are made of a UV-absorbing plastic, effectively preventing the beam from penetrating the tube. Consequently, the only devices currently capable of producing a UV profile of a gradient are those which pass the gradient through a detached UV flow cell.
It would be desirable, thus, to develop a means of generating a gradient profile independent of fractionation that may be used as a guide to fractionation.


The apparatus produces batches of mixture in first and second mixing chambers containing liquid, each chamber having a liquid port and a mixer. A valve, communicating with the liquid ports, controls liquid flow relative to each chamber, and a main pump and conduit communicates with the valve to displace liquid. A staging tank communicates with the conduit to receive liquid therefrom and has a main discharge port for discharging into a dispersal container. The staging tank is elevated to permit a rapid gravity feed into the dispersal container, so as to reduce waiting time. A shredder to shred material within a hopper prior to discharge into the mixing chamber can be provided. The method of the invention permits the discharging of a first batch of mixture from the first chamber to the staging tank from where it can be dispensed, while preparing a second batch in the second chamber, which is then discharged to the staging tank. Preparing and discharging batches in sequence provides an essentially continuous supply of mixture so as to reduce helicopter waiting time.

The invention relates to a mixing and dispensing apparatus and method, particularly for preparing a hydro-seeding mixture or slurry for dispensing to a helicopter-carried slurry dispersal apparatus.
Hydro-seeding refers to a process wherein a settable slurry containing seeds is dispersed on selected sites that would otherwise be subject to erosion, e.g. steep loose slopes, so that when the slurry is set, heavy precipitation is unlikely to remove the slurry, enabling the seeds to take root in the steep slopes. It is well known that steep slopes are subject to erosion from precipitation such as rain and snow, specially when such slopes have been clear--cut of trees, or have roads traversing them, particularly in rugged unstable mountainous terrain. It is known to spray hydro-seeding material onto such areas, but usually the material is sprayed from dispersal apparatus carried on a truck which gains access to the site usually by road. In areas where the roads have been washed out, or the area is otherwise impassable to trucks, it is known to prepare the slurry at a truck base closest to the selected site, and to dispense the slurry to dispersal apparatus carried by a helicopter, which then transports the material to the site, sprays the site from the air, and then returns to the truck base for a further load of hydro-seeding slurry. Helicopters are very costly to operate, and if the helicopter has to travel a long way from the truck base to the site to be treated with hydro-seeding, or the helicopter must wait excessively for the mixture to be prepared and/or dispensed, operating costs become prohibitive.
Hydro-seeding slurry is usually prepared from ingredients closely adjacent the site where it is to be sprayed so as to reduce transportation of water, which is usually the heaviest ingredient of the mixture. Water is normally obtained from a convenient nearby source, such as a creek or lake, and the hydro-seeding slurry is prepared on site in a mixing apparatus prior to dispensing the mixture to a dispersal container carried by the helicopter. The dispersal container is fitted with a dispersal apparatus, usually a rotary slinger which rotates about a generally vertical axis and slings the hydro-seeding slurry onto the site to be treated. The hydro-seeding slurry has four main constituents, namely water, fertilizer, a gum or bonding agent such as guam gum, and seeds which are usually mixed with a fibrous material such as chopped wood waste, peat moss etc. The seeds and fibrous material are usually packaged in compressed bales to facilitate storage and transportation, but because the bales are relatively tightly compressed they do not readily mix with water unless they are first broken into smaller pieces, for example by shredding. While shredding can be performed manually, it is a slow process and can delay preparation of the final mixture, which can result in wasted time for the helicopter. It is important that the persons shredding the bale can break up the bale sufficiently quickly to enable batches of mixture of consistent quality to be produced on an essentially continuous basis, so as to essentially eliminate waiting time for helicopters.

