A decoded picture and parameters of a sequence layer, a GOP layer and a picture layer respectively for displaying the decoded picture are stored as a set in each of picture banks and parameter banks of a frame memory. Parameters of each layer stored as a set with a picture decoded immediately before are read out. Parameters attached to a picture to be decoded are decoded overwritten. Thus, the parameters of each layer stored as a set with the picture to be decoded are generated.

The MPEG standard is an international standard relating to an image compression. A dynamic image coding technique and a dynamic image decoding technique based on the MPEG standard are the techniques that are unavoidable in the recent multimedia environment. Thus, there have been developed many dynamic image coding apparatuses and dynamic image decoding apparatuses that employ the MPEG standard.
In the MPEG standard, three types of pictures are used for achieving high-efficiency coding. These three types are, intra-coded picture (hereinafter to be referred to as an I picture), a predictive-coded picture (hereinafter to be referred to as P picture), and a bidirectionally predictive-coded picture (hereinafter to be referred to as B picture).
The I picture is coded based on only the picture information of its own, that is, without using other picture information. As the I picture can be coded independent of other pictures, the I picture is used as an access point at the time of a random access. Therefore, other picture information is not necessary for decoding the I picture.
The P picture is coded by using a past I picture or a past P picture as a reference picture. Therefore, the information of a past I picture is necessary for decoding the P picture.
The B picture is coded by using past and future I pictures or past and future P pictures as reference pictures. Therefore, the information of past and future I pictures or P pictures are necessary for decoding the B picture.
A hierarchical coding system is employed in the MPEG standard. In other words, a video sequence consists of six hierarchical layers in total. They are a sequence layer, a group-of-picture layer (hereinafter to be referred to as GOP layer), a picture layer, a slice layer, a macro block layer (hereinafter to be referred to as MB layer), and a block layer, in the order starting from a highest-order layer. The four high-order layers starting from the sequence layer to the slice layer are added with a start code respectively to show the start of each layer.
Following each start code, parameters are coded for each layer. For example, the sequence layer has a sequence header code (SHC) at the beginning, and then has, as parameters, a horizontal size value, a vertical size value, aspect ratio information, etc. which are superimposed in this order.
The table in FIG. 1 shows a part of parameters for each layer of the MPEG standard. In the case of the sequence layer, the horizontal size value and the vertical size value are parameters that express the sizes of an image in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction respectively. In other words, they are the parameters that express numbers of pixels in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction respectively. The aspect ratio information is a parameter that expresses the aspect ratio of the pixels. In addition to these parameters, the sequence layer also has other parameters, such as a display horizontal size and display vertical size that express the display sizes of a decoded image in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction respectively.
The GOP layer has two parameters. They are, a closed group of picture (closed gop) that expresses that it is possible to display a B picture at the head of the GOP, and a broken link that expresses that it is not possible to display a B picture at the head of the GOP.
The picture layer has four parameters. First two parameters are a top field first that expresses that a display is made starting from a picture of a first field, and a repeat first field that expresses that a picture in the first field is displayed repeatedly. Other two parameters are a frame center horizontal offset and a frame center vertical offset that are pan-scan parameters.
A conventional MPEG video decoder generally stores these parameters of each layer into a register inside the decoder, and refers to these parameters at the time of making a display. The structure of the conventional MPEG video decoder will be explained below.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram that shows a structure of the conventional MPEG video decoder. This MPEG video decoder consists of a buffer memory 11, an image decoding section 12, a frame buffer 13, a decode control section 14, and a display control section 15. The buffer memory 11 stores an MPEG bit stream that has been transmitted from a transmission path or a storing medium. The image decoding section 12 decodes a bit stream that has been transmitted from the buffer memory 11, and generates a picture.
The frame buffer 13 stores a picture generated by the image decoding section 12. The frame buffer 13 has a capacity for storing three pictures. The frame buffer 13 is divided into three areas which respectively store one picture. Each area is called a bank. In other words, the frame buffer 13 has three banks, a first bank 13a, a second bank 13b and a third bank 13c. Each of the banks 13a, 13b and 13c has its own address (i.e., bank address).
The decode control section 14 incorporates a vertical synchronization signal generator 16 that generates a vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync) 21. The decode control section 14 issues a slice layer decode starting instruction 22 to the image decoding section 12 and the display control section 15. The slice layer decode starting instruction 22 is synchronous with the vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync) 21. The cycle of issuing the slice layer decode starting instruction 22 is basically once per every two field time, that is, once per one frame time. This cycle is for matching the decoding speed with the display speed, as the display speed is at the rate of displaying one picture during one frame time. When the capacity of the buffer memory 11 has satisfied a predetermined condition at the time of a cold starting, the decode control section 14 issues an initial decode starting instruction 23. The timing of issuing the initial decode starting instruction 23 is not related to the vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync) 21.
The display control section 15 incorporates registers for storing parameters 24 of each layer decoded by the image decoding section 12 and a bank address 25. These registers include a reorder register 15a, a current register 15b, a field delay register 15c, and a display register 15d. The bank address 25 is the address of the bank in the frame buffer 13 in which a decoded picture is stored.
The display control section 15 receives a sequence layer decode completion notice 26 and a GOP layer decode completion notice 27 from the image decoding section 12. The sequence layer decode completion notice 26 is issued at a point of time when the decoding of the parameters of the sequence layer has been finished. The GOP decode completion notice 27 is issued at a point of time when the decoding of the parameters of the GOP layer has been finished.
The display control section 15 is supplied with the vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync) 21 from the vertical synchronization signal generator 16. The display control section 15 outputs a display starting instruction 28 to the frame buffer 13 at a timing synchronous with the vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync) 21. Based on this display starting instruction 28, the frame buffer 13 transfers a predetermined picture to a display unit not shown, and the display unit displays the image.
As explained above, the MPEG video decoder starts the decoding of a bit stream for one picture at a timing synchronous with the vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync) 21, and transfers the picture to the display unit at a timing synchronous with the vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync) 21. Thus, the image displayed by the display unit is updated at the timing synchronous with the vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync) 21, and the display unit displays a dynamic image.
FIG. 3 is a diagram that shows a structure of the registers within the display control section 15. The display control section 15 is provided with a sequence layer parameter register 15e, a GOP layer parameter register 15f, and picture layer parameter registers 15g. When the sequence layer parameter register 15e has received the sequence layer decode completion notice 26, the sequence layer parameter register 15e stores the parameters of the horizontal size value and the vertical size value of the sequence layer out of the parameters 24 of each layer.
When the GOP layer parameter register 15f has received the GOP layer decode completion notice 27, the GOP layer parameter register 15f stores the parameters of the closed group of picture and the broken link of the GOP layer out of the parameters 24 of each layer. The picture layer parameter registers 15g include the reorder register 15a, the current register 15b, the field delay register 15c, and the display register 15d described above.
Parameters that are stored in the picture layer parameter register group 15g include a temporal reference, a picture coding type, and a picture structure of the picture layer respectively, out of the parameters 24 of each layer. The picture layer parameter register group 15g stores the bank address 25.
The reason why there are four registers 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d for storing the picture layer display parameters and the bank address 25 is that, according to the MPEG standard, it is necessary to reorder the I picture, the P picture and the B picture. In other words, as mentioned above for decoding the B picture, the past and future pictures are referred. Therefore, it is necessary to reorder the pictures in order to process the future picture first.
The reorder register 15a stores the picture layer parameters and the bank address 25 of the I picture and the P picture respectively. The I picture and the P picture are not displayed straight when the decoding of these pictures has been completed. It is necessary to reorder these pictures with the B picture. Therefore, the parameters and the bank address 25 of the I picture and the P picture respectively are once saved in the reorder register 15a.
The current register 15b stores the picture layer display parameter of the picture to be displayed and the bank address 25. As the B picture is displayed immediately after the completion of the decoding, the parameters and the bank address 25 of the B picture are not stored in the reorder register 15a but are stored directly in the current register 15b.
The field delay register 15c delays the bank address 25 transferred from the current register 15b by one field time in order to set the decoding time to one frame time, and then transfers the delayed result to the next display register 15d. If it is assumed that the field delay register 15c is not present, then the field slot of the display timing becomes the field slot immediately after the field slot of the decoding timing. As a result, it is not possible to perform the display at the right timing. The data that is stored in the field delay register 15c is only the bank address 25.
