The invention provides the identification and characterization of disease and cancer-associated antigen, KID31. The invention also provides a family of monoclonal antibodies that bind to antigen KID31, methods of diagnosing and treating various human cancers and diseases that express KID31.

Human carboxypeptidase M is a membrane-bound metalloprotease-peptide that specifically cleaves carboxyl terminal arginine or lysine residues from peptides or proteins. Carboxypeptidase M is a glycoprotein with a molecular weight at around 62 kDa and is a member of a family of regulatory metallo-carboxypeptidase proteins.
Carboxypeptidase M is widely expressed on a variety of human tissues and is believed to play a role in the control of peptide hormones and growth factor activity at the cell surface and in the membrane-localized degradation of extracellular proteins (Reverter et al., J. Mol. Bio. Vol. 338, pp. 257-269 (2003)). Using carboxypeptidase M-specific antibodies, researchers have identified carboxypeptidase M as a marker for macrophage maturation.
Despite being described as a marker for macrophage maturation, there is little data to show any correlation between carboxypeptidase M expression and cancer. Carboxypeptidase M expression has been reported in a patient with a granulomatous reaction within a conventional clear cell renal cancer using immunohistochemical techniques and an antibody specific for carboxypeptidase M (Kovacs et al., Pathology Oncology Res., Vol. 10, No, pp. 169-171 (2004)).
In addition to their known uses in diagnostics, antibodies have been shown to be useful as therapeutic agents. For example, immunotherapy, or the use of antibodies for therapeutic purposes has been used in recent years to treat cancer. Passive immunotherapy involves the use of monoclonal antibodies in cancer treatments. See for example, Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, 6th Edition (2001) Chapt. 20 pp. 495-508. These antibodies can have inherent therapeutic biological activity both by direct inhibition of tumor cell growth or survival and by their ability to recruit the natural cell killing activity of the body's immune system. These agents can be administered alone or in conjunction with radiation or chemotherapeutic agents. Rituximab and Trastuzumab, approved for treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and breast cancer, respectively, are two examples of such therapeutics. Alternatively, antibodies can be used to make antibody conjugates where the antibody is linked to a toxic agent and directs that agent to the tumor by specifically binding to the tumor. Gemtuzumab ozogamicin is an example of an approved antibody conjugate used for the treatment of leukemia. Monoclonal antibodies that bind to cancer cells and have potential uses for diagnosis and therapy have been disclosed in publications. See, for example, the following patent applications which disclose, inter alia, some molecular weights of target proteins: U.S. Pat. No. 6,054,561 (200 kD c-erbB-2 (Her2), and other unknown antigens 40-200 KD in size) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,444 (50 kD and 55 kD oncofetal protein). Example of antibodies in clinical trials and/or approved for treatment of solid tumors include: Trastuzumab (antigen: 180 kD, HER2/neu), Edrecolomab (antigen: 40-50 kD, Ep-CAM), Anti-human milk fat globules (HMFG1) (antigen >200 kD, HMW Mucin), Cetuximab (antigens: 150 kD and 170 kD, EGF receptor), Alemtuzumab (antigen: 21-28 kD, CD52), and Rituximab (antigen: 35 kD, CD20).
The antigen targets of trastuzumab (Her-2 receptor), which is used to treat breast cancer, and cetuximab (EGF receptor), which is in clinical trials for the treatment of several cancers, are present at some detectable level on a large number of normal human adult tissues including skin, colon, lung, ovary, liver, and pancreas. The margin of safety in using these therapeutics is possibly provided by the difference in the level of expression or in access of or activity of the antibody at these sites.
Another type of immunotherapy is active immunotherapy, or vaccination, with an antigen present on a specific cancer(s) or a DNA construct that directs the expression of the antigen, which then evokes the immune response in the individual, i.e., to induce the individual to actively produce antibodies against their own cancer. Active immunization has not been used as often as passive immunotherapy or immunotoxins.
Several models of disease (including cancer) progression have been suggested. Theories range from causation by a single infective/transforming event to the evolution of an increasingly "disease-like" or 'cancer-like' tissue type leading ultimately to one with fully pathogenic or malignant capability. Some argue that with cancer, for example, a single mutational event is sufficient to cause malignancy, while others argue that subsequent alterations are also necessary. Some others have suggested that increasing mutational load and tumor grade are necessary for both initiation as well as progression of neoplasia via a continuum of mutation-selection events at the cellular level. Some cancer targets are found only in tumor tissues, while others are present in normal tissues and are up regulated and/or over-expressed in tumor tissues. In such situations, some researchers have suggested that the over-expression is linked to the acquisition of malignancy, while others suggest that the over-expression is merely a marker of a trend along a path to an increasing disease state.
An ideal diagnostic and/or therapeutic antibody would be specific for an antigen present on a large number of cancers, but absent or present only at low levels on any normal tissue. The discovery, characterization, and isolation of a novel antigen that is specifically associated with cancer(s) would be useful in many ways. First, the antigen could be used to make monoclonal antibodies against the antigen. An antibody would ideally have biological activity against cancer cells and be able to recruit the immune system's response to foreign antigens. An antibody could be administered as a therapeutic alone or in combination with current treatments or used to prepare immunoconjugates linked to toxic agents. An antibody with the same specificity but with low or no biological activity when administered alone could also be useful in that an antibody could be used to prepare an immunoconjugate with a radio-isotope, a toxin, or a chemotherapeutic agent or liposome containing a chemotherapeutic agent, with the conjugated form being biologically active by virtue of the antibody directing the toxin to the antigen-containing cells.
One aspect desirable for an ideal diagnostic and/or therapeutic antibody is the discovery and characterization of an antigen that is associated with a variety of cancers. There are few antigens that are expressed on a number of types of cancer (e.g., "pan-cancer" antigen) that have limited expression on non-cancerous cells. The isolation and purification of such an antigen would be useful for making antibodies (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic) targeting the antigen. An antibody binding to the "pan-cancer" antigen could be able to target a variety of cancers found in different tissues in contrast to an antibody against an antigen associated with only one specific type of cancer. The antigen would also be useful for drug discovery (e.g., small molecules) and for further characterization of cellular regulation, growth, and differentiation.
What is needed are novel targets on the surface of diseased and/or cancer cells that may be used to diagnose and treat such diseases and/or cancers with antibodies and other agents which specifically recognize the cell surface targets. There exists a further need, based on the discoveries disclosed herein, for novel antibodies and other agents which specifically recognize targets on the surface of cells that can modulate, either by reducing or enhancing, the disease-promoting activities of carboxypeptidase M. It is an object of this invention to identify antagonists of human carboxypeptidase M that are capable of inhibiting its disease-associated activities. It is another object to provide novel compounds for use in the assay of carboxypeptidase M, and for use as immunogens or for selecting anti-human carboxypeptidase M antibodies.
As will be described in more detail below, the present inventors have discovered a known antigen, carboxypeptidase M, which we refer to herein as KID31, identified as the antigen target of the novel antagonists, modulators and antibodies provided herein.


The present disclosure includes a process automation technology sensor for detecting at least one measured variable of a medium, the sensor including a process connection for attaching the sensor to a container in which the medium is located; at least two webs which run essentially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the sensor, where the webs are arranged on the medium side extending from the process connection; and at least one first housing portion that comprises a temperature sensor, where the first housing portion is arranged between the webs.

The technical problem the present disclosure is directed toward will be described briefly in reference to a conductivity sensor. However, the technical problem relates to many sensors that require a secondary measured variable, temperature, to determine the actual target value and for which a temperature sensor is used.
A simultaneous measurement of the temperature of the medium is necessary for detecting the conductivity of a material. In the case of existing sensors, the temperature sensor provided for detecting the same is integrated into the sensor within a housing. Applicant sells such conductivity sensors, for example, sold under the name "Indumax CLS54D", see for example https://www.de.endress.com/de/messgeraete-fuer-die-prozesstechnik/fluessigkeitsanalyse-produktuebersicht/leitfaehigkeit-induktiv-sensor-cls54d, last accessed Feb. 13, 2018.
The enclosure of the temperature sensor is often structurally designed such that it is arranged laterally along the sensor. As a result, the temperature sensor—to prevent mechanical damage—is designed to be short, and in its other dimensions relatively large. Thus, a thermal decoupling of the temperature sensor from the sensor cannot per se be realized to a sufficient degree, which negatively influences the response time of the temperature measurement.


High-purity nitrogen is generated by low-temperature fractionation of air in a rectification system for nitrogen/oxygen separation having at least a first rectifier column (4). Cycle nitrogen (24) in gas form is removed from the upper region of the first rectifier column (4) and is compressed in a cycle compressor (30). A first part (35) of the compressed cycle nitrogen is liquefied. A nitrogen fraction (52) from the rectification system for nitrogen/oxygen separation is introduced (52) into a high-purity nitrogen column (39) having a top condenser (54). High-purity nitrogen (56) is removed from the upper region of the high-purity nitrogen column (39). The refrigeration demand of the top condenser (54) is at least partially covered by liquefied cycle nitrogen (38).