Mixing and dispensing apparatus and method


In an active matrix semiconductor display device in which pixel TFTs and driver circuit TFT are formed on the same substrate in an integral manner, the cell gap is controlled by gap retaining members that are disposed between a pixel area and driver circuit areas. This makes it possible to provide a uniform cell thickness profile over the entire semiconductor display device. Further, since conventional grainy spacers are not used, stress is not imposed on the driver circuit TFTs when a TFT substrate and an opposed substrate are bonded together. This prevents the driver circuit TFTs from being damaged.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor display device using thin-film transistors. In particular, the invention relates to a semiconductor display device in which a pixel switching circuit and driver circuits are formed on the same substrate in an integral manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the techniques of forming semiconductor devices, such as thin-film transistors (TFTs), by using a semiconductor thin film formed on an inexpensive glass substrate have made rapid progress. This is because of increased demand for active matrix liquid crystal display devices.
In active matrix liquid crystal display devices, TFTs are provided for respective ones of hundreds of thousands to millions of pixel regions that are arranged in matrix and charge that enters or exits from each pixel electrode is controlled by the switching function of the associated TFT.
The basic configuration of an active matrix liquid crystal display device in which thin-film transistors are arranged will be described below with reference to FIGS. 34A and 34B. FIG. 34A is a sectional view obtained by cutting a liquid crystal display device by a plane perpendicular to a substrate, specifically taken along a chain line A-A′ in FIG. 34B.
An insulating film (not shown) is formed on the surface of a transparent base substrate 1. Reference numeral 2 denotes an active layer of a TFT; 3, a gate electrode; 4, a data line; 5, a drain electrode; 6, an interlayer insulating film; 7, a black matrix; 8, a transparent conductive film as a pixel electrode; and 9, an alignment film.
In this specification, the structure including the base substrate 1 and the other members mentioned above (including the TFTs) is called an "TFT substrate." Although FIG. 34A focuses on a single pixel, actually the TFT substrate is composed of a pixel area including hundreds of thousands to millions of pixel switching TFTs (called pixel TFTs) and peripheral driver circuit areas including a number of TFTs for driving the pixel TFTs.
On the other hand, reference numerals 10-12 denote a transparent substrate, a transparent conductive film as an opposed electrode, and an alignment film, respectively. The structure including these members, which is opposed to the TFT substrate, is called an "opposed substrate."
As shown in FIG. 35A, the TFT substrate 20 and the opposed substrate 30 are subjected to an alignment treatment such as rubbing for giving proper alignment to a liquid crystal. Thereafter, to control a substrate interval (cell gap) between the TFT substrate 20 and the opposed substrate 30, grainy spacers 41 are uniformly scattered over the entire surface of the TFT substrate 20. Then, a sealing agent 42 is printed. The sealing agent 42 has a role of an adhesive for bonding the substrates 20 and 30 together as well as a role of a sealing material for sealing the space between the substrates 20 and 30 to prevent a liquid crystal material that will be injected there from leaking to the outside of the substrates.
FIG. 36 is a sectional view of the TFT substrate 20. Since the grainy spacers 41 are uniformly scattered over the entire surface of the TFT substrate 20 to control the cell gap, the spacers 41 exist in not only the pixel area 22 but also the peripheral driver circuit regions 23 as shown in FIG. 36. Usually, the pixel TFTs formed in the pixel area 22 are not much different in device size from the driver circuit TFTs formed in the driver circuit areas 23. However, the black matrix for covering the pixel TFTs, the pixel electrodes that are transparent conductive films, and other members are formed in the pixel area 22. Further, in reflection-type liquid crystal display devices, a reflective electrode is formed in the pixel area 22. On the other hand, connection lines necessary to constitute CMOS circuits for driving the pixel TFTs are formed in the driver circuit areas 23. Therefore, there are differences in the height (distance) from the surface of the base substrate 1 between the pixel area 22 and the driver circuit areas 23.
A description will now be made of a case where the height as measured from the surface of the substrate 1 in the pixel area 11 is greater than in the driver circuit areas 23. The grainy spacers 41 are scattered in not only the pixel area 22 but also the driver circuit areas 23 by a wet or dry method. If the grainy spacers 41 have approximately uniform sizes, they have differences in the height as measured from the substrate 1 depending on their positions. Now, the height of the top of each spacer 41 in the pixel area 22 and that of the top of each spacer 41 in the driver circuit areas 23 are represented by hp and hd, respectively. As seen from FIG. 36, a height difference Δh=hp−hd occurs due to the difference in height between the pixel area 22 and the driver circuit areas 23.
Then, as shown in FIG. 37A, the TFT substrate 20 and the opposed substrate 30 are bonded together with the sealing agent 42. Thereafter, the space between the TFT substrate 20 and the opposed substrate 30 are filled with a liquid crystal material 43 and a liquid crystal injection inlet 44 is sealed with a sealing material (see FIG. 37B). In this manner, an active matrix liquid crystal display device having the configuration shown in FIG. 34A is obtained.
However, the liquid crystal display device having the above configuration has the following problems.
Because of the height difference Δh that is caused by the difference in height between the pixel area 22 and the driver circuit areas 23, the cell gas cannot be made uniform, that is, a cell thickness variation occurs, when the TFT substrate 20 and the opposed substrate 30 are bonded together. Further, as shown in FIGS. 37A and 37B, strain occurs in the opposed substrate 30. Defects such as display unevenness and an interference fringe (on the top surface of the opposed substrate) may occur in a liquid crystal display device having a cell thickness variation and strain in the opposed substrate 30.
Where the height as measured from the substrate 1 in the driver circuit areas 23 is greater than in the pixel area 22, because of the above-described height difference Δh, unduly strong force is exerted on the spacers 41 that are scattered in the driver circuit areas 23 when the TFT substrate 20 and the opposed substrate 30 are bonded together. As a result, the driver circuit TFTs having a more complex structure than the pixel TFTs are damaged considerably, which adversely affects the yield of products.
Where grainy spacers 15 exist in the pixel area, disorder in image display (disclination) may be observed as shown in FIG. 34B because the alignment of the liquid crystal material is disordered in the vicinity of the spacers 15.
As described above, where the cell gap is controlled by using conventional grainy spacers, satisfactory display may not be obtained due to various factors.
In liquid crystal display devices that are commonly manufactured or manufactured as trial products, the cell gap appears to be set at 4-6 μm irrespective of the pixel pitch. However, in the future, liquid crystal panels will be required to have higher resolution and hence the pixel pitch will be increasingly reduced.
For example, projection-type liquid crystal display devices are desired to be able to display images having as high resolution as possible in view of the fact that the images are projected onto a screen in an enlarged manner. Also from the viewpoint of the cost, the optical system needs to be miniaturized and the panel size needs to be reduced. For the above reasons, in the future, it will be necessary to manufacture liquid crystal display devices having a pixel pitch of 40 μm or less, preferably 30 μm or less.
In liquid crystal display devices for displaying such high resolution images, even grainy spacers of several micrometers in diameter may deteriorate display quality when they exist in the effective display area.
Further, when a liquid crystal material is injected, the flow of the liquid crystal material forces conventional grainy spacers themselves to flow. As a result, a uniform spacer dispersion density profile may not be obtained, to cause a cell thickness variation.
Because of their characteristics, liquid crystal display devices using a ferroelectric liquid crystal that attract much attention recently and reflection-type liquid crystal display devices are required to have small cell gaps.
However, with conventional grainy spacers, it is generally difficult to produce a cell having a small, uniform-profile cell gap.

