An image forming apparatus has a charging member opposed to an outer circumferential surface of a rotating object to be charged. The image forming apparatus has a voltage applying section for applying a pulsating voltage Vsp between the charging member and the object to be charged. The pulsating voltage Vsp is obtained by superimposing a voltage component of a direct current on a voltage component that periodically changes. The image forming apparatus is made to satisfy a relation of Vpp≦|Vth|, where Vpp is a peak-to-peak voltage value of the pulsating voltage Vsp and Vth is a charging start voltage value of the object to be charged. The relation prevents opposite charge from being imparted to residual toner on the object to be charged.

The present invention relates to a charging device and an image forming apparatus provided with the device. In particular, the present invention relates to a charging device suitable for charging an electrostatic latent image carrier that serves as an object to be charged and an image forming apparatus provided with the device. As the image forming apparatus, there are typically enumerated copiers, printers, facsimiles and composite apparatuses of these apparatuses.
As the charging device of this kind of image forming apparatus, there has conventionally been widely known a device of a system in which a charging member such as a roller, a pad, and a sheet is brought in contact or proximity with a photoreceptor drum (the device being hereinafter referred to as a "contact charging device").
As described in a first patent document JP 63-149668A for example, a pulsating voltage (Vdc+Vac) obtained by superimposing a dc voltage Vdc on an ac voltage Vac is generally applied between the charging member and the photoreceptor drum, and the peak-to-peak voltage value (Vpp) of the pulsating voltage is set two or more times the charging start voltage value (Vth) of the photoreceptor drum in order to obtain uniform charge. That is, the peak-to-peak voltage value (Vpp) is set at Vpp≧2Vth.
However, this setting has a problem that the toner disadvantageously adheres to the charging member and causes defective charging because opposite charge is imparted (injected) from the charging member to the toner, which remains on the surface of the photoreceptor drum in the transfer process, when the residual toner passes along the charging member. Moreover, according to a system in which a developing device (hereinafter referred to as a "contact developing device") brought in contact with the photoreceptor drum and the aforementioned charging device are provided to carry out development while collecting the residual toner by the contact developing device (the so-called cleanerless system), there is a problem that, when the opposite charge is imparted to the residual toner on the photoreceptor drum, the collection of toner by the contact developing device becomes insufficient, generating a defective image.
As a measure against the toner adhesion to the charging member, there has conventionally been known the technique of "mechanically" removing the residual toner on the surface of the charging member by bringing a pad-shaped cleaning member in contact with the charging member. Moreover, as described in a second patent document JP 2001-188405A, there has been known the technique of "electrically" transferring the residual toner on the charging member onto the photoreceptor drum by switching the polarity of the discharge electric field formed between the object to be charged and the charging member.
However, the aforementioned "mechanical" technique has the problem of causing the complication and cost increase (including the number of assembling processes) of the apparatus due to the addition of the cleaning member. Moreover, the aforementioned "electrical" technique has the problem of needing complicated troublesome voltage control for switching the discharge electric field and so on, causing the complication and cost increase of the apparatus.
For example, a third patent document JP 8-190269A proposes the technique of improving the toner collection performance of a contact developing device by providing a charge control member (coloring powder contact charging member) on the upstream side (between the transfer means and the charging means) of charging means around the photoreceptor drum and applying a bias voltage that is not lower than the charging start voltage to this charge control member for the achievement of uniform electric charge (polarity) of the toner that remains on the photoreceptor drum without transferring the toner by transfer means.
However, there is a possibility that opposite charge is imparted (injected) from the charge control member to the toner that remains on the surface of the photoreceptor drum in the transfer process by the aforementioned technique. Since the electric charge (polarity) of the toner becomes nonuniform when the opposite charge is imparted to the residual toner on the photoreceptor drum, there is a problem that toner collection by the contact developing device (development process) becomes insufficient, generating a defective image. There is a further problem that the toner disadvantageously adheres to the charging member when the opposite charge is imparted to the residual toner on the photoreceptor drum, causing defective charging.

Charging device and image forming apparatus provided therewith

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


Described are natural language web browsers configured to provide a natural language interface to an existing web browser or a newly created web browser. That is, users interact with the web browser employing speech (or text) as input and output instead of using a mouse and keyboard as input and an electronic display screen as output. Embodiments of a natural language web browser converts user questions, statements, and/or commands into actions, reads the resulting HTML and converts the HTML into natural language descriptions to provide to the user.

Online searching has become substantially ubiquitous in the modern world. Particularly, searching of the World Wide Web (www) via the Internet allows users to obtain data from enumerable sources from around the world and beyond. In order to more easily access this data, web browsers have been developed to provide an interface between the electronic networks of the Internet and a user employing an intelligent computing device. A web browser or browser is an application software installed on intelligent computing devices to provide access to the World Wide Web. The various existing web browsers obtain the data in the form of web pages from electronic servers, along with necessary files, such as images, videos, etc. Most commonly existing web browsers include software code to interpret these files and then display the files in a visual manner on an electronic display(s). To access the files, a user may type in a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a web page in an address bar or input area of a particular web browser in order to access the specific web page being requested.
As more and more devices are interconnected to the Internet, including those that do not include electronic displays such as smart devices that are part of the Internet of Things and wearables, and as natural language processing and automatic speech recognition becomes more reliable, it is desirable to employ natural language processing for web browsing operations. This is also valuable for hands-free environments such as cars, kitchens, and workshops.


A charge control circuit includes: a charge/discharge circuit to charge a capacitor when an input current from an input power supply is smaller than a first current, and discharge the capacitor when the input current is greater than the first current; a discharge circuit to discharge the capacitor when the input current becomes greater than a second current greater than the first current; an error amplifier circuit to amplify an error between a lower voltage between a capacitor charging voltage and a reference voltage corresponding to the maximum output voltage, and a feedback voltage corresponding to the output voltage; and a drive circuit to perform switching of a transistor of a booster circuit, including an inductor and the transistor to increase an inductor current, configured to boost the output voltage by supplying the inductor current to the terminal when the transistor is off, so that the error becomes smaller.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charge control circuit, a charge circuit, and a mobile device.
Description of the Related Art
A charge circuit that charges a battery (secondary battery) such as a lithium-ion battery generally operates in a constant current mode in which the battery is charged with the constant current or in a constant voltage mode in which the battery is charged with the constant voltage (see, e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-284585).
Incidentally, some charge circuits generate the constant voltage to drive a load (e.g., a microcomputer, etc.) connected to an output terminal of the charge circuit even in a state where the battery is not connected to the charge circuit. When the battery having room for charging, that is to say, the battery whose battery voltage is lowered, is connected to the output terminal of such a charge circuit, an overcurrent flows from an input side of the charge circuit to the battery.

Charge control circuit, charge circuit, and mobile device

SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC


The present invention relates to the field of cancer, and in particular hormone dependent cancers including, but not limited to prostate, breast, endometrial, ovarian, thyroid, bone, and testis. The present invention also relates to the use of steroid analogues, and in particular analogues of Δ5-androstene-3-β, 17α-diol, and its epimer Δ5-androstene-3-β, 17β-diol for the treatment and prevention of cancer.

