To provide a communication device that can operate conveniently in use in either of a first operation mode for unassisted operation and a second operation mode for operation under the control of an external data processor, disclosed is a communication device for communicating in video and audio with another communication device, comprising a mode setting unit for setting a first operation mode for unassisted operation or a second operation mode for operation under the control of an external data processor, an external connection interface for connecting with the external data processor, an operation unit, a communication unit for exchanging information with the other terminal device, a video input unit, a video output unit, an audio input/output unit, and a control unit that operates in accordance with an operation through the operation unit and outputs video data to be displayed to the video output unit in the first operation modes, and operates in accordance with control commands received from the external data processor through the external connection interface and transfers video data to be displayed to the external data processor in the second operation mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communication terminal devices and control methods thereof.
2. Related Background Art
Video conference systems based on personal computers have already been marketed. For example, Japanese Patent Application (Laid-Open) Nos. 9-200722 and 10-42178 by the applicant same as the assignee of the present application disclose such a system, which comprises a CODEC (coder and decoder) board and an ISDN (integrated services digital network) board each inserted in an extension slot of a computer, and a camera with a pan head, and includes software that operates on the computer. In such the conventional art, a monitor screen displays an operation panel as well as an image obtained through a camera. A user can control the camera operation such as panning, tilting, zooming, and focusing by manipulating a mouse and a keyboard attached to the computer. This type of video conference system based on personal computer is called DVC (desktop video conference system) type.
On the other hand, there are video conference systems that operate standalone with no computer. For example, such systems are available from Polycom as ViewStation (TM) and from PictureTel as SwiftSite II (TM). These systems are each operated through a remote controller and an image is displayed on a TV screen. The remote controller is provided with upward, downward, leftward, and rightward direction keys, a set key, a cancel key, and a menu key as its main functional keys, and additionally with a shortcut key. This type of video conference system is called STB (set top box) type because its main controller is set on a TV receiver in most cases.
Conventional DVC type video conference terminal devices have the following problems. In DVC type, installation of hardware and software into a personal computer is troublesome and highly expert knowledge of personal computer is required. Compatibility with a display card installed in the computer may come into question. Besides, even when a user wants to use the device soon, the computer must be powered first. The user must wait for start-up of the operating system and further for start-up of the dedicated application software. It requires a considerably long time.
On the other hand, STB type video conference terminal devices that operate standalone have the following problems. First, since a remote controller is used as the main control system of each device, it is unsuitable for complicated input operation. Particularly in case of making a telephone directory with Chinese characters and so on being input, the operation becomes complicated and troublesome. That is, the operability of the input means is bad. Secondly, since a remote controller is used as the main control system of each device, when two or more video conference terminal devices are close to one another, they may operate at once in response to a control signal from one remote controller and thereby be thrown into confusion. Thirdly, since a TV monitor is generally used for the display of each device, its display performance such as resolution is apt to be insufficient. In particular, a font larger than a certain size must be used for displaying a reproduced Chinese character or the like. If not so, the displayed character may be influenced by a flicker or have a blur on its profile, whereby it becomes hard to read. Fourthly, since the recording capacity of data is hard to be increased, in case of adding a static image capture function, an animation recording function, or the like, the number of images to be recorded, the recording time, or the like is apt to be limited. That is, there is a certain limit of storage capacity.

Communication terminal device and control method thereof


An electric motor including: a first and second linear actuator, each linear actuator including a first and second coil respectively, a rotational shaft, a cam assembly mounted on the rotational shaft for translating linear movement of the two linear actuators to rotational movement of the rotational shaft, a controller programmed to generate during operation a first and second drive signal for first coil and second coil respectively, wherein the first drive signal causes the first linear actuator to generate a first torque on the rotational shaft that varies periodically over a complete rotation of the shaft and the second drive signal causes the second linear actuator to generate a second torque on the rotational shaft that varies periodically over a complete rotation of the shaft, and wherein the sum of the first and second torques produces a total torque that is substantially constant throughout the complete rotation of the shaft.

Lorentz-type motors exploit the basic principle that a charged particle moving in a magnetic field experiences a force in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement. Stated mathematically: F=qvXB, where F is force, q is the charge of the charged particle, v is the instantaneous velocity of the particle, and B is the magnetic field. So, if a current is flowing through a wire and a magnetic field is applied in perpendicular direction, the wire experiences a force trying to move it sideways.
A simple configuration that harnesses this principle is a coil encircling a magnetic core made of permanent magnets. The coil, referred to as the actuator, is arranged to be capable of sliding back and forth along the length of the magnetic core or magnetic stator. In that configuration, flowing a current though the coil results in a force on the coil pushing it in one direction along the length of the magnetic core. Reversing the direction of current flow causes the coil to move in the opposite direction. The magnitude of the current determines the strength of the force. And the shape of the current waveform determines how the force changes over time. With such an arrangement, by applying an appropriate current waveform to the coil, one can make the coil move back and forth along the magnetic core in a controlled manner. The controlled movement of the actuator can, in turn, be used to perform work.


Terminals (14) are connected to electric wires (13), a connector housing (12) has chambers (11) for accommodating the terminals (14) and an opening (12a) for passing the electric wires (13), and a soft sealing material (15) seals the opening (12a) with its sealing configuration. The soft sealing material (15) has insertion holes (21) for the terminals (14) to be inserted therethrough to the chambers (11), and is deformed from its initial configuration in which a respective insertion hole (21) is larger in section than a corresponding terminal (14), to the sealing configuration in which the respective insertion hole (21) has an identical section to an electric wire (13) connected to the corresponding terminal (14).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof connector of a type in which a connector housing has a terminal accommodation chamber sealed with a xe2x80x9cbody of elastic and soft sealing materialxe2x80x9d (hereafter simply called xe2x80x9csoft sealing materialxe2x80x9d), as well as to a fabrication method of the same.
2. Description of Relevant Art
This type of waterproof connector is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 64-63282.
A conventional waterproof connector of the type comprises a connector housing formed with a number of terminal accommodation chambers having a wire draw-out opening or outlet, a number of terminals accommodated in the chambers and connected to electric wires inset through the outlet, and a soft sealing material for sealing the wire outlet of the chambers. The soft sealing material comprises a body of gel, such as of a silicon, filling up gaps between the wires and walls of the outlet, getting in tight-contact with circumferences of the wires and the outlet walls, preventing water drops or droplets from invading the terminal accommodation chambers along wire circumferences and/or outlet walls.
The soft sealing material is inset at a side of the housing where the wires are drawn out. It is kept from falling off, with a retention member engaging with a rear end part of the housing. The sealing material has a plurality of normally close cross-cut slits provided therethrough for the terminals to be guided therealong inside the accommodation chambers, as well as for the wires to be sealed watertight with cut surfaces of the slits contacting thereon. The slits have corresponding positions to the terminal accommodation chambers.
For assemblage, the soft sealing material is first inserted from a rear end opening of the wire outlet and set in the outlet, where it is brought into watertight contact with walls of the outlet, before the retention member is likewise set.
Then, the terminals, which have been attached to the wires in a separate process, are applied at their front ends into rear ends of the cross slits, and are pushed forward through the slits, with forces, so that they are guided toward and fit inside the terminal accommodation chambers and the wires are provided through the sealing material, extending along the slits.
As the terminals are pushed, they scrape off surfaces of the slits in the soft sealing material, carrying scraps of the material inside the terminal accommodation chambers. Such scraps constitute an obstacle to the connection between the above terminals and mating terminals, and increase contact resistances therebetween. Further, scraped surfaces of the slits cause a deteriorated performance of the waterproof connector.
The present invention has been achieved with such points in view.
It therefore is an object of the invention to provide a waterproof connector free of scrapes of a soft sealing material by a terminal, as well as of scraps of the soft sealing material carried in a terminal accommodation chamber.
It also is an object of the invention to provide a method for fabrication of a waterproof connector to be free of scrapes of a soft sealing material by a terminal, as well as of scraps of the soft sealing material carried in a terminal accommodation chamber.
To achieve the object, an aspect of the invention provides a waterproof connector comprising a terminal connected to an electric wire, a housing having a chamber for accommodating the terminal and an opening for passing the electric wire, a soft sealing body for sealing the opening with a sealing configuration thereof, the soft sealing body having an insertion hole for the terminal to be inserted therethrough to the cahmber, and means for deforming the soft sealing body from an initial configuration thereof, where the insertion hole is larger in section than the terminal, to the sealing configuration, where the insertion hole has an identical section to the electric wire.
According to the aspect of the invention, the terminal connected to the electric wire can be inserted to the chamber through the insertion hole which is larger in section than the terminal in the initial configuration of the soft sealing body, without scraping an inside of the insertion hole nor carrying scraps to the chamber, before a deformation of the soft sealing body to the sealing configuration in which the insertion hole has an identical section to the electric wire, so that an effective sealing is achieved around the electric wire, as well as to the opening.
To achieve the object, another aspect of the invention provides a waterproof connector fabrication method comprising the steps of providing a housing having a chamber with an opening, connecting a terminal to an electric wire, providing a soft sealing body with an initial configuration thereof having an insertion hole larger in section than the terminal, inserting the terminal through the insertion hole to the chamber, thereby accommodating the terminal in the chamber with the electric wire passing the opening, and deforming the soft sealing body from the initial configuration thereof to a sealing configuration thereof in which the insertion hole has an identical section to the electric wire, thereby sealing the opening.
According to this aspect also, there can be achieved like effects to that aspect.