Liquid crystal display device having a gap retaining member made of resin formed directly over the driver circuit

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A scanning optical system includes a light source for emitting a beam of light and a first optical system that changes a cross-sectional shape of the beam into an oblong shape along a main scanning direction. A light deflector deflects the oblong cross-sectioned beam of light in the main scanning direction, and a second optical system receives a beam of light deflected by the light deflector for focusing the deflected beam of light onto a scanning surface. At least one surface of a lens in the first optical system is formed as a sub-scanning-plane aspherical surface so as to correct the spherical aberration of the scanning optical system in a sub-scanning direction caused by the second optical system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scanning optical system.
2. Description of Related Art
A scanning optical system is essential to the operation of a laser printer, a laser scanner, a bar code reader or the like. In a typical scanning optical system, a polygonal mirror, a hologram disk or the like is used as a light deflector. A laser beam emitted from a semiconductor laser is incident upon, and deflected by, the light deflector. The laser beam subsequently passes through a scanning lens system such as an f.theta. lens system, to scan a predetermined area on a scanning surface (i.e., the main scanning is executed). The scanning surface could be, for example, a sensitive paper or plate. While the main scanning is being executed, the scanning surface is moved in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the main scanning (i.e., the sub-scanning is executed). Thereby, the scanning surface is two-dimensionally scanned.
In order to achieve a high precision or resolution scanning optical system, it is necessary to effect an arrangement so that the f.theta. lens system converges a bundle of rays of a laser beam in such an manner so as to make the diameter of the beam spot on the scanning surface small. In general, the laser beam emitted from a semiconductor laser is converged into an oblong shape extending along the main scanning direction in the vicinity of the light deflector. Moreover, the f.theta. lens system generally has a larger magnification in the sub-scanning direction than in the main-scanning direction due to its function of making the above oblonged-shaped laser beam into a beam spot and focusing it onto the scanning surface. Furthermore, it has been recently confirmed that the magnitude of the spherical aberration in a sub-scanning plane (i.e., a plane extending along the sub-scanning direction) reaches a level that cannot be disregarded when making the diameter of the laser beam incident on the f.theta. lens system large in providing a high precision or resolution scanning optical system.


A method for treating a digestive organ disease caused by the infection of Helicobacter, comprising administering a rifamycin derivative expressed by the formula (I), or a physiologically acceptable salt thereof ##STR1##

The present invention relates to a medicine and a method for a medical treatment for diseases caused by the infection of Helicobacter plori. More particularly, it relates to a curative medicine and a method for a medical treatment for maladies of digestive organs such as gastritis, gastroduodenitis, erosive gastritis, gastric erosion, erosive duodenitis, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer and so on, which are caused by the infection of Helicobacter plori which is difficult to be eradicated by antibacterial agents such as usual antibiotic substances, synthetic antibacterial chemicals, and so on.
Nowadays it is known that the infection of Helicobacter plori onto a gastric epithelium of human being is a main factor for proceeding to either gastritis, gastric ulcer or duodenal ulcer and this is a possible factor for proceeding to stomach cancer. It is revealed that the relapse of gastric ulcer or duodenal ulcer is remarkably depressed by eradication of Helicobacter plori infecting to digestive, and various kinds of medicines, which are mainly antibacterial chemicals are tried to eradicate the bacteria For instance, bismuth medicines of which examples are colloidal bismuth subcitrate, bismuth subsalicylate and so on, antibacterial chemicals of which examples are amoxicillin, ampicillin, clarithromycin, ofloxacin, tetracycline and so on, antiprotozoals of which examples are tinidazole, metronidazole and so on, proton pump inhibitors of which examples are omeprazole, lansoprazole and so on, are tried to be administered alone or in combination with two or three kinds thereof. However, for high eradicative effect on the bacteria, it is necessary to use a combination of the plural medicines, because it is not sufficient to use the medicine alone for that purpose. Further it is known that some strains of Helicobacter plori separated from clinical samples have resistance to usual medicines, and it is desired to develop a new medicine which is made effective for an improved eradication of the bacteria and can be applied to the remedy for eradicating the bacteria of more patients.