The display register 15d stores the bank address 25 of the picture currently being displayed. In other words, the display control section 15 issues the display starting instruction 28 so that a picture indicated by the bank address 25 stored in the display register 15d is displayed. The data stored in the display register 15d is only the bank address 25, and the display register 15d takes in the content of the display register 15c as it is. The display control section 15 executes the display of the picture by comprehensively analyzing the display parameter of the picture layer stored in this register and the parameters of the sequence layer and the parameters of the GOP layer.
These four registers 15a to 15d have a shift register structure as shown in FIG. 3. The shift pulse of the reorder register 15a and the current register 15b is the slice layer decode starting instruction 22, and the shift pulse of the field delay register 15c and the display register 15d is the vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync) 21. The bank address 25 shifts to all the registers from the reorder register 15a to the display register 15d, but the display parameter of the picture layer shifts only up to the current register 15b.
The operation of the MPEG video decoder having the above-described conventional structure will be explained next. The time chart shown in FIG. 4 explains the operation of the conventional MPEG video decoder. In the example shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that a bit stream is input in the order of an I picture I2, a B picture B0, a B picture B1, a P picture P5, a B picture B3, a B picture B4, and so on, and that the pictures are displayed in the order of the picture B0, the picture B1 the picture I2, the picture B3, and so on.
The MPEG bit stream obtained through the transmission path or the storing medium is first stored in the buffer memory 11. When a certain amount of data (for example, data for one picture) has accumulated in the buffer memory 11, the decode control section 14 issues the initial decode starting instruction 23 (at time t0). When the image decoding section 12 has received the initial decode starting instruction 23, the image decoding section 12 starts the decoding of the bit stream, and first carries out the decoding of a first picture. When the image decoding section 12 has finished the decoding of all the parameters of the sequence layer, the image decoding section 12 issues the sequence layer decode completion notice 26. When the display control section 15 has received the sequence layer decode completion notice 26, the display control section 15 stores the parameters of the sequence layer in the sequence layer parameter register 15e (at time t1).
Next, the image decoding section 12 carries out the decoding of the parameters of the GOP layer. When the image decoding section 12 has finished the decoding of the parameters of the GOP layer, the image decoding section 12 issues the GOP layer decode completion notice 27. When the display control section 15 has received the GOP layer decode completion notice 27, the display control section 15 stores the parameters of the GOP layer in the GOP layer parameter register 15f (at time t2). Further, the image decoding section 12 decodes the parameters of the picture layer of the picture I2 and reads the decoded parameters, and then halts temporarily (at time t3).
Thereafter, in synchronism with the pulse of the vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync), the decode control section 14 issues the slice layer decode starting instruction 22 (at time t4). When the image decoding section 12 has received the slice layer decode starting instruction 22, the image decoding section 12 decodes the slice layer and the MB (macro block) layer of the picture I2. When the decoding of the MB layer has been completed, the image decoding section 12 decodes the picture layer of the next picture B0. When the decoding of the picture layer of the picture B0 has been completed, the image decoding section 12 halts temporarily again (at time t5).
In the mean time, at time t4, the display control section 15 receives the picture parameter of the picture I2 from the image decoding section 12, and stores the picture parameter in the reorder register 15a. In this case, the reorder register 15a stores the parameters of the picture I2 at a timing synchronous with the slice layer decode starting instruction 22 using the slice layer decode starting instruction 22 as a latch pulse.
At time t6, the decode control section 14 issues the slice layer decode starting instruction 22 again in synchronism with the vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync) 21. When the image decoding section 12 has received this slice layer decode starting instruction 22, the image decoding section 12 starts the decoding of the slice layer and the MB layer of the picture B0. At the same time, the image decoding section 12 stores the picture parameter of the picture B0 into the current register 15b.
The picture parameter of the picture B0 is shifted to the field delay register 15c in synchronism with the vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync) 21, and is further stored in the display register 15d in synchronism with the next vertical synchronization signal (V-Sync) 21 (at time t7). Thus, the data of the pictures to be displayed have been arranged, and the pictures are ready for display. Then, the display control section 15 comprehensively analyzes the display layer parameters, the sequence layer parameters, and the GOP layer parameters, and determines how to display this B0.
Assume, for example, that the horizontal size value is "720", the vertical size value is "480", the value of the closed group of picture is "1", the value of the broken link is "0 (zero)", the value of the top field first is "1", the value of the repeat first field is "0 (zero)", and the values of the frame center horizontal offset and the frame center vertical offset are both "0 (zero)". In this case, the display control section 15 makes a decision that as the picture B0 is effective, this picture is displayed, and that the display is carried out in an ordinary manner instead of carrying out a pan-scan display in the pixel size of "720×480".
Thereafter, the display control section 15 issues the display starting instruction 28 to the frame buffer 13, and makes the picture displayed in the region shown by the horizontal size value and the vertical size value.
Thereafter, the image decoding section 12 carries out the decoding sequentially in a similar manner. For making a display of the B picture, the display control section 15 progresses the display by referring to the display parameter of the picture layer stored in the current register 15b and the display parameters of the sequence layer and the GOP layer. Further, for making a display of the I picture or the P picture, the display control section 15 progresses the display by referring to the display parameter of the picture layer stored in the display register 15d and the display parameters of the sequence layer and the GOP layer.
In the television image according to the NTSC (National Television System Committee) system, one frame is divided into two fields (a top field and a bottom field). Therefore, in FIG. 4 (as well as in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8), each picture is shown by being divided into the top field (a field indicated by "T" in the drawing) and the bottom field (a field indicated by "B" in the drawing).
However, according to the above-described conventional MPEG video decoder, when a bit stream has only one picture in one sequence and also when the bit stream having a plurality of these sequences connected together (generally called a slide show) is to be decoded and displayed, the following two problems arise. These problems will be explained next.
The time chart shown in FIG. 5 explains the operation in a slide show of the conventional MPEG video decoder. A case where three sequences are connected together, each sequence having one picture, will be explained as an example. The three sequences will be called SEQ1, SEQ2 and SEQ3. In this case, as one sequence has one picture, a display parameter of the sequence layer exists in each of the three pictures.
Assume that the first sequence SQ1 has a value of "720" for the horizontal size value and a value of "480" for the vertical size value, the second sequence SQ2 has a value of "360" for the horizontal size value and a value of "240" for the vertical size value, and the third sequence SQ3 has a value of "360" for the horizontal size value and a value of "480" for the vertical size value.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation from time t0 to t3 is the same as the operation of the normal display shown in FIG. 4. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the first sequence SEQ1 changes to the second sequence SEQ2 at time t4. Therefore, the sequence layer display parameter is updated from the parameter of the first sequence SEQ1 to the parameter of the second sequence SEQ2. In other words, the horizontal size of the image is updated from 720 pixels to 360 pixels, and the vertical size of the image is updated from 480 pixels to 240 pixels. Further, the second sequence SEQ2 is updated to the third sequence SEQ3 at time t5. At this point of time, the display parameter of the second sequence SEQ2 is updated to the display parameter of the third sequence SEQ3. Therefore, the vertical size of the image is updated from 240 pixels to 480 pixels. As a result, the sizes of the image are changed to "360×480" pixels.
In the case of displaying the I2 picture of the first sequence SEQ1 at time t6, the picture must be displayed in the sizes of "720×480" in principle. However, as the display parameter has been updated to the parameter of the third sequence at time t6, the I2 picture of the first sequence SEQ1 is displayed by the pixel sizes of "360×480". In other words, as the combination of the picture parameters and the sequence layers of the three sequences are not managed completely, the decoded images are not displayed correctly. Same thing can be said about the display parameter of the GOP layer though its explanation has been omitted. This is a first problem. This problem also occurs when a pause, a quick winding or a rewinding operation has been carried out for the MPEG bit stream that has been sent from the storing medium.
This problem occurs because only one register is provided for the sequence layer parameter register 15e and the GOP layer parameter register 15f respectively in the display control section 15. Therefore, only one set of the sequence parameters and the GOP parameters can be held in these registers 15e and 15f respectively. As a result, when different sequences continue like the slide show, the sequence parameters and the GOP parameters are overwritten and updated sequentially.
The second problem is that as there is no fourth sequence after the third sequence SEQ3, which is the last sequence of this slide show, the third sequence SEQ3 cannot be displayed. This is because when the slice layer decode starting instruction to the fourth sequence is not issued from the decode control section 14, the picture parameters of the third sequence SEQ3 stored in the reorder register 15a cannot be shifted to the current register 15b at time t6. When the picture parameters of the third sequence SEQ3 are not shifted to the current register 15b, the parameters are not shifted to the field delay register 15c and the display register 15d either. As a result, the third sequence SEQ3 is not displayed at all.
In order to decode and display the slide show by the MPEG video decoder having the above-described conventions structure, it is necessary to add in advance an additional sequence to the end of the last sequence, and to take a sufficiently long time between the sequences in order to avoid the overwriting of the parameters stored in the sequence layer parameter register 15e and the GOP layer parameter register 15f respectively. However, based on this arrangement, it is not possible to completely achieve the display of the slide show.