The invention relates to a process and apparatus for generating high-purity nitrogen by low-temperature fractionation of air, including both a rectification system for nitrogen/oxygen separation, and a high-purity nitrogen column, in which the high-purity product is generated from a nitrogen fraction which has been obtained in the rectification system for nitrogen/oxygen separation.
The rectification system for nitrogen/oxygen separation may be designed as a one-column, two-column or multi-column system. It is preferable to use a conventional Linde double-column process. The principles of the low-temperature fractionation of air in general and the structure of double-column installations specifically are known from the monograph xe2x80x9cTieftemperaturtechnikxe2x80x9d [Low-temperature technology] by Hausen/Linde (2nd edition, 1985) or from an article by Latimer in Chemical Engineering Progress (Vol. 63, No. 2, 1967, Page 35). In addition to the rectification system for nitrogen/oxygen separation, further apparatus for obtaining other constituents of air, in particular high-purity oxygen or inert gases, such as for example argon, maybe used in the process according to the invention.
A process for obtaining high-purity nitrogen with a reduced CO content by rectification is known from European patent EP 299364 B1. The removal of CO and, if appropriate, the removal of argon in this case takes place in the upper region of the high-pressure part of the double column for nitrogen/oxygen separation. A drawback of this process is that only a small part of the overall nitrogen product can be obtained in high-purity form; most has to be tapped off as nitrogen of ordinary purity, in particular without a reduction in the CO content (and if appropriate in the argon content).
The invention is based on the object of providing a process and an apparatus which allow a particularly high proportion of the nitrogen product to be obtained in high-purity form, in particular with a reduced CO concentration.
This object is achieved by a process for a generating high-purity nitrogen by low-temperature fractionation of air in a rectification system for nitrogen/oxygen separation, which has at least a first rectifier column (4), in which process
a. cycle nitrogen (24) in gas form is removed from the upper region of the first rectifier column (4), and
b. is compressed in a cycle compressor (30),
c. a first part (35) of the compressed cycle nitrogen is liquefied,
d. a nitrogen fraction (52) from the rectifier system for nitrogen/oxygen separation is introduced (52) into a high-purity nitrogen column (39) which has a top condenser (54),
e. high purity nitrogen (56) is removed from the upper region of the high-purity nitrogen column (39), and
f. the refrigeration demand of the top condenser (54) of the high-purity nitrogen column (39) is at least partially covered by liquefied cycle nitrogen (38).
Thus, a high-purity nitrogen column whose refrigeration demand is covered by the liquid nitrogen which is generated in a nitrogen cycle is used. A cycle of this type is used to generate large quantities of liquid product and is known per se. A significant concept of the invention is the advantageous connection of this liquefaction cycle to the high-purity nitrogen column.
To transfer the refrigeration from the liquefied cycle nitrogen to the top fraction of the high-purity nitrogen column, the following variants are possible and can also in principle be implemented in any combination:
i) direct introduction of the liquefied cycle nitrogen into the evaporation space of the top condenser of the high-purity nitrogen column
ii) introduction of the liquefied cycle nitrogen into the high-purity nitrogen column (at the bottom or a few plates above it), removal of a liquid from the high-purity nitrogen column (for example at the bottom) and introduction of this liquid (the composition of which is very similar or identical to that of the liquefied cycle nitrogen) into the evaporation space of the top condenser of the high-purity nitrogen column
iii) introduction of the liquefied cycle nitrogen into another vessel (for example the first rectification column), removal of a liquid of identical or similar composition from this vessel and introduction of this liquid (the composition of which is very similar or identical to that of the liquefied cycle nitrogen) into the evaporation space of the top condenser of the high-purity nitrogen column
which is in communication with a first rectifier column of the rectification system for nitrogen/oxygen separation not directly but rather via a nitrogen cycle. For this purpose, the high-purity nitrogen column is fed with gaseous cycle nitrogen, which is preferably introduced into the lower region of the high-purity nitrogen column, from the or one of the expansion turbines of the nitrogen cycle. Within the high-purity nitrogen column, the rising vapour is enriched with constituents of relatively low volatility, in particular CO and/or argon, by counter current rectification. The nitrogen product, which is of correspondingly high purity, is removed from the upper region of the high-purity nitrogen column. On account of the cycle which is present, some or preferably all of the high-purity nitrogen product can be removed in liquid form and introduced, for example, into a tank.
In the process according to the invention, the integration of the cycle and the high-purity nitrogen column allows virtually any desired degree of conversion to be achieved in the high-purity nitrogen column by suitably designing or operating the nitrogen cycle. This allows flexible adaptation of the process to meet specific customer requirements. For example, it is possible to generate the entire useable nitrogen product in high-purity form, without nitrogen of standard purity being produced as a by-product. This is particularly favourable when the products of the process arexe2x80x94as is frequently the casexe2x80x94being introduced into liquid tanks, since one tank for the high-purity nitrogen is now sufficient instead of the two nitrogen tanks for the different purities which are required according to the prior art. Moreover, the process according to the invention allows the quantity of high-purity nitrogen which is generated to be varied during operation.
Preferably, at least a first part-stream of liquefied cycle nitrogen is fed back into the rectification system for nitrogen/oxygen separation, in particular into the first rectifier column. Consequently, the refrigeration which is generated in the cycle can be used to obtain liquid products directly from the rectification system for nitrogen/oxygen separation. In this case, by way of example, liquid nitrogen of standard purity and/or liquid oxygen are generated.
The integration between circuit system and high-purity nitrogen column can be improved further by removing the gaseous charge for the high-purity nitrogen column at least partially from the nitrogen cycle. For this purpose, a second part of the compressed cycle nitrogen is expanded and introduced into a high-purity nitrogen column. The expansion of the second part of the compressed cycle nitrogen is preferably carried out in a work-performing manner.
In many cases, a particularly low concentration of highly volatile impurities, such as hydrogen, neon and/or helium is also desirable in the high-purity nitrogen product. For this purpose, it is advantageous if the cycle nitrogen is removed at least one theoretical or practical plate below the top of the first rectifier column and/or the high-purity nitrogen is removed at least one theoretical or practical plate below the top of the high-purity nitrogen column. Preferably, in each case one to five, preferably two to three what are known as barrier plates are situated at the top of the first rectifier column or of the high-purity nitrogen column. These two measures both reduce the levels of highly volatile components in the high-purity nitrogen; they maybe employed individually or in combination.
Furthermore, it is expedient if reflux for the high-purity nitrogen column is generated in a top condenser by evaporating a second part-stream of the liquefied cycle nitrogen in a top condenser of the high-purity nitrogen column against condensing top gas from the high-purity nitrogen column. The cycle nitrogen which is evaporated in the top condenser of the high-purity nitrogen column is preferably returned to the cycle compressor, for example by being mixed with the cycle nitrogen coming from the first rectifier column. A procedure of this nature also supplies the process refrigeration required to operate the high-purity nitrogen column from the nitrogen cycle. For this purpose, a slightly lower pressure must prevail in the evaporation space of the top condenser than in the top of the high-purity nitrogen column, so that the corresponding temperature difference can drive the heat transfer at the top condenser. The operating pressure at the top of the high-purity nitrogen column is, for example, equal to the pressure at the top of the first rectifier column.
The second part-stream of the liquefied cycle nitrogen may, for this purpose, be passed directly from the cycle to the evaporation space of the top condenser of the high-purity nitrogen column. Preferably, however, it is firstly introduced into the high-purity nitrogen column, than tapped off from the lower region of the high-purity nitrogen column and then fed for evaporation in the top condenser of the high-purity nitrogen column.
The first part-stream of the liquefied cycle nitrogen can also be introduced into the high-purity nitrogen column, for example together with the second part-stream. It is then likewise tapped off from the lower region of the high-purity nitrogen column and then returned to the rectification system for nitrogen/oxygen separation.
The liquefied cycle nitrogen (first part of the compressed cycle nitrogen) must be expanded upstream of the point where it is divided into the first and second part-streams, or at the point where it is introduced into the first rectifier column. This expansion step maybe carried out by means of a restrictor valve. In the process according to the invention, it is expedient if it is carried out in a work-performing manner. For this purpose, the corresponding part-stream of the cycle nitrogen, for example in the supercritical state, enters a turbine, where it is expanded, without a phase transition, to a subcritical pressure, so that it emerges from the turbine completely in the liquid phase or substantially completely in the liquid phase (gas content for example up to about 5%). Alternatively, it is also possible to feed the turbine with cycle nitrogen which is already in liquid form at subcritical pressure. Preferably, the first and second part-streams of the first part of the cycle nitrogen are together expanded in a work-performing manner, then are together introduced into the high-purity nitrogen column, and the division into the first and second part-streams then takes place downstream of the high-purity nitrogen column.
It is preferable to use a two-turbine circuit, in which a third part of the compressed cycle nitrogen is expanded in a work-performing manner and is at least partially returned to the cycle compressor, the entry temperature of the work-performing expansion of the third part of the compressed cycle nitrogen being higher than the entry temperature of the work-performing expansion of the second part of the compressed cycle nitrogen. The fraction which is processed further in the high-purity nitrogen column therefore flows through the cold turbine. The third part-stream, after the work-performing expansion, is preferably returned to the entry to the cycle compressor, for example together with the cycle nitrogen from the first rectifier column.
In principle, it is also possible for the nitrogen from the warm turbine or from both turbines to be introduced into the high-purity nitrogen column.
In this case, it is expedient if the exit pressure of the work-performing expansion of the third part of the compressed cycle nitrogen is lower than the exit pressure of the work-performing expansion of the second part of the compressed cycle nitrogen. This method of operation on the one hand allows particularly efficient operation of the two turbines in which gaseous cycle nitrogen is expanded; on the other hand, the higher pressure of the second part is utilized to operate the high-purity nitrogen column.
In the invention, by way of example the following pressures and temperatures prevail in the various process steps:
operating pressure of the first rectifier column (e.g. high-pressure part of a double column) at the top:
for example 5 to 12 bar, preferably 6 to 8 bar exit pressure of the circuit compressor:
for example 22 to 63 bar, preferably 28 to 37 bar entry pressure of the cold turbine (second part of the compressed cycle nitrogen):
for example 50 to 70 bar, preferably 58 to 63 bar exit pressure of the cold turbine:
for example 4 to 11 bar, preferably 6.5 to 8.5 bar entry temperature of the cold turbine:
for example 150 to 175 K, preferably 155 to 170 K entry pressure of the warm turbine (third part of the compressed cycle nitrogen):
for example 22 to 63 bar, preferably 28 to 37 bar exit pressure of the warm turbine:
for example 5 to 12 bar, preferably 6 to 8 bar entry temperature of the warm turbine:
for example 250 to 270 K
pressure of the cycle nitrogen which is to be liquefied:
for example 50 to 70 bar, preferably 35 to 68 bar operating pressure of the high-purity nitrogen column at the top:
for example 5 to 12 bar, preferably 6.5 to 8.5 bar pressure in the evaporation space of the top condenser of the high-purity nitrogen column:
for example 4.5 to 11.5 bar, preferably 6 to 8 bar
The invention also relates to an apparatus for generating high-purity nitrogen by low-temperature fractionation of air in accordance with Patent claim 10.