Waterproof connector and fabrication method thereof


A system may include a processor and an antenna array including antenna radiating elements. The processor may be configured to: receive first, second, third, and fourth measurement coding matrixes; calculate a reference encoding matrix with coherent signal leakage de-embedded by subtracting the fourth measurement coding matrix from the third measurement coding matrix; calculate a differential encoding matrix providing twice a signal-to-noise ratio by adding the first measurement coding matrix and the second measurement coding matrix; calculate a differential matrix decoded back to conventional Hadamard matrix by subtracting the differential encoding matrix providing twice a signal-to-noise ratio from the reference encoding matrix with coherent signal leakage de-embedded; calculate complex calibration coefficients for the antenna radiating elements by multiplying an inverse Hadamard matrix by the differential matrix decoded back to conventional Hadamard matrix; and program the antenna array with amplitude and phase offsets computed from the complex calibration coefficients.

Antenna technology is rapidly progressing in the area of antenna arrays (e.g., active phased array antennas, commonly referred to as electronically steered antennas (ESAs)), that employ either digital or analog beamforming technologies to control the gain and phase settings of individual antenna elements (e.g., radiating elements) in order to electronically steer the resulting beam.
This physical arrangement of many small beam forming devices in a single system allows for functionality that previously required larger passive (e.g., slotted waveguide) antennas, accompanied by mechanical hardware, to physically point the antenna at a target location. Among other advantages in signal processing (such as dual polarization and utilizing multiple beams) this technology also improves control over directionality, which leads to improvement in Low Probability of Intercept (LPI) and Low Probability of Detection (LPD).
Along with this new technology comes new challenges for system calibration of ESAs. Calibration is a necessary process for accurate performance and compensation of manufacturing variations.
Existing methods to calibrate ESAs use Near Field (NF) and Far Field (FF) approaches. Both of these require anechoic chambers of significant facility size with accurate positioning systems to translate receiver and emitter sources (e.g., an electromagnetic field probe) across known coordinate space relative to the ESA. Both are time consuming processes to complete.

System and method for calibrating antenna array


A rotary multi-tooth milling cutter, each tooth having a tooth face is provided. The tooth face has at least two sections, a first section nearest the cutting edge having a convex form as viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the cutter axis and a second section in a concave form.

Milling cutters are rotatable tools of cylindrical, conical, shaped or disk form, having a plurality of cutting edges. Such cutters are available in many forms, such as plain cylindrical, side milling cutters, face and end mills, formed cutters, and standard and special shaped profile cutters. High speed steel cutters are used for short production runs, carbide cutters are often used for long runs. One form of a cutting insert is described by Satran in U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,670. Similarly for lathe tools, each cutting edge has a clearance angle which is always positive, and a rake angle which is often positive, but may be zero or negative, for example when the cutter tooth is made of a hard grade of tungsten carbide and machining is carried out at high speeds yet without a coolant. Also similar to lathe tools, the recommended relief angles and rake angles depend both on the material to be machined and the material of which the cutter is made.
Much experimentation in the course of about a century has been carried out in an effort to find the best tool tip angle for milling metals. A tool tip that has too small an included nose angle will fail to dissipate heat and quickly reach temperatures causing softening and a sharp reduction of operating life, and/or tool failure. Also, such a tool is liable to vibrate, generate noise and may even break. Conversely a tool tip having too large a cutting angle may fail to cut without the application of high cutting forces. Both too large and too small a tooth tip angle can cause the production of a poor surface finish. Standard textbooks, such as "TOOL ENGINEERS HANDBOOK" and "MACHINERY'S HANDBOOK" provide tables of recommendations for these angles, these being based on much experience and practical tests.
Much research has been carried out to determine the largest possible volume of metal removed before tool failure, in relation to a chosen cutting speed. There are however so many additional factors involved, such as workpiece machinability rating, which itself is a function of both material type and heat treatment, tooth form, cutter size, number of teeth and cutter material, machine tool power available at the cutter and machine tool rigidity, cutter rigidity, coolant type and flow rate, surface finish required, feed rate chosen, and depth and width of cut that results published for one application are difficult to relate to other applications even where the basic type of work, e.g. milling, is the same. It is however clear that tool tip heating Is detrimental to long tool life, and anything that can be done to reduce the temperature of the tool tip will bring its reward in increased tool life.
A type of cutter used extensively is, for example, the cylindrical high speed steel and solid carbide end mill, which usually has helical teeth and a tooth face having a rake angle in the range of for example 150 degrees. The cutting face, as viewed in cross-section is usually a single concave curve extending without break from the tooth root to the cutting edge. A disadvantage of this tooth form is that there occurs extensive rubbing of the chip against the tooth rake face resulting in high power consumption, and the production of more heat than necessary which causes tool softening. It is of course the function of the liquid coolant to remove such heat, but studies have shown that the coolant never reaches the actual cutting edge which is most in need of cooling. In practice the coolant removes heat from the body of the tool and from the workplace, and heat is transferred by conduction from the hot cutting edge to the tool body. Tool steels are only moderately good heat conductors, so there is often a problem of too short a tool life due to a hot cutting edge.
A further problem is often encountered when using an end mill to machine a closed slot in ductile materials such as aluminum, copper, mild steel and brass in their annealed state. Chips do not clear easily out of the space between the milling cutter teeth, despite the fact that, as opposed to lathe tools, milling cutters always produce discrete chips. The conventional tooth shape previously mentioned is not helpful with regard to chip clearance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A communication device has an interface for receiving coded image data, and a decoder for decoding the received image data. The interface receives a first signal including a first parameter of a coding system by which the image data are coded and then receives a second signal including a second parameter of the coding system. The decoder decodes the coded image data according to the second parameter, regardless of whether the second parameter is consistent with the first parameter or not.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Facsimile communication by the transmission of image data over public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) is a known art. There are various standards about a communication method in facsimile communication. For example, a coding method developed by the Joint Bi-level Image Experts Group (JBIG) for use in facsimile communication is incorporated into the Telecommunication Standardization Sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) recommendations T.82 and T.85. Procedures of facsimile communication are standardized in ITU-T recommendation T.30.
Facsimile machines can transmit and receive image data correctly when facsimile communication is carried out according to these standards. An exemplary facsimile machine that makes a connection to the PSTNs, transmits facsimile image data coded by the JBIG method, decodes received facsimile image data that have been coded by the JBIG method and prints facsimile images according to the decoded data is described by Hanada et al. in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-69834.
Although facsimile communication is normally carried out according to the recommended standards, many different types of facsimile machines are connected to the PSTNs, so a facsimile machine that complies with the recommendations sometimes finds itself communicating with a non-compliant facsimile machine. When facsimile communication departs from the recommended standards, it can be difficult to decode the received data correctly and print the intended facsimile image.

Communication device and method for decoding image data


A surgical tensioning device for tensioning a tensioning element, such as a cable, that secures bone elements in position. The device includes a handle, a slide housed within the handle, and a holding element that is held on the slide. The slide is movable back and forth in a tensioning direction and contrary to the tensioning direction. The holding element secures the tensioning element on the slide during a movement of the slide in the tensioning direction. During a movement of the slide contrary to the tensioning direction, a blocking element held on the handle blocks a movement of the tensioning element contrary to the tensioning direction, and the holding element releases the tensioning element. The device is easily handled, and the tensioning of the tensioning element is not limited by the path of displacement of the slide.