Method and a decoder for decoding MPEG video


The invention relates to a casing (i.e., housing) for receiving an electrical device, particularly a switching device or sensor, having at least one indicating apparatus for indicating different electrical states, particularly switching states, of the device. The casing is characterized in that each indicating apparatus has a plurality of indicating devices and that the indicating devices of one indicating apparatus are positioned facing one another on the casing in such a way that, from each viewing direction, at least one indicating device of each indicating apparatus can be seen.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a casing (i.e., housing) for receiving an electrical device, particularly a switching device or sensor, having at least one indicating or display apparatus for indicating or displaying different electrical states, particularly switching states, of the device, according to the preamble of claim 1.
The invention also relates to a casing for receiving an electrical switching device or sensor with an indicating device for indicating different electrical switching states of the electrical switching device or sensor, said casing being shaped in a substantially cuboid or cubic manner.
2. Description of Related Art
Numerous casings for receiving electrical switching devices or sensors are known. The casings have indicating devices for indicating different electrical switching states for monitoring the functionally correct operation of the electrical switching device or sensor. For example, DE 19512915 discloses an electrical connection part with electrically contacting contact pins or female contacts, such as plugs or sockets, which has a reception part in which is placed a light guide member made from transmissive material with at least one illuminant and through which are passed leads for the contact pins. The light guide member has arms, provided on their abutting ends on the side facing the illuminant with, in each case, a surface plane-inclined or curved in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the main radiation direction of the illuminant, which, in each case, form the reflecting deflecting surface of the arm and which are able to deflect the light mainly in the axial direction within the particular arm at an angle between approximately 40° and 140°, preferably at right angles to the main radiation direction thereof. The reflecting deflecting surfaces of the arms collide in each case in the axis of the main radiation direction of the illuminant in a point or edge directed towards the light guide member. Below the point or edge, the light guide member has a recess in which is located the illuminant.
This apparatus, like most of the known casings, suffers from the disadvantage that despite indicating the switching state of the electrical switching device or sensor, the switching state cannot be seen to the same extent from all spatial directions, so that in certain circumstances, a fault or a malfunction of the electrical switching device or of the sensor can occur without it being immediately noticed by an operator.
Additionally, FR 2643640 discloses a proximity switch with an illuminant, for example, a light emitting diode, being positioned in a transparent end piece. With the aid of this transparent end piece and a plurality of reflections obtained by this means, an improved visibility of the illuminant is obtained.

Housing for receiving an electrical device


A pressure sensor, which is mounted on a vehicle for detecting a collision, has a detecting part for detecting a change of pressure and a housing for housing the detecting part therein. The housing is located in a hollow body defined in a part of the vehicle. The housing forms a passage hole for allowing communication between an inside of the housing and the hollow body. The passage hole has a first end opening adjacent to the detecting part and a second end opposite to the first end. The second end is located lower than the first end. The passage hole defines a passage area that increases from the first end toward the second end.

To detect an occurrence of a side impact traffic collision, it is proposed to install a pressure sensor in a hollow body defined in the inside of a vehicle door and measure a change of an air pressure. This kind of pressure sensor is for example disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2654428 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,075).
In such a pressure sensor, a detecting part for detecting the air pressure is arranged in a resinous housing. The housing is formed with a passage through which air in the hollow body is introduced toward the detecting part. Incidentally, water or oil is likely to adhere to an inner wall of the passage due to condensation. If such a water or oil forms a film in the passage due to a surface tension and blocks the passage, detecting sensitivity of the sensor is likely to deteriorate.


A method that quickly corrects an image without inputting more than a required number of rendering instructions. Input image that contains a plurality of objects, and rendering command statements that specify rendering of the plurality of objects are input and analyzed in order to identify the types of objects. If a specific type of object is identified through the identification, a rendering command statement that specifies rendering of the specific type of object is re-input in order to correct the specific type of object. If the specific type of object is not identified through the identification, a rendering command statement needed for execution of image correction is not re-input.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to processing an input image that contains a plurality of objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to properly output an output image to a printer or display device according to image data, it is necessary to perform color processing including color correction, color conversion, and binary coding on each of a plurality of objects constituting an output image according to a type of object. In general, for printing out or displaying an image created by a computer application, a device driver or a device translates a set of rendering instructions sent from the application into an image for a whole page that is represented by image data. The image is then printed out or displayed.
A set of rendering instructions constitutes a document. Among the rendering instructions issued to a device driver.
An image rendering instruction specifies rendering of a photographic picture. A text rendering instruction specifies rendering of a text. A graphic rendering instruction specifies rendering of a graphic. The device driver performs color processing suitable for an object according to an instruction, converts the resultant object into an image capable of being output from an output device, and outputs the image.
In recent years, a color management system permitting color processing optimal for each device, such as, ICM for the Microsoft Windows™ or ColorSync™ released from Apple Inc. has been installed in many computer systems.
However, even when such a color management system is installed, if an original photographic image is of very poor quality, a high-quality, high-definition output cannot naturally be provided. For example, when an image is produced using digital cameras, which have become popular in recent years, if the exposure is improper, the image having an improper exposure is printed with the improper exposure. An excellent output cannot be provided. To overcome this problem, a user may use image retouch software or the like to perform image correction such as nonlinear color balancing on the whole original image.
However, when a user who lacks expertise and experience on image correction attempts to correct an image, the process can be very frustrating and time consuming.
Assume that a document for desktop publishing (DTP) is an existing document that contains an original image to which a photograph that has not been corrected is pasted. In order to correct only the photograph in the original image, a complex task must be carried out. Specifically, the photograph in the original image must be designated and cut out, and then corrected using image retouch software. The resultant photograph is then pasted again to the original image.
For overcoming the aforesaid disadvantages, U.S. patent Ser. No. 09/336,987 filed on Jun. 11th, 1999 by an applicant, describes a process for automatically correcting object images of a predetermined type contained in an input image according to a color distribution.
In that application, a printer driver issues a request for print data (a set of rendering instructions), which specifies rendering of an image for a print page, twice to an application or an operating system (OS).
In the first print data processing flow, print data is analyzed in order to acquire information needed for image correction, that is, preparations are made for execution of image correction.
In the second print data processing flow, the result of acquisition performed in preparation for execution of image correction is used to correct part of the image rendering instructions that have been judged to be corrected. Color matching is executed, and the rendering instructions are translated into raster image data and the raster image data is developed into a page memory. A print image is then produced and transferred to a printer.
However, the number of data items per page has increased drastically partly because applications offer advanced performance. If every data is requested twice, a print start time instant is delayed by a time required for issuance of a first request and response to the first request. This greatly affects an image output speed. In particular, a request must be issued twice even for a page that contains no image. The decrease in the speed is undesired.

Image processing method and apparatus, and recording medium


A method for promoting properties for processing a message in a business automation system includes the steps of receiving a message which has a plurality of parts where each part has associated properties; identifying the associated properties to be promoted; extracting the information of the promoted property; storing the information of the promoted property in a memory; and processing the message by accessing the information of the promoted property from the memory instead of directly from the message. The method may further include correlating a received message with an earlier processed message by using a correlation method utilizing a strong naming convention to generate a correlation identifier.

Business procedures have typically been automated using a business procedures processor running a model of the business process. This model is the workflow process. Recently, the extensible markup language (XML), which is a world wide web consortium (W3C) standard, has gained popularity for expressing business documents in a standardized format. Innovations such as Biz Talk™ from Microsoft® Corporation (One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Wash. 98052) have introduced the idea that a business workflow processor can orchestrate business transactions using the XML standard to accomplish document transfers in the course of daily business.
The processing of XML documents often requires opening up the document at various points in the processing and routing among organizations within an enterprise. Often, the same information is checked when a document is opened. For example, if a purchase order is being routed in an enterprise between different departments, the total amount of the purchase order may be checked repeatedly or may be updated based on authorization limits. Additionally, the total dollar amount may vary as various departments add or subtract line items and quantities on the purchase order. In this instance, the purchase order must be opened, searched for the total dollar amount information, information retrieved, and then closed by nearly every department in the enterprise. The repeated access of the same data from the document can be performed more efficiently if a mechanism for accessing the data without opening the document were available.
A second inefficiency in the processing of documents in a business procedure automation environment is the correlation of messages. Documents may be viewed as messages that are passed from one department to another. Eventually, the messages may be transferred out of the enterprise environment. For example, a purchase order for supplies may be generated within a business environment and be sent to some external vendor fill the purchase order. Eventually, a confirmation message may be returned. However, there is currently no standardized method to automatically correlate the confirmation message with any previously processed or internally routed message. A content examination may be required to manually determine the correspondence of one message to another. This inefficiency could be avoided if there was a mechanism to correlate messages in an automated business processing environment.
Thus, there is a need for a method and system which would allow selected message information which is accessed repeatedly to be available to a message processor. Additionally, it would be useful if the message processor could correlate new messages with existing ones in an enterprise environment. The present invention addresses the aforementioned needs and solves them with additional advantages as expressed herein.