Process and apparatus for generating high-purity nitrogen by low-temperature fractionation of air


A baggage handling device (1) comprising, in combination, a vacuum gripping foot (2) and a non-vacuum, mechanical engagement device (3) such as a simple hook or a power operated claw (4), with an operator activated control device to select either the vacuum gripping foot (2), or the mechanical device (3) as appropriate, for any particular item of baggage; with a powered hoisting an operator activated control device (6) to raise and lower the duplex unit (2, 3), as necessary in a baggage handling sequence.

This invention relates to a baggage handling device, particularly but not exclusively, for use at Airports.
Automation of baggage handing, whilst desirable, is difficult to achieve because of the diversity of shapes, sizes, and nature of the "baggage" involved, and consequently has tended to remain a predominantly manual operation.
A vacuum gripping head is suitable for the majority of types of baggage that can ordinarily be expected to be handled, such as hard or soft skin cases, cartons, boxes etc., that have a planar area that can be engaged by the head. However, occasionally, misaligned baggage can have a disposition making it difficult if not impossible to apply the suction foot, and there is a minority of baggage to be handled of a non-standard shape not displaying a planar face, e.g. golf bags, and which a suction head cannot be applied in which case the operator would deploy and use the mechanical lifting device.


A centrifugal compressor includes a casing. An impeller is arranged within the casing. The impeller is rotatable about an axis. A diffuser section is arranged within the casing. The diffuser section is positioned axially downstream from an outlet of the impeller and includes a forward portion fixed relative to the impeller and an aft portion distinct from the forward portion.

Rotary machines, such as compressors, are commonly used in refrigeration and turbine applications. One example of a rotary machine used in refrigeration systems includes a centrifugal compressor having an impeller fixed to a rotating shaft. Rotation of the impeller increases a pressure and/or velocity of a fluid or gas moving across the impeller.
In applications using a high pressure refrigerant, the compressor can have a supersonic outlet flow. Existing compressors use a tandem vane set protruding from a fixed diffuser to diffuse the high-Mach number flow with the first vane set and achieve conventional subsonic diffuser flow via turning with the second vane set. In existing systems it can be difficult to mitigate the total pressure across the vane used to condition the flow to a conventional flow, and this in turn can lead to strong corner separation at the vane roots of the second vane set.

Mixed-flow compressor configuration for a refrigeration system


Ink-jet inks for ink-jet printing are provided which include a vehicle and a colorant, the colorant encapsulated by or associated with a primer core/shell polymer to form a primer/colorant combination, and the primer/colorant combination, upon printing on a print medium, encapsulated by a durable core/shell polymer. The primer core/shell polymer serves to provide adhesion of the durable core/shell polymer to the colorant and the durable core/shell polymer serves to provide a smear-fast film upon drying of the ink on a print medium. The primer core/shell polymer comprises a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic shell comprising a polar component, while the durable core/shell polymer comprises a hydrophobic core comprising a low T.sub.g component, which, when homopolymerized, has a glass transition temperature, T.sub.g, below 25.degree. C. and a high T.sub.g component, which, when homopolymerized, has a glass transition temperature above 25.degree. C. and a hydrophilic shell selected from the group consisting of neutral shells, cationic shells, and anionic shells.

Core/shell polymers are well-known; such polymers typically have a hydrophilic portion and a hydrophobic portion. Core/shell polymers are commonly used to encapsulate hydrophobic molecules or particles, which are ordinarily not stably suspendable in water, but which, after encapsulation in the core/shell polymer, become stably suspendable in water. Encapsulation occurs when the hydrophobic portion of the polymer associates with the water-insoluble molecule, and the hydrophilic portion of the polymer disperses with water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,794 discloses the dispersion of pigments in an aqueous vehicle, using aqueous binders comprising both hydrophilic and hydrophobic components. The dispersion of the pigment is followed by centrifugation to eliminate the non-dispersed components such as agglomerates. Examples of the hydrophilic component (shell) comprise polymers of monomers having a mainly additively polymerizable vinyl group, into which hydrophilic construction portions such as carboxylic acid groups, sulfonic acid groups, sulfate groups, etc. are introduced by using a predetermined amount of an .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated monomer such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, itaconic acid, itaconic acid monoester, maleic acid, maleic acid monoester, fumaric acid, fumaric acid monoester, vinyl sulfonic acid, sulfoethyl methacrylate, sulfopropyl methacrylate, sulfonated vinylnaphthalene, etc. Examples of the hydrophobic portion (core) comprise polymers of monomers selected from the group consisting of styrene, styrene derivatives, vinylnaphthalene, vinylnaphthalene derivatives, and .alpha.,.beta.-ethylenic unsaturated carboxylate of aliphatic alcohol having C.sub.8 -C.sub.18. In addition to the foregoing monomers, also included are acrylonitrile, vinylidene chloride, .alpha.,.beta.-ethylenic unsaturated carboxylate, vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, acrylamide, methacrylamide, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate, glycidyl methacrylate, N-methylol acrylamide, N-butoxymethyl acrylamide, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,757 discloses encapsulated toner compositions comprising a core and a hydroxylated polyurethane microcapsule shell derived from the polycondensation of a polyisocyanate and a water soluble carbohydrate. The core comprises a polymer binder, pigment, dye, or mixtures thereof. Examples of the polymer binder include polymerized monomers selected from the group consisting of acrylates, methacrylates, and olefins including styrene and its derivatives.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,125 discloses waterborne core-shell latex polymers useful as adhesive films, rather than super-dispersion stability. The core comprises a (co)polymer comprising a (meth)acrylate ester, while the shell comprises a copolymer, the copolymer comprising (1) a nitrogen-bearing ethylenically-unsaturated free-radically polymerizable monomer, (2) at least one (meth)acrylate ester of about a C.sub.1 to C.sub.14 alcohol, and (3) an optional ethylenically-unsaturated free-radically polymerizable silane monomer, wherein the nitrogen-bearing ethylenically-unsaturated free-radically polymerizable monomer comprises about 15 to 60 wt % of the shell and wherein the core comprises about 40 to 85 wt % of the weight of the total core-shell latex particle. The polymers obtained by practicing the teachings of the disclosure have molecular weights of 400,000 or more, and the total low T. component (less than -10.degree. C.), where T.sub.g is the glass transition temperature, is greater than 60 wt %.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,071 discloses ink compositions useful for ink-jet applications. These compositions include an insoluble pigment and a polymeric dispersant. In one embodiment, the polymeric dispersant comprises block or graft copolymers comprising a hydrophilic polymeric segment (particularly an acrylate or methacrylate copolymer) and a hydrophobic polymeric segment which includes a hydrolytically stable siloxyl substituent.
Heretofore, inkjet printers have not had printing performance and durable print properties of competitive printer technologies. The foregoing cited patents do not provide for useful, durable film-forming properties upon removal of the water or solvent. Film durability includes wet and dry rub resistance, highlighter smear-fastness, lightfastness, and waterfastness (e.g., hot and cold water, under spill, soak, and rub conditions).
In particular, formulating an ink-jet ink often involves compromising competing interests. For example, it is possible to enhance one property, such as durable film-forming of the colorant. However, such enhancement usually results in the degradation of another property, such as stability (kogation or decap--nozzle crusting).
In the use of core/shell polymers to enhance water-dispersibility of water-insoluble or water-non-dispersible species, such as colorants (pigments, water-insoluble dyes, metal particles, and the like), the issue of competing interests also arises. Here, the competing interests lies in adhesion between the colorant and the core/shell polymer versus the ability to form a durable layer of ink on the print medium upon drying. Durable polymers usually do not bond well to colorants, whereas polymers that bond well to colorants usually have poor solvent resistance. Thus, enhancing one of these properties has been found to result in a degradation of the other.
Thus, there is a need to provide an improved core/shell polymer for encapsulating water-insoluble and water-non-dispersible colorants while enabling the formation of an ink capable of forming durable, smear-fast films of ink on the print medium upon drying.

Dual encapsulation technique for preparing ink-jets inks


The present invention relates to a silicon nitride sintered body having a remarkably increased strain-to-fracture, a low elasticity and high strength, characterized by consisting of a layered structure of alternating porous silicon nitride layers 1 to 1000 .mu.m thick with a porosity of 5 to 70 volume % and dense silicon nitride layers 1 to 1000 .mu.m thick with a porosity of less than 5 volume %, being layered as materials with optional tiers. In addition, this invention relates to a method for producing the silicon nitride sintered body as described above, which comprises of forming dense layers and porous layers by sheet casting or extrusion forming so as to prepare the layers to be capable of 1 to 1000 .mu.m thick after sintering, stacking them to obtain layered materials with optional tiers and sintering them at 1600.degree. to 2100 .degree. C. under a nitrogen atmosphere.