Prostate cancer is a common malignant tumor in the western world. In Sweden it ranks as the number one cause of death in malignant disease. No cure exists for advanced or metastasizing cases.
Standard treatment for prostate cancer involves surgical or pharmacological castration, i.e., androgen ablation, leading to remission in 70% of cases. Androgen ablation therapies typically used in the treatment of prostate cancer are designed to inhibit androgen receptor function, since the tumor is usually androgen-dependent. However, most cases relapse and become androgen-refractory disease within about 3 years. Life span is usually less than 1 year after hormone refractory relapse.
Immuno-therapy of prostate cancer by means of single cytokines has so far shown limited results. The response rate of patients to interferon-α is around 5% in hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The response to systemic IL-2 administration is difficult to distinguish from a no treatment control group.
The most promising results so far have been obtained by administration of TNF-α. However, systemic treatment with TNF-α results in side effects that significantly limit the clinical utility of TNF-α.
Δ5-Androstenediol (AED) is a naturally-occurring metabolite of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), the most abundant product of the adrenal glands. AED may also arise from the metabolism of other steroids. AED exists in two epimeric forms: Δ5-androstene-3-β, 17α-diol (αAED) and Δ5-androstene-3-β, 17β-diol (βAED). Both are naturally occurring metabolites of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). βAED has immunostimulating properties and immune upregulating properties. αAED has been shown to induce apoptosis in transformed cells in vitro. Apoptosis, or "programmed cell death," may be defined as a genetically determined destruction of cells from within due to activation of a stimulus or removal of a suppressing agent or stimulus.
In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the immunological effects of DHEA and other steroids. This has led to experiments where it has been shown that both DHEA in itself, and even more so βAED, protect against otherwise lethal infections. As this effect is not restricted to any single species of pathogenic microorganism, but encompasses RNA and DNA-type viruses, gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and parasites, it cannot be explained as an antibiotic effect.
Evaluation of the immune regulating effect of steroids has been accomplished using the methods first disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,583, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Studies have shown that βAED treatment of lymphocytes previously stimulated with concanavalin A (con A), leads to increasing amounts of IL2, IL3 and TNF-α. Adding cortisone to a lymphocyte culture stimulated with con A leads to diminished quantities of cytokines IL-2 and IL-3. The effect of cortisone can be counteracted by adding βAED.


Atomized metal particles distributed within a resin matrix form a composite that can be selectively heated by exposure to microwave radiations. The composites can also be formed into non-electrically conductive but thermally conductive dielectric and magnetic structures by appropriate selection of metal particles and matrix materials.

This invention is based on metallic compositions and metallic coating and molding processes disclosed in the grand-parent application Ser. No. 08/160,428 filed on Nov. 30, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,568 issued on Feb. 28, 1995 which application and patent are incorporated in this application by this reference.
This invention results from experimentations with metal/resin composites originally developed for the protective coating of underwater structures against chemical and biological fouling and heat-dissipating electrical insulators. It was found that through selective apportioning and dispersion of metal powders into resin-based materials, composites could be created that exhibit certain specific characteristics of one of the components while excluding some other common characteristics of those components. For instance, the grand-parent application teaches how to form a composite that exhibits many of the mechanical characteristics of a particular metal while remaining electrically non-conductive.
It was thought that by extending the range and type of components, metal composites having broader applications in many fields of human endeavor could be developed.

Dielectric materials high metallic content


Systems and methods are presented for adding system-identified content to a user's content space based on information identified from the user's email account. In operation, after obtaining user authorization to access email items of an email account, the email items are iteratively processed. In processing each of the email items, one or more topics of a currently processed email item are identified. Based on the identified topics and user preferences, one or more content items may be identified for addition to the user's online content space. Additionally, the information identified from processing the one or more email items is used to update the user's preferences.

There are numerous social networking services, each offering a particular set of services. Many people are subscribers of multiple social networking services chosen according to the particular set of services that they wish to access and enjoy, as well as those of friends and associates.
Social networking services often look to improve their customer/user experiences through personalization, i.e., customizing the information presented to a user according to a set of user preferences of that user. In this regard, user preferences are maintained for multiple users/subscribers by a social networking service. These user preferences may be established according to explicitly provided information from the user (e.g., the user tells the service what is liked or not), or implicitly derived information about the user based on user behavior with the social networking service (e.g., inferring preferences and dislikes according to the user's behavior).
As mentioned above, each social networking service provides a distinct set of services to the user than those of other social networking services. Since each social networking service provides a distinct set of services, it follows that each social networking service develops a distinct set of user preferences or user information, especially in regard to implicitly derived information based on user behaviors. Social networking services, however, typically do not share personal information of any given user, especially with other social networking services. Of course, one reason for not sharing user preferences may be privacy concerns. Indeed, what a social networking service may learn about a subscriber is often considered sensitive information. On the other hand, another reason for not sharing user preferences data is competition: each social networking service is in competition with one another for a finite amount of a user's attention. The result is that one social networking service may have a particular set of information regarding a user's preference that other services may not possess or know. For example, one social networking service may have substantial user preference information in regard to a user's preference for travel, while another service may hold information regarding that same user's preference to hobbies.


A latch assembly for a gate or a stall which houses animals including a keeper of metallic bar-like material having a curved upper end and a straight central portion, spacers on the straight central portion for spacing it from an associated door frame, the spacers being dimensioned so that the curved upper portion of the keeper produces a predetermined space between it and the frame, a latch consisting of an elongated substantially rectangular bar of metal having a thickness which is less than the predetermined space between the upper portion of the keeper and the frame so that the latch experiences a frictional engagement when passing through the space, and a pivotal mounting for pivotally mounting the end of latch on the door or gate, with the spacer of the keeper serving as a stop for the latch when the latter is in latched position.

The present invention relates to an improved latch assembly, and more particularly to a gate latch assembly which is intended for use with gates or doors for confining animals, such as horses.
By way of background, horses have been observed to be extremely capable of unlatching gates and Dutch doors of stalls. Because of this, prior constructions utilized complicated latching arrangements to prevent unlatching.


A golf club for training golfers is disclosed. A specific club head shape encourages the golfer to envision impacting the golf ball with the back of their leading hand. A color system on the golf club handle helps with the release. The heel of the club head is heavier than the toe, promoting an inside-out swing. Additionally, the golf club head is heavier than an average golf club, improving the golfer's strength.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a sports training device. More particularly, the present invention is for an improved method and apparatus for improving a player's golf game.
2. Background Art
It is common for golfers to attempt to scoop the golf ball with their golf club. Instead, a golfer should swing their golf club as though they were impacting the golf ball with the back of their leading hand (left hand for a right handed golfer). Additionally, the toe of a golf club head should be rotated faster than the heel. Neither conventional golf clubs nor clubs specifically made for golf training are ideally suited to encourage a learning golfer to practice these three aspects properly.
A golf club swing training device was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,525 by Folger. The Folger invention is made to aid a golfer in the address position, and focuses on line of flight. Folger does not comment on a golfer envisioning striking the ball with the back of his or her leading hand, nor on rotating the toe of the club head faster than the heel.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved training golf club having features to aid a golf trainee in learning a proper swing by envisioning impacting the ball with the back of their leading hand, encouraging a proper release, and rotating the toe of the golf club head faster than the heel.


A thermoelectric augmented hybrid electric propulsion system for a hybrid electric vehicle is disclosed. The system includes a combustion engine and an electric motor for rotating wheels of the vehicle. A thermoelectric device having a hot side provided in thermal contact with the combustion engine is electrically connected to the electric motor. In operation, the thermoelectric device receives waste heat from the combustion engine and generates electrical power for the electric motor to augment the vehicle propulsion.

Hybrid vehicles which use more than one power source for propulsion have recently been developed. Most commonly, the term "hybrid vehicle" is applied to vehicles that use an internal combustion engine as a primary power source and an electric motor as a secondary power source. The electric motor is capable of operating independently of or in conjunction with the internal combustion engine to drive the wheels of the vehicle. The electric motor substantially enhances the fuel efficiency of the internal combustion engine.
Thermoelectric devices are devices which convert thermal energy into electrical energy and are relatively simple devices having no moving parts. Therefore, thermoelectric devices are amenable to relatively low production costs in high volume and have a potential for high reliability. Furthermore, semiconductor technology and cost curves can be applied to thermoelectric technology implementation schemes to reduce costs considerably.
Thermoelectric devices have the potential to enhance the propulsion efficiency of a hybrid vehicle by capturing waste thermal energy from the internal combustion engine of the vehicle. Therefore, a thermoelectric augmented hybrid electric propulsion system for a hybrid electric vehicle is needed to convert waste heat from an internal combustion engine into electrical power in order to increase the fuel efficiency of the vehicle as well as the maximum power available for vehicle propulsion and the vehicle electrical system.