Treatment of disease caused by infection of Helicobacter


A temperature controlling method and apparatus for a thermal printhead, in which a temperature of a thermosensitive recording material is detected by measuring a temperature change of the thermal printhead when a surface of the thermosensitive recording material contacts a surface of the resistant heater of the thermal printhead. The thermosensitive recording material is heated by the thermal printhead to a temperature suitable for recording or erasing an image on the thermosensitive recording material, with the temperature suitable for recording or erasing the image being changed as a function of the detected temperature of the thermosensitive recording material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a temperature controlling method and apparatus for a thermal printhead useful for thermal recording of an image on reversible thermosensitive recording materials or normal thermosensitive recording materials, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for controlling a temperature of a thermal printhead to a temperature suitable for erasing and recording an image under various temperature conditions.
The present invention is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 07-315882 filed on Nov. 10, 1995 incorporated herein by reference.
2. Discussion of Background
A reversible thermosensitive recording material is well known and has wide-scale utilization not only as a recording material for facsimile machines, computers and word processors, but also as a material for cards, such as a prepaid card on which an image is recorded on a predetermined area. In particular, since a reversible thermosensitive recording material can have image information repeatedly erased from it and printed on it, cards utilizing such a reversible thermosensitive recording material can be used repeatedly.
A reversible thermosensitive recording material is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 4-44887. Such a reversible thermosensitive recording material reversibly changes transparency upon application of proper heat thereto and accordingly can be used to repeatedly print and erase image information on it. As shown in FIG. 1, a reversible thermosensitive recording material 1 has a substrate 41 such as polyester film, a recording layer 44 which is formed on the substrate 41, and a recording material including a complex of a polymer 42 and a low-molecular-weight organic compound 43. Particles of the low-molecular-weight organic compound 43 are dispersed in the polymer 42, and a protective layer 45 is formed on the recording layer 44. As shown in FIG. 2, transparency of the recording material of the recording layer 44 changes when the recording material is heated or cooled. For example, when the recording material in an opaque state below room temperature T.sub.1 (i.e., state A) is heated, transparency of the recording material begins to increase at a temperature of T.sub.2 and reaches a maximum transparent state B at a temperature T.sub.3. If the recording material in a maximum transparent state B is cooled to room temperature (i.e., to state C), transparency of the recording material is maintained. If the recording material which is in the maximum transparent state C is heated to a temperature T.sub.4, higher than the temperature T.sub.3 the recording material reaches an intermediate state (i.e., state D) between the maximum transparent state B and the maximum opaque state A, as shown by a dotted line CD in FIG. 2. As the recording material in the intermediate state D is cooled to below room temperature T.sub.1, the recording material returns to the maximum opaque state (i.e., state A), as shown by a dotted line DA in FIG. 2. The reversible thermosensitive recording material 1 has a property of reversibly changing transparency when a particle of the low-molecular-weight organic compound 43 changes between a single crystal state and a polycrystalline state upon application of heat. When a particle of the low-molecular-weight organic compound 43 in the recording material 1 is in the single crystal state, the particle transmits light and accordingly the recording material 1 appears transparent. On the other hand, when the particle is in the polycrystalline state, the particle scatters light and accordingly the recording material appears opaque. By using this property of the particles of the low-molecular-weight organic compound 43, the recording material 1 can be used to repeatedly record and erase image information.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 5-4446 discloses an apparatus which repeatedly records and erases image information on the reversible thermosensitive recording material 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus has an image erasing thermal printhead 6 and an image recording thermal printhead 5. When the reversible thermosensitive recording material 1, fed by a feeding roller 3 and platen rollers 4, is detected by a position detecting sensor 46 which is placed before the image erasing thermal printhead 6, the image erasing thermal printhead is heated and kept at a temperature which makes the reversible thermosensitive recording material 1 transparent, thus erasing previously recorded opaque image information. Then the image recording thermal printhead 5 records new opaque image information on the transparent recording layer of the reversible thermosensitive recording material 1. By repeating the above operations, the reversible thermosensitive recording material 1 can be repeatedly used.
However, when a thermosensitive recording material is used for a card, such a prepaid card, often times a card which has been exposed to the outside air is inserted into a recording device having a thermal printhead for recording or erasing. In such a case, a temperature of the card, i.e., a temperature of a thermosensitive recording material in the card, may happen to be below 0.degree. C. or conversely more than 50.degree. C. In the above cases, if a constant heat quantity suitable for the recording or erasing of image information on the thermosensitive recording materials exposed to a normal temperature is applied to a card having a temperature which is below 0.degree. C. or above 50.degree. C., problems such as unsatisfactory image erasing or image recording tend to occur because the heat quantity is not suitable to erase or record image information on such a card.
In particular, when previously recorded image information on a recording layer of a reversible thermosensitive recording material is erased and then new image information is again recorded on the recording layer, or when an image having several different degrees of transparency is recorded on a recording layer of a reversible thermosensitive recording material, heat that is applied to the recording layer of the reversible thermosensitive recording material has to be strictly controlled to perform image erasing and recording. If heat applied to the recording layer in the reversible thermosensitive recording material to erase or record image information is not strictly controlled, the recording quality of a recorded image is degraded. In addition, when an image is recorded on a thin card such as a prepaid card or a thick card such as a credit card with the above image erasing and recording apparatus, the recording quality of recorded images on the thick card tends to be degraded, particularly in relatively low temperature environments because of insufficient transfer of heat for image recording or image erasing due to the thickness of the card.
Because of the above reasons, a need exists for a thermal recording method and an apparatus which can erase previously recorded image information and/or record image information on a reversible thermosensitive recording material regardless of a temperature of the recording material before the image erasing or recording operation.

Temperature controlling method and apparatus for a thermal printhead


Color measuring systems and methods are disclosed. Perimeter receiver fiber optics are spaced apart from a central source fiber optic and receive light reflected from the surface of the object being measured. Light from the perimeter fiber optics pass to a variety of filters. The system utilizes the perimeter receiver fiber optics to determine information regarding the height and angle of the probe with respect to the object being measured. Under processor control, the color measurement may be made at a predetermined height and angle. Various color spectral photometer arrangements are disclosed. Translucency, fluorescene and/or surface texture data also may be obtained. Audio feedback may be provided to guide operator use of the system. The probe may have a removable or shielded tip for contamination prevention.