The improvement of strength of ceramics has been indispensable for the increase of strain-to-fracture of them. Typical prior arts developed from such a viewpoint include the following.
The strength of silicon nitride ceramics has been accomplished by preventing defect structure causing in the ceramics in the process of production, and reducing the size of particles of them. For example, as shown in "J. Ceram. Soc. Jpn., 103 4!, pp. 407-408 (1995)", a material with high strength developed by using a sintering aid for controlling grain growth and performing sintering carefully at a temperature causing no grain growth has been reported. In addition, as shown in "J. Ceram. Soc. Jpn., 97, pp. 872-874 (1989)", a silicon nitride with high strength has been obtained by using a component to be dissolved to form a solid state in silicon nitride particles during sintering as a sintering aid, and controlling sintering thereby.
However, the above methods involve the following problems, and the solution thereof has been demanded fairly.
In order to prevent defect structure causing in the ceramics in a process of production, and reduce the size of particles of them, extremely minute process control is required as shown in the above examples. For example, as shown in "Locus and Results of advanced Research and Development of Fine Ceramics, edited by Fine Ceramics Research Association, 1993", it is required with a view to improving strength of the ceramics to repeat a vast amount of experiments and analysis, for making a thorough investigation of many factors and solving them successively. Because of these situations, the increase of strain-to-fracture owing to the improvement of strength of the ceramics has caused problems of an increase in cost and a lack in reproductivity, which have restrained the materials from being used for industrial utilization.

Silicon nitride ceramics having a high reliability and a method for production thereof

Japan as represented by Director General of Agency of Industrial Science and Technology


A method of making a facing for a dental restoration. The method comprises the step of providing a facing precursor from which the facing is obtainable, and wherein the facing precursor is comprised of an open-celled material. The method provides for efficient manufacturing of dental restorations with optimized characteristics.

In the field of dentistry, restoration of a patient's tooth or teeth that have, for example, been affected by caries generally includes the replacement of the natural tooth substance by an artificial substance. For larger restorations, pre-finished dental restorations or prostheses are commonly used to replace at least a part of the tooth or teeth.
Dental restorations or prostheses are often made as a two or more component configuration, with the individual components providing different characteristics for the restoration. For example, a frame may provide excellent structural support, and a facing may provide excellent aesthetics. The frame generally is a supporting structure for the dental restoration that provides mechanical stability and usually comprises an interface by which the restoration can be affixed to a prepared tooth of a patient. The facing provides for pleasing aesthetic characteristics that gives the restoration the shape and appearance of natural teeth. In addition, both the frame and the facing are shaped to fit well with the adjacent and opposed teeth in a patient's mouth.
In the recent years ceramic materials have been widely used for making high-quality dental restorations because of their good physical, aesthetic and biological properties.
These restorations are often manufactured by an automated process, which typically includes:                capturing data representing the shape of a patient's teeth, for example by scanning a plaster model of the patient's teeth or alternatively by scanning the actual teeth in the patient's mouth;        designing the shape of a frame based on the captured data using software, such as computer-aided design (CAD) software; and        manufacturing the frame to correspond to the designed shape, for example, by an automated Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machine.
There are approaches to integrating the steps of capturing, designing and manufacturing in a Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) system. An exemplary CIM system for making frames for dental restorations is available from 3M ESPE AG (Seefeld, Germany) under the trade designation LAVA™.
Although such CIM systems would allow the manufacture of an integrated dental restoration (frame and facing together, in the example mentioned above), it is difficult to provide a single ceramic material that provides both the necessary structural durability and good aesthetics. Therefore the CIM system is normally used to manufacture the frame from a ceramic material that provides the required mechanical durability without regard to its aesthetic properties, after which a final layer or facing is applied to the frame to provide the necessary aesthetic properties. A facing of this type is very often manually prepared by skilled dental technicians, for example by manually applying several layers of a polymeric material or a glass-ceramic material, to provide the appropriate color, translucency, and other properties.
Another common method for manually preparing a facing is the "press over" technique shown in FIG. 1. A frame 200 is manufactured as described above, and manually covered with a wax layer or "wax-up" 300 with an outer surface that corresponds to the desired final shape of the tooth. That wax-up is used to form a pattern for a mold 100. The mold 100 is then heated in a furnace so that the wax is burned off, and the frame 200 remains as a core in the mold. The space between the core and the interior of the mold is then filled with a molten glass-ceramic material that is, for example, obtained from melting a ceramic pellet in channel 101 or previously molten and poured into the channel 101, where it flows around the frame and fuses with the frame to form the facing. The restoration may then be removed from the mold, polished as necessary, and provided to the dentist for application to the patient's tooth.
Other methods of preparing dental restorations are described, for example, in DE-A1-10 2005 034 803, and DE-A1-199 44 130.
Although the current approaches for manufacturing of dental restorations may provide a variety of advantages, there is still a desire for a method of manufacturing an entire high-quality dental restoration in a cost efficient manner.

Method of making a facing for a dental restoration, facing for a dental restoration, and method of making a dental restoration


A pump apparatus for a milking machine is provided with a distribution device for the supply of lubricant to the bearings of the pump. The distribution device comprises an inlet for the supply of lubricant from a container, a distributor and at least two outlets for the delivery of lubricant to the different bearings of the pump. The distributor is provided to guide the lubricant, independently of the incoming amount thereof such that the lubricant is equally distributed to each outlets and hence to each bearing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to a distribution device for distributing lubricant to different points of lubrication of a pump device, for instance, said distribution device comprising a casing forming an inner room, an inlet means for the delivery of lubricant to the inner room of the casing and at least two outlet means for the removal of lubricant from the inner room of the casing, said outlet means being connectable to said points of lubrication. Furthermore, the invention refers to a pump apparatus, preferably for producing a subpressure in a milking machine, comprising a pump, having a suction side and a pressure side, and a lubrication device for the supply of lubricant to different points of lubrication of the pump apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Today, milking machines operated by vacuum pumps are used in barns. In order to be able to guarantee a high and uniform milk production as well as the health of the animals, very high requirements are made on the reliability of these pumps. In order to obtain such a reliability, the lubrication of the pump and especially its bearings is very important.
A usual type of pump device being used today is shown in FIG. 1. The pump device comprises a vacuum pump 1 having a suction side 2 and a pressure side 3 terminating in an outlet tube 4. For the delivery of oil to the bearings of the vacuum pump a so called lubricator 5 is used, which comprises an oil container 6 and in its lower part an oil distributor, not shown. With the aid of the oil distributor, it is possible to guide the oil flow to the bearings via oil conduits 7. On the pressure side 3 of the vacuum pump is provided a silencer 8 and an oil trap 9. Both of them separate oil, which is carried by the air on the pressure side, to a respective container 6a and 6b. The use of this known pump device leads to the following problems. The container 6 provided on the lubricator 5 has to be filled with new oil before it is empty, in order to avoid that the bearings jam. Therefore, continuous supervision of the oil level in the container is necessary. The oil containers 6a and 6b, which are connected to the oil trap 9 and the silencer 8 and which collect the oil separated, also have to be continuously supervised in order to avoid that oil flows out on the floor. The oil flow through the lubricator 5 is controlled by means of a valve directly influencing the oil flow by throttling or opening a passage through which the oil is flowing. The oil amount delivered is very difficult to regulate exactly by means of such a valve. Consequently, this adjustment is done with low accuracy today. Furthermore, the outlets are sensitive to particles of dirt or thickened accumulations of oil, which easily may stop up the outlets. Since the oil flow from the known lubricator 5 may not be observed, it is very difficult to determine how much oil that has been delivered. The oil consumption increases drastically if for example any one of the shaft bearings of the vacuum pump is leaking. Since this increase may not be observed, such a leakage may lead to the breakdown of the bearings. Furthermore, the function of the lubricator 5 is very sensitive to a small inclination of the lubricator, since this results in an unequal distribution of oil to the different oil conduits 7, and thus to the different bearings of the pump. Furthermore, the lubricator 5 demonstrates an open construction, which gives rise to a risk for accumulation of dirt in the oil. Consequently, the bearings may be supplied with impurities. Moreover, the handling of this known lubricating system is relatively complicated, since the new container 6 with new oil has to be provided on the lubricator 5, when the oil in the old container runs out. Moreover, the containers 6a and 6b have to be replaced regularly, since separated oil is collected therein. U.S. Pat. No. 1,092,164 shows an air-tight lubricator for lubrication of an engine, comprising a container for oil and an outlet channel from the container. The known lubricator is provided with a control valve for controlling the amount of air to be supplied to the container. Opening of the control valve results in an increase of the amount of air supplied from the environment as well as of the amount of oil which is delivered from the container to the pump. In the upper portion of the container, there is an opening for filling the container when it is empty. In the lower portion of the outlet channel there is a small window for observation of the flow of oil.
U.S. Pat. No. 899,352 shows a similar air-tight lubricator comprising a container with an outlet tube for oil contained in the container and with a control valve for controlling the amount of air that can be supplied to the container. The control valve comprises an adjustment screw and a loose insertion of silk or cotton, and with the aid of these means the outflow of oil may be controlled in the same manner as in U.S. Pat. No. 1,092,164. In the upper portion of the container there is an opening for filling the container when it is empty.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,359 shows a lubricating system for circulating lubricant through the bearings of a machine. The system comprises, except the bearings to be lubricated, an oil sump, a pump, a manifold and a security switch provided to sense the flow of oil and to disconnect the current to the machine when the oil flow decreases below a certain level. The construction of the manifold is not further disclosed.
EP-A-141 573 shows the construction of a reservoir for oil feeded to a bearing, for instance, by means of gravity.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,855,516 discloses a lubricator having a complicated construction and comprising an oil supply container provided with a plurality of oil conduits extending upwardly in the interior of the container and having an inlet for oil normally positioned above the oil level in the container. An oil carrier is slidable along each oil conduit for carrying oil upwardly to the conduit inlet. Means is provided to reciprocate the carrier upwardly and downwardly. By means of an adjustment screw, the height of the upward movement of the oil carrier may be determined, and thus the quantity of oil delivered through the oil conduits may be regulated.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,835 discloses a lubricator having a distribution device for distributing a certain amount of oil to different points of lubrication. The distribution device comprises a rotary valve disc rotating with a constant speed and having passages, which will be connected with opposite outlet channels, when they pass said channels during the rotation of the valve disc.