Thermoelectric augmented hybrid electric propulsion system


The inventive anti-HGF/SF humanized antibody prepared by displaying on the surface of a phage an anti-HGF/SF chimeric Fab library comprising a set of human antibody light chain variable region (VL) and human antibody heavy chain variable region (VH) which are grafted with heavy chain complementary determining regions (HCDRs) of an anti-HGF/SF antibody of an animal other than human, has the equal or greater binding affinity than that of the parent anti-HGF/SF antibody, the neutralizing activity inhibiting the binding of HGF/SF to its receptor, cMET while having the reduced immunogenicity in human. Therefore, the inventive anti-HGF/SF humanized antibody can be used for preventing and treating diseases effectively, e.g., cancers, by the action of binding HGF/SF to cMET.

HGF/SF (hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor) is a multifunctional heterodimeric polypeptide produced by mesenchymal cells, and it is composed of an alpha-chain containing an N-terminal domain and four kringle domains (NK4) covalently linked to a serine protease-like beta-chain C-terminal domain. Further, human HGF/SF is produced in the form of a biologically inactive single chain precursor consisting of 728 amino acids, and biologically active HGF/SF is generated therefrom through cleavage at the R494 residue by a specific serum serine protease. The active form of HGF/SF is a disulfide-linked heterodimer composed of a 69 kDa alpha-chain and a 34 kDa beta-chain.
The binding of HGF/SF to its receptor, CMET, induces the growth of various cell types, mediates the epithelial mesenchymal transitions and the formation of tubules and lumens, and promotes angiogenesis. A cMET and HGF/SF knockout mouse is not often embryonically viable and shows developmental defects in placenta, fetal liver and limb/muscle formation (Cao et al., PNAS 98 (13): 7443-7448, 2001; Gmyrek et al., American Journal of Pathology 159 (2): 579-590, 2001). Further, cMET was reported to be over-expressed in various human cancers of the liver, prostate, colon, breast, brain and skin (Maulik et al, Cytokine & Growth Factor Reviews, 13(1), 41-59,200). cMET activation markedly enhances the metastastic spread of cancer because of its stimulatory influences on the processes e.g., angiogenesis, cell motility, and cell surface protease regulation, and therefore, cMET has been regarded as an important target factor for the prevention and treatment of cancer (Wielenga et al., American Journal of Pathology 157 (5): 1563-1573, 2000).
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have enormous potential as therapeutic agents. However, non-human antibodies are highly immunogenic in the human body and their short serum half life severely limits their clinical efficacy. To circumvent such a problem, a "humanized antibody" has been constructed by grafting complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) of the parent mAb variable region that directly binds to antigens onto a human antibody framework. (CDR-grafting method). The humanized antibody thus obtained reduces the immunogenicity in human, and prolongs the serum half-life in human while keeping the binding affinity and specificity of the parent antibody (Baselga, J. et al., J Clin Oncol, 14, 737-744, 1996).
However, the simple CDR-grafting method often yields humanized antibodies which bind to their antigens much more weakly than the parent mAb (Carter, P. et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 89, 4285-4428, 1992; Eigenbrot, C. et al., Proteins, 18, 49-62, 1994; and Kettleborough, C. A. et al., Protein Eng., 4, 773-778, 1991)
To provide a humanized antibody which preserves the original affinity of the parent mAb, the key residues in the framework regions (FRs) of the human antibody essential for forming a CDR loop were replaced with the corresponding amino acid residues from the parent mAb (Chothia, C. et al., Nature, 342, 877-888, 1989). But, the identification of such framework residues that affect antigen binding has proved to be unduly time-consuming.
The present inventors sought to develop an anti-HGF/SF humanized antibody having the equal or greater binding activity than that of the parent antibody with reduced immunogenicity in human.


In a radio communication apparatus, a counter is reset to its initial state if the user of the apparatus responds to an alert tone representative of call incoming, or caused to count the number of times of call incoming if the user does not respond. The number of times of call incoming occurred without any user's response and a reference value are compared. If the number of times counted and reference value compare equal, the volume of the alert tone is increased for the current call incoming or for the next call incoming. Further, If the user does not respond to the call incoming, a timer starts counting time. When call incoming is repeated within a preselected period of time, the volume of the alert tone is increased. Loudening the alert tone may be replaced with changing the pattern of the alert tone.

The present invention relates to a handy phone or similar radio communication apparatus capable of controlling the volume of an alert tone and, more particularly, to a radio communication apparatus capable of reporting an unusual situation happened to the user of the apparatus to those around the user.
A value-added alert tone to be output on the receipt of a call is important with a handy phone, a slave unit included in a cordless telephone system, a mobile phone, a wireless microphone or similar radio communication apparatus. The value-added alert tone promotes the users's convenience as to the handling of the phone and allows the phone to adapt itself to the varying environment. Radio communication apparatuses with improved control over the alert tone are taught in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. 4-56536 (document 1) and 63-187433 (document 2). However, the conventional value-added alert tone schemes have some problems left unsolved, as follows.
One of the conventional schemes measures a noise level around the apparatus, and then determines the volume of the alert tone matching the measured noise level. Although this kind of scheme successfully alerts the user to an incoming call in a noisy environment, it does not work when the alert tone must be loudened despite a quiet environment. For example, when the apparatus is put in the user's bag and buried in other various goods, it is likely that the user does not notice the alert tone. In such a case, the volume of the alert tone cannot be increased because the noise level in the bag is usually extremely low.
Another conventional scheme sequentially increases the alert tone with the elapse of time during a single call incoming from, e.g., a base station in a handy phone system, calling the user's attention little by little. However, the time when the caller gives up calling and hangs up depends on the person. If the caller calls the same apparatus repeatedly, but hangs up soon each time, then call incoming always fails before the alert tone of the apparatus is loudened. This practically prevents the apparatus from calling the user's attention.

Radio communication apparatus with adjustable alert tone


A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for runtime based application security. The application runtime environment executing within a virtual machine on the data processing system receives notification of a change in execution environment for the virtual machine. Responsive to determining the virtual machine is being migrated to a virtualized environment based on the notification of a change in execution environment, the application runtime environment dynamically modifies execution of an application in the application runtime environment, wherein the application comprises a set of application modules.

The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to mechanisms for runtime based application security and regulatory compliance in a cloud computing environment.
Cloud computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) that are delivered as a service over a network (typically the Internet). Cloud computing entrusts remote services with a user's data, software and computation. Using software as a service, users also rent application software and databases. The cloud providers manage the infrastructure and platforms on which the applications run. End users may access cloud-based applications through a web browser or a light-weight desktop or mobile app while the business software and user data are stored on servers at a remote location.
In the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, cloud providers install and operate application software in the cloud, and cloud users access the software from cloud clients. The cloud users do not manage the cloud infrastructure and platform on which the application is running. This eliminates the need to install and run the application on the cloud user's own computers, simplifying maintenance and support. What makes a cloud application different from other applications is its elasticity. This can be achieved by cloning tasks onto multiple virtual machines at run-time to meet the changing work demand. Load balancers distribute the work over a set of virtual machines. This process is inconspicuous to the cloud user who sees only a single access point.
An application runtime system or runtime environment is a software component designed to support the execution of computer applications written in some computer language. The application runtime contains implementations of basic low-level commands and may also implement higher-level commands and may support type checking, debugging, and even code generation and optimization.
An application runtime relieves programmers from the burden of writing code for mundane tasks, such as drawing text on the screen or making an Internet connection. It also provides an abstraction layer that hides the complexity or variations in the services offered by the operating system.