The present invention relates to devices and methods for measuring the color of objects, and more particularly to devices and methods for measuring the color of teeth, fabric or other objects or surfaces with a hand-held probe that presents minimal problems with height or angular dependencies.
Various color measuring devices such as spectrophotometers and colorimeters are known in the art. To understand the limitations of such conventional devices, it is helpful to understand certain principles relating to color. Without being bound by theory, Applicants provide the following discussion.
The color of an object determines the manner in which light is reflected from the surface of the object. When a light is incident upon an object, the reflected light will vary in intensity and wavelength dependent upon the color of the surface of the object. Thus, a red object will reflect red light with a greater intensity than a blue or a green object, and correspondingly a green object will reflect green light with a greater intensity than a red or blue object.
One method of quantifying the color of an object is to illuminate it with broad band spectrum or xe2x80x9cwhitexe2x80x9d light, and measure the spectral properties of the reflected light over the entire visible spectrum and compare the reflected spectrum with the incident light spectrum. Such instruments typically require a broad band spectrophotometer, which generally are expensive, bulky and relatively cumbersome to operate, thereby limiting the practical application of such instruments.
For certain applications, the broad band data provided by a spectrophotometer is unnecessary. For such applications, devices have been produced or proposed that quantify color in terms of a numerical value or relatively small set of values representative of the color of the object.
It is known that the color of an object can be represented by three values. For example, the color of an object can be represented by red, green and blue values, an intensity value and color difference values, by a CIE value, or by what are known as xe2x80x9ctristimulus valuesxe2x80x9d or numerous other orthogonal combinations. It is important that the three values be orthogonal; i.e., any combination of two elements in the set cannot be included in the third element.
One such method of quantifying the color of an object is to illuminate an object with broad band xe2x80x9cwhitexe2x80x9d light and measure the intensity of the reflected light after it has been passed through narrow band filters. Typically three filters (such as red, green and blue) are used to provide tristimulus light values representative of the color of the surface. Yet another method is to illuminate an object with three monochromatic light sources (such as red, green and blue) one at a time and then measure the intensity of the reflected light with a single light sensor. The three measurements are then converted to a tristimulus value representative of the color of the surface. Such color measurement techniques can be utilized to produce equivalent tristimulus values representative of the color of the surface. Generally, it does not matter if a xe2x80x9cwhitexe2x80x9d light source is used with a plurality of color sensors (or a continuum in the case of a spectrophotometer), or if a plurality of colored light sources are utilized with a single light sensor.
There are, however, difficulties with the conventional techniques. When light is incident upon a surface and reflected to a light receiver, the height of the light sensor and the angle of the sensor relative to the surface and to the light source also affect the intensity of the received light. Since the color determination is being made by measuring and quantifying the intensity of the received light for different colors, it is important that the height and angular dependency of the light receiver be eliminated or accounted for in some manner.
One method for eliminating the height and angular dependency of the light source and receiver is to provide a fixed mounting arrangement where the light source and receiver are stationary and the object is always positioned and measured at a preset height and angle. The fixed mounting arrangement greatly limits the applicability of such a method. Another method is to add mounting feet to the light source and receiver probe and to touch the object with the probe to maintain a constant height and angle. The feet in such an apparatus must be wide enough apart to insure that a constant angle (usually perpendicular) is maintained relative to the object. Such an apparatus tends to be very difficult to utilize on small objects or on objects that are hard to reach, and in general does not work satisfactorily in measuring objects with curved surfaces.
The use of color measuring devices in the field of dentistry has been proposed. In modern dentistry, the color of teeth typically are quantified by manually comparing a patient""s teeth with a set of xe2x80x9cshade guides.xe2x80x9d There are numerous shade guides available for dentists in order to properly select the desired color of dental prosthesis. Such shade guides have been utilized for decades and the color determination is made subjectively by the dentist by holding a set of shade guides next to a patient""s teeth and attempting to find the best match. Unfortunately, however, the best match often is affected by the ambient light color in the dental operatory and the surrounding color of the patient""s makeup or clothing and by the fatigue level of the dentist.
Similar subjective color quantification also is made in the paint industry by comparing the color of an object with a paint reference guide. There are numerous paint guides available in the industry and the color determination also often is affected by ambient light color, user fatigue and the color sensitivity of the user. Many individuals are color insensitive (color blind) to certain colors, further complicating color determination.
In general, color quantification is needed in many industries. Several, but certainly not all, applications include: dentistry (color of teeth); dermatology (color of skin lesions); interior decorating (color of paint, fabrics); the textile industry; automotive repair (matching paint colors); photography (color of reproductions, color reference of photographs to the object being photographed); printing and lithography; cosmetics (hair and skin color, makeup matching); and other applications in which it useful to measure color in an expedient and reliable manners.
With respect to such applications, however, the limitations of conventional color measuring techniques typically restrict the utility of such techniques. For example, the high cost and bulkiness of typical broad band spectrometers, and the fixed mounting arrangements or feet required to address the height and angular dependency, often limit the applicability of such conventional techniques.
Moreover, another limitation of such conventional methods and devices are that the resolution of the height and angular dependency problems typically require contact with the object being measured. In certain applications, it may be desirable to measure and quantify the color of an object with a small probe that does not require contact with the surface of the object. In certain applications, for example, hygienic considerations make such contact undesirable. In the other applications such as interior decorating, contact with the object can mar the surface (such as if the object is coated with wet paint) or otherwise cause undesirable effects.
In summary, there is a need for a low cost, hand-held probe of small size that can reliably measure and quantify the color of an object without requiring physical contact with the object, and also a need for methods based on such a device in the field of dentistry and other applications.
In accordance with the present invention, devices and methods are provided for measuring the color of objects, reliably and with minimal problems of height and angular dependence. A handheld probe is utilized in the present invention, with the handheld probe containing a number of fiber optics. Light is directed from one (or more) light source fiber optics towards the object to be measured, which in certain preferred embodiments is a central light source fiber optic (other light source arrangements also may be utilized). Light reflected from the object is detected by a number of light receiver fiber optics. Included in the light receiver fiber optics are a plurality of perimeter fiber optics. In certain preferred embodiments, three perimeter fiber optics are utilized in order to take measurements at a desired, and predetermined height and angle, thereby minimizing height and angular dependency problems found in conventional methods. In certain embodiments, the present invention also may measure translucence and fluorescence characteristics of the object being measured, as well as surface texture and/or other surface characteristics.
The present invention may include constituent elements of a broad band spectrophotometer, or, alternatively, may include constituent elements of a tristimulus type calorimeter. The present invention may employ a variety of color measuring devices in order to measure color in a practical, reliable and efficient manner, and in certain preferred embodiments includes a color filter array and a plurality of color sensors. A microprocessor is included for control and calculation purposes. A temperature sensor is included to measure temperature in order to detect abnormal conditions and/or to compensate for temperature effects of the filters or other components of the system. In addition, the present invention may include audio feedback to guide the operator in making color measurements, as well as one or more display devices for displaying control, status or other information.
With the present invention, color measurements may be made with a handheld probe in a practical and reliable manner, essentially free of height and angular dependency problems, without resorting to fixtures, feet or other undesirable mechanical arrangements for fixing the height and angle of the probe with respect to the object.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to address limitations of conventional color measuring techniques.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and device useful in measuring the color of teeth, fabric or other objects or surfaces with a hand-held probe of practical size that does not require contact with the object or surface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a color measurement probe and method that does not require fixed position mechanical mounting, feet or other mechanical impediments.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a probe and method useful for measuring color that may be utilized with a probe simply placed near the surface to be measured.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a probe and method that are capable of determining translucency characteristics of the object being measured.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a probe and method that are capable of determining surface texture characteristics of the object being measured.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a probe and method that are capable of determining fluorescence characteristics of the object being measured.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a probe and method that can measure the area of a small spot singulary, or that also can measure irregular shapes by moving the probe over an area and integrating the color of the entire area.