Device for distribution of lubricant and a pump apparatus including the distribution device


A low pressure monitor for hybrid air bag systems for vehicles includes a pressure responsive disc 34.6 exposed on one side to a reference pressure chamber 34.11 and on the other side to the pressure in an air bag bottle 40 and positioned adjacent a movable arm 28.10 of an electric switch, The switch includes an electrically conductive sheet having a first portion partially encased in a base 26 of electrically insulative material and being connected to a first terminal 14 and a second portion forming the movable contact arm 28.10 extending from the insulative material and culminating with a portion formed with contact rib 28.14 adapted to be received beneath a laterally extending stationary contact portion 22 of a second terminal 16. Tabs 28.4, 28.6 extend from the sheet out of the insulative material for connection to a resistor 30 mounted on the electrically insulative base and a frangible portion 28.7 of the first portion is severed to place the resistor in series with the electrical contacts, The monitor is disposed in an air bag bottle with the disc 34.6 adapted to snap from one dished configuration to an opposite dished configuration whenever the pressure on the bottle decreases to a selected level, The movement of the snapping of the disc is transferred to the movable arm 28.10 separating the contact rib 28.14 from the stationary contact portion 22 opening the circuit,

This invention relates to apparatus for monitoring gas pressure levels in an enclosed chamber and more specifically to apparatus for monitoring a pressurized gas used in hybrid air bag systems for motor vehicles.
The use of air bags for drivers as well as passengers in motor vehicles is becoming more and more widespread. Earlier versions of air bag systems made use of pyrotechnic inflators in which a rapid oxidation of sodium azide causes the air bags to inflate in a very short period of time, i.e., approximately 40 to 45 milliseconds. Sodium azide, however, is hazardous in processing. The material is toxic to unprotected workers and is a powerful, unstable explosive during processing.
As a result, a modified air bag inflator is becoming more common. In the modified system, known as a hybrid inflator, a pressurized gas, typically argon, an inert gas, is used in combination with a smaller amount of less hazardous solid propellant to inflate the air bag. Although hybrid systems take slightly longer to inflate a bag, e.g., 50 to 55 milliseconds, and require a heavier steel housing rather than aluminum used for the pyrotechnic versions, substituting argon gas for a solid propellant substantially lowers the cost of the inflator system and is less hazardous to process. In addition, the cost is reduced because the hybrid inflator does not require a sophisticated filtering system which is required in the pyrotechnic version.
An air bag module comprises an inflator, a metal housing and an inflatable bag. The hybrid version also requires a separate electronic circuit including a sensor to monitor the bottle pressure for the stored gas. That is, it is necessary to be able to determine that the pressure of the stored gas is above a selected level to ensure effective deployment of the air bag when called for.
A pressure switch for use as a sensor in a hybrid air bag system is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,935. The switch is placed within a pressure chamber of an air bag system to monitor the pressure level therein and to provide a signal if the pressure in the chamber decreases below a certain level. The switch employs a diaphragm movable between opposite reinforcement sections. Movement of the diaphragm caused by a pressure change pushes a contact arm against the bias of a spring, through a pin, to engage a stationary contact and complete an electric circuit. As noted in the patent the reinforcement sections are spaced apart on the central axis about 0.035 inches with the diaphragm moving between the two extremities. This distance provides sufficient travel to allow the use of a spring and movable contact arm having sufficient stiffness relative to the diaphragm force to avoid problems caused by vibration. That is, the components of the switch must be chosen so that reliable operation is obtained in the event that the pressure in the chamber decreases below the specified level while at the same time avoiding nuisance tripping or chatter caused by the components of the system vibrating at their natural frequency.
In air bag systems currently being used space occupied by the system is at a premium, particularly with respect to the driver's side. As a result, the space available for the sensor switch has been decreased so that it is very difficult to provide a switch of the type shown in the patent which, due to the required smaller diaphragm and its concomitant reduced travel, has sufficient stiffness to avoid such problems caused by vibration.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sensor switch which is sufficiently small in size to be useful as an air bag sensor switch. Another object is the provision of a switch which is inexpensive, long lasting and easily calibratable. Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts.

Pressure switch apparatus for monitoring pressure level in an enclosed chamber and methods of calibrating same and for making a movable contact arm for use therewith


A method and associated system are provided for processing data to complete a collect telephone call to a called-party that has prepaid an account to pay for the collect call. Data is received regarding a collect call from a caller to the called-party. Next it is determining whether the called party is associated with a prepaid account and the rate to be applied to the collect call. The rate to be applied to the call is increased by a tax rate and the data is sent regarding the call rate to be applied to the collect call so that the call can be completed between the called party and caller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system and method in which a called party can prepay phone charges in order to receive incoming calls at a discounted rate. In particular, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a system and method that can be used for inmates housed in a department of corrections facility making outbound calls to a customer with a prepaid account.
2. Background
In recent years, telecommunications service providers have enabled customers to pay for telephone calls in a variety of ways in order to suit their individual needs. For example, in one method a customer could utilize a payment program that requires no prepayment for activation of the account. Most customers utilize such a payment plan through participation in "monthly" billing for services. In another less popular example, customers can be billed on a per call basis. This is done for example through the use of coin deposit pay telephones.
In yet another way of paying for telecommunications services, customers can choose to prepay for telephony services. Prepaid telephony service is a very popular service as prepaid calling cards can be purchased by customers at numerous retail locations and used to place calls. Typically, a user or subscriber of a prepaid calling card initiates a phone call by calling a signaling agent, located at a call center, via a toll-free number (800/888) provided on the prepaid calling card. The subscriber is then prompted to enter his home telephone number and an identification number (PIN) also provided on the prepaid calling card using a telephone keypad. If the code is correct, the call is connected. Once the customer has used all of the purchased time, a new card can be purchased or the same card, in some instances, can be re-authorized upon payment of further fees.
Another type of prepaid billing that telecommunications providers employ for customers is a "called-party" prepayment method. By using this method, the called party (i.e., a customer) can pay for future received collect calls from various callers. Typically, to sign up for such a program, a customer initiates a phone call to a call center run by a telecommunications provider. Once a prepayment is received, the customer can receive prepaid calls.
However, while providing possible competitive advantages and allowing customers to select one or more of these services, the telecommunications providers encounter several monetary disadvantages in employing some of these programs. For example, with regard to a called party prepayment plan, when a call is made from a calling party to the called party, the taxes (required for every call connected) are paid at the time of sale (i.e., when the program is initiated). Over time this causes a loss of revenue for the telecommunications provider since taxes are calculated at the time of purchase rather than at the time of use.
Additionally, this tax calculation causes telecommunications providers additional monetary losses in terms of remuneration to employees where salary and bonus amounts are dependent upon sales. Specifically, employees are usually paid salary and commission and bonuses based upon sales. However, with these conventional prepaid plans, up until now, the allowed air time was sold in bulk, thereby making it impossible to resolve the amount of the total charge directed to call fees and the amount of the total charge directed to taxes.

System and method for implementation of a called party prepayment plan


A method, software, database and system for attribute partner identification and social network based attribute analysis are presented in which attribute profiles associated with individuals can be compared and potential partners identified. Connections can be formed within social networks based on analysis of genetic and non-genetic data. Degrees of attribute separation (genetic and non-genetic) can be utilized to analyze relationships and to identify individuals who might benefit from being connected.

Previous methods have been largely unsuccessful in determining the complex combinations of attributes that predispose individuals to most disorders, behaviors and traits. The level of resolution afforded by the data typically used is too low, the number and types of attributes considered is too limited, and the sensitivity to detect low frequency, high complexity combinations is lacking. The desirability of being able to determine the complex combinations of attributes that predispose an individual to physical or behavioral disorders has clear implications for improving individualized diagnoses, choosing the most effective therapeutic regimens, making beneficial lifestyle changes that prevent disease and promote health, and reducing associated health care expenditures. It is also desirable to determine those combinations of attributes that promote certain behaviors and traits such as success in sports, music, school, leadership, career and relationships.
Previous methods using genetic information have suffered from either a lack of high resolution information, very limited coverage of total genomic information, or both. Genetic markers such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) do not provide a complete picture of a gene's nucleotide sequence or the total genetic variability of the individual. The SNPs typically used occur at a frequency of at least 5% in the population. However, the majority of genetic variation that exists in the population occurs at frequencies below 1%. Furthermore, SNPs are spaced hundreds of nucleotides apart and do not account for genetic variation that occurs in the genetic sequence lying between, which is vastly more sequence than the single nucleotide position represented by an SNP. SNPs are typically located within gene coding regions and do not allow consideration of 98% of the 3 billion base pairs of genetic code in the human genome that does not encode gene sequences. Other markers such as STS, gene locus markers and chromosome loci markers also provide very low resolution and incomplete coverage of the genome. Complete and partial sequencing of an individual's genome potentially provides the ability to incorporate that detailed information into the analysis of factors contributing toward expressed attributes.