The invention relates to a surgical tensioning device for tensioning a tensioning means securing bone elements in position, comprising a handle and a slide which is movable back and forth in tensioning direction and on which a holding element securing the tensioning means on the slide during a movement of the slide in tensioning direction is held.
Tensioning devices of this type are used, in particular, with the application of so-called cerclage devices, with the aid of which the bone elements to be secured in position, for example, during the repositioning of oblique fractures are wrapped around by a tensioning means, for example a metal strap or a wire cable, and subsequently connected to one another and secured in position by tensioning the tensioning means. The cerclage devices are customarily premanufactured such that a first end of, for example, a wire cable is fixed to a cerclage locking member and the second, free end of the wire cable can be guided around the bone elements to be fixed in position, thereby forming a loop, and subsequently through a through bore in the cerclage locking member. With the aid of the tensioning device, the wire cable can subsequently be tensioned, wherein the housing of the tensioning device is supported on the cerclage locking member.
Surgical tensioning devices are known from U.S. Pat. Nos. specifications 5,116,340 and 4,966,600, in which the wire cable is tensioned by winding around a capstan. The capstan is held for rotation on a handle of a pair of pliers attachable to the cerclage locking member. In order to tension the wire cable, the mouth of the pliers must be clamped to the cerclage locking member and the free end of the wire cable subsequently threaded into the capstan, onto which the wire cable is then wound by turning a handle. The handling of this surgical tensioning device is thus rather complicated.
A difficult and time-consuming handling is a great disadvantage, in particular, when a larger number of cerclage devices are utilized during an operation and these are first of all fixed in position only temporarily in order to be able to subsequently correct the position of the bone elements to be fixed in position with cerclage devices which have already been applied. This operating technique is used, for example, in the field of spine surgery. In order to be able to carry out a correction of the spine by tensioning the cerclage devices, an intraoperative, temporary fixing in position of the cerclage devices must be possible which allows subsequent tensioning and correction. As a result, the surgical tensioning device must often be reapplied to the loose ends of the wire cable. The use of a capstan for winding and tensioning the wire cable results in a time-consuming operating technique.
Tensioning devices with two telescoping housing sections are known (U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,410, Wo 95/22294), wherein a first housing section can be supported on the cerclage locking member and a second housing section is displaceable in tensioning direction. The free end of the wire cable is guided axially through the tensioning device and secured on the second housing section. A construction of this type has, in particular, the disadvantage that the wire cable can be tensioned only to such an extent until the maximum path of displacement of the second housing section has been reached.
Finally, surgical tensioning devices are also known (U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,113, WO 95/05127), in which a slide, which is displaceable in tensioning direction and to which the free end of the wire cable can be secured by means of a holding element, is used instead of two telescoping housing sections. The holding element is designed such that the wire cable is fixed in position on the slide during a movement of the slide in tensioning direction. These tensioning devices are also subject to the disadvantage described above that the tensioning of the wire cable which can be achieved is limited to the path of displacement of the slide.


A DSL communication method and apparatus provides mutual communications between a user-site DSL modem and a provider-site router by using an existing two-wire telephone line and an existing DSL communication technology. In the DSL modem, a plurality of virtual channel values are correlated to a PPP connection between the modem and the router. Input IP data is received and the IP data is output according to a priority class defined for a sender IP data contained in the input IP data. An ATM cell is generated in which one of the plurality of virtual channel values corresponding to the sender IP data of the input IP data is assigned to the output IP data. The resulting ATM cell is transmitted from the modem to a DSL circuit connected to the router.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) communication method and apparatus that provides communications between a user model and an ISP (Internet Service Provider) router for DSL services by using an existing two-wire telephone line and an existing DSL communication technology.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the expectation for ADSL (Asymmetric DSL) services is increasing by rapid growth of the Internet services.
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an ADSL system that uses a conventional communication method. In this ADSL system, a personal computer 11 for Internet Web access and a personal computer 12 for IP telephone service are connected to an ADSL modem 14 over an LAN at the user premises. The ADSL modem 14 is connected to an office-side DSLAM (DSL Access Multiplexer) 16 via an ADSL circuit.
In the ADSL system of FIG. 1, the ADSL modem 14 processes the various communication protocols for Internet connection. The DSLAM 16 carries out the multiplexing and termination of the ADSL circuit. The DSLAM 16 is connected to an ATM switch 18. The ATM switch 18 is connected to an ISP (Internet Service Provider)-site router 20 that is provided as an ISP access server. In the example of FIG. 1, the router 20 is installed for a specific Internet service provider ISP1. Generally, the router of this type is installed for each of various Internet service providers. The router 20 performs the routing of IP data, the user authentication for Internet connection and the protocol conversion. The user-site ADSL modem 14 is connected to the Internet by means of the router 20.
With the conventional ADSL service, it does not have the function to deal with IP data for Web access and IP data for IP telephone separately. For this reason, when the user wishes to use the IP telephone during Web access on a single ADSL circuit, it is impossible to assign the required channel to use the IP telephone as the channel is already used by the IP data for Web access. Thus, the conventional ADSL communication has a problem that the transmission of the IP telephone voice may be delayed or the noise in the IP telephone voice may occur.
With the conventional ADSL service, when a single ISP supports both the IP data for IP telephone and the IP data for Web access, a PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) connection is established between the user-site ADSL modem 14 and the ISP-site router 20. It is necessary that there is the one-to-one correspondence between the VP/VC (virtual path/virtual channel) value assigned and the PPP connection. Then the mutual communication between the modem 14 and the router 20 is carried out to transmit and receive the IP data for IP telephone and the IP data for Web access. In this case, there is no difference in the header information of the ATM cell between the IP data for IP telephone and the IP data for Web access.
Therefore, the modem 14 and the router 20 recognize only the same VC value of the ATM cell for both the IP data for IP telephone and the IP data for Web access. It is impossible to give priority to the transmission of the IP data for IP telephone during the communication of the IP data for Web access. Especially in the DSLAM 16 and the ATM switch 18 wherein only the processing of ATM cell level is performed, if the ATM cell has the same VC value, the same processing must be performed.
FIG. 2 shows the configuration of another ADSL system which uses a conventional communication method.
Conventionally, one conceivable method for raising the quality of the IP data for IP telephone using the existing communication technology is that the two VC1/VC2 leased line connection between the modem 14 and the router 20 be used rather than using the PPP connection, as shown in FIG. 2. However, it is necessary to assign a global IP to the user who uses the leased line connection shown in FIG. 2, and the communication cost needed for the user to receive the ADSL service becomes highly expensive.

Digital subscriber line communication method and apparatus


A method of manufacturing an optical waveguide comprises a first step of laminating, on one major surface of a first glass material, a second glass material to a desired thickness, the second glass material having optical characteristics different from those of the first glass material, a second step of forming the second glass material to have a desired circuit pattern, and a third step of laminating a third glass material having optical characteristics similar to those of the first glass material on an entire surface of the first glass material on which the circuit pattern is formed by the second glass material. In at least one of the first and third steps, the glass material to be laminated is laminated by coupling.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of manufacturing an optical waveguide and more particularly to a method of manufacturing an optical waveguide, in which the number of manufacturing steps is reduced with respect to known manufacturing techniques.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the modern information-orientated society, a great deal of information needs to be exchanged at high speed and optical communication is indispensable for such high-speed exchange of information. The phrase "fiber to the home (FTTH)," is becoming increasingly used to refer to optical communication networks having runs to individual homes.
However, optical waveguides must be formed to very precise tolerances and should meet the following requirements: stability of shape of a core portion, roughness of interface between a core and a cladding, and smallness in amount of near infrared (1.3 to 1.5 .mu.m) light absorbed in glass material of the core and cladding.
A conventional process of manufacturing an optical waveguide comprises many steps such as film forming steps with use of a vacuum apparatus. Examples of conventional steps for manufacturing an optical waveguide will now be described with reference to FIG. 1.
At first, a silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2) substrate 90 which will become a cladding layer of the optical waveguide is prepared (STEP 1).
The upper surface of the SiO.sub.2 substrate 90 prepared in step 1 is coated by CVD (chemical vapor deposition) with a film of a substance having a higher refractive index than SiO.sub.2, e.g. Ge-SiO.sub.2 film, to a thickness of about several .mu.m (STEP 2). The Ge-SiO.sub.2 film 91 will become a core of the optical waveguide.
A photoresist 92 with a thickness of about several .mu.m is coated on the Ge-SiO.sub.2 film 91 deposited in STEP 2 (STEP 3).
The photoresist 92 coated in STEP 3 is exposed with ultraviolet radiation and developed so that the optical waveguide has a desired circuit configuration (STEP 4). Thus, only that portion of the photoresist 92, which corresponds to the desired circuit configuration, is left.
With the photoresist 92 exposed and developed in STEP 4 being used, the Ge-SiO.sub.2 film 91 is etched away (STEP 5). Thus, only that portion of the Ge-SiO.sub.2 film 91, which corresponds to the circuit configuration, is left.
The photoresist 92 left in STEP 4 is removed (STEP 6).
An SiO.sub.2 film 93 with a thickness of about several .mu.m, which will become a cladding layer of the optical waveguide, is coated by CVD on the SiO.sub.2 substrate 90 and Ge-SiO.sub.2 film 91 (STEP 7).
Thus, the optical waveguide, which comprises the SiO.sub.2 substrate 90 serving as cladding, the Ge-SiO.sub.2 film 91 serving as core and the SiO.sub.2 film 93 serving as cladding, is formed.
In STEPS 2 and 7, the coating layers are formed by a so-called deposition process such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), flame hydrolysis deposition (FHD) or physical vapor deposition (PVD), or by a sol-gel method. The etching in STEP 5 is performed by reactive ion etching (RIE), etc. These manufacturing steps are performed by using a vacuum apparatus, and a great deal of time and cost is required.
The above-described conventional method of manufacturing the optical waveguide requires many manufacturing steps and a great deal of time, resulting in a high manufacturing cost. This poses a serious problem in development of optical communication networks.