Apparatus and method for measuring optical characteristics of an object


The invention provides a computer system for interacting with a user. A set of concepts initially forms a target set of concepts. An input module receives a language input from the user. An analysis system executes a plurality of narrowing cycles until a concept packet having at least one concept has been identified. Each narrowing cycle includes identifying at least one portion of the language and determining a subset of concepts from the target set of concepts to form a new target subset. An action item identifier identifies an action item from the action items based on the concept packet. An action executer that executes an action based on the action item that has been identified.

1). Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an engine that is used for human speech, human voice, or text based language recognition, comprehension of intent and command execution with particular application for providing an input into an executable application.
2). Discussion of Related Art
FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings illustrates an engine 210 for interpreting voice data and executing commands based on the voice data. The engine 210 is located on a device such as mobile device 212. A microphone of the mobile device 212 is used to detect and record the voice data into an input module 214. The input module 214 then transmits the voice data over the Internet 216 to a transcription service 218. The transcription service 218 automatically transcribes the voice data into text and transmits the text back over the Internet 216 back to the mobile device 212. A natural language processing (NLP) module 220 analyzes the text and provides the analysis to an execution module 222. The NLP module 220 may for example find synonyms of the text. The execution module 222 then enters the text or synonyms of the text into an executable application 224 such as a maps application, a calendar application, an application for restaurants or services, or the like. When the user records a command, "Find me a cheap restaurant nearby. I don't like Italian food." the execution module 222 selects the appropriate execution application for restaurants nearby. However, further data that is entered into the executable application 224 returns results for Italian food restaurants that are nearby, which is not what the user had intended.

Engine for human language comprehension of intent and command execution


A non-toxic mattress and method of constructing the mattress having a reduced toxicity has an outer layer of a material selected from the group comprising polyethylene and polylactic acid film. Also, a mattress cover for covering the outer layer of the mattress can also be constructed from a material selected from the same group of materials. The polyethylene and polylactic acid films are non-toxic materials which reduce adverse human allergenic reactions or exposure to potentially harmful chemicals used in the mattress construction.

There are various mattress constructions that use materials that, by themselves or due to some material impurities, can cause or aggravate human allergenic reactions and/or can result in other potentially harmful exposures. For example, materials that incorporate polyurethanes, polyvinyl chlorides, polystyrenes, or polycarbonates all contain volatiles and/or water soluble chemicals that are potentially harmful to human health, safety, and the environment.
A mattress cover typically is the outermost layer or combination of layers in the assembled mattress. The mattress cover functions to isolate the mattress from the human body. That is, the mattress cover is primarily used to provide a barrier between the mattress and the person, limiting deterioration of the mattress and above all preventing the passage of irritating substances, bacteria or parasites from the mattress to the person. The mattress typically contains dusty material (deriving from the natural wool or erosion of the foam rubber) which can pass through the surface of the mattress and irritate the skin. Furthermore, as time passes, the surface layers of the mattress are subject to deterioration and/or contamination with bacteria and parasites. Being that a mattress cover can be in close proximity to or in contact with a user's skin, eyes, mouth, and nostrils, it is preferable not to allow any water soluble or volatile material impurity in the mattress cover or in the mattress itself. The reason being that water soluble or volatile material impurities can be adsorbed or absorbed by the skin, mouth, and the eyes, and inhaled into the mucous membranes and the lungs. These impurities are then transported into the human bloodstream and can cause a negative effect on the user's health.
For example, the deteriorated and/or contaminated surface of the mattress cover can cause skin irritation and/or an allergic reaction. More specifically, there is a risk that the movement of air over and through the mattress cover with water soluble or volatile material impurities can transport mattress volatiles to the sensitive lungs of infants, asthmatics, or hyper-allergenic humans.
The typical exposure to a mattress used in bedding and furniture can range from about 6 hours per day for adults to as high as 18 hours or more per day for infants. Due to the typically high amount of exposure to mattress materials, there is a need for non-toxic material construction of mattress covers as well as the mattresses themselves.
The mattress covers produced so far only partly satisfy the above requirements: for example, the barrier effect is obtained by considerably increasing the thickness of the sheet or adding plastic materials. In some cases fabrics impregnated with antibacterial materials have been used but in this case the antibacterial product can be easily released, creating problems of skin toxicity and loss of the barrier effect of the cover. There is therefore a need for mattress cover sheets free from the above limitations which are able, in particular, to provide an effective barrier and at the same lime are biocompatible and comfortable for the user.