Computer implemented modeling and prediction of phenotypes


In a packet switched network, network data can be recorded for measurement by transmitting a measurement packet across the network to store path records as it travels from an originating measurement device to a destination device. Some of the network devices located along the path traversed by the measurement packet are capable of recognizing that the measurement packet no longer has any further storage capacity for path records. The network device then copies or clones the measurement packet and erases the path record data from the original measurement packet. The original measurement packet then continues on its path to the destination address collecting further path records on the way, while the cloned packet is returned to the measurement host for processing of the path records when all cloned packets and the original measurement packet return to the measurement host.

In modern communications systems (in particular the Internet) it has become desirable to measure network performance. The Internet is a major world-wide packet switched telecommunications network and is a collection of heterogeneous networks all using a set of networking protocols, otherwise known as the IP suite. The IP suite has been developed to allow cooperating computers to share resources across the network. The IP suite incorporates many other networking protocols, which all perform different tasks within a network, such as UDP (User Datagram Protocol), ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol), ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) and RTP (Real Time Protocol).
A number of working groups within IETF (Internet Engineering-Task Force) do standardization work on TCP/IP and related protocols, which are documented in "Requests for Comments" (RFCs).
There are many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that provide access to Internet-based services for their business and residential customers and the number of users and the size of the networks is increasing rapidly. This recent rapid expansion looks set to continue and evolving commercial services e.g. on-line shopping, and new technologies such as ×DSL and 3G, which provide speech and video services, will further increase the pressure on ISPs to provide better services and service guarantees.
ISPs use traffic engineering to make efficient usage of available network resources and it has become a common desire to measure network performance in order for the ISPs to meet pre-defined Quality of Service (QoS) and Service Level Agreements (SLA's) with their customers.
Currently known technologies are not adequately suited to the task of measuring the performance of modern telecommunications networks, such as the Internet. This is because the protocols currently being implemented are not scalable or efficient, as they were not designed to be used to measure large scale and increasingly more complex modern networks.
Existing tools used for monitoring networks such as the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) are limited in their applicability for the task of network performance monitoring. One reason for this is that routers are designed and optimized for the purpose of forwarding packets and therefore, routers are inappropriate measurement targets. In addition, tasks which require a high level of network resources are processed with a low priority, or not at all, in order to minimize or negate the effect of a malicious attack on the network, based on one of these resource intensive tasks. This has led a number of Internet service providers (ISP's) to disable the ICMP feature on their networks.
A need therefore exists for a measurement protocol for modern networks which is efficient and scalable. An example of such a measurement protocol has already been proposed and is called the "IP measurement protocol (IPMP)". IPMP has been disclosed in an Internet Draft by Bennett and McGregor [Network working Group, Waikato University November 2003] and may become a widely adopted Internet standard.
The principle of this protocol is to use measurement packets, or active packets, to allow routers to participate in measurement by the insertion of path information into the measurement packet as it passes between a pair of hosts, or other measurement device.
The packet size in IPMP is restricted such that it has the highest possible degree of transmission compatibility across the network. The limit placed on the packet size has the effect that at some point the packet will become unable to collect any more data from the routers as it travels on the network between two measurement devices. This limitation in the amount of data which the measurement packets can collect therefore limits the numbers of measurements that can be made of the network.
The present invention seeks to address this limitation; however the present invention is not limited to IPMP or the measurement application and could be applied in other protocols and applications. Specifically, the particular problem which the present invention seeks to address arises from the restricted byte size of the IPMP data packets.

Apparatus and method for routing packets in a network


Disclosed is a PDP driving method. During the reset period, a bias voltage of a sustain electrode below a first bias voltage is applied during a peak maintain period after a Y ramp falling period, or a discharge stabilization stage for lowering a relative potential of a scan electrode is provided before the Y ramp starts falling, thereby improving address features, stably obtaining voltage margins, providing advantages for low gray and low temperatures according to stable obtainment of the voltage margins, and reducing the light in the reset period to improve the contrast.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a PDP (plasma display panel) driving method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a PDP driving method for stabilizing the sustain discharge.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A PDP is a flat display for displaying characters and images using plasma generated by gas discharge, and from several tens to several millions of pixels are provided in a matrix format on the PDP depending on the size of the pixels. A PDP may be classified as a direct current (DC) PDP or an alternating current (AC) PDP depending upon the patterns of the applied driving voltage waveforms and the structures of the discharge cells.
Electrodes of DC PDPs are exposed in the discharge space, and hence the current flows in the discharge space while the voltage is applied. Thus, a resistor must be provided for current restriction to solve this problem. Electrodes of AC PDPs are covered with a dielectric layer, and therefore the current is restricted because of formation of a natural capacitance component, and since the electrodes are protected from ion shocks at the discharge time, AC PDPs generally have a longer lifespan than DC PDPs.
FIG. 1 shows a partial perspective view of an AC PDP. As shown, pairs of scan electrodes 4 and sustain electrodes 5, which are covered with a dielectric layer 2 and a protection film 3, are provided in parallel below a first glass substrate 1. A plurality of address electrodes 8, which are covered with an insulation layer 7, are installed on a second glass substrate 6. Barrier ribs 9, which are parallel to the address electrodes 8, are formed on the insulation layer 7. Phosphor 10 is formed on the surface of the insulation layer 7 and on both sides of the barrier ribs 9.
The first glass substrate 1 and the second glass substrate 6 are provided facing each other with discharge areas 11 between them so the scan electrodes 4 and the sustain electrodes 5 may cross the address electrodes 8. The discharge area provided at crossing nodes of the address electrodes 8 and the pairs of the scan electrode 4 and the sustain electrode 5 form discharge cells 12.
FIG. 2 shows a PDP electrode arrangement diagram. As shown, the PDP electrode has an m×n matrix configuration, and in detail, address electrodes A1 through Am are arranged in the row direction, and n scan electrodes Y1 through Yn and n sustain electrodes X1 through Xn are alternately arranged in the column direction. The scan electrodes will be referred to as "Y electrodes," and the sustain electrodes as "X electrodes" hereinafter. The discharge cell 12 of FIG. 2 corresponds to the discharge cell of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 shows a conventional PDP driving waveform diagram. As shown, each subfield following a conventional PDP driving method comprises a reset period, an address period, and a sustain period. Eight to twelve subfields of the above-noted PDP form a single frame, and realize a single image.
During the reset period, a wall charge state of a previous sustain discharge is erased, and the wall charges are set up to stably perform the next addressing.
During the address period, cells to be turned on are selected to accumulate wall charges on the cells to be turned on (i.e., addressed cells). During the sustain period, a discharge is performed to display the actual images on the addressed cells.
FIGS. 4(a) through 4(d) show the wall charges distributed to the electrodes at the respective (a), (b), (c), and (d) periods of FIG. 3.
Referring to FIGS. 4(a) through 4(d), the operation of the conventional reset period will be described in detail. The reset period includes an erase period, a Y ramp rising period, and a Y ramp falling period.
(1) Erase Period
When the final sustain is finished, positive charges are accumulated to the X electrode, and negative charges are accumulated to the Y electrode, as shown in FIG. 4(a). The address voltage is maintained at 0V (volts) during the sustain period, however, because it tries to maintain a middle voltage of the sustain all the time, a relatively large amount of the positive charges are accumulated to the address electrodes.
When the sustain is finished, an erase ramp voltage that gradually increases from 0(V) to +Ve(V) is applied to the X electrode, and the wall charges formed on the X and Y electrodes are gradually erased, as shown in FIG. 4(b).
(2) Y Ramp Rising Period
During this period, the address electrode and the X electrode are maintained at 0V, and a ramp voltage is applied to the Y electrode, the ramp voltage gradually rising from the voltage Vs, which is below the discharge firing voltage with respect to the X electrode, to the voltage Vset, which is greater than the discharge firing voltage. While the ramp voltage rises, first weak resetting discharge is generated in all the discharge cells from the Y electrode to the address electrode and the X electrode. As a result, the negative wall charges are accumulated to the Y electrode, and concurrently, the positive wall charges are accumulated to the address electrode and the X electrode, as shown in FIG. 4(c).
(3) Y Ramp Falling Period
In the latter part of the reset period, a ramp voltage that gradually falls from the voltage Vs, which is below the discharge firing voltage, to 0(V) is applied to the Y electrode while the X electrode maintains a constant voltage Ve. While the ramp voltage falls, a second weak resetting discharge is generated in all the discharge cells because the potential difference between the X electrode and the Y electrode exceeds the discharge firing voltage. As a result, the negative wall charges of the Y electrode are reduced, and the polarity of the X electrode is inverted to accumulate weak negative charges thereto, as shown in FIG. 4(d). Also, the positive wall charges of the address electrode are adjusted to an appropriate value for the address operation. In this instance, when the reset operation is ideally performed, a voltage difference corresponding to the discharge firing voltage Vf is always maintained within the discharge cell as shown in Equation 1.Vf,xy=Ve+Vw,xy Vf,ay=Vw,ay  Equation 1where Vf,xy is a discharge firing voltage between the X and Y electrodes, Vf,ay is a discharge firing voltage between the address and Y electrodes, Vw,xy is a voltage caused by the wall charges accumulated to the X and Y electrodes, Vw,ay is a voltage caused by the wall charges accumulated to the address and Y electrodes, and Ve is an externally applied voltage between the X and Y electrodes.
As given by Equation 1, the discharge firing voltage can be maintained with a small amount of wall charge since the voltage Ve (substantially 200V) is supplied between the X and Y electrodes. However, the address electrodes and the Y electrodes are to maintain the discharge firing voltage using the wall charges since no external voltage is supplied to the address electrodes and the Y electrodes.
However, the charges shown in FIG. 4(d) with circles around them on the X and Y electrodes do not function to maintain the voltage difference between the X and Y electrodes. Nevertheless, these charges are accumulated because the discharge firing voltage between the address electrode and Y electrode is achieved using only the wall charges between the address and Y electrodes after accumulating a large amount of positive charges to the address electrode and a large amount of negative charges to the Y electrode.
FIG. 5 shows a detailed conventional waveform and a distribution of wall charges during the Y ramp falling period. The distribution diagram of the wall charges shown on the right of FIG. 5 shows a distribution of wall charges at the time (d). As shown, the X bias voltage Vx1 is easily discharged because it forms a relatively large potential difference. Further, since the background brightness increases, the entire contrast reduces. Also, the relative large X bias potential heavily erases the wall charges after the Y ramp rising, thereby generating unstable subsequent addressing.
FIG. 6 shows another conventional waveform and a distribution of wall charges in the Y ramp falling period.
As known from the waveform on the left of FIG. 6, an X bias voltage Vx2 which is relatively lower than the X bias voltage of FIG. 5 is applied to the sustain electrode.
In this case, however, discharge may be delayed since the potential between the Y electrode and the X electrode is low during the Y ramp falling period, and over-discharge is likely to occur because the large amount of the wall charges accumulated during the Y ramp rising period are not sufficiently erased.