Method of manufacturing optical waveguide


This invention relates to enhancing plant productivity employing a method and improved compositions containing water-soluble crosslinked polyamino acids having a weight average molecular weight of a size larger than about 1,500. More particularly, crosslinked polyamino acids enhance plant productivity when supplied to the plant directly as the free acid or salt thereof or hydrolyzed from a crosslinked precursor of the crosslinked polyamino acid by the method disclosed. Particularly suitable for this purpose are water-soluble, crosslinked polyaspartic acid, and salts thereof and hydrolyzed crosslinked polysuccinimide.

Organic acids and oligomers thereof have been shown to promote plant growth. Typical promoters of plant growth are described by Kinnersley et al., Plant Growth Regulation, 9, pp. 137-146 (1990) (lactic acid and relatively low molecular weight oligomers of lactic acid); in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,997 to Kinnersley et al. (oligomers of glycolic and/or L-lactic acid) and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,953 to Danzig et al. (oligomers of thiolactic and thioglycolic acids). All of the forgoing approaches to plant growth promotion appear to focus on coordination as a means for increasing plant uptake of compounds vital to the growth of the plant, e.g., micronutrients such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, boron, and the like.
A common approach to promoting plant growth has been, and continues to be, the use of nutrients (fertilizers), natural as well as synthetic. Synthetic nutrients usually provide nitrogen in a plant-usable form, such as urea for example, and/or inorganic nitrates, phosphates, or the like compounds. While such nutrients may be applied, more or less, at the convenience of the farmer, and may be applied as often as deemed desirable, the overuse of synthetic nutrients and the inefficient use of synthetic nutrients are major factors responsible for environmental problems such as eutrophication of groundwater, nitrate pollution, phosphate pollution, and the like. An overview of the undesirable effects of nitrogen fertilizer is presented by Byrnes, Fertilizer Research, 26, pp. 209-215 (1990).
To ameliorate the problems attendant to inefficient nutrient use and nutrient overuse, there is an ongoing desire and need for environmental and production reasons to increase fertilizer efficiency and enhance plant productivity. There is a need, therefore, to maximize the availability, uptake and utilization of plant nutrients while minimizing loss of nutrients or fertilizer elements through leaching, denitrification, vaporization and other mechanisms that prevent assimilation of these nutrients by the biological and physical mechanisms of plants.
The present invention addresses and resolves these problems by methods and compositions which provide a favorable environment for enhancing the utilization of nutrients by germinating or growing plants resulting in enhanced plant productivity.

Method and composition for enhanced plant productivity comprising fertilizer and cross-linked polyamino acid


Disclosed herein is a method of identifying a tumor biomarker. In one example, a tumor biomarker is identified by obtaining a peripheral biological fluid sample from a subject with a tumor as well as a tumor sample and an adjacent non-tumor sample from such subject. A protein expression profile is detected in the peripheral biological fluid sample, tumor sample and adjacent non-tumor sample. The protein expression profiles of the peripheral biological fluid sample, tumor sample and adjacent non-tumor sample are then compared, wherein an increase in expression of a specific protein in the tumor sample and peripheral biological fluid sample but not in the adjacent non-tumor sample indicates that the specific protein is a biomarker of the tumor. Also disclosed herein is a gene profiling signature that can be used to diagnosis a subject with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) or to identify agents with therapeutic potential to treat RCC. Thus, methods of diagnosing a subject with RCC are disclosed. Methods are also provided for identifying agents that alter an activity of a RCC biomarker.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. There is an acute need for cancer biomarkers that can be detected from clinically relevant samples and used for early diagnosis, therapeutic follow-up, and prognosis of malignant diseases. Proteins are principal regulators and effectors of physiologic and pathophysiologic processes. As such, proteomics is expected to play a role in clinical biomarker discovery.
Clinical proteomics is an emerging area of proteome research. For example, to identify cancer biomarkers by analyzing clinically relevant specimens routinely procured from an individual/subject. The ultimate goal of clinical oncoproteomics is to characterize proteins within a tumor environment, as well as peripheral biofluid(s) in specimens obtained from a newly diagnosed cancer subject. Individualized approaches to cancer management demand detailed and robust analyses of that subject's tumor phenotype, for necessary insights to what has been deranged (i.e., key signaling pathways, essential molecular elements). So far, the translation of proteomic assays to applicable diagnostic and/or prognostic tests in clinical oncology has been disappointing.
A number of factors currently hinder MS-based cancer biomarker research/discovery. For example, heterogeneity or variations in specific disease/cancer processes as well as the human population (in general) may introduce biases into complex proteomic datasets hindering subsequent bioinformatic and statistical analyses. Moreover, according to findings reported by the Human Proteome Organization, the dynamic range of the human plasma protein concentration is in the order of 1010 while the dynamic range of contemporary MS instrumentation is 104 at best resulting in a formidable mismatch between the dynamic range of MS instrumentation and the dynamic range of human specimens. Additionally, the majority of the MS-proteomic derived "potential" cancer biomarkers are not directly germane to the tumor under study. Many of these proteins fall into the categories of acute-phase reactants and are not specific to the patho-biology under study. Moreover, some cancers may secrete a protein that is detectable within a fluid sample, while others may only manifest themselves by markers that are detectable within (or in the immediate vicinity of) the tumor. Thus, one type of sample method cannot be used to detect all types of cancer. Therefore, a need exists for oncoproteomic methodologies to rectify these issues and facilitate proteomic profiling of clinical specimens in the context of personalized medicine.

The United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services


Wireless communication systems and methods are provided. One such system includes a server configured to transmit an electronic message to a mobile device via one of a push communication and a non-push communication. The server is further configured to transmit a duplicate of the electronic message to the mobile device via the other of a push communication and a non-push communication. Systems for wireless communication with robots are also provided. One such system includes a user device, a robot interface application, hosted at least partially on a server, and a robot. The robot interface application receives an electronic message from the user device, and transmits the electronic message to the robot via one of a push communication and a non-push communication. The application further transmits a duplicate of the electronic message to the robot via the other of a push communication and a non-push communication.

Wireless communication and commanding with mobile devices is challenging in environments where the wireless signal is not strong and consistent. For example, a telepresence robot navigating through an office environment, based on commands from a remote user, may need to switch from one wireless router (or wireless network) to another as it traverses the office area. Such switching between wireless networks can cause disruption in the communications between the user and the robot. For example, the robot may not receive certain commands from the user, and the user may not receive certain information from the robot. In the example of a telepresence robot, this means the user may not only lose the ability to control the movements of the robot, but may further lose a video, text and/or audio connection with the robot environment.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.