Runtime based application security and regulatory compliance in cloud environment

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention provides a semiconductor package assembly with a TSV interconnect. The semiconductor package assembly includes a first semiconductor die mounted on a base. The first semiconductor die includes a semiconductor substrate. A first array of TSV interconnects and a second array of TSV interconnects are formed through the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first array and second array of TSV interconnects are separated by an interval region. A first ground TSV interconnect is disposed within the interval region. A second semiconductor die is mounted on the first semiconductor die, having a ground pad thereon. The first ground TSV interconnect of the first semiconductor die has a first terminal coupled to the ground pad of the second semiconductor die and a second terminal coupled to an interconnection structure disposed on a front side of the semiconductor substrate.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor package assembly, and in particular to ground TSV interconnect arrangements for the three-dimensional (3D) semiconductor package assembly.
Description of the Related Art
For electronics engineering, a through silicon via (TSV) is a vertical electrical connection which passes completely through a silicon wafer or die. A TSV is formed by high-performance techniques, when compared to alternatives such as package-on-package. A TSV is used to create three-dimensional (3D) semiconductor packages and 3D integrated circuits. The density of the via of a TSV is substantially higher than the alternatives as the length of connections are shorter.
For memory applications with increased levels of integration as well as improved performance, bandwidth, latency, power, weight and form factor, the signal pad to ground pad ratio becomes important to improve the coupling effect.
Thus, a novel 3D semiconductor package is desirable.

Semiconductor package assembly with through silicon via interconnect


The present invention relates to a multifunctional pellet aid including one or more binders, wherein at least one binder is an acrylic based polymer having a Tg ranging from xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. to +95xc2x0 C., one or more inorganic solids and one or more organic solids; the particle size of the pellet aid ranging from 100 xcexcm to 3000 xcexcm. Adding 0.25 to 10% by weight of the multifunctional pellet aid, based on the total weight of the pellet, to a plurality of ingredients and compacting the pellet aid and ingredients to form a pellet, affords a pellet having improved mechanical strength as a solid and rapidly disintegrating upon contact with an aqueous system.