Downlink diversity in a CDMA system is provided by employing Walsh codes in conjunction with M transmit antennas at a common base station serving K mobiles, where M may or may not be to equal to K. The present invention provides methods and apparatus for improving downlink diversity in a CDMA system. Each transmit antenna transmits a signal representing the result of the modulation of Walsh codes by data signals for each of the K mobiles, assuming there is data pertaining to a particular mobile. The assignment of Walsh codes is accomplished in accordance with a transmission matrix T. The transmission matrix maps the user data symbols onto the Walsh codes for each antenna and is preferably designed such that its columns are representative of the transmit antennas and orthogonal. Thus, at a given mobile, the mobile need only correlate with M different Walsh codes since each transmit signal received contains a component that is the result of M different Walsh codes having been modulated by a data signal associated with that particular mobile. The set of Walsh codes to select from includes 2┌log2(K)┐ Walsh codes. However, with respect to any given mobile, there is needed only as many different Walsh codes as there are transmit antennas serving the particular mobile. The results of the respective M correlations are combined and, with obtained channel estimates, the receiver estimates the particular data pertaining to that particular mobile so that it can be provided to the user. Also, the present invention provides for various ways to estimate the respective channels between the M transmit antennas and a mobile. It is to be appreciated that the downlink diversity techniques of the invention may be applied to the physical layer proposed in the IS95-C physical layer draft proposal.

Consider a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system that uses orthogonal Walsh functions to separate users on the downlink along with a base station specific covering code. It is well known that "downlink" refers to the communication path or paths from a base station to a mobile terminal or station (hereinafter referred to as a "mobile"), as compared to the "uplink" which is the communication path or paths from a mobile to a base station. For a system with K mobiles receiving signals from a common base station, the transmitted signal on a single antenna may be represented as:
                              x                                (            t            )                          =                              (                                                            ∑                                      i                    =                    1                                    K                                                                                P                      i                                                                                s                      i                                                                                (                      t                      )                                                                                w                      i                                                                                (                      t                      )                                                                                +                                                                    P                    p                                                                                w                    0                                                                          (                    t                    )                                                                        )                                          p                                      (              t              )                                                          (        1        )            where Pi is the power transmitted to the ith mobile, si(t) and wi(t) are the data signal and unique Walsh function intended for the ith mobile, respectively, Pp is the power of the pilot signal which uses Walsh function 0, and p(t) is the covering code for the base station of interest. Further, the Walsh functions are orthogonal and repeat every symbol time Ts, i.e.:
                                          ∫            0                          T              s                                                                                w                i                                                          (                t                )                                                                                w                j                                                          (                t                )                                                                ⅆ              t                                      =                  {                                                    1                                                              i                  =                  j                                                                                0                                                              i                  ≠                  j                                                                                (        2        )            At the mobile, the following signal is received on a single antenna:y(t)=h(t)x(t)+n(t)  (3)where h(t) is the complex multiplicative distortion caused by the wireless channel and n(t) is thermal noise. Mobile i correlates the received signal with the ith Walsh function during the kth symbol interval after uncovering to achieve the decision statistic zI[k]:
                                                                                z                    i                                                                          [                    k                    ]                                                  =                                                      ∫                                                                  (                                                  k                          -                          1                                                )                                                                                T                        s                                                                                k                                                                                T                        s                                                                                y                                                                    (                        t                        )                                                                                p                        *                                                                                (                        t                        )                                                                                w                        i                                                                                (                        t                        )                                                                                ⅆ                      t                                                                                =                                                                                P                        i                                                                                h                                                                    [                        k                        ]                                                                                s                        i                                                                                [                        k                        ]                                                                              +                                      n                                                              [                      k                      ]                                                                                (        4        )            where h[k] represents the cumulative effect of the channel h(t) over the kth symbol interval, and si[k] is the kth transmitted symbol for the ith mobile.
The transmitted symbol can be recovered by using an estimate of the channel, ĥ[k], obtainable from the pilot channel, i.e.:ŝi[k]=f(zi[k]ĥ*[k])  (5)where f(•) is an appropriate decision function. Assuming a flat, Rayleigh faded channel, in the absence of fast, accurate power control, the resulting performance of the link will be rather poor due to the lack of diversity. As a result, it is desirable to have a second antenna at the receiver to allow diversity reception, improving performance considerably. However, mobile handsets do not easily allow a second antenna to be added. Thus, methods of achieving diversity performance from the transmitter have been proposed.
One method of achieving diversity performance is to transmit the same signals on multiple carriers. However, this is wasteful of the one resource that cannot afford to be wasted in mobile communications, namely, bandwidth. A second more reasonable alternative is delay diversity. This method purposely causes multipath by transmitting the signal twice from the base station with the second transmission delayed in time by several chips and occurring on a separate antenna. By dividing power over two transmissions transmit power is not increased, but time diversity is provided which can easily be exploited by the mobile's Rake receiver with no required changes. However, the scheme is ultimately limited by the self-interference caused by this intentional multipath. Since all user signals are transmitted synchronously, this multipath interference can be quite large, especially for a moderate to heavily loaded system.
Other techniques have been proposed for attempting to improve diversity in the area of space-time coding. For example, a simple two-branch transmission diversity technique is described in Siavash M. Alamouti, "A Simple Transmit Diversity Technique for Wireless Communications," IEEE Journal On Select Areas In Communications, Vol. 16, No. 8, Oct. 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Further, the use of channel codes for improving the data rate and the reliability of communications over fading channels using multiple transmit antennas is described in Vahid Tarokh et al., "Space-Time Codes for High Data Rate Wireless Communication: Performance Criterion and Code Construction," IEEE Transactions On Information Theory, Vol. 44, No. 2, Mar. 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Still further, a technique for coding messages for transmission on the downlink so as to use multiple transmitting antennas for improved reception in fading environments is described in U.S. provisional application Serial No. 60/114,621, filed on Jan. 4, 1999, entitled: "Space-Time Spreading Method of CDMA Wireless Communication," which is the basis for a U.S. non-provisional application filed on Apr. 2, 1999 having the same title.