A cosmetic or dermatological cleansing preparation comprising one or more anionic surfactants, one or more gel-forming acrylate thickeners selected from cross-linked, alkali-swellable acrylate copolymers, and, optionally, up to 20% by weight of a mixture of ethoxylated mono-, di- and triglycerides of carboxylic acids having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cosmetic cleansing agents. Such agents are known as such. They are essentially surface active substances or substance mixtures that are offered to the consumer in various preparations.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Preparations of this type are, for example, bubble baths and shower baths, solid and liquid soaps or so-called "syndets" (synthetic detergents), shampoos, pastes for hand washing, intimate cleansing agents, special cleansing agents for small children and the like.
Surface-active materials—best known as the alkali salts of higher fatty acids, thus, the standard "soaps"—are amphiphilic materials that can emulsify organic non-polar substances in water.
These materials not only wash dirt off skin and hair, but they also irritate skin and mucous membranes more or less intensely, depending on the selection of surfactant or surfactant mixture.
The most common surfactant for cosmetic preparations is sodium lauryl ether sulfate. Although it has good washing power and good compatibility with skin and mucous membranes, sensitive persons should avoid frequent contact with it.
A large number of quite mild surfactants is indeed obtainable. However, prior art surfactants are either mild but clean poorly or else they clean well, but irritate skin and mucous membranes.
Thus, remedial measures for these drawbacks were to be provided.
In a special embodiment, the present invention relates to cleansing preparations for use as a shower preparation.
Such preparations are also known as such. These essentially are surface active substances or substance mixtures that are offered to the consumer in various preparations. Preparations of such a type are characterized generally by a more or less high water content, but can also be, for example, a concentrate.
In general, preparations, which are designated for the shower, do not or hardly differ from bathtub preparations, except that higher viscosity products that do not run off the hand after removal from the container are preferred for shower preparations. This is of lesser practical significance with bathtub preparations.
In a simple water bath without added surfactant, a swelling of the skin's horny layer occurs first, whereby the degree of this swelling depends, for example, on the duration of the bath and its temperature. Simultaneously, water-soluble materials, for example, water-soluble dirt components, but also materials intrinsic to skin, which are responsible for the water-binding capability of the horny layer, are washed off or out. In addition, skin fats are also dissolved to a certain extent, and washed out by surfactants intrinsic to the skin. This causes, after initial swelling, a subsequent distinct drying of the skin that can again be intensified by detersive additives.
These processes are generally negligible in healthy skin, because the skin's protective mechanism can compensate easily for such slight disturbances in the upper skin layers. However, in cases of non-pathological deviations from the normal status, for example, caused by environmental wear and tear damage or irritation, light damage, aged skin, etc., the protective mechanism of the skin's upper layer malfunctions. It is then possibly no longer able to fulfill its objective on its own and must be regenerated by external measures.
Therefore, the object of the present invention was to remedy this shortcoming of the prior art. Further, an object of the invention was to make available bath preparations, but also shower preparations, which, on the one hand, have a strong care effect without, on the other hand, the cleansing effect being inferior.
The present invention further relates to detersive hair-cosmetic preparations, commonly called shampoos. In particular, the present invention relates to hair-cosmetic active ingredient combinations and preparations for care of the hair and scalp.
Washing the hair with aggressive surfactants can also stress the hair, at least its outward appearance, or degrade altogether the outward appearance of the hairdo. For example, certain water-soluble hair constituents (for example, urea, uric acid, xanthine, keratin, glycogen, citric acid, lactic acid) are leached out by the hair wash.
The prior art lacked shampoo formulations which provide care in a satisfactory manner for damaged hair. Therefore, an object was to remedy these disadvantages of the prior art as well.
Gels are conventional and just recently ever more widely spread forms of cosmetic and dermatological preparations.
Cosmetic gels enjoy extreme popularity with the consumer. As they are generally transparent, often may be colored, but just as often clear colorless, they offer the cosmetics developer additional design possibilities, which partially have a functional character, but partially also serve solely for the improvement of outward appearance. Thus, for example, interesting optical effects can be conferred on the product, which is offered to the viewer generally in transparent packaging, by incorporated color pigments, gas bubbles and the like, but also larger objects.
Then, if it is desired that the incorporated object(s), if recognizable as such with the naked eye, or may be given visible shapes in microscopic dimensions, but in an interesting arrangement—for example in the form of artificially produced color streaks, it is desirable that these objects remain fixed in the gel formulation, and not sink to the bottom or in any way undertake other unpleasant migrations in the formulations.
Liquids can differ with respect to their rheological properties in their flow and deformation behavior. Ideal elastic structures sustain from external forces an elastic deformation, that causes, on removal of the external force, a spontaneous complete recovery from the deformation. Ideal viscous structures are changed irreversibly in their form by external forces. The increasing deformation is called flowing. Most liquids are neither ideally viscous nor ideally elastic, but show viscous as well as elastic properties and are therefore called viscoelastic substances.
In most viscoelastic solutions, dispersed particles or gas bubbles are always falling or rising. They have a finite structure relaxation time. This means that the networks in these systems react to a deformation with a corresponding shear stress. This, however, is relaxed to the zero value in a finite time, so that the entire solution is again in a stable state of rest without stress. This means further that these solutions have a defined zero viscosity, and therefore, reach a constant viscosity value at low shear rates.
In contrast to these systems, there are also such in which dispersed particles or gas bubbles do not settle. It is noticed that these systems flow only above a characteristic value. This value is called yield point. On closer consideration of the rheological properties of these systems, it is striking that the memory module is independent of the oscillation frequency in the entire frequency range and is always substantially greater than the loss module.
Conversely, the value of the complex viscosity does not reach a constant value even at the smallest frequencies, but increases further.
Carbopol gels are cross-linked acrylic acid polymers which bear a high number of carboxyl groups. In dissolved form, these structures bind water. Neutralization of the carboxyl groups leads, due to their electrostatic repulsion, to an extension and therefore, swelling of the polymer chains. In this condition, Carbopol gels attain their typical rheological properties, such as, for example, development of a yield point.
The action of the development of a yield point is based, therefore, on the electrostatic repulsion of the carboxyl groups, Additional electrolytes shield these charges. Consequently the networks collapse, the yield point breaks down. Particles or gas bubbles can no longer be held in suspension.
Surfactants act like electrolytes. Therefore, it was not possible until now to formulate good, foaming cleansing products having a correspondingly high surfactant content and containing, as the base, clear Carbopol gels having a yield point.
The prior art does indeed already disclose corresponding systems with xanthan gum (for example, EP-A 738 509). These have, however, worse cosmetic properties, relative to the feel of the skin, before and after use. Furthermore, only low viscosities can be achieved at identical use concentration. The design of a gel, which, in addition, has suitable flow properties, usually presents no extremely great difficulties to one of skill in the art, unless high surfactant concentrations are to be achieved, as a rule, a basic requirement in cleansing products. The disadvantage of such high surfactant concentrations is that mostly only cloudy or even opaque products are obtained.
WO 01/19946 discloses detersive recipes that contain a conditioner in addition to a gel-former. WO 01/176552 discloses detersive recipes which involve a combination of certain thickeners with acyl glutamates. However, these publications could not point to the present invention.
Another disadvantage of prior art preparations was the poor compatibility of the gel-former used for stabilization with electrolytes in general and ionic surfactants in particular. Such preparations have correspondingly poor product performance, such as, for example, weak foam formation and an unpleasant feel on skin. Furthermore, such products can mostly not be called truly clear.
To be sure, electrolyte-tolerant and surfactant-tolerant gel-formers do exist by all means, but again as a rule, highly impair skin-feeling, because they must be used in comparatively high concentrations. The object of the present invention was, therefore, to find formulations, which permit preparing elastic, surfactant-containing gels having a satisfactory yield point while simultaneously avoiding a dull skin-feeling during and after use.
In addition, for the development of a yield point that suffices to stably suspend different particles, gas bubbles or effect materials, quantities of gel-formers are used, which also lead to a considerable increase in product viscosity in addition to the development of a yield point or an increase in elastic modulus. This impairs removal by the consumer, draining residues, distributability of the product, and foaming during use.
Therefore, the object of the present invention was to find ways that permit the preparation of elastic, surfactant-containing gels having a satisfactory yield point with simultaneously comparatively low viscosity.
Thus, remedies for these disadvantages of the prior art were to be provided as well.

Foaming preparation with a yield point comprising an anionic surfactant and a cross-linked, alkali swellable acrylate copolymer


The coffee machine for different coffee types requires no preheating time and consumes no energy in the standby mode. It essentially comprises a water supply chamber (1), a pump (5), a continuous flow heater (8) for heating the water and a brewing chamber (10) for receiving the coffee (10'). The continuous flow heater (8) has a low heat capacity and can therefore perform large temperature changes within a short time. In order to obtain the desired water starting temperature, use is made of a control loop. The unheated parts (9-12) along the water path between the continuous flow heater (8) and the coffee (10') are so designed that a minimum amount of heat energy is abstracted from the hot water, but at the same time the parts have an adequate strength.