The present invention relates to pellets which disintegrate rapidly in aqueous media and which have sufficient mechanical strength to withstand breakage during manufacture, storage, shipping and handling. More particularly, the invention is directed to multifunctional aids for preparing pellets.
The term xe2x80x9cpelletxe2x80x9d refers to any solid formulation, including but not limited to, tablets, bricks, briquettes, bars, granules, granulates, co-granulates, balls, or blocks. Pellets are well known in the fields of medicine, food science, agriculture, consumer products and more recently they are being used in detergent applications. Pellets offer certain advantages over granular compositions. Pellets are non-dusting, do not require measuring, take up less space because they are compressed and the ingredients that make up a pellet do not separate during transit and storage. Pellets also allow the separation of incompatible ingredients within different layers of the pellet body. Pellets are generally made by compressing or compacting a solid composition which includes one or more active components and various additives or ingredients.
An ongoing problem associated with pellets is the difficulty in providing pellets which have adequate mechanical strength when compacted, yet disintegrate and dissolve quickly when added to an aqueous system. One approach has been to use an additive in preparing a pellet. The problem, however, has proved especially difficult due to the relative rates of dissolution or disintegration of pellets currently in use as compared with granular compositions. Often, it is necessary to compromise between the speed of disintegration of the pellet at the time of use and the strength of handling the pellet before use. In the manufacturing process, a balance must be maintained between a pellet compaction pressure which is, on the one hand, high enough to ensure that the pellets are well formed and do not fracture and/or crumble during transport and storage, and a pellet compaction pressure which is, on the other hand, low enough to achieve an appropriate solubility/disintegration profile. A single material or pellet aid that can be added to ingredients that constitute a pellet would be of significant utility, particularly if the pellet aid possessed a variety of useful functions, in other words a multifunctional pellet aid. The term multifunctional in the present invention refers to a granulated, polymeric pelleting aid which functions for example as a binder, a disintegrating agent and a wicking agent in one solid material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,866 discloses a process for making compacted detergent tablets comprising spraying a coating of a water-soluble organic polymer binder onto the exterior of particles of detergent compositions including a detergent actives and detergent builders. European publication EP 0 896 052 A1 discloses detergent tablets with improved handling strength and swift dissolution which comprise a non-gelling binder and a coating. Examples of non-gelling binders are taken from the prior art but suitable coating materials are dicarboxylic acids for example selected from oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, undecanedioic acid, dodecanedioic acid, tridecanedioic acid and mixtures thereof U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,061 teaches polymeric tablet binders which comprise (meth)acrylic acid, maleic anhydride, alkyl (meth)acrylates, alkylhydroxy (meth)acrylates or styrene monomers in polymerised form. The polymeric binders have a Tg ranging from +40 to +120xc2x0 C. and a molecular weight of from 10,000 to 120,000. U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,567 discloses a detergent tablet coated with a polymeric binder, namely polyethylene glycol, which is also capable of acting as a disintegrant by disrupting the structure of the tablet when the tablet is immersed in water. The ""567 patent, however, teaches that it is highly advantageous for the binder/disintegrant to coat or envelop the detergent matrix particles rather than to be simply mixed with them. Clearly, alternative pellet aids are still sought, pellet aids which have more than one type of functionality and which provide pellets having improvements in tablet strength and the rate of disintegration in aqueous media. A single, multifunctional material that can aid in the production of a compacted pellet, a pellet which disintegrates rapidly in aqueous media and which has sufficient mechanical strength to withstand breakage during storage, shipping and handling, would be of substantial utility.
The inventors have discovered a granulated, polymeric pelleting aid which surprisingly functions as a binder, a disintegrating agent and a wicking agent in one solid material. The present invention provides novel pellet aids in the form of granulated compositions used in the processing of pellets by direct compression. Pellets processed with such solid compositions have sufficient mechanical strength to be handled and stored without breakage, yet dissolve rapidly upon contact with water. The pellet aid can be incorporated at any stage of the pelleting process prior to pellet compaction and, optionally the pellet aid can be co-granulated with other functional additives.
In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a granulated composition as a pellet aid for binding one or more ingredients and then compacted into a pellet, the pellet having sufficient mechanical strength and rapidly disintegrating when contacted with an aqueous system, the composition including: (a) 20 to 80% by weight of one or more binders, wherein at least one binder is a solution, suspension or emulsion polymer having a Tg ranging from xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. to +95xc2x0 C.; (b) 0 to 40% by weight of one or more inorganic solids; and (c) 10 to 80% by weight of one or more organic solids, wherein the granulated composition is present in an amount from 0.25 to 5% by weight of the total weight of the pellet, the granules having a particle size ranging from 100 xcexcm to 3000 xcexcm.
In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for preparing a multifunctional pellet aid which includes the steps of: (a) premixing 0 to 40% by weight of one or more inorganic solids and 10 to 80% by weight of one or more organic solids; (b) spraying 20 to 80% by weight of one or more solution, suspension or emulsion polymers having a Tg ranging from xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. to +95xc2x0 C. on to the premixed solids to achieve a particle size ranging from 100 xcexcm to 3000 xcexcm.
In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for preparing a multifunctional pellet aid which includes the steps of: (a) preparing a slurry of 0 to 40% by weight of one or more inorganic solids and 20 to 80% by weight of one or more solution, suspension or emulsion polymers having a Tg ranging from xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. to +95xc2x0 C.; and (b) spraying the slurry on to 10 to 80% by weight of one or more organic solids to achieve a particle size ranging from 100 xcexcm to 3000 xcexcm.
In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for preparing a solid pellet having high mechanical strength, which can withstand storage and handling without fracturing, and which rapidly disintegrates upon contact with an aqueous system comprising the steps of: (a) mixing 90 to 99.75% by weight of a plurality of ingredients and 0.25 to 10% by weight of a granulated, multifunctional pellet aid composition, wherein the pellet aid comprises (i) 20 to 80% by weight of one or more binders, wherein at least one binder is a solution, suspension or emulsion polymer having a Tg ranging from xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. to +95xc2x0 C.; (ii) 0 to 40 % by weight of one or more inorganic solids; and (iii) 10 to 40% by weight of one or more organic solids, the particle size of pellet aid ranging from 100 xcexcm to 3000 xcexcm; (b) compacting the mixture of ingredients and pellet aid to form a pellet.
The solid pellet aid composition usefully employed in accordance with the present invention includes one or more polymeric binders, one or more inorganic solids and one or more organic solids. Suitable binders that make up the pelleting aid include for example acrylic based solution, suspension or emulsion polymers; saccharides such as dextrose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, fructose, cyclodextrin and cyclodextrin derivatives; polysaccharides such as starch, starch derivatives, cellulose, cellulose derivatives such as sodium carboxymethylcellulose, cellulose ethers, methyl cellulose, ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, cross-linked cellulose derivatives; naturally occurring gums such as tragacanth gum and gum arabic. Suitable inorganic solids that make up the pellet aid include for example zeolites; clays; alkali- or alkaline-earth metal silicates, such as aluminosilcates; silica; alkali- and alkaline-earth metal carbonates, such as sodium carbonate and magnesium carbonate; alkali- and alkaline-earth metal citrates, such as sodium citrate and calcium citrate; alkali- and alkaline-earth metal acetates, such as sodium acetate. Suitable organic solids that make up the pellet aid include for example polymer dispersants such as poly(meth)acrylic; saccharides such as dextrose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, fructose, cyclodextrin and cyclodextrin derivatives; polysaccharides such as starch, starch derivatives, cellulose, cellulose derivatives such as sodium carboxymethylcellulose, cellulose ethers, methyl cellulose, ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, cross-linked cellulose derivatives.
The polymers usefully employed in accordance with the present invention may be soluble or insoluble in water; those which are water insoluble are preferably readily dispersible in water. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cwater solublexe2x80x9d, as applied to monomers, indicates that the monomer has a solubility of at least 1 gram per 100 grams of water, preferably at least 10 grams per 100 grams of water and more preferably at least about 50 grams per 100 grams of water. The term xe2x80x9cwater insolublexe2x80x9d, as applied to monomers, refers to monoethylenically unsaturated monomers which have low or very low water solubility under the conditions of emulsion polymerization, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,266. An aqueous system refers to any solution containing water.
Suitable solution, suspension or emulsion polymers usefully employed in accordance with the present invention are prepared from one or more of the following monomers: (meth)acrylic acid, (meth) acrylate esters such as methyl (meth)acrylate, ethyl (meth)acrylate, butyl (meth)acrylate iso-butyl (meth)acrylate or t-butyl(meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate, decyl (meth)acrylate iso-bornyl (meth)acrylate, and (meth)acrylate esters of alkylene glycols, polyalkylene glycols and (C1-C30) alkyl substituted polyalkylene glycols including esters of the formula CH2xe2x95x90CR1xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94O(CH2CHR3O)m(CH2CH2CHR3O)nR2 where R1=H or methyl; R2=H or C1-C30 alkyl; R3=H or C1-C12 alkyl, m=O-40, n=O-40, and m+n is xe2x89xa71, such as hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate; C1-C30 alkyl-substituted acrylamides; vinyl sulfonate, acrylamido propane sulfonate; dimethyl amino propyl (meth)acrylamide, alkyl vinyl ethers, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, N-vinyl pyrollidone, allyl containing monomers; aromatic vinyl compounds such as styrene, substituted styrenes; butadiene; acrylonitrile; monomers containing aceto acetoxy functional groups such as aceto acetoxy ethyl methacrylate; vinyl esters of saturated carboxylic acid, e.g., acetate, propionate, neodecanoate; acid or base containing monomers such as, for example, (meth)acrylic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, N,N-dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate; or combinations thereof. Additionally, cross-linking and grafting monomers such as 1,4-butyleneglycol methacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, allyl methacrylate, diallyl phthalate, divinyl benzene, or combinations thereof may be used. As used herein, by xe2x80x9c(meth) acrylatexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9c(meth)acrylicxe2x80x9d, we mean either acrylate or methacrylate for xe2x80x9c(meth) acrylatexe2x80x9d and acrylic or methacrylic for xe2x80x9c(meth)acrylicxe2x80x9d.
The polymers used in the present invention may be made using known techniques, for example, solution, emulsion or suspension polymerization. Alternatively, a multiphase polymer dissolved or dispersed in water may also be used. By xe2x80x9cmulti-phasexe2x80x9d polymer we mean polymer particles with at least one inner phase or xe2x80x9ccorexe2x80x9d phase and at least one outer or xe2x80x9cshellxe2x80x9d phase. The phases of the polymers are incompatible. By xe2x80x9cincompatiblexe2x80x9d we mean that the inner and the outer phases are distinguishable using techniques known to those skilled in the art. For example, the use of scanning electron microscopy and staining techniques to emphasize differences in the phases is such a technique. The morphological configuration of the phases of the polymers may be for example, core/shell; core/shell particles with shell phases incompletely encapsulating the core; core/shell with a multiplicity of cores; or interpenetrating network particles or phases that contain a multiplicity of hard and soft phases. The first phase may comprise a xe2x80x9csoftxe2x80x9d polymer with a Tg in the range xe2x88x9220 to +95xc2x0 C., preferably a Tg in the range from xe2x88x921 to +95xc2x0 C. Such inner phase polymers may comprise polymerized residues of one or more of the following monomers: (meth)acrylic acid, (meth) acrylate esters such as methyl (meth)acrylate, ethyl (meth)acrylate, butyl (meth)acrylate iso-butyl (meth)acrylate or t-butyl(meth)acrylate, 2-30 ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate, decyl (meth)acrylate iso-bornyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxypropyl(meth)acrylate; (meth) acrylate esters, for example, where the ester group is a polyalkylene oxide or a C1-C30 alkoxyl polyalkylene oxide; C1-C30 alkyl substituted acrylamides; vinyl sulfonate, acrylamido propane sulfonate; dimethylamino propyl(meth)acrylamide, alkyl vinyl ethers, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, N-vinylpyrollidone, allyl containing monomers; aromatic vinyl compounds such as styrene, substituted styrenes; butadiene; acrylonitrile; monomers containing aceto acetoxy functional groups such as aceto acetoxy ethyl methacrylate; vinyl esters of saturated carboxylic acid, e.g., acetate; propionate, neodecanoate; acid or base containing monomers such as, for example, (meth)acrylic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, N,N-dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate. Additionally, crosslinking and grafting monomers such as 1,4-butyleneglycol methacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, allyl methacrylate, diallyl phthalate, divinyl benzene, or combinations thereof may be used.
The outer phase (sometimes regarded as a xe2x80x9cshellxe2x80x9d if it encapsulates the inner phase), of the multi-phase polymer may comprise either:
i) a polymer with a relatively high Tg value, for example from +40 to 160xc2x0 C., which makes the outer phase relatively hard. The outer phase may comprise polymerized residues of one or more of the following monomers: (meth)acrylic acid, (meth) acrylate esters such as methyl (meth)acrylate, ethyl (meth)acrylate, butyl (meth)acrylate iso-butyl (meth)acrylate or t-butyl(meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate, decyl (meth)acrylate iso-bornyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxypropyl(meth)acrylate; (meth) acrylate esters, for example, where the ester group is a polyalkylene oxide or a C1-C30 alkoxyl polyalkylene oxide; C1-C30 alkyl substituted acrylamides; vinyl sulfonate, acrylamido propane sulfonate; dimethylamino propyl(meth)acrylamide, alkyl vinyl ethers, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, N-vinyl pyrollidone, allyl containing monomers, sulfonates; aromatic vinyl compounds such as styrene, substituted styrenes; butadiene; acrylonitrile; monomers containing aceto acetoxy functional groups such as aceto acetoxy ethyl methacrylate; vinyl esters of saturated carboxylic, e.g. acetate, propionate, neodecanoate; acid or base containing monomers such as, for example, (meth)acrylic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, N,N-dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate; or