Data property promotion system and method


A cooling device includes: a cooling roller that cools down a sheet-like member by coming into contact with the sheet-like member; a belt member that is rotatably extended by a plurality of extending members, presses the sheet-like member against the cooling roller, and holds and carries the sheet-like member; and a driving roller that serves as one of the plurality of extending members and drives to rotate the belt member, wherein the driving roller is axially divided into a plurality of rollers and each of the plurality of rollers has a crown-like shape whose outer diameter continuously becomes larger from both end parts to a center part in an axial direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling device used for an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile, and a copying machine and to an image forming apparatus including the cooling device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an image forming apparatus, well known is the one in which an electrophotography technology is used to form a toner image on a sheet of paper serving as a sheet-like member; and the toner is melted and fused by passing through a fixing device. As a printing speed becomes faster, has known is an image forming apparatus including a cooling device for quickly cooling down a sheet of paper heated by a fixing device.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-003819 discloses an image forming apparatus in which a cooling device is provided at a downstream side of a fixing device in a sheet carrying direction. The cooling device includes a cooling roller for coming into contact with a sheet of paper, carrying and cooling down the sheet of paper. In the cooling device, two rollers are provided at an interval in the sheet carrying direction and extend thereon a carriage belt made of an elastic member for carrying the sheet of paper. One roller extending the carriage belt thereon rotates the carriage belt as a driving roller. Moreover, a cooling roller is provided between the two rollers extending the carriage belt thereon so as to come into contact with a top surface of the carriage belt. The cooling roller is turned around to rotate by power that conveys the carriage belt. The sheet of paper, heated to a high temperature while passing through the fixing device, is held and carried on the carriage belt to a nip region formed by the cooling roller and the carriage belt coming into contact with each other, where the sheet of paper is brought into contact with the cooling roller, so that heat of the sheet of paper is absorbed by the cooling roller and the sheet of paper is cooled down.
In order to suppress meandering of the carriage belt, there is a driving roller for rotating the carriage belt that has a so-called crown-like shape. That is a drum-like shape in which a diameter at an axial center part of the driving roller is larger than that at both ends thereof. With the driving roller having a crown-like shape, it becomes difficult for the carriage belt to move beyond the axial center part of the driving roller in an axial direction of the driving roller, so that meandering of the carriage belt can be suppressed.
However, since the crown-like shape driving roller has different diameters at the center part and at the end parts of the driving roller, tension of the carriage belt at the axial center part of the driving roller becomes larger than tension of the carriage belt at the axial end parts of the driving roller, which causes a difference in tension of the carriage belt in the axial direction of the driving roller. The difference in tension of the carriage belt causes a difference in pressure against the sheet of paper from the carriage belt in the axial direction of the driving roller when the sheet of paper is held by the cooling roller and the belt. The difference in pressure causes a problem of unevenness in gloss of an image on the sheet of paper.

Cooling device and image forming apparatus


A process for the preparation of methionine or a salt of methionine by reaction of the components 3-methylmercaptopropionaldhyde, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and carbon dioxide or components from which the above-mentioned components can be prepared, optionally in the presence of water, to 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin and further reaction thereof to methionine or the salt thereof, characterised in that the reaction of the components is initiated by means of at least one premixture in such a way that a first mixture is formed containing at least the predominant proportion (at least 5/10) of the 3-methylmercaptopropionaldeyde and at least 1/10 of the hydrogen cyanide component or corresponding quantities of components from which these components can be prepared, and less than 5/10 of one of the components ammonia, carbon dioxide or of the components from which ammonia or carbon dioxide can be prepared, and in that this first mixture is combined with the other component(s) for the reactive conversion to 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin, wherein this (these) latter component(s) may be premixed in one or more other mixtures.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for the preparation of D,L-methionine or a salt of D,L-methionine, starting from the components 3-methylmercaptopropionaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and carbon dioxide or 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin or a salt of methionine or those components from which the above-mentioned components can be prepared, optionally in the presence of water.
The synthesis steps can be illustrated by the following reaction equations:
5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin formation: ##STR1##
M stands for alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, ammonium, particularly potassium.
Advantageously, the process steps of 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin formation, methioninate formation and methionine liberation may be carried out continuously, advantageously in successive stages which are integrated in a process which, as a whole, takes place continuously, in particular.
Particularly advantageously, the components ammonia and carbon dioxide are recycled in accordance with the process possibilities, i.e. used again in the preceding process stages. Particularly when potassium is used, all the agents containing alkali metal are recycled to the process, if possible.
2. Background Information
The formation of 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin is known in principle. Generally speaking, the starting materials are either the components described under 1) or components from which these components can be prepared. These are, in particular, alkali metal- or ammonium salts in the case of the components hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and carbon dioxide, and acrolein and methyl mercaptan in the case of the 3-methylmercaptopropionaldehyde component, as described further below. Chem. Rev. 46 (1959) 422-425 describes the preparation of substituted hydantoins by reaction of the corresponding aldehydes and ketones with alkali metal cyanides and ammonium carbonate. The reaction is carried out either using stoichiometric proportions of the substances at 80.degree. C. and 3 bar or using several times the stoichiometric proportion of ammonia at temperatures up to 60.degree. C. and at normal pressure (DT-PS 11 66 201). It is also known to prepare 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin from 3-methylmercaptopropionaldeyde, ammonium carbonate and cyanides. The reaction is carried out initially at 40-120.degree. C., the reaction mixture is then adjusted to a pH below 4 and the reaction is ended at 50-100.degree. C. (US-PS 2 557 913). Moreover, it is known to prepare 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin by providing a solution which was prepared by dissolving 3-methylmercapto-propionaldehyde in an aqueous solution of ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrocyanic acid or the salts thereof and in which, optionally, a reaction to hydantoin has taken place partially or wholly, and introducing into this solution an aqueous solution of ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrocyanic acid or the salts thereof and, separately, the 3-methylmercaptopropionaldehyde, and carrying out the reaction by heating the mixture to a temperature up to 100.degree. C. at normal pressure (DT-OS 16 20 332). In Japanese patent JP 48-005763, 3-methylmercaptopropionaldehyde is reacted with hydrogen cyanide or the salts thereof and ammonium carbonate in the presence of ammonia and at 80.degree. C. in 1.5 hours to form 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin in a 98.5% yield. Added metal ion complexing agents in the presence of water lead to a 97.8% yield (JP 48-004465). A similar reaction in the presence of organic solvents at 50-200.degree. C. under pressure in the liquid phase is described in patent JP 40-36676. A one-pot variant starting from acrolein, methylmercaptan, hydrogen cyanide and ammonium carbonate in water at 50-70.degree. C. leads within 2 hours to a hydantoin which is saponified to D,L-methionine (JP 50-004018).
The reaction described in JP 52-027768 takes place in a similar manner, but with the addition of amino acids such as methionine, threonine, glycine, alanine, or leucine. 3-Methylmercaptopropionaldehyde, carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide and caustic alkali at 80.degree. C. lead to 97% 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin within 2 hours (JP 50-018467).
3-Methylmercaptopropionaldehyde, sodium cyanide and ammonium carbonate in water in the presence of potassium thiosulphate or potassium carbonate give 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin (SU 740770). In the single-stage reaction of acrolein with methyl mercaptan, hydrogen cyanide and ammonium carbonate, 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin is produced in an 85% yield (Asahi Chem. Ind., Agric. Biol. Chem. 52, 589 (1988). The Chinese patent CN 85 1085905 also describes a single-stage reaction, but with the addition of methionine in acetic acid with 91% conversion to 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin.
A 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin prepared by the known methods is contaminated to a considerable extent by 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoic acid, 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoic acid amide, methioninamide, methionine nitrile and methylmercaptopropionaldehyde cyanohydrin, iminonitrile and polymers. Whilst the first three compounds mentioned, like the hydantoin, are converted to methionine during alkaline hydrolysis, the other compounds or the saponification products thereof enter the saponification solution and the methionine to be isolated later, where they can be separated only with great difficulty. This is particularly so when the methionine is prepared from the hydantoin and separated from the reaction mixture using carbon dioxide and the mother liquor recycled. The methionine obtained is discoloured and has poor storage stability.
Alkaline hydrolysis of 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin is by no means new. U.S. Pat. No. 2,527,366 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,557,913 describe the hydrolysis of 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin in an aqueous barium hydroxide solution under pressure and at elevated temperature. These processes require substantial quantities of expensive barium hydroxide, however; moreover, the barium has to be separated again as a neutral salt.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,557,920 that .alpha.-amino acids are produced by saponification of hydantoins using sodium hydroxide. In these processes, however, at least 3 moles of sodium hydroxide per mole of hydantoin are required. The situation is similar when potassium hydroxide is used.
Moreover, it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,631 that a mixture of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal hydroxide may be used to saponify 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin. In these processes, however, the alkaline earth metal ions first have to be separated during the liberation of methionine, so maximum yields of only 80.5% are obtained.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,925, the hydrolysis of 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin is carried out under pressure at 105 to 230.degree. C. in a medium that contains a metal hydroxide and an alcohol with a boiling point of 125 to 130.degree. C. A disadvantage is that the high-boiling alcohol has to be recovered. Moreover, the yield is only 65%.
The hydrolysis of 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin using an aqueous solution of alkali carbonate and/or alkali hydrogen carbonate is described in DE-PS 19 06 405. Ammonia and carbon dioxide are removed continuously during hydrolysis. The preferred alkali metal carbonate is potassium carbonate; a molar ratio of hydantoin to alkali metal of 1:1 to 1:5 is used. Hydrolysis is carried out under pressure at 120 to 220.degree. C. The continuous pressure apparatus is composed of three rotary evaporators set up at great expense in series. The alkali metal methioninate solution is used to liberate D,L-methionine with carbon dioxide; the mother liquor obtained from the separation of the methionine that crystallises out is recycled, optionally with the removal of 1-2%, and used again for the hydrolysis of hydantoin.
DE-AS 15 18 339 describes a process in which gaseous reaction products (ammonia and carbon dioxide) produced during hydrolysis are removed from the reaction in order to shift the reaction equilibrium towards the amino acid, as a result of which the yield is increased. In order to achieve this, however, a complex arrangement of apparatus is required to regulate the pressure of the gas streams.
Japanese patent 49/116 008 describes a process in which the hydrolysis of 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin is carried out in the presence of vanadic acids, molybdic acids, tungstic acids or the derivatives thereof. The yields are about 70%. The separation of the catalyst is difficult. In order to prepare a highly concentrated methionine-containing solution, alkali metal e.g. a potassium compound, must be added.
It is known from the Japanese patent application 75/106 901 (C.A. 84,44666k (1976)) that methionine is prepared by hydrolysis of 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin in the presence of about 1.2 equ. of sodium hydroxide and about 9 equ. of ammonia at 180.degree. C. The sodium methioninate solution obtained as an intermediate with this mode of operation necessarily contains not only sodium methioninate, however, but also sodium carbonate which precipitates whilst this reaction is being carried out and is therefore troublesome, particularly in a continuous process. The same is true of the use of potassium hydroxide and of the method of operating according to DE-PS 19 06 405.
DE 26 14 411 A describes the hydrolysis of 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin with water in the presence of imidazole at 160.degree. C. The yields are low and here, too, an alkali metal compound has to be added in order to obtain a high solution concentration.
Japanese patent applications JP 03/95145 and JP 03/95146 describe the hydrolysis of hydantoins with water at elevated temperature and elevated pressure in the presence of metal oxides or oxide mixtures, for example ZrO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, Nb.sub.2 O.sub.5 or TiO.sub.2 --Nb.sub.2 O.sub.5 ; the yields are only 65 to 66%, however. These solutions must be neutralised with an alkali compound.
All these processes bring either low yields or have the disadvantage that methionine or salts such as carbonates are precipitated during the process, as a result of which further process steps are brought about and industrial-scale processes in particular, more particularly continuous processes, are scarcely possible.
The liberation of methionine from the alkali metal salt is generally known. According to the principle that strong acids liberate weaker acids from their salts, free D,L-methionine is precipitated e.g. with hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid or a strongly acid ion exchanger (DE 21 40 506 C; DE 21 22 491 C; DE 29 12 066 A; BE 877 200, U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,832, FR 1 532 723). The alkali metal salt obtained as a by-product must then, however, be separated. As the acid used is not generally recovered, this method of operating is unsuitable for a continuous economic and environmentally acceptable production process.
As described for example in the patents U.S. Pat. No. 2,557,913, DE-PS 19 06 405 and JP 42/44056, D,L-methionine was therefore precipitated advantageously from the hydrolysis solutions of 5-(2-methylmercaptoethyl)-hydantoin with carbon dioxide in aqueous solution. In this method, D,L-methionine is usually obtained in the form of thin leaves or as flakes. This causes the product to be difficult to filter and prevents the crystal cake being washed out; moreover, a D,L-methionine with poor flow properties and a tendency to form lumps is obtained. In order to counter these disadvantages, according to Japanese patent JP 42/44056, additives such as casein or water-soluble, high molecular weight-cellulose derivatives are added during the precipitation of methionine with carbon dioxide.