Coffee machines have a water supply or storage chamber, a heating system for heating the water, a brewing, boiling or scalding chamber for receiving coffee and feed means for feeding water from the water supply chamber into the brewing chamber. Conventional coffee machines differ as a function of the coffee type to be prepared with the corresponding coffee machine. Thus, in espresso coffee machines water is heated and pumped by means of a pump under high pressure (approximately 10 bar) into the brewing chamber and the coffee is finely ground. In Mocha coffee machines the water is supplied in the form of steam through a rising tube to the finely ground coffee in the brewing chamber. The water is also supplied in the form of steam through a rising tube in the case of filter coffee machines, but it condenses again and reaches the fine or ground coffee as a hot liquid and then, under ambient pressure, slowly passes through the filter.
The heating system of conventional coffee machines normally comprises a solid electric heating unit, which is a heat reservoir with a high heat capacity and therefore thermally inert. On the one hand, this is an advantage, because its temperature only decreases slightly when a given water volume flows through it and removes from it a specific heat energy. However, on the other hand, the high heat capacity is a disadvantage, because a large amount of heat energy must be supplied to the electric heating unit in order to raise its temperature to a desired value. After switching on, the conventional coffee machine requires a preheating time lasting a few minutes before it can prepare the first coffee. This preheating time constitutes an irksome time loss for the user.
In order not to have to reheat the electric heating unit prior to each preparation of coffee, heat energy is supplied to it for as long as the coffee machine is switched on. Thus, in the standby mode, the coffee machine constantly requires energy, which it delivers to the environment in a useless manner. If the coffee machine has been switched off for a time, the complete, solid electric heating unit must be heated even for a single coffee preparation and only part of the energy required for this is actually used for preparing the coffee. Thus, in summarizing, it can be stated that conventional coffee machines make uneconomic use of the time of the user and electrical energy.
The problem of the invention is to provide a coffee machine, which firstly requires no preheating time and secondly consumes no energy in the standby mode.
This problem is solved by the coffee machine according to the invention, as defined in the claims. The concept of the coffee machine according to the invention is based on the fact of using a rapidly reacting heating means and to remove the minimum amount of heat energy from the hot water on its path to the coffee. Table 1 shows a comparison of the heating means according to the invention and those of a conventional coffee machine.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Characteristics of the Coffee machine according Conventional heating means to the invention coffee machine ______________________________________ Heat capacity low high Reaction fast slow Temperature change during coffee preparation high ______________________________________ low
Table 1.
The coffee machine according to the invention is to be polyvalent, i.e. able to prepare different coffee types. This means that the parts used along the water path, as regards to the mechanical strength, must be designed for the "worst case", i.e. for high pressure during espresso preparation. The parts used must also be optimized with regards to mechanical and thermal characteristics and in part account must be taken of contradictory criteria, so as to combine them in a compromise solution
The advantages of the inventive coffee machine are inter alia achieved by the combination of the following features. Use is made of a continuous flow heater with a small heat capacity instead of a solid electric heating unit. In order to obtain the desired water starting temperature, use is made of a control loop. Materials and design of the unheated parts along the water path are designed in such a way that they are able to withstand the overpressure of the water and simultaneously remove from said water the minimum possible heat energy. In particular, said unheated parts must have low heat capacities and with respect to water low heat transmission coefficients, whilst simultaneously having an adequate strength.


A network of active sensors in a control system is considered. The active sensors, which may be fixed-infrastructure sensors, provide presence detection information to a distributed lighting system. The active sensors communicate by transmitting probe signals. The communication of probe signals may result in cross-interference which may vary in time. Cross-interference is detected, and can later be avoided, by determining a difference between signals received in a first part of a timeslot and signals received in a second part of the timeslot. In order to do so probe signals comprising two non-zero pulses are transmitted in respective parts of the timeslot. Applications are, for example, active presence sensors in lighting control applications in indoor as well as outdoor environments.

Office lighting constitutes almost 30% of the electrical consumption in buildings. As the cost and energy efficiency of light-emitting-diode (LED) light sources improve, they are becoming viable alternatives for fluorescent lamps, further offering the advantage of color control. It is recognized that lighting control strategies based on occupant presence information are very effective in reducing energy consumption. For example, in unoccupied areas the illumination may be dimmed or extinguished. Hence the design of green buildings may benefit from presence-adaptive lighting control systems.
It is known that active sensors, such as ultrasound based sensors, provide better detection than passive infrared sensors in large volumetric spaces. In larger physical areas, it is commonplace to have multiple active presence sensors for proper detection coverage. It is further known that generally active sensors are more sensitive than passive infrared sensors. An ultrasonic array sensor has been described in WO 2011/151796 A1 for reliable presence sensing that, when interfaced with a lighting control system, provides reliable illumination rendering.
In "Sensor Scheduling for Target Tracking in Networks of Active Sensors," Acta Automatica Sinica, November 2006, by Xiao et al. it is noted that one issue with wireless sensor networks of active sensors is the inter-sensor interference when nearby ultrasonic sensors work simultaneously. Such interference may result in sensor detection errors and should be dealt with properly. Inter-sensor interference also introduces technological constraints in design and implementation of wireless sensor networks. Sensor scheduling is used to avoid inter-sensor interference and implement collaboration between sensors. The network is synchronized and the time is divided into timeslots. The period for each slot should be larger than the die-out time of the ultrasonic wave in a ranging operation. In this paper, to avoid inter-sensor interference, sensors are scheduled such that during any timeslot only one sensor in an inter-sensor interference region can sense the target.


In a method for identity authentication, a portable electronic device displays a barcode encoding verification information for verifying authorization of access to the portable electronic device, and identification information for authenticating an identity of a user of the portable electronic device. An identification device scans the barcode and generates an authentication command. An authentication server extracts the verification information and identification information from the authentication command. When determined that the verification information is authentic, the authentication server authenticates the identification information and transmits a result to the identification device.

In daily lives, various identity documents are required on different occasions. For example, a cash withdrawal in a bank may require an identity card, boarding a flight requires a passport, an appointment with a doctor may require a National Health Insurance IC card, and a driver's license is required for a roadside vehicle check. Each of the above exemplary identity documents is an individual document, and as a result, a person may be required to carry around multiple identity documents.
It may be desirable to digitize the multiple identity documents into digital files, and to store the digital files in a portable electronic device (e.g., a cell phone). In this way, the risk of missing one or more of the identity documents may be reduced, and the inconvenience caused by the combined size of the multiple cards may be eliminated.
It is noted that however, in the case of using a digitized identity document, there may be an issue of making sure that the digitized identity document really belongs to the person who holds the digitized identity document, since the digitized identity document may be altered, and the portable electronic device itself may be stolen.


A linear-type shuttle has an air pad 4 that blows air toward a track 5, a chassis 2 that floats above the track 5 due to the air pad 4, a primary side 6a of a linear motor that is installed to be vertically movable on the chassis 2 and that drives the chassis horizontally together with a secondary side 6b on the track 5, a brake skid 11 disposed on the chassis 2 that makes friction contact with the track 5 when the chassis 2 is not floating above the track 5, an operating lever 17 pivotally mounted to the chassis 2 and having one end connected to the primary side 6a, a spring 23 that always forces the primary side 6a upward away from the secondary side 6b via the lever 17, and an electromagnet 20 that moves the primary side 6a downward via the lever 17 against the force of the spring 23 to a predetermined position in relation to the secondary side 6b, such that, when the car 1 is floating, the gap 60 between the primary side 6a and the secondary side 6b of a linear motor is as narrow as possible so that the linear motor will be driven efficiently.

In advanced and complicated city spaces such as airports, business parks, shopping centers, resort facilities, etc., a safe means of transportation for a short distance with a low noise and low vibration level is in demand. As a response to such a demand, a linear shuttle that applies a linear type elevator in a horizontal direction may be employed.
Referring to FIG. 8, on a chassis 101a of a linear shuttle car 101, instead of using wheels to run the car 101 along a track 105, an air pad 102 is used to float the car 101 above the track 105. When air is blown onto the track 105 from the air pad 102, the car 101 will float and a thin air film is formed between the car 101 and the track 105. The car 101 can then run smoothly in the horizontal direction. The car 101 is moved horizontally by a linear motor having a primary side 103a disposed on the bottom of the chassis 101a, and a secondary side 103b disposed on the track 105.
Referring to FIG. 9, a brake skid 104 (not shown in FIG. 8) is provided on the chassis 101a. When the chassis 101a floats above the track 105, the brake skid 104 also leaves the track 105 and there is no braking action of the brake skid 104. Thus, the car 101 will be able to run. Referring to FIG. 10, on the other hand, when the car 101 is not floating, the brake skid 104 will be in frictional contact with the track 105, and the car 101 is braked (or stopped). Accordingly, with this type of conventional linear type shuttle, the brake skid 104 needs to be separated from the track 105 to allow the car 101 to run. That is, the chassis 101a needs to be floated from the track 105.
Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, when the brake skid 104 is in contact with the track 105, a gap 60 between the primary side 103a and the secondary side 103b of the linear motor is narrow, e.g., approximately 5 mm. If the car 101 is floated to allow the car 101 to run horizontally, a gap 62 is created between the skid 104 and the track 105, having a distance of, e.g., approximately 14 mm. In that case, the gap 60 increases to approximately 19 mm. However, the ideal gap 60 between the primary side 103a and the secondary side 103b should be as narrow as possible, e.g., approximately 5 mm, to efficiently drive the linear motor. Accordingly, such an increase in the gap 60 reduces motor efficiency.

Linear type shuttle with movable linear motor primary


In order to be able to take into account machining configurations more flexibly, a method for optimizing numerically controlled machining of a workpiece includes ascertaining geometric interaction data. A relationship between a force to be expected and a configuration parameter of the machining is determined on the basis of the interaction data. The force is calculated during the machining on the basis of the relationship and a current value of the at least one configuration parameter. The machining is adapted depending on the calculated force.