ii) a polymer with a high acid content, for example, a polymer with from 10 to 60% by weight of the polymer of for example, (meth)acrylic acid, preferably from 10 to 50% methacrylic acid and with a Tg in the range from xe2x88x9230 to  greater than 100xc2x0 C. In some cases, this can give a relatively soft outer phase and is not strictly thought of as a xe2x80x9cshellxe2x80x9d. Suitable outer phase polymers of this type are described in EP 0 576 128 A; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,171.
iii) polyvinyl alcohol. This alcohol when used as an outer layer is found to stabilize various copolymers with Tg""s in the range from xe2x88x9220 to +95xc2x0 C., for example, vinyl acetate homopolymer; vinyl acetate/ethylene copolymer; vinyl acetate/ethylene/acrylic acid or ester copolymer; vinyl acetate/acrylic acid or ester copolymer such as but not limited to those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,921,898 and 3,827,996.
The emulsion polymer has an average particle diameter from 20 to 1000 nanometers, preferably from 70 to 300 nanometers. Particle sizes herein are those determined using a Brookhaven Model BI-90 particle sizer manufactured by Brookhaven Instruments Corporation, Holtsville N.Y., reported as xe2x80x9ceffective diameterxe2x80x9d. Also contemplated are multi-modal particle size emulsion polymers wherein two or more distinct particle sizes or very broad distributions are provided as is taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,340,858; 5,350,787; 5,352,720; 4,539,361; and 4,456,726.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9csequentially emulsion polymerizedxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9csequentially emulsion producedxe2x80x9d refers to polymers (including homopolymers and copolymers) which are prepared in aqueous medium by an emulsion polymerization process in the presence of the dispersed polymer particles of a previously formed emulsion polymer such that the previously formed emulsion polymers are increased in size by deposition thereon of emulsion polymerized product of one or more successive monomer charges introduced into the medium containing the dispersed particles of the pre-formed emulsion polymer.
In the sequential emulsion polymerization of the multistage emulsion polymer, the term xe2x80x9cseedxe2x80x9d polymer is used to refer to an aqueous emulsion polymer dispersion which may be the initially-formed dispersion, that is, the product of a single stage of emulsion polymerization or it may be the emulsion polymer dispersion obtained at the end of any subsequent stage except the final stage of the sequential polymerization.
The glass transition temperature (xe2x80x9cTgxe2x80x9d) of the emulsion polymer is typically from xe2x88x9260xc2x0 C. to 100xc2x0 C., preferably from xe2x88x9220 C. to 50xc2x0 C., the monomers and amounts of the monomers selected to achieve the desired polymer Tg range are well known in the art. Tgs used herein are those calculated by using the Fox equation (T. G. Fox, Bull. Am. Physics Soc., Volume 1, Issue No. 3, page 123(1956)). that is, for calculating the Tg of a copolymer of monomers M1 and M2,
1/Tg(calc.)=w(M1)/Tg(M1)+w(M2)/Tg(M2)
wherein
Tg(calc.) is the glass transition temperature calculated for the copolymer
w(M1) is the weight fraction of monomer M1 in the copolymer
w(M2) is the weight fraction of monomer M2 in the copolymer
Tg(M1) is the glass transition temperature of the homopolymer of M1
Tg(M2) is the glass transition temperature of the homopolymer of M2, all temperatures being in xc2x0K.
The glass transition temperatures of homopolymers may be found, for example, in xe2x80x9cPolymer Handbookxe2x80x9d, edited by J. Brandrup and E. H. Immergut, Interscience Publishers.
By xe2x80x9cactive ingredientxe2x80x9d we mean any material which promotes utility and function of a pellet containing such an active ingredient in a particular application or process. The active ingredient may include for example, a material which has activity as a pharmaceutical, an agrochemical, a water treatment agent, a water softening agent, a fabric softening agent, a laundry detergent, a hard surface cleaner, a surface polishing agent, a polish stripping material, a biocide, a stone washing agent or a drain pipe cleaner.
It is believed that the pellet aid alone or in co-granulated form creates an adhesive bond between the active ingredient granules within the pellet composition under the conditions of tablet manufacture, which helps to maintain the integrity of the pellet from the point of manufacture, through storage, until used by the customer.
One embodiment of the present invention is pellets which, in addition to the multifunctional pellet aid, contain active ingredients which have activity as a laundry or dish-washing detergent and/or a hard surface cleaner, referred to collectively as detergent-active compounds. The total amount of additive may be from 0.1 to 25% by weight of the pellet, preferably from 0.5 to 15% and most preferably from 0.5 to 5% by weight of the pellet. Such pellets will typically also contain one or more other ingredients which include builders, suitably in an amount of from 5 to 80 wt %, preferably from 20 to 80 wt %; bleaching agents; processing additives; adjuvants; enzymes; scale inhibitors; emulsifiers; surfactants; soaps; dispersants; zeolites; de-greasing agents; anti-foaming agents; phosphates; phosphonates; optical brighteners; fillers; extenders; soil removers; deflocculating agents; anti-coagulants; anti-drift agents; disintegration agents, including for example, water swellable polymers; water-absorbent polymers; water entraining agents, such as, cellulose; plasticizers or coalescing agents, for example, alkylene glycol alkyl ethers, aromatic glycol ethers, alkyl polyglucosides, polysiloxanes, alcohols and alkyl ester acetates; diluents and carriers. Some of the above-mentioned ingredients may also be applicable for use in non-detergent embodiments of pellets.
The pellet aid is incorporated within the body of the pellets of the invention by any suitable method. A preferred method consists of mixing together a dry mixture of the pellet ingredients including one or more pellet aids and then compacting the mixture in a pelletizing machine to form pellets.
Typical compaction loads for commercial pellets without the binders of the present invention can be up to 5000 pounds. The additives of the present invention allow the same pellet formulation to be formed using lower compaction loads. The actual compaction load required will vary depending on the size of the particles, and the composition of the ingredients that constitute the pellet.
It is known from the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,567 that tablets coated with a polymeric binder, namely polyethylene glycol, are also capable of acting as a disintegrant by disrupting the structure of the tablet when the tablet is immersed in water. The prior art of record further teaches that it is highly advantageous for the binder/disintegrant to coat or envelop the detergent matrix particles rather than to be simply mixed with them. The inventors have discovered, surprisingly, that by intentionally preparing a granulated, polymeric pellet aid having granules particle sizes comparable to the active ingredients and fillers that make up a pellet afford a simple and more efficient approach and yields a composition of significant utility.
Granulation is the process of enlarging the size of a particulate composition, whereby small particles are gathered together into larger, permanent, particular aggregates to render them into free-flow particles. The granulation of the pellet aid, as usefully employed in accordance with the present invention, offers the advantages of a) rendering the pellet aid free flowing; b) densifying the pellet aid; c) reducing the problem of dusting of the pellet aid; and more importantly, d) allowing a process for the manufacture of multifunctional pellet aids.
In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for preparing a multifunctional pellet aid composition including the steps of premixing 0 to 40 % by weight of one or more inorganic solids and 10 to 40% by weight of one or more organic solids, spraying 20 to 80% by weight of one or more solution, suspension or emulsion polymers having a Tg ranging from xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. to +95xc2x0 C. on to the premixed solids to achieve a particle size ranging from 100 xcexcm to 3000 xcexcm.
In one embodiment of the process, it is preferred that inorganic solid is a zeolite or equivalent material, the polymeric material is a copolymer of EHA/MAA or an equivalent solution, suspension or emulsion polymer, and the organic solid is a saccharide such as dextrose. The relative amounts of each respective component, as expressed a weight percent, are preferably 20 to 30%: 20 to 50%: 30 to 50%; more preferably 20:40:40. The preferred particle size of the granulated mixture of components that constitutes the pellet aid ranges from 100 xcexcm to 3000 xcexcm. A more preferred range of particle size that affords higher binding efficiency is from 200 xcexcm to 800 xcexcm. The most preferred particle size of pellet aid granules ranges from 200 xcexcm to 600 xcexcm.
In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for preparing a multifunctional pellet aid composition including the steps of preparing a slurry of 0 to 40 % by weight of one or more inorganic solids and 20 to 80% by weight of one or more solution, suspension or emulsion polymers having a Tg ranging from xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. to +95xc2x0 C. and spraying the slurry on to 10 to 80% by weight of one or more organic solids to achieve a particle size ranging from 100 xcexcm to 3000 xcexcm.
In another embodiment of the process, it is preferred that inorganic solid is a zeolite or equivalent material, the polymeric material is a copolymer of EHA/MAA or an equivalent emulsion polymer, and the organic solid is a saccharide such as dextrose. The relative amounts of each respective component, as expressed a weight percent, are preferably 20 to 30%: 20 to 50%: 30 to 50%; more preferably 20:40:40. The preferred particle size of the granulated mixture of components that constitutes the pellet aid ranges from 100 xcexcm to 3000 xcexcm. A more preferred range of particle size that affords higher binding efficiency is from 200 xcexcm to 800 xcexcm. The most preferred particle size of pellet aid granules ranges from 200 xcexcm to 600 xcexcm.
With respect to the second and third aspects of the invention, in an embodiment related to a manufacturing process, granulated pellet aids with higher binding efficiency are scaled up in a fluidized bed granulation process. The underling principles involved in fluidized beds is the turbulent flow or vortex flow suspension of the solid particles in air. The air lifts and separates the powdered ingredients that constitute the pellet aid. The fluidized bed granulation process combines dry mixing, wet granulation and drying. In order to accommodate liquids or slurries in the granulation process, a spray nozzle is mounted somewhere above the rising fluidized bed of powdered ingredients. Through the nozzle system, a liquid or slurry is added to the fluidized powder to achieve granulation and the desired particle size of the pellet aid granules. It is preferred that the pellet aid granules have a particle size ranging from 100 xcexcm to 3000 xcexcm. A more preferred range of particle size that affords higher binding efficiency is from 200 xcexcm to 800 xcexcm. The most preferred particle size of pellet aid granules ranges from 200 xcexcm to 600 xcexcm.
In a separate embodiment, related to the first three aspects of the present invention, a pellet aid composition is prepared from one or more solution, suspension or emulsion polymers and contains no inorganic solids or organic solids. The polymeric pellet aids may be prepared by freeze-drying or spray-drying. A larger amount, 1 to 2% by weight more, of polymeric pellet aid must be used in making pellets as compared to the granulated, polymeric pellet aid used in making pellets.
In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for preparing a solid pellet having high mechanical strength, which can withstand storage and handling without fracturing, and which rapidly disintegrates upon contact with an aqueous system including the steps of mixing 90 to 99.75% by weight of a plurality of ingredients and 0.25 to 10% by weight of a multifunctional pellet aid, wherein the pellet aid comprises (i) 20 to 80% by weight of one or more binders, wherein at least one binder is a solution, suspension or emulsion polymer having a Tg ranging from xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. to +95xc2x0 C.; (ii) 0 to 40% by weight of one or more inorganic solids; and (iii) 10 to 40% by weight of one or more organic solids, the particle size of pellet aid ranging from 100 xcexcm to 3000 xcexcm; and compacting the mixture of ingredients and pellet aid to form a pellet.
In one embodiment of this process, it is preferred that plurality of ingredients are used to make a detergent. Typical ingredients that make a detergent can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,883,061 and 5,360,567, the contents of which is usefully employed in the present invention. The pellet aid is a composition which includes a zeolite or equivalent material, a copolymer of EHA/MAA or an equivalent emulsion polymer, and a saccharide such as dextrose. The relative amounts of each respective component, as expressed a weight percent, are preferably 20:40:40. The amount of pellet aid based on the total weight of ingredients that make up the pellet ranges from 0.25 to 5% by weight, more preferably from 0.5 to 3% and most preferably from 1 to 3%. It is preferred that the pellet aid granules have a particle size ranging from 100 xcexcm to 3000 xcexcm. A more preferred range of particle size that affords higher binding efficiency is from 200 xcexcm to 800 xcexcm. The most preferred particle size of pellet aid granules ranges from 200 xcexcm to 600 xcexcm.
The following examples are presented to illustrate the invention and the results obtained by the test procedures.
Diametral stress fracture, that is, the amount of force applied to the pellet per unit area (KiloPascals, kPa) at the point the pellet fractures, was determined by slowly applying a continuously increasing load to a pellet of known diameter and thickness, until compression failure (fracture). The diametrical fracture stress, X, was calculated according to the equation:
X=2L/d hxcfx80
where L=applied load at point of fracture, d=pellet diameter and h=pellet thickness.
Pellet friability was measured using a friability test device that consisted of a thick glass cylinder, 15 cm in diameter, having three equally spaced glass indentations approximately 2 cm in height. Pellets were placed into the device and tumbled under at a fixed speed. Friability was measured in units of seconds required for the pellet to fracture.
Each pellet (8 g or 40 g) was placed in a metal wire holder and held at the center of a beaker. Four liters of ambient temperature (20-25xc2x0 C.) tap water (150 ppm hardness) was added to the beaker. The water was unstirred (i.e. static) and the time taken for the pellet to disintegrate completely out of the holder was determined.
Dried, polymeric pellets aids at various weight percentages (as indicated in the Tables below) were mixed thoroughly with generic detergent granules and placed inside a stainless steel cylinder (2.8 cm diameter). A piston rod was inserted into the cylinder and the assembly placed between lower and upper plates of a Carver laboratory pellet press. A specified load stress was applied to the pellet at ambient temperature and the pellet was removed from the cylinder. A range of compacting pressures were used and the diametrical fracture stress, friability and pellet disintegration time (determined as described above) were summarized in the Tables below.