Process for the preparation of D,L-methionine or the salt thereof


A microlens structure that includes a wedge formed to support and tilt the microlens is disclosed. The wedge results from heating a layer of patterned flowable material. The degree and direction of incline given to the wedge can be controlled in part by the type of patterning that is performed.

Solid state imagers, including charge coupled devices (CCD) and CMOS sensors, are commonly used in photo-imaging applications. A solid state imager includes a focal plane array of pixels. Each of the pixels includes a photovoltaic device for converting light energy to electrical signals. The photovoltaic device can be a photogate, photoconductor, or a photodiode having a doped region for accumulating photo-generated charge.
Microlenses are commonly placed in a corresponding array over the imager pixel(s). A microlens is used to focus light onto the initial charge accumulation region, for example. Conventional technology forms microlenses from photoresist material which is patterned into squares or circles provided respectively over the pixels. The patterned photoresist material is then heated during manufacturing to shape and cure the microlens.
Use of microlenses significantly improves the photosensitivity and efficiency of the imaging device by collecting light from a large light collecting area and focusing it on a small photosensitive area of the pixel. The ratio of the overall light collecting area to the photosensitive area of the pixel is known as the "fill factor."
The use of microlens arrays is of increasing importance in imager applications. Imager applications are requiring imager arrays of smaller size and greater resolution. As pixel size decreases and pixel density increases, problems such as crosstalk between pixels become more pronounced. Also, pixels of reduced size have a smaller charge accumulation area. Reduced sizes of pixels result in smaller accumulated charges which are read out and processed by signal processing circuits.
As the size of imager arrays and photosensitive regions of pixels decreases, it becomes increasingly difficult to provide a microlens capable of focusing incident light rays onto the photosensitive regions. This problem is due in part to the increased difficulty in constructing a small enough microlens that has the optimal focal characteristics for the imager device process and that optimally adjusts for optical aberrations introduced as the light passes through the various device layers. Also, it is difficult to correct possible distortions created by multiple regions above the photosensitive area, which results in increased crosstalk between adjacent pixels. Crosstalk can result when off-axis light strikes a microlens at an obtuse angle. The off-axis light passes through planarization regions and a color filter, misses the intended photosensitive region and instead strikes an adjacent photosensitive region.
Microlens shaping and fabrication through heating and melting microlens materials also becomes increasingly difficult as microlens structures decrease in size. Previous approaches to control microlens shaping and fabrication do not provide sufficient control to ensure optical properties such as focal characteristics, radius of the microlens or other parameters needed to provide a desired focal effect for smaller microlens designs. Consequently, imagers with smaller sized microlenses have difficulty in achieving high color fidelity and signal-to-noise ratios.


The present invention provides for a rheology control agent that includes a following compound represented by the following formula:

This invention relates to rheology control agents for coating compositions useful for finishing the exterior of automobiles and trucks, and in particular to liquid solvent-borne coating compositions containing rheology control agents that provide the composition with improved rheology control to facilitate a spray application that provides a high quality automotive finish.

Abstract: wherein A, B, C and D equal CH2, CHR, NH, or O, and A, B, C and D may be the same or different and at least one of A and B equals NH and at least one of C and D equals NH; and wherein R1, R2, and R3 may be the same or different and represent a linear, branched, hyper-branched, or dendritic ether, polyether or hydrocarbon based chain, optionally forming at least one carbon-based ring, being saturated or unsaturated and R2 represents linear or branched alkylenes, ethers, polyethers, or polyester linkages and at least one of R1, R2, and R3 comprises an ester group or an amide group which is branched off from the main chain; excluded from Formula (1) is a compound wherein R2 is CH2—CH2—CH2—CH2—CH(C(O)OCH3), A, B, C, and D are equal to NH and R1 and R3 are both equal to a linear octyl hydrocarbon chain; the rheology control agent is suitable for solvent-borne and water-borne coating composition having improved rheology control useful for OEM refinishing or repainting the exterior of automobile and truck bodies and parts thereof.