The invention relates to a method for computer-aided optimization of numerically controlled machining of a workpiece by a tool, wherein Interaction data is ascertained that describes a geometric interaction of the tool with the workpiece in a section of a toolpath, as well as to a computer program for performing such a method. The invention further relates to a control system for numerically controlled machining of a workpiece by a tool and for computer-aided optimization of the machining, which control system has an electronic computing device for ascertaining interaction data and a further electronic computing device, and also to a machine tool having such a control system.
The document WO 2018/019550 A1 describes a method for the computer-aided control of an end element of a machine tool. The method entails detecting a number of optical markers in a working environment of the machine tool and determining a relative pose between the end element and a workpiece. The method determines a correction value on the basis of a comparison of the relative pose with a reference pose. The end element is then controlled for the purpose of machining the workpiece taking into account the first correction value.
The document WO 2018/041476 A1 describes a method for optimizing a workpiece machining process. The method is characterized in that the machining process is simulated with the aid of a predefined workpiece geometry and a sequence of control commands. A characteristic variable of the machining process is ascertained on the basis of the simulation result and checked. If a deviation of the characteristic variable from an optimization variable is established, the simulation is performed again in an adapted manner, repeatedly if necessary; otherwise the sequence of control commands is provided in order to enable production of the workpiece.
Known optimization methods sometimes demand a very high computational overhead, with the result that corresponding calculations or simulations may only be performed prior to the actual machining of the workpiece, i.e. offline. This leads among other things to the requirement for the exact configurations, such as, for example, machine selection, tool selection, chucking conditions of the workpiece, or material parameters, to be defined in advance. The corresponding machining program is therefore optimized for precisely one configuration only, which leads to a considerable limitation of the flexibility of the machining process. On the other hand, it is not possible, due to the high computational overhead, to perform simulations entirely online, i.e. during the machining of the workpiece.
Against this background, it is an object of the present invention to disclose an improved concept for computer-aided optimization of numerically controlled machining of a workpiece by means of a tool, which concept enables a more flexible consideration of different configurations during the machining.

Computer-aided optimization of numerically controlled machining of a workpiece


A corrosion resistant, alkali resistant coating composition is disclosed. The composition comprises a binder comprising a reaction product of an epoxy-containing material and a phosphorus-containing material together with a curing agent. Aminoplasts, especially melamine-based aminoplasts, are particularly suitable curing agents. A source of silicon can optionally be included. The compositions also provide excellent adhesion and can be used with or without a weldable primer. The compositions are applied to and cured on a metal substrate.

It is known to treat various metals with compositions that will promote such things as corrosion resistance and adhesion between the metal and other coatings. While use of chromium compounds provides corrosion resistance and adhesion, such compounds are undesirable because of their toxicity and problems with their disposal. Many compounds that provide or approach the level of corrosion protection and/or adhesion offered by chromium compounds, however, do not provide adequate alkali resistance, which is also a desirable quality. Alkali resistant pretreatments can mitigate cathodic delamination. Also, in cases where such a composition is applied on preprimed metal, an alkaline cleaner is often employed after fabrication prior to further coating. Thus, improved compositions that provide good corrosion resistance, adhesion, and alkali resistance are desired. It is especially desired that such compositions allow for weldability, either when used alone or in conjunction with a weldable primer.

Corrosion and alkali-resistant compositions and methods for using the same


Systems to drive a downhole pump include an enclosure body with a magnetically transparent wall. A magnetic driver or a stationary member with coil windings in slots is disposed outside the enclosure body. A magnetic follower or a movable member with one or more permanent magnets is disposed inside the enclosure body such that the magnetic follower or movable member is exposed to a different environment compared to the magnetic driver or stationary member. The magnetic driver and magnetic follower, or the stationary member and movable member, are separated by a gap containing at least a portion of the magnetically transparent wall. A prime mover is operatively coupled to the magnetic driver. A rod couples the magnetic follower or the movable member to the downhole pump. Movement of the rod with the magnetic follower or the movable member operates the pump.

Surface driven downhole pump systems that use reciprocating or rotating rods to transfer power from a surface above a well to a pump downhole in the well currently require stuffing boxes to prevent well fluids from leaking along or around the rods at the exit of the well. The stuffing boxes contain packing elements that dynamically seal around the rod. Regular inspection and maintenance, such as replacement of packing elements and grease injection, are required to ensure that the stuffing box keeps working properly. For applications with high wellhead pressure and high concentration of H2S in the well fluids, operators are reluctant to use surface driven downhole pumps out of concern for stuffing box leakage. For environmental protection and safety, it is desirable to achieve zero leakage of hydrocarbons in production operations.


Aqueous soft surface cleaning compositions comprising from about 0.1% to about 5.0% by wt. of a tertiary alkyl hydroperoxide; and from about 99.9% to about 95% by wt. of an aqueous alkaline cleaning composition comprising acetylenic alcohol and an anionic surfactant, which are stable, color-safe and produce satisfactory cleaning results, especially in removing red wine, grape juice, blueberry and blood stains from carpeting.

Oxidizing agents are frequently used in alkaline soft surface cleaning compositions. For certain applications, such as carpets and textiles, the oxidizing agents used must not alter the color of the surface they are used to clean. Peroxygen reagents, such as hydrogen peroxide, and hydrogen peroxide precursors, are known color-safe oxidizing agents when used at moderately low concentrations.
Alkaline soft surface cleaning compositions containing hydrogen peroxide or hydrogen peroxide releasing reagents typically come in powdered form, since these reagents rapidly autodecompose in alkaline aqueous solution. Although aqueous hydrogen peroxide cleaning compositions with an acidic pH are more stable than their alkaline counterparts, they are generally inferior cleaners for many types of soiled textiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,646 discloses a "powdery solid" detergent washing composition containing a water-soluble synthetic organic surface active agent and an alkali salt of a hydroperoxide.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,915 discloses a "powdery solid" biological cleaning preparation containing a proteolytic enzyme and a salt of an organic hydroperoxide.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,068 discloses a powdered detergent composition comprising an alkali metal mono- or polyalkylsulfonate hydroperoxide, a surfactant, sodium silicate, and a hydrophilic cotelomer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,519 discloses a method for bleaching textiles by pre-treating the fabric with a buffer or alkaline solution, and contacting it with tertiary butyl hydroperoxides and water in the vapor phase.
Therefore, there exists a need for an aqueous alkaline peroxygen soft-surface cleaning composition that produces satisfactory cleaning results.

Aqueous alkaline soft-surface cleaning compositions comprising tertiary alkyl hydroperoxides


A pallet separator sheet is disclosure for placement between tiers of palletized cargo. The sheet inhibits movement of the cargo of a upper tier. The sheet protects the cargo of a lower tier and has a surface which grips the cargo of the lower tier. The separator sheet can include a first upper sheet of a stiff yet pliable first material having protrusions extending upwardly. A second lower sheet, preferable having cavities, is joined to a lower surface of the upper sheet so that the sheets are congruent. The second lower sheet having a greater coefficient of friction than the upper sheet. Separator sheet is generally rectangular and can have a lip extending at an angle to the main body of the separator sheet.