Methods and apparatus for downlink diversity in CDMA using Walsh codes


Long term storage stable bendamustine-containing compositions are disclosed. The compositions can include bendamustine or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and a pharmaceutically acceptable fluid which can include in some embodiments PEG, PG or mixtures thereof and an antioxidant or chloride ion source. The bendamustine-containing compositions have less than about 5% total impurities, on a normalized peak area response (“PAR”) basis as determined by high performance liquid chromatography (“HPLC”) at a wavelength of 223 nm, after at least about 15 months of storage at a temperature of from about 5° C. to about 25° C.

Bendamustine free base is represented by the following structural formula (I)

Bendamustine is used in the treatment of a number of cancers including leukemias, Hodgkins disease and multiple myelomas. Bendamustine is the active ingredient of the commercial product Treanda™, a lyophilized powder for reconstitution.
Bendamustine exhibits rapid degradation upon reconstitution of the lyophilized product. Bendamustine undergoes hydrolysis by direct substitution rather than an addition elimination process due to the presence of the highly labile aliphatic chlorine atoms. Some of the main degradants of bendamustine are the monohydroxy compound known as HP1 (hydrolysis product 1) and dihydroxy compound HP2 (hydrolysis product 2). The monohydroxy compound appears as the main impurity at Relative Retention Time (RRT) 0.6 and the dihydroxy compound appears as the main impurity at RRT 0.27. Minor peaks appear at RRT 1.2, which are presently unknown.
The stability of bendamustine in water is measured in hours, and is therefore, not suitable for long-term storage in liquid form. The lyophile possesses good chemical stability. However, reconstitution of the lyophile is clinically inconvenient, taking 15-30 mins with implications of chemical instability. There is a need for ready to use (RTU) bendamustine formulations having enhanced stability.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A multistage centrifugal pump in which each stage includes a one-piece or multi-piece housing and an impeller disposed therein. The pump stages are arranged between an inlet end member and an outlet end member and retained therebetween by connectors so as to be connected to a flow-guiding system. All impellers are positioned on a single pump shaft that is supported by at least two pump bearings. One end of the pump shaft is provided with a device for receiving a connector of a drive unit, and outer support members are disposed at mounting points adjacent the end members in order to mount the centrifugal pump in its installation location. The pump shaft (3) is supported by two two pump bearings (11, 12), with the maximum distance (LL) between confronting sides of the two pump bearings (11, 12) being less than or equal to a minimum structural stage height (LM) multiplied by the number of pump stages (2.1-2.5) minus 1.

The invention relates to a centrifugal pump of multistage type of construction, in which each pump stage has a casing consisting of one or more parts and an impeller arranged in said casing, the pump stages are arranged, for connection to flow-carrying systems, between inlet and outlet end pieces and are held between these by connectors, all the impellers are arranged on one pump shaft supported in at least two pump bearings, a pump shaft end is provided with a receptacle for a connector of a drive, and outer bearing means are arranged in the region of the end pieces in order to fasten the centrifugal pump at an installation location.
Centrifugal pumps of this type which are formed as linked pumps are designed for conveying a fluid at a high pressure level. They are formed as independent appliances, the pump shaft of which is connected to a drive machine, for example an electric motor or a turbine, with a coupling element being interposed. The centrifugal pump and the drive machine are mounted together on a baseplate or on a foundation. They are often used as multistage feedpumps in power plants or in other arrangements where a high pressure is required. As a result of the multistage construction and the arrangement of the pump stages between the end pieces, it is possible, during their production, to adapt in a simple way to different operating conditions by varying the number and type of construction of the pump stages. For this purpose, the connectors and the pump shaft are to be co-ordinated with the corresponding overall length of the centrifugal pump, and a baseplate or a pump foundation is to be designed to correspond to the overall length.
Centrifugal pumps having this general type of construction are known from DE 22 04 995 A1 and DE 26 14 163 B1 and from the KSB Centrifugal Pump Lexicon, third updated edition, page 185. Where these multistage linked pumps are concerned, the respective pump bearings of the pump shafts are arranged outside and at a distance from the end pieces of the centrifugal pump. The distance between the pump bearings is increased due to the necessary space for the shaft seals which are to be attached and by which fluid is prevented from emerging from the casing of the centrifugal pump. A large bearing distance between the shaft bearings which is due to this is a disadvantage in oscillatory terms, since unfavorable oscillations of the rotating component may occur as a result. Also, the absorption of pipeline forces which are conducted into the centrifugal pump via the end pieces has an adverse influence on the conditions of force of the centrifugal pump.
Outer support members serve to fasten such centrifugal pumps at the respective location of use and are provided on the end pieces or else between the end pieces of the centrifugal pump. An unfavorably selected position of these outer support members, which are generally configured as feet, battens or struts, may have, in respect of a built-in centrifugal pump, adverse effects on the oscillatory behavior of the rotating components.