The invention features compounds of formula V or XII:

Oligonucleotide compounds have important therapeutic applications in medicine. Oligonucleotides can be used to silence genes that are responsible for a particular disease. Gene-silencing prevents formation of a protein by inhibiting translation. Importantly, gene-silencing agents are a promising alternative to traditional small, organic compounds that inhibit the function of the protein linked to the disease. siRNA, antisense RNA, and micro-RNA are oligonucleotides that prevent the formation of proteins by gene-silencing.
RNA interference or "RNAi" is a term initially coined by Fire and co-workers to describe the observation that double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) can block gene expression (Fire et al. (1998) Nature 391, 806-811; Elbashir et al. (2001) Genes Dev. 15, 188-200). Short dsRNA directs gene-specific, post-transcriptional silencing in many organisms, including vertebrates, and has provided a new tool for studying gene function. RNAi is mediated by RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), a sequence-specific, multi-component nuclease that destroys messenger RNAs homologous to the silencing trigger. RISC is known to contain short RNAs (approximately 22 nucleotides) derived from the double-stranded RNA trigger, but the protein components of this activity remained unknown.
siRNA compounds are promising agents for a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. siRNA compounds can be used to identify the function of a gene. In addition, siRNA compounds offer enormous potential as a new type of pharmaceutical agent which acts by silencing disease-causing genes. Research is currently underway to develop interference RNA therapeutic agents for the treatment of many diseases including central-nervous-system diseases, inflammatory diseases, metabolic disorders, oncology, infectious diseases, and ocular disease.
Despite the different synthetic strategies developed for conjugation of various ligands to the oligonucleotides, the synthesis of ligand-oligonucleotide conjugates is anything but trivial and requires extensive expertise in organic chemistry and solid-phase synthesis. A real advance would be to use a coupling reaction that can be utilized for a large variety of ligands and oligonucleotides. The Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of alkynes and azides, the "click" reaction, is especially attractive for irreversible coupling of two molecules under mild conditions. The "click" chemistry has recently emerged as an efficient strategy to conjugate carbohydrates, peptides and proteins, fluorescent labels and lipids to oligonucleotides. Therefore, there is a clear need for new reagents that can be utilize for "click" chemistry for conjugation of ligands to oligonucleotides. The present invention is directed to this very important end.

Monomers and oligonucleotides comprising cycloaddition adduct(s)

Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention relates compounds and processes for conjugating ligand to oligonucleotide. The invention further relates to methods for treating various disorders and diseases such as viral infections, bacterial infections, parasitic infections, cancers, allergies, autoimmune diseases, immunodeficiencies and immunosuppression.


A cutter element for a drill bit includes a base portion having a central axis, a first end, and a second end. In addition, the cutter element includes a cutting layer fixably mounted to the first end of the base portion. The cutting layer includes a cutting face distal the base portion. The cutting face includes an elongate raised ridge having a first end at a radially outer surface of the cutting layer and a second end at the radially outer surface of the cutting layer. The raised ridge defines a maximum height of the cutter element measured axially from the second end of the base portion to the cutting face. The cutting face also includes a first planar lateral side surface and a second planar lateral side surface. Each planar lateral side surface extends from the raised ridge to the radially outer surface of the cutting layer.

The disclosure relates generally to drill bits for drilling a borehole in an earthen formation for the ultimate recovery of oil, gas, or minerals. More particularly, the disclosure relates to fixed cutter bits and cutter elements used on such bits.
An earth-boring drill bit is typically mounted on the lower end of a drill string and is rotated by rotating the drill string at the surface or by actuation of downhole motors or turbines, or by both methods. With weight applied to the drill string, the rotating drill bit engages the earthen formation and proceeds to form a borehole along a predetermined path toward a target zone. The borehole thus created will have a diameter generally equal to the diameter or "gage" of the drill bit.
Fixed cutter bits, also known as rotary drag bits, are one type of drill bit commonly used to drill boreholes. Fixed cutter bit designs include a plurality of blades angularly spaced about the bit face. The blades generally project radially outward along the bit body and form flow channels there between. In addition, cutter elements are often grouped and mounted on several blades. The configuration or layout of the cutter elements on the blades may vary widely, depending on a number of factors. One of these factors is the formation itself, as different cutter element layouts engage and cut the various strata with differing results and effectiveness.
The cutter elements disposed on the several blades of a fixed cutter bit are typically formed of extremely hard materials and include a layer of polycrystalline diamond ("PCD") material. In the typical fixed cutter bit, each cutter element or assembly comprises an elongate and generally cylindrical support member which is received and secured in a pocket formed in the surface of one of the several blades. In addition, each cutter element typically has a hard cutting layer of polycrystalline diamond or other superabrasive material such as cubic boron nitride, thermally stable diamond, polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, or ultrahard tungsten carbide (meaning a tungsten carbide material having a wear-resistance that is greater than the wear-resistance of the material forming the substrate) as well as mixtures or combinations of these materials. The cutting layer is exposed on one end of its support member, which is typically formed of tungsten carbide. For convenience, as used herein, the phrase "polycrystalline diamond cutter" or "PDC" may be used to refer to a fixed cutter bit ("PDC bit") or cutter element ("PDC cutter element") employing a hard cutting layer of polycrystalline diamond or other superabrasive material such as cubic boron nitride, thermally stable diamond, polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, or ultrahard tungsten carbide.
While the bit is rotated, drilling fluid is pumped through the drill string and directed out of the face of the drill bit. The fixed cutter bit typically includes nozzles or fixed ports spaced about the bit face that serve to inject drilling fluid into the flow passageways between the several blades. The flowing fluid performs several important functions. The fluid removes formation cuttings from the bit's cutting structure. Otherwise, accumulation of formation materials on the cutting structure may reduce or prevent the penetration of the cutting structure into the formation. In addition, the fluid removes cut formation materials from the bottom of the hole. Failure to remove formation materials from the bottom of the hole may result in subsequent passes by cutting structure to re-cut the same materials, thereby reducing the effective cutting rate and potentially increasing wear on the cutting surfaces. The drilling fluid and cuttings removed from the bit face and from the bottom of the hole are forced from the bottom of the borehole to the surface through the annulus that exists between the drill string and the borehole sidewall. Further, the fluid removes heat, caused by contact with the formation, from the cutter elements in order to prolong cutter element life. Thus, the number and placement of drilling fluid nozzles, and the resulting flow of drilling fluid, may significantly impact the performance of the drill bit.
Without regard to the type of bit, the cost of drilling a borehole for recovery of hydrocarbons may be very high and is proportional to the length of time it takes to drill to the desired depth and location. The time required to drill the well, in turn, is greatly affected by the cutting efficiency of the cutting structure on the drill bit. Accordingly, it is desirable to employ drill bits which will drill faster and longer, and which are usable over a wider range of formation hardness.

Drill bit cutter elements and drill bits including same


Disclosed is a vibration damper with an adjustable damping force and a method of producing the same. The adjustable vibration damper has a container tube to which is connected a shut-off valve arrangement. A damping medium is fed to the shut-off valve arrangement via a high-pressure partial length, an intermediate tube, if required, which is arranged inside the container tube, wherein the container tube and/or the intermediate tube with a cylinder in which a piston slides axially at a piston rod form the high-pressure partial length, and the container tube and/or the cylinder tube has a tube connection piece as a transition of the high-pressure partial length to the shut-off valve arrangement. The tube connection piece in at least one of the tubes forming the transition is constructed as a separate structural component part having a flange which contacts the inner region of the tube and projects through an opening in the tube.

The invention is in a vibration damper having an adjustable damping force.
A vibration damper with adjustable damping force is known from DE 40 31 760 A1, wherein a cylinder which is filled with damping fluid is centered in the container of the vibration damper. An inner container tube is arranged between the container and the cylinder to form a bypass duct to a valve arrangement positioned at the container. The inner container tube has an opening in which a connection piece of the valve arrangement is inserted. The transition between the opening and the connection piece is sealed by a sealing body which is placed on the inner container tube from the outside. The sealing body has seals which are inserted therein and which carry out the actual sealing function.
This solution entails two problems which are solved per se, but only at a relatively high cost. First, the hydraulic pressure in the bypass duct works on the connection piece in the lift off direction so that a correspondingly high pretensioning must be exerted on the seals. Further, a specially three-dimensionally curved seal must be inserted between the sealing body and the outer diameter of the cylinder and a correspondingly adapted sealing body itself must be provided for every variant of the cylinder outer diameter.
DE 44 24 433 C1 is directed to an intermediate tube for a vibration damper with adjustable damping force comprising a tube connection piece which has a covering with a valve seat body and forms a hydraulic connection with a controllable valve. Clamped within the tube connection piece is an intermediate ring which, in practice, lengthens the tube connection piece. In comparison to the proposal according to DE 40 31 760 A1, this solution offers the advantage that the opening in which the intermediate ring is clamped can be maintained constant substantially independent from the diameter of the intermediate tube, so that there is an appreciable standardizing effect. However, the materials which are necessary for the clamping action are mostly composed of plastic and are thus relatively sensitive to pressure and temperature.
German Utility Model DE-GM 92 06 568 U1 discloses an intermediate tube with a connection piece which is drawn from the intermediate tube so as to form one piece therewith. In the particular case of longer tube connection piece lengths, a radius is formed at the intermediate tube which provides a transition between the intermediate tube portion and the tube connection piece. In this solution, the flowability of the material imposes limits with respect to the forming of the tube connection piece. Further, a minimum wall thickness must be maintained so that the tube and connection piece can withstand the operating pressures which develop.
DE 44 10 522 A1 shows a hydraulic vibration damper with a jacket tube having a welded in tube connection piece within a collar of the jacket tube. In principle, the welding seam between the tube connection piece and the collar of the jacket tube is checked by means of a pressure test. Moreover, a working step is generally required for cleaning the jacket tube after the welding process.
A different approach is disclosed in DE 41 14 307 A1. A connection face for the tube connection piece is formed integral with the jacket tube in a planar manner, an adjustable bypass valve being welded onto this jacket tube. The tube connection piece is then placed on the plane connection face from the outside for the welding process, wherein the necessary welding seam lies in a plane and is not three-dimensionally curved.
The object of the present invention is to so develop a vibration damper with a shut-off valve arrangement arranged at the container tube such that even high operating pressures and temperatures can be maintained under control while allowing for a standardized application of the invention.