Multifunctional, granulated pellet aid and process


An implantable cardiac device wherein a reliability indicator is developed for cardiac classification based on the presence or absence of noise. If the classification is unreliable a robust therapy is applied until the cardiac condition is confirmed.

a. Field of Invention
This invention relates to cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus and method for classifying cardiac rhythms and providing appropriate electrical stimulation to the heart.
b. Description of the Prior Art
If an implantable device which is to provide electrical stimulation to the heart is to be truly useful, then it must be able to sense the electrical activity of the heart, classify cardiac rhythms, and determine what electrical therapy would be most appropriate.
Various methods and apparatus have been proposed for sensing and classifying cardiac rhythms. The cardiac waveform may be monitored for determining AA, AV, VA, and VV intervals. It is also possible to monitor the morphology of the waveform. In addition, hemodynamic sensors have been used. Generally, morphology and hemodynamic sensors are used as gating functions.
The difficulty with most such classification apparatus and methods is that they are not accurate. Further, the use of morphology or hemodynamic condition as a sensing or gating function does not provide for a fine enough classification of cardiac rhythm.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,772 entitled Arrhythmia Control System Employing Arrhythmia Recognition Algorithm, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, utilizes an arrhythmia recognition algorithm to detect and distinguish among bradycardia, sinus rhythm, superventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, and deliver therapy in the form of electrical energy to cardiac tissue to revert selected arrhythmias and restore normal sinus rhythm. The techniques described therein are generally more accurate than most because the rhythm classification part of the method disclosed therein provides numerical outputs and rhythm categories which are not overlapping and are mutually exclusive from one another, so that there is no doubt of the rhythm category being outputted at any given time.
The difficulty with all the above techniques of heart rhythm classification is that they assume a good quality input signal that enable a reliable and consistent classification to be made. It is common for the input signal (whether it is electrical, haemodynamic or other measure of the heart's function) to be of insufficient quality for consistent and accurate classification, and thus cause these systems to deliver incorrect therapy to the patient. An example of this is with some schemes of antitachycardia pacing which require a very accurate measurement of the heart beat interval. In the situation where the heart's electrogram is such that a sufficiently accurate measurement cannot be made, it is safer to use some other form of therapy that does not require this accuracy.