With the increasing demands of today's economy, it is necessary for manufacturers to deliver their products to consumers in an efficient manner. To meet these demands, manufacturers often ship large quantities of packaged products to wholesalers and distributors which, in turn, transport smaller quantities of these packaged products to local retailers and dealers In the initial stages of the shipping system, packaged products are often stored in a manufacturer's warehouse and thereafter loaded onto trailer trucks for transportation to a desired location.
For years, conventional pallets have been the work horses of the shipping industry. These pallets, which are essentially platforms upon which goods are placed for storage and transportation, are fabricated from a variety of materials and, for decades, have been particularly effective in moving large quantities of products from one location to another. Wood is probably the most common material used to construct shipping pallets. Of course, other types of pallet materials have also been employed by those in the transportation industry as substitutes for the conventional wooden pallets. The evolution of these other types of pallets has been due, at least in part, to the limited useful life of wooden pallets as well as the increasing costs of wood in recent years. Alternative, less costly materials which have been used for fabricating pallets include plastics as well as metal.
Pull sheet pallets, for example, have been developed as a replacement to conventional wooden pallets for the purpose of transporting cargo from one location to another. In general, a pull sheet pallet is a sheet of material, such as polypropylene or high density polyethylene, which has a high tensile strength. A pull sheet pallet is placed upon a floor of a warehouse or truck so that cargo can be loaded onto it. The pull sheet pallet may incorporate a lip which projects upwardly and outwardly in order that a gripper bar of a motorized vehicle can grasp the lip and pull the pull sheet pallet onto a platen of the vehicle. Some in the transportation industry consider the pull sheet pallet to be an effective substitute for conventional pallets for various reasons. First, pull sheet pallets are relatively inexpensive. Second, these pull sheet pallets are not nearly as bulky as conventional pallets because they may only be millimeters thick. Thus, pull sheet pallets are light weight and compact for storage. Third, although pull sheet pallets occasionally tear, they are far more durable than conventional pallets.
One type of pull sheet pallet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,372 to Frenkel. This pull sheet pallet, fabricated of a plastic material such as polypropylene and high density polyethylene, has a plurality of nubs projecting from a lower surface thereof and a plurality of corresponding recesses formed into an upper surface thereof. The plastic material is stiff yet resilient so that when cargo is placed on the upper surface of the pallet and thereafter transported, shock may be absorbed by minute contractions and subsequent expansions of the nibs. Frenkel's pull sheet pallet also incorporates a lip which may be grasped by the gripper bar of the motorized lift vehicle so that the loaded pull sheet pallet can be pulled onto a platform.
In an effort to optimize storage capacity in warehouses, manufacturers often stack multiple tiers of palletized cargo on top of another. Each of these tiers of palletized cargo consists, essentially, of a base pallet, of either the wood, plastic or metal type, upon which the packaged products are supported for storage. Typically these packaged products are in the form of individually boxed products, several products packaged in a large container, or bags. With these stacked arrangements, the cargo associated with a lower tier of the palletized products is required to directly support an upper tier of palletized cargo. Thus, the lower cargo is placed in direct contact with the pallet associated with the upper tier. Depending upon the condition of the upper pallet and the weight of its load, the cargo associated with the lower pallet can become permanently damaged. Moreover, even when the stacked or tiered pallets are stationary relative to the other, damage can be exacerbated when the pallets are transported by a conventional forklift. Damage can also arise when the stacked cargo is transported in moving rail cars. Not only can the mere shifting of the upper palletized cargo cause excessive wear on the cargo located therebelow, but splintering of the upper pallet can puncture the lower cargo.
In an effort to alleviate the potential damage resulting from conventional shipping techniques, the transportation industry has been known to employ pallet separator sheets which are interposed between the multiple tiers of palletized cargo. Such a separator sheet typically has a lower surface which spans across and is in contact with the lower cargo and an opposite upper surface which is in direct contact with the pallet associated with the upper tier of palletized cargo. These pallet separator sheets are typically constructed of fiber, corrugate or plywood However, while these sheets may be suitable to add protection from dust, moisture and spillage, they are not well suited to provide a durable covering which is adapted to protect against the potential problems discussed above.
Accordingly, there is a need in the transportation industry to provide a new and useful pallet separator sheet which is adapted to be placed between tiers of palletized cargo to allow for storage and transportation of the tiers with a reduced risk of damage to the cargo. The present invention accomplishes this objective, among others by modifying the construction of known slip sheet pallets to provide a device which is uniquely suitable for use as a pallet sheet separator.

Pallet separator sheet for protecting palletized cargo and method therefor


A microflow device for separating or isolating cells from a bodily fluid or other liquid sample uses a flow path where straight-line flow is interrupted by a pattern of transverse posts which are arranged across the width of a collection region in an irregular or set random pattern so as to disrupt streamlined flow. Sequestering agents, such as Abs, are attached to all surfaces in the collection region via a hydrophilic permeable hydrogel coating. The collection region is formed as a cavity in a body molded from PDMS, which flexible body is sandwiched between a glass slide or comparable flat plate and a rigid top cap plate, both of which are pressed into abutting relation with the PDMS body by a heat-shrunk polymeric sleeve. Following cell separation and washing, cells can be released from the sequestering agents and the device centrifuged to force said cells to collect adjacent the hydrogel-coated slide or plate. Slitting the polymeric sleeve allows the body to then be peeled from the slide or plate, using an integral tab, to expose the separated cells on the top surface thereof for ready microscopic examination.

Effective isolation and collection of rare cells from a heterogeneous cell population remains of high interest, due to the increasing demand for isolated cell populations for use in disease diagnosis and treatment, e.g. gene therapy, as well as for basic scientific research. For example, pathologically changed cells, such as cancerous cells, can be separated from a larger normal cell population, and the cleaned cell populations may then be transplanted back into the patient.
One prominent demand is for the isolation of particular fetal cells from heterogeneous maternal cell populations to permit early fetus diagnosis, such as early screening of potential chromosomal disorders during pregnancy. Fetal cells have been obtained by methods such as amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling; however, such methods can pose risks, especially to the fetus. Some fetal cells are also present in circulating maternal blood, as these cells pass from fetus to the maternal bloodstream in very low numbers; however, the ratio of fetal cells to maternal cells is on the order of only a few ppm. Thus, there are significant challenges associated with the isolation and collection of rare fetal cells from the major population of maternity cells in maternal blood. These challenges also exist in separating fetal cells from cervical mucus, and they may also be common to other rare cell recoveries from bodily fluids or the like, as well as to the separation and isolation of other biomolecules present in only minute quantities.
Cell separation is often achieved by targeting molecules on the cell surface with specific affinity ligands in order to achieve selective, reversible attachment of a target cell population to a solid phase. Nonspecifically adsorbed cells are subsequently removed by washing, and the release of the target cells for analysis may follow. Such specific affinity ligands may be antibodies, lectins, receptors, or other ligands that bind proteins, hormones, carbohydrates, or other such molecules having biological activity.
In addition to column separation, other methods have also now been developed for separating target cells from a diverse population of cells such as may be found in bodily fluid or the like. Published U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/038,315 attaches releasable linkers to the interior luminal surfaces of capillary tubing, with the desired bound cells subsequently being released via a cleavage reagent and recovered. U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2002/132316 uses microchannel devices to separate cell populations through the use of a moving optical gradient field. U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,827 discloses the use of microfluidic devices that are constructed to have "enrichment channels" wherein electrophoresis is used to separate and identify particular nucleic acids from samples. Also mentioned is the optional use of antibodies or other binding fragments to retain a desired target biomaterial. U.S. Pat. No. 6,432,630 discloses a microflow system for guiding the flow of a fluid containing bioparticles through channels where selective deflection is employed, and it indicates that such systems may be used to separate fetal cells from maternal blood samples. The disclosure of these patents and published applications are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,924 discloses microfluidic devices wherein analyte-containing liquids are caused to flow generally downward past sample surfaces disposed atop upstanding pillars on which capture agents are attached, with the side surfaces of such pillars having been rendered hydrophobic so as to facilitate flow in channels that they define.
K. Takahashi et al., in J. Nanobiotechnology, 2, 5 (13 Jun. 2004) (6 pp) (incorporated herein by reference), disclose on-chip cell sorting systems wherein multiple microfluidic inlet passageways lead to a central cell-sorting region fashioned in a PDMS plate (made in a master mold created in photoresist epoxy resin) that is bonded to a glass plate. Agar gel electrodes are provided in the PDMS plate which facilitate the separation of undesired cells by the application of electrostatic forces, that direct these cells into a parallel, continuous stream of buffer, during their flow through a short, cell-sorting region of confluence. A pre-filter which uses posts to physically trap large dust particles is also shown. Published International Application WO 2004/029221 discloses a similarly constructed microfluidic device that can be used for cell separation, such as separating fetal RBCs from maternal blood by selective lysis of maternal RBCs. A sample containing cells may also be introduced into a microfluidic channel device which separates whole cells; it contains a plurality of cylindrical obstacles, with the surfaces of the obstacles having binding moieties, e.g., antibodies, suitably coupled thereto, which moieties will bind to cells in the sample. U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,469 discloses microfluidic devices having a plurality of channels of a depth of 100 microns or less wherein binding moieties, such as antibodies, are immobilized on surfaces to capture biomolecules of interest which can be analyzed in situ. U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,607 teaches the use of devices for carrying out immunoassays, such as sandwich assays, where antibodies are mobilized in microchannels. A recessed area can be provided in the microchannel that contains a group of protrusions which extend upward from the bottom surface of the channel and to which the antibodies are immobilized.
Copending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/038,920 and 60/678,004, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, disclose microfluidic devices that can be used for cell separation, such as separating fetal red blood cells from maternal blood or trophoblasts from cervical mucus. A microfluidic channel contains a set irregular pattern of transverse posts which are strategically positioned to disrupt straight-line and streamlined flow and thereby effectively capture target cells with sequestering agents, e.g., antibodies, suitably coupled to the surfaces of the region containing the posts. Although the foregoing briefly described two applications provide improved separation methods for isolating cells or other biomaterials from bodily fluids or the like, this art is considered to be in its infancy, and the search continues for further improvements.

Device for cell separation and analysis and method of using