Vibration damper with adjustable damping force


A solar panel mount for installing a solar panel on a roof. The mount generally includes a bracket plate a first surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, two opposite side edges flanking the first surface, wherein at least a portion of one of side edges is in the form of a flange transverse to the first surface; and a base plate attached to the bottom edge of the bracket plate.

Solar energy is an increasingly popular source of electrical energy. Solar energy is typically harvested through the use of solar panels. These solar panels may be mounted on rooftops, such as on the roof of a residential home or commercial building. These rooftops are often covered in shingles or other similar roofing material. Accordingly, the solar panels must be mounted to these roofs such a way as to not disturb the roofing material.
Particular problems arise when the roofing material includes a plurality of tiles or shingles, such as slate tiles, which must first be removed such that the solar panel can be secured directly to the roof, rather than through the tiles. Replacing the plurality of tiles once the solar panel has be secured to the roof is a difficult and arduous process, and significantly increases costs associated with mounting solar panels to roofs with slate tiles. The manufacturing of structurally durable mounting assembly at low cost is another issue for solar panel installation.

HAINING CHUANGYUAN SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY CO, LTD.


A pleated, all poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) filter element (20) incorporating a poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) filter membrane (24) is shown and described. The membrane is supported by an all poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) paper (26) and (28), which permits filtrate to pass through the paper and across the poly(tetrafluoro ethylene) membrane. A sandwich is formed by placing a layer of poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) filter membrane (24) between the two layers of poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) support paper, (26) and (28), and the sandwich is then pleated prior to assembly around a core (14) and between end caps (12) and (18), which are bonded to the poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) paper and poly(tetrafluoro ethylene) filter membrane by a hot-melt process.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of filter elements constructed with poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene); i.e., "PTFE" resin membranes. Membranes made of poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene), such as Teflon.RTM., are used for filtration in the fields of foods, semi-conductors, and the like. These filters are also used in fields where highly reactive chemicals are in use.
2. Related Case
3. The Prior Art
Poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) membrane filters, in a variety of constructions have proven attractive in a variety of fields where the unique properties of poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) resins afford particular advantage. Among the virtues of poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) materials are the chemical inertness and high temperature characteristics.
Poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) membranes are based on stretching, often biaxially, a film of the polymer. Such materials are commercially available from a variety of sources, in a range of properties such as pore diameter, thickness, engineering properties and the like.
Filter cartridges of pleated poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) membranes are known in the art and have proven to be of considerable use, both for the particular properties of the poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) membrane and for the facility and convenience of the cartridge form.
As those of ordinary skill in the art understand, it is desirable to minimize the use of materials other than poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) in the fabrication of such pleated membrane cartridges. While it has not proven possible to date to eliminate all materials other than poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) in such cartridges, it has been possible to substitute other fluorocarbon polymers which offer some of the properties of poly tetra-fluoro ethylene), in combination with true thermoplastic characteristics which enable the fabrication of pleated membrane cartridges.
Poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) membranes require structural support to withstand the stresses of filtration. In pleated cartridges, the membrane is ordinarily sandwiched between porous webs of other materials which provide adequate structural characteristics to protect the membrane.
Such pleated membrane filter cartridges made wholly of fluorocarbon resins are known in the prior art as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,041, issued to Miyagi, et al. Miyagi, et al. teach the use of a poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) membrane as the essential filter medium. The filter element is produced by pleating a sandwich-form shape comprising a filter membrane made of poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) resin and fluorocarbon thermoplastic polymer net mesh supports extruded of thermoplastic fluorocarbon resin superimposed on both surfaces thereof. The material is then formed into a pleat and hot melt bonded at the edges of the pleats into a cylinder. Such extruded mesh netting of poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) is not known, and other fluoropolymers, such as TFE, PFA, FEP, ETFE, PVDF, ECTFE, PVT, and blends of such thermoplastic fluoropolymers are employed.
Another example of a prior art fluorocarbon filter is found in United Kingdom patent application GB 2,152,399A, Flaherty, et al., published Aug. 7, 1985, wherein a filter medium is constructed using a membrane and screen sandwiched together. This disclosure is quite close to Miyagi, et al., supra, with whom Flaherty, et al., is presently involved in an Interference. The extruded fluoropolymer screen provides structural support for the poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) membrane. The import of Flaherty, et al., is cumulative to that of Miyagi, et al.
The extruded fluorocarbon thermoplastic polymer mesh or net screens employed by Miyagi, et al., and by Flaherty, et al., have several disadvantages. The thermoplastic fluoropolymer is not poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene), first and foremost, and cannot offer the chemical inertness, thermal stability and related properties afforded by poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene). In addition, such extruded screens are relatively thick, on the order of about 0.3 mm to about 0.75 mm. As a consequence, the effective surface area of the poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) membrane in the pleated structure is limited by the bulk of the non-poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) support.
Another attempt to construct a porous fibrous fluorocarbon filter is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,074, issued to Hurley, et al. In this structure, poly(tetra-fluro ethylene), PTFE fibers are assembled into a web with a fluorocarbon binder. The fluorocarbon binder is cured in order to hold the poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) in place.
The poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) web taught by Hurley, et al., employs lesser amounts of material other than poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene), and is relatively thin. The fluoropolymer adhesive relied upon to bond the web has the great disadvantage of becoming dislodged, however, as an inherent characteristic of adhesives or other materials bonded to the surface of poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) materials, noted for their "non-stick" properties. As a consequence, the Hurley, et al., web results in a contamination of the filtrate with loosened bits of the fluoropolymer adhesive and, in some cases, with loosened poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) fibers. In the uses for which such cartridges are most often employed, such filtrate contamination is unacceptable.
In Japanese patent JP 63165598, there is disclosed a method of construction of a fluorofiber paper. A fluorofiber paper (PTFE paper) is constructed by orienting fluorofibers in random directions and bonding them together by hot melt bonding. The manufacturing method comprises making a fluorofiber containing paper by subjecting the fluorofibers and temporary extractable binding agent to wet-mix paper making, drying, and then hot-pressing the paper at the softening point of the thermoplastic fluorofiber or at a higher temperature to hot-glue them together. Next, the temporary extractable binding agent is removed by dissolving it with a solvent and washing, and re-drying if necessary. By this method, a fluorofiber web is constructed. The fluorofiber disclosed can be PTFE, TFE, PFA, FEP, ETFE, PVDF, ECTFE, PVT, and blends thereof.
This application discloses that a fluorofiber paper is obtained which exhibits superior characteristics of fluororesins such as heat resistance, chemical resistance, noncombustibility, electrical insulation, and non-stickiness. The paper may be used in various applications such as filter media, heat insulation materials, spacers, insulation materials, and non-sticking materials in diverse industrial fields. The application, however, makes no disclosure as to the strength of poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) paper or of properties suitable for support of membranes in pleated cartridge construction. Because poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) is not readily processed by thermoplastic techniques, it is unclear that poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) fibers are contemplated for use per se or only in blends with other thermoplastic fluorocarbon polymers.
As no example is given which employs poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) fibers, and little information or guidance is provided concerning the use of poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) fibers in the invention, it is not apparent from Japanese Patent JP 63165598 that the requirements of a membrane support medium are provided. The suggestion of usage as a filter medium implicitly suggests, to those of ordinary skill in the art, that a support should be considered if the paper is employed in such usage.
The art has recognized the limitations and shortcomings of the fluoropolymer mesh support employed by Miyagi, et al., and by Flaherty, et al., but efforts eliminate non-PTFE components and constituents completely from the support have not heretofore succeeded.
In the Hurley, et al., effort to improve on the extruded mesh support, the physical demands imposed on the support structure in filtration service led to reliance on adhesives to bond poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) fibers into a web. As already noted, the familiar non-stick properties of poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) materials has led to sloughing of particles of the adhesive material, and ultimately of poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) fibers, into the filtrate. Such filtrate contamination is quite unacceptable in most applications for poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) membrane filter cartridges and has severely circumscribed the acceptance of the Hurley, et al., product.
The desirability of an all poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) filter medium, based on both membrane and support made from all-PTFE materials, and free of other, non-PTFE, materials has, until the present invention, remained unfilled.