Arrhythmia classification system with reliability indication that allows for low quality input signals in pacemakers


A method of planning a platform lift, in particular a stairlift, at a stair, the platform lift including a rail, a platform, in particular a chair, a drive unit for driving the platform along the rail, wherein the platform is attached to the drive unit. The method includes acquiring 3D stair data of a stair on which the platform lift is to be installed; calculating based on the acquired 3D stair data a path of travel of the rail, and by retrieving manufacturing constraints, in particular from a database, calculating a feasible path of travel under consideration of the retrieved manufacturing constraints.

A platform, in particular a stairlift, lift is a product which is typically meant for people with impaired mobility, mostly elderly people, to provide support to get upstairs and downstairs without removing the staircase and thus maintaining the functionality of the stairs for persons which are (still) able to climb the stairs themselves. The platform lift is often installed in people's homes and typically comprises a drive unit with a chair or another platform, driven by a drive, which drives along a rail, mounted on or along one or more staircases.
EP 1 554 210 A1 discloses a platform lift for the use of a disabled person in a wheelchair. WO 2013/129923 A1 discloses a platform lift in the form of a stairlift. In both cases the platform is part of a drive unit which travels along at least one guide rail. A leveling mechanism is provided to hold the platform always in a horizontal orientation, even if the inclination angle of the guide rail is changing along the path of travel. In particular the rail of such platform lifts has a curved shape, like shown in FIG. 3 of WO 2015/052489 A1.
The rail is individually adjusted to the shape of the stair. Consequently the design of the rail is developed individually for each individual lift installation. Currently this development takes several steps, which are in particular performed in several times for one installation. First, the spatial shape of the stairlift is recorded by taking several photographs. Thereby the stairs are marked with markers. By means of picture analysis the pictures are analyzed to get a digital 3D model of the stairlift.
The U.S. provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 62/487,624 (not published yet, filed 20 Apr. 2017) provides a method of planning a platform lift. Here a method of acquiring 3D data of a staircase is provided. Based on the acquired 3D data a preliminary rail can be drafted. The rail is in main drafted based on predetermined clearance informations; clearance informations may comprise requirements such as a predefined minimum distance between the rail and any part of the stairs or a wall.
EP 3 225 580 A1, published after the priority date of the present application, discloses a method for designing a stairlift based on simulation. Here the stairlift comprises two rails, which in main are arranged parallel to each other along a curved path of travel. In a first step a course of a first rail is designed; in a subsequent step a course of a second rail is designed based on the course of the first rail. No database query is performed to check whether the rails conform to manufacturing constraints.
EP 2 825 841 B1 shows another method of acquiring 3D data of stairs for planning a stairlift.
WO 2016/028416 A1 discloses a method for method for designing a stairlift rail assembly. Thereby automatically a position of support interfaces is determined, at which the rail can be fastened to the stairlift or an adjacent wall. The method proposes to establish a path travel without doing any crosscheck, whether the designed path of travel can be manufactured. So the customer may see a presentation of a stairlift without any confidence and weeks later the manufacturing plant gives an indication that the designed stairlift cannot be manufactured at all. No database query is performed to answer the question whether the designed rail can be manufactured.
Thus a need exists for an improved method for planning a platform lift.


Embedded content suitability scoring is provided. A plurality of containers of a document is identified. Each container includes a portion of content of the document. A source for a container of the plurality of containers of the document is identified by matching the content of the container to the content of the source. A suitability score for the container is determined based, at least in part, on the content of the container and the content of the source. A suitability category for the container is determined based, at least in part, on the suitability score. The document is presented along with markup of the container that is based, at least in part, on the suitability category.

The present invention relates generally to the field of content management, and more particularly to embedded content suitability scoring.
Content management (CM), is a set of processes and technologies that supports the collection, managing, and publishing of information in any form or medium. When stored and accessed via computers, this information has come to be referred to, simply, as content or, to be precise, digital content. Digital content may take the form of text (such as electronic documents), multimedia files (such as audio or video files), or any other file type that follows a content lifecycle requiring management.


The automated system and method (10) uses a plurality of tables (64, 66, 74, 76, 76') to define the structure and formats of the call data blocks (60) and the destination call or event records (100). These tables (64, 66, 74, 76, 76') are accessed at run time to determine the structure, data definition, data format and size and the call/event records (100) are generated according to the tables.

Telephone companies collect information on calls made by its customers to create billing statements, monitor and diagnose system performance, and manage the telephone network. The collected information is formatted into individual files commonly termed call records. A call record may pertain to a single call or multiple calls made over a predefined time period. The call records may also include different sets of information, some with more detailed data than others, as defined by the telephone companies. Because call records have many uses, each telephone company may desire to receive call records with a number of unique and different formats to satisfy its own needs. Over time, telephone companies may further desire to alter the format of one or more of the call records to suit changing needs.
Currently because call data collection and call record formatting software are hard-coded, software engineers must spend many hours to generate or modify the source code of the computer programs performing these tasks in order to tailor them to the needs of each telephone company. The same also must be done when a telephone company desires to change one of its call record formats. The new or modified source code must then be debugged and recompiled before it can be brought on-line. As a result, long lead time is typically required to make any change to the call data collection and call record format and the call record collection process is rigid and not easily adaptable to changing needs.

Database-driven automatic message accounting system and method


A light module associated with the camera provides flash light having a spectral content that is adjustable according to one or more drive signals. The light module includes one or more emitters of light of at least two different colors that are individually accessible to the one or more drive signals. The flash light is a mixture of the light from the one or more emitters.

Strobed light sources or "flashes" provide supplemental light for photographic subjects while images of the subjects are acquired by a camera or other imaging system. One common type of flash includes a xenon bulb that emits light based on the discharge of xenon gas. The spectral content of this light is fixed by the characteristics of the gas discharge, which in turn fixes the color temperature of the supplemental lighting for the photographic subject. Another type of flash, included with the cameras integrated into mobile phones, comprises one or more "white" LEDs. The "white" LEDs are typically formed using one or more blue LEDs (primary emitters) with phosphors (secondary emitters) deposited on the blue LEDs. The spectral content of the light emitted by the "white" LEDs is also fixed, depending on the spectral characteristics of the primary emitters and the emission characteristics of the deposited secondary emitters, which fixes the color temperature of the "white" LEDs typically in the range of 5500-8500 degrees Kelvin.
The characteristics of images acquired by an imaging system depend on the spectral content or the color temperature of the light. When the spectral content of the flash is fixed, desired image characteristics can be achieved by mounting color filters on the lens of the camera. However, this provides only limited control of image characteristics because the filters do not provide continuous control of the spectral content of the light received by the camera. In addition, the filters are inconvenient to use because to achieve different spectral filtering, the filters must be physically interchanged.
Based on the fixed spectra of presently available flashes and the limitations of filters used to modify spectral content of available light, there is a need for a flash that provides light with a spectral content that can be adjusted.

Adjustable spectrum flash lighting for image acquisition

Avago Technologies ECBU IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A casing head support system (CHSS) for a casing head includes a casing head support unit (CHSU) having a tubular body with a support unit top end (SUTE) and a support unit bottom end (SUBE); a first conductor string extension joint coaxially fastened to the SUBE; and an internal load profile machined into an inner circumferential surface of the CHSU. The SUTE forms a coaxial connection with the casing head. The internal load profile supports a corresponding load shoulder on a conductor hanger. The CHSU contains a CHSU top preparation machined into