Driving device and method for plasma display panel


Accordingly, one embodiment of the invention provides a method for testing a communications link. The method includes establishing a connection over the communications link and completing link training over the communications link. Additional testing is now performed over the communications link. Assuming successful completion of the additional testing, it is reported to a network manager that link training has completed. This then allows use of the link for network communications to commence.

The InfiniBand (IB) Architecture defines a computer networking architecture that allows end nodes to communicate with one another via a fabric or subnetwork comprising one or more switches. A full definition of the IB Architecture may be found in the InfiniBand Architecture Specification Volumes 1 and 2, available from the InfiniBand Trade Association (www.infiniBandta.org), which is hereby incorporated by reference.
When a new connection is powered up in a communications network it is common to perform link training. Such link training may be used to set threshold levels in physical (hardware) devices, for example in relation to signal timing and amplitude. Although the IB specification includes such link training, it does not define any elaborate link testing or diagnostics operations. As a result, it is possible for a link to train satisfactorily, but still to have certain inherent problems. In addition, the IB specification does not require a subnet manager (SM) to support any additional link testing and diagnostics, beyond being able to read diagnostic status attributes, and being able to observe error counter attributes that may be updated during training and/or normal operation.
Consequently, the default approach for handling any additional desired testing is based on manual or bespoke coordination of instructions to the controlling logic on each side of a link. This coordination is performed via some out-of-band mechanism. Such an approach has been used, for example, with the link built-in self-test (LBIST) procedures for IB nodes from Sun Microsystems. However, this is only feasible where the subnet manager is compatible with the testing and coordination between the controlling logic on the two network nodes representing the ends of the link. Otherwise, the subnet manager may regard an attempt to perform elaborate link BIST operations as a case of link failure. As a result, nodes that implement such testing are restricted to use in conjunction with a subnet manager that also supports such testing, thereby limiting interoperability and flexibility for customers in configuring an IB network.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for testing a communication link


A GMR magnetic sensor includes a lower electrode, a first non-magnetic metal layer formed on the lower electrode and including ferromagnetic regions, a second non-magnetic metal layer on the first non-magnetic metal layer, a third non-magnetic metal layer on the second non-magnetic metal layer and including ferromagnetic regions, and an upper electrode formed on the third non-magnetic metal layer, wherein a tunneling insulation film is disposed further between the first non-magnetic metal layer and the third non-magnetic metal layer.

The present invention generally relates to magnetic heads and more particularly to a high-sensitivity magnetic head that uses so-called GMR (giant magneto-resistive) effect.
Magnetic heads are used extensively from audio-visual apparatuses such as a tape recorder or video recorder to information processing apparatuses such as a computer. In an information processing apparatus, in particular, there is a persistent demand for recording a large amount of information signals in relation to processing of image data or audio data. In relation to this, there is a need of high-speed magnetic storage device having a very large storage capacity and hence a very large recording density. Such a large capacity magnetic storage device requires a magnetic head that is capable of performing writing and reading of information with a correspondingly high recording density.
The resolution of a magnetic head, which is a maximum recording density that the magnetic head can perform, is primarily determined by a gap width of the magnetic head and the distance from a recording medium to the gap. In an induction magnetic head in which a coil is wound around a magnetic core, a recording density of about 65 Mbits/inch.sup.2 is achieved. However, this recording density is substantially insufficient in view of the recording density of 20 Gbits/inch.sup.2 or more, which is expected to be required in future magnetic storage devices that use a very small recording dot.
In order to achieve the foregoing recording density of 20 Gbits/inch.sup.2 or more, it is necessary to provide a very high-sensitivity magnetic head that is capable of detecting a very feeble magnetic signal at a very high speed. Such a high-speed detection of feeble magnetic signals is not possible by an induction magnetic head that is based upon the principle of electromagnetic induction, in view of required resolution, sensitivity and response.
As a high-sensitivity magnetic head that is capable of detecting such very feeble magnetic signals formed by very tiny recording dots, there is proposed a magnetic head that is equipped with a magneto-resistive magnetic sensor. See for example, P. Ciureanu and Gavrila, Studies in Electrical and Electronic Engineering 39, "Magnetic Heads for Digital Recording," Chapter 7, Elsevier Publication, 1990.
FIG. 1 shows a magnetic head 10 that includes a so-called GMR (giant magneto-resistive) sensor in a cross-sectional view, wherein a GMR sensor is a magneto-resistive magnetic sensor most suitable for detecting extremely feeble magnetic signals. Further, FIGS. 2A and 2B show the construction of a GMR sensor used for the magnetic head 10.
Referring to FIG. 1, the magnetic head 10 is formed on a ceramic substrate 11 of A1.sub.2 O.sub.3 --TiC and includes a lower magnetic shield 12 formed on the substrate 11 and an upper magnetic shield 14 that is formed on the lower magnetic shield 12 with a non-magnetic insulation film 13 interposed therebetween. The upper and lower magnetic shields 12 and 14 form a read gap 15 at a front end part of the magnetic head 10, and the gap 15 includes a GMR magnetic sensor 16 therein.
On the upper magnetic shield 14, there is provided a magnetic pole 18 with a non-magnetic insulation film 17 interposed therebetween, and a write gap 19 is formed between the magnetic pole 18 and the upper magnetic shield 14 at the front end part of the magnetic head 10. It should be noted that a write coil 20 is disposed in the insulation film 17.
FIGS. 2A and 2B show the GMR magnetic sensor 16 of FIG. 1 respectively in a state in which there is no external magnetic field and in a state in which an external magnetic field H is applied.
Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the GMR magnetic sensor 16 includes a non-magnetic main body 16A of a conductive non-magnetic material such as Cu or Ag and a plurality of generally flat ferromagnetic regions 16B formed in the main body 16A with a diameter of several ten nanometers and a thickness of 2-4 nm. The ferromagnetic regions 16B are separated from each other with an optimum distance for an exchange interaction. As a result of the exchange interaction, there appears a magneto-static coupling between the adjacent ferromagnetic regions 16B, and there appears an anti-parallel relationship in the direction of magnetization in the ferromagnetic regions 16B as indicated in FIG. 2A as a result of the magneto-static coupling, when there is no external magnetic field applied to the magnetic sensor 16.
When an electron current is injected in the state of FIG. 2A from an electrode A provided on the top surface of the main body 16A to the interior of the main body 16A, those electrons in the electron current and having an upward spin state experience a scattering by a ferromagnetic region 16B having a first direction of magnetization. On the other hand, those electrons in the electron flow and having a downward spin state experience also a scattering by another ferromagnetic region 16B having a second, opposite direction of magnetization. Thereby, the number of electrons reaching an electrode B also provided on the top surface of the main body 16A is decreased, and the magnetic sensor 16 exhibits a high-resistance.
When an external magnetic field H is applied to the GMR sensor 16 as indicated in FIG. 2B, on the other hand, the direction of magnetization is aligned in one direction for all the ferromagnetic regions 16B as indicated in FIG. 2B, and the magneto-static coupling between the adjacent ferromagnetic regions 16B is invalidated. In such a state, those electrons in the electron current injected from the electrode A and having one of the upward or downward spin state successfully reach the electrode B after passing through the main body 16A, although the electrons having the other spin state are scattered similarly to the case of FIG. 2A. Thus, the magnetic sensor 16 decreases the resistance thereof in response to the application of the external magnetic field H.
In such a GMR magnetic sensor 16, on the other hand, there arises a problem, when an electron current is caused to flow through the main body 16A by applying a voltage across the electrodes A and B on the main body 16A, that a part of the electrons in the electron current may travel along a short-circuit path P.sub.2 at the surface of the main body 16A rather than along a nominal path P.sub.1 that penetrates deeply into the interior of the main body 16A. See FIG. 3. When such a bypassing of the electron current occurs along the current path P.sub.2, the change of resistance of the GMR sensor 16 that is detected between the electrodes A and B, is masked by the electron current flowing along the current path P.sub.2. As a result of such a masking, the sensitivity of magnetic detection is deteriorated inevitably.
The foregoing problem of bypass current path P.sub.2 may be eliminated by providing another electrode C at the bottom of the main body 16A as indicted in FIG. 3 and detecting the resistance between the electrodes A and C. However, such an approach is unsuccessful in view of the small thickness of the main body 16A, which is at best about 50 nm. Because of the extremely small thickness of the main body 16A, the resistance across the electrodes A and C becomes substantially zero. Thereby, no reliable detection of resistance drop is possible.