Pleated poly(tetra-fluoro ethylene) filter cartridge


Disclosed are bioactive substances useful for the delivery of effector units in animals. Also disclosed are methods for utilizing the bioactive substances of the invention.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the delivery of bioactive substances. In particular, the invention relates to the delivery of effector units in animals, and to the modulation of their release.
2. Summary of the Related Art
Drugs are compounds almost always foreign to the body. The processes of inputting, distributing and eliminating drugs are therefore of paramount importance in determining the onset, duration and intensity of drug effect. Hence, in the context of drug development, the ability to modulate the rate at which a particular drug becomes systemically available, and to direct its bioavailability to a particular tissue are often of crucial significance. Pharmakokinetic, pharmacological and toxological constraints create the need to modulate drug delivery to minimize side effects or to optimize drug efficacy.
Drug delivery involves both drug absorption (the process of movement from the site of administration toward systemic circulation) and drug distribution or bioavailability (the process by which a drug becomes available at the site of action. Direct placement of a drug into the bloodstream (usually i.v.) ensures complete delivery of the dose to the general circulation only. Because drug distribution to other tissues is often delayed, direct administration may result in the accumulation of high plasma concentrations of the drug administered immediately postinfusion. Notably, high plasma concentrations (beyond the therapeutic window for a particular drug regiment) often cause a wide variety of toxic drug reactions which are dose-related. In addition, for many drugs and/or metabolites, distribution to the active site or tissue necessitate movement across biological barriers, for example via passive diffusion, facilitated diffusion or pinocytosis. For most drugs, distribution is not limited to the desired site (i.e., the site of action) thereby reducing their efficacy and increasing the chances of undesirable side effects.
Therefore, there is a need to develop delivery systems and methods suitable to control drug release following administration and to direct drug diffusion through biological barriers in a selective fashion. Gene therapy, and more specifically antisense therapy, is emblematic of a promising pharmacological approach for which there is a pressing need to control drug release and direct drug delivery to particular sites of action.
The potential for using oligonucleotides as inhibitors of specific gene expression in an antisense therapeutic approach was first suggested in the late ""70s. (Paterson et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74: 4370-4374 (1977); Zamecnik and Stephenson, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75: 280-284 and 285-288 (1978)). To date, the ability of antisense oligonucleotides to inhibit virus propagation has become firmly established. (See e.g., Agrawal, Trends in Biotechnology 10: 152-158 (1992). Antisense oligonucleotides have also been developed as anti-parasitic agents. (See e.g., PCT publication no. WO93/13740; Tao et al., Antisense Research and Development 5: 123-129 (1995)). More recently, antisense oligonucleotides have shown promise as candidates for therapeutic applications for diseases resulting from expression of cellular genes. (See e.g., PCT publication no. WO95/09236, PCT publication no. WO94/26887, and PCT application no. PCT/US94/13685). The development of various antisense oligonucleotides as therapeutic and diagnostic agents has recently been reviewed by Agrawal and Iyer, Current Opinion in Biotechnology 6: 12-19 (1995).
Much is currently being discovered about the pharmacodynamic properties of oligonucleotides. Agrawal et al., Clinical Pharmacokinetics 28: 7-16 (1995) and Zhang et al., Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 58: 44-53 (1995). Some of these new studies have led to new challenges to be overcome for the optimization of oligonucleotides as therapeutic agents. Such optimization should include elimination or reduction of cardiovascular side effects and in vivo instability problems. Henry et al., Pharm. Res. 11: PPDM8082 (1994) discloses that oligonucleotides may potentially interfere with blood clotting. Cardiovascular side effects are believed to stem from high plasma concentrations of oligonucleotides which have been observed immediately postinfusion. Effective in vivo stability of oligonucleotides is affected by both their degradation and their elimination. With respect to in vivo stability of oligonucleotides, it has been shown that following intravenous administration to mice, rats or monkeys, oligonucleotides are degraded mainly from the 3xe2x80x2- end. (Temsamani et al., Antisense and Nucleic Acid Drug Development (in press)). Notably, because of instability considerations, higher dosages of oligonucleotides are necessary. Gailbraith et al., Antisense Research and Development 4:201-206 (1994) discloses complement activation and depletion by phosphorothioate oligonucleotides. Recently, several studies on elimination of oligonucleotides have been published. Agrawal et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 88: 7595-7599 (1991) describes the intravenous and intraperitoneal administration of a 20 mer phosphorothioate linked-oligonucleotide to mice. In this study, approximately 30% of the administered dose was excreted in the urine over the first 24 hours with accumulation preferentially in the liver and kidney. Plasma half-lives ranged from about 1 hour (txc2xdxcex1) and 40 hours (txc2xdxcex2), respectively. Similar results have been reported in subsequent studies (Iversen, Anti-Cancer Drug Design 6:531-538(1991); Iversen, Antisense Res. Devel. 4:43-52 (1994); and Sands, Mol. Pharm. 45:932-943 (1994)).
Dehydration and elimination of many other drugs may also affect their efficacy and therapeutic window. Therefore, there remains a need to develop more effective therapeutic methods for modulating the release and direct the delivery of drugs which can be easily manipulated to fit the animal and condition to be treated while producing fewer side effects.
This invention relates to bioactive substances with enhanced pharmakokinetic properties and to their use in biomedical applications. In particular, the invention relates to substances including carriers for the delivery of effector units in animals, and for the modulation of the release of the same. The present inventor has discovered that bioreversible association of a bioactive substance with a hyperstructure forming unit allows modulated release and directed delivery of the bioactive substance. Thus, the invention provides compounds and methods for modulating the release and direct the delivery of drugs which can be easily manipulated to fit the animal and condition to be treated while producing fewer side effects.
In a first aspect, the invention provides a bioactive substance including a hyperstructure forming unit and an effector unit, wherein there is an operable association between the hyperstructure forming unit and the effector unit.
In a preferred embodiment, the bioactive substance is an oligonucleotide including the bioreversibly attached nucleic acid sequence GGGG or GTGT capable of aggregating with other oligonucleotides in such a way as to assemble hyperstructures of two or more oligonucleotides.
In a second aspect, the invention provides methods for delivering the effector units of this invention. In a preferred embodiment of this aspect, the invention provides a method for delivering an effector unit in an animal, including a human, comprising administering to the animal a therapeutically effective amount of a bioactive substance according to the present invention, for a therapeutically effective period of time.
In a third aspect, the invention provides a method for investigating the biochemical and biophysical roles of particular genes. In the method according to this aspect of the invention, a bioactive substance with a nucleic acid sequence complementary to a target sequence of interest, is introduced in the cell type of interest. The bioactive substance of this invention can be administered at different points in the cell cycle, or in conjunction with promoters or inhibitors of cell growth to determine the role of the target sequence in the growth of the cell type of interest.


A preferred clamshell press (10) includes a changeover apparatus (12) for shifting the tool support chase (22) between an operating position and a shifted position in which the chase (22) is positioned for facilitating tool changing thereon while remaining coupled with the machine body (14). The changeover apparatus (12) includes a tracking assembly (26) having rollers (40) received in guide tracks (32) in the side edges of the chase (22) for guiding the chase (22) during shifting, and an actuator (28) using hydraulic cylinders (42, 44) to shift the chase (22). The apparatus (12) further includes registration slots (62, 66) and corresponding registration tabs (60, 64) for ensuring registration between the chase (22) and the machine body (14) in the operating position, and a locking mechanism (56) for locking the chase (22) in the operating position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of presses such as platen, converting, die-cutting, foil stamping and embossing presses. In particular, the invention is concerned with a changeover apparatus for shifting the tool support chase between an operating position for operations and a shifted position in which the chase is positioned for facilitating tool changing thereon while remaining coupled with the machine body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art clamshell presses include a honeycomb plate or chase to which tooling is mounted for die-cutting operations. The chase can weigh 150 pounds or more and is sometimes heated. The configuration of a clamshell press is such that the chase may require removal in order to change the tooling and then replaced and aligned such tool. Because of the weight of the chase and its temperature, removal may require use of a hoist and repositioning sometimes requires two people. The retooling process can take upwards of an hour during which time the press is idle.

Clamshell press having shiftable honeycomb chase