GMR magnetic sensor having an improved sensitivity of magnetic detection


The present invention provides a cation-modified linear copolymer which comprises, within the molecule thereof, 95 to 85 mole % of an ethylene structural unit, 0.1 to 10 mole % of an ester structural unit represented by general formula (II), 0.1 to 6 mole % of an acrylic or methacrylic acid structural unit and 1 to 12 mole % of an amide structural unit represented by general formula (IV). The copolymer and has a weight-average molecular weight of 1,000 to 100,000. When incorporated in thermoplastic resins, it shows good compatibility and results in good mechanical properties. ##STR1##

The present invention relates to a novel cation-modified acrylamide or methacrylamide copolymer as well as to an antistatic agent, thermoplastic resin composition, aqueous composition and thermoplastic resin laminate comprising said cation-modified copolymer.
Cation-modified polyolefins retain the excellent processability, low temperature characteristics and flexibility of polyolefins and have cationic groups and, therefore, they are in wide use as antistatic agents, electroconductive resins, agents for statically charging toners, sizing agents for paper, antimicrobial agents, glass coating agents and so forth and are becoming industrially important materials.
Such cation-modified polyolefins include, for example, the following species (a) through (i):
(a) In EP-A-0258724 and JP-A-63057609, there are disclosed modified polyethylenes with a molecular weight of 500 to 10,000 (preferably 1,000 to 5,000) as derived from polyethylene by introducing 1 to 10 (preferably 1 to 5) cationized acrylamide units per molecule into polyethylene side chains. They are supposed to be useful as coating agents for glass vessels.
The method of production thereof, as disclosed, comprises reacting oxidized polyethylene with a molar excess of a dialkylaminoalkylamine for amidation, followed by quaternization with a quaternizing agent such as an alkyl halide or an alkyl sulfate ester.
(b) In JP-A-63246750, there are disclosed cation-modified polyolefins derived from a copolymer resin produced from an unsaturated carboxylic acid such as maleic anhydride or acrylic acid and an olefin by reacting the resin with at least 1 mole, per mole of the carboxyl group, of an amine such as N,N-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine for conversion into an imide, amide or amine salt, followed by exhaustive or partial quaternization with a quaternizing agent such as an alkyl halide, aryl halide, trialkyl phosphonate or alkylaryl sulfonate, optionally further followed by modification of the negative counter ion structure by reaction with a sulfonic acid salt, for instance. It is disclosed that these cation-modified polyolefins are useful as agents for statically charging toners to be used in electrophotography.
(c) In JP-A-63304010 and JP-A-02036106, there is disclosed a method of preparing an aqueous dispersion of cation-modified polyethylene which comprises quaternizing, with an epihalohydrin, the hydrochloride of an ethylene-dialkylaminoalkylacrylamide or ethylene-dialkylaminoalkylacrylamide-methacrylate ester (the latter ester being introduced as a matter of convenience on the occasion of production and for the purpose of increasing the copolymer flexibility) copolymer obtained by radical copolymerization having a molecular weight of 5,000 to 50,000. The product thus obtained is allegedly effective as an antistatic agent to be applied to plastic films, as an electroconductive layer of a medium of electrostatic recording, and as a microbicide.
(d) In JP-A-04198308 and JP-A-04198307, there are disclosed, by the present inventors, ethylene-acrylate ester-acryloylaminoalkyltrialkylammonium copolymers and a method for their production. The cation-modified copolymers contain acrylic acid ester units positively introduced thereinto and, as a result, have the following practical advantages.
Thus, when incorporated into thermoplastic resins, they provide the resins with toughness and shock resistance, hence causing only slight decreases in physical characteristics. When used in the conductive layer of an electrostatic recording medium, they show good film-forming property and bring about good conductivity as well as good solvent resistance. Furthermore, when used, in an aqueous dispersion form, as coating-type antistatic agents in plastics, they show good film-forming property, hence good conductivity and good adhesion to the substrates.
(e) In JP-A-60229904 (JP-B-05017923), there are described examples in which a product of quaternization of an aminoalkyl acrylate is used as an antistatic functional group. In the examples, a cationic copolymer obtained by quaternizing an ethylene-ethyl acrylate-dimethylaminoethyl acrylate terpolymer with a trialkyl phosphate is blended with a polyolefin resin, polyester elastomer, polystyrene resin, ABS resin, polyamide resin and the like to give an antistatic resin composition.
(f) In JP-A-06179716, there are disclosed, by the present inventors, ethylene-acrylic acid-acrylate ester-acryloylaminoalkyltrialkylammonium copolymers and a method for their production. These cation-modified copolymers contain not only acrylate ester units but also positively introduced carboxylic acid units and, as a result, have the advantages detailed below.
The carboxylic acid units and amide structure units form intermolecular ionic bonds to thereby apparently increase the molecular weight of such a cation-modified copolymer. As a result, the viscosity, from melt kneading the copolymer becomes comparable to that of a thermoplastic resin to be molded and the copolymer is finely dispersed in the resin to provide a high level of antistatic effect at low addition levels. Furthermore, owing to the formation of ionic bonds as mentioned above, the resin internally supplemented with the cation-modified copolymer acquires improved shock resistance and flexibility.
(g) In JP-A-04292638, there is described a method of producing antistatic coatings which comprises using a cationic acrylate as an antistatic function group, and applying to a substrate the cationic acrylate and a polymerizable compound which contains at least two acryloyloxy and/or methacryloyloxy groups, together with an acryloyl derivative having alkylene oxide groups as side chains, followed by crosslinking for curing. The method uses, as the cationic acrylate, a product of quaternization of an aminoalkyl acrylate with a sulfate or sulfonate ester.
(h) In JP-A-06073210, there is described a method of obtaining antistatic coatings which comprises applying a mixture of a polyfunctional acrylate and an amino-containing acrylate to a substrate, then photocuring the coating using a photopolymerization initiator and treating, with heating, the cured coating with an alkyl sulfate ester or sulfonate ester for quaternary ammonium salt formation. There are disclosed, by way of example, certain resin films and resin sheets thus rendered antistatic.
(i) In JP-A-05032808, it is stated that synthetic resin moldings with durable and high-level antistatic property can be obtained by applying a partial quaternization reaction product derived from an amino-containing alkoxysilane and an alkyl sulfate ester or sulfonate ester and that the moldings are effectively applicable in manufacturing photomagnetic disks and the like.
The prior art cation-modified polyolefins mentioned above, however, when incorporated, in the practical use thereof, into polyolefins, styrenic resins, ABS resins, polymethyl methacrylate (P-MMA) resins, polyesters, polyamides, polycarbonates and like thermoplastic resins to give antistatic polymer alloys, for instance, pose the problems outlined below.
The use of the cation-modified polyolefins mentioned above under (a) and (b) in film production results in deteriorated transparency of the films because of poor compatibility. Mechanical characteristics, typically shock resistance, are also markedly decreased. The cation-modified polyolefins mentioned above under (c) and (d) are indeed improved versions with respect to compatibility but are not satisfactory with respect to shock resistance and other mechanical characteristics.
In the above-mentioned case (e), the trialkyl phosphate to be used for quaternization is expensive and renders the antistatic resins economically disadvantageous. In addition, the quaternization reaction generally fails to proceed quantitatively and, as a result, there remain unreacted tertiary amino groups, namely dimethylaminoethyl acrylate units. The use of a cation copolymer containing the remaining dimethyl-aminoethyl acrylate units as a resin composition component results not only in inferior antistatic property but also in discoloration supposedly due to denaturation of the remaining amino groups in the step of processing under heating or, when said copolymer is incorporated in thermoplastic resins containing amide or ester bonds, such as polyamide resins and polyester resins, marked decreases in mechanical strength characteristics tend to result.
On the other hand, in the above-mentioned cases (d) and (f), the extent of discoloration during processing under heating is less as compared with the case (e) mentioned above, hence the cationic copolymer can be suitably used. However, with this copolymer, one cannot yet satisfactorily cope with the raised processing temperature required for resin processing at increased speeds.
When the above-mentioned prior art cation-modified polyolefins are used in aqueous dispersion form, the following problems are encountered. Thus, the cation-modified polyolefins mentioned above under (a) and (b) are inferior in conductivity, and the cation-modified polyolefins mentioned above under (c) and (d) have indeed improved conductivity but are still unsatisfactory in adhesion to plastic, glass, paper and other substrate surfaces.
The coating-type antistatic agents described in the publications cited above under (g), (h) and (i) are cured on the substrate surface to acquire a crosslinked structure, hence impro frictional resistance and adhesion to substrate surfaces. However, the curing of them may often be insufficient under certain curing conditions. If the curing is insufficient, stickiness of the substrate surface, namely the so-called tack, will result and the substrate, when piled one on top of the other up, may possibly become inseparable from one another. Furthermore, since the antistatic agents are to be subjected to coating and curing, the range of applications thereof is naturally limited and the agents cannot yield thermoplastic resin compositions.
In the publication cited above under (e), mention is made, by way of example, of an antistatic paper sheet or polyester film obtained by coating the paper sheet or film with an aqueous dispersion of the cationic copolymer mentioned above. In that case, however, economic disadvantages cannot yet be overcome.
For economically improved production of films, trimmings resulting from film cutting are generally melted by heating for recycling. Accordingly, even coating-type antistatic agents are required to be heat-resistant. In such a case, the aqueous dispersions mentioned above under (c), (d) and (f) are quite incompetent, while the antistatic agents mentioned above under (g), (h) and (i), which are heat-curable, cannot be used for recycling at all.

Thermoplastic resin composition comprising cation-modified acrylamide or methacrylamide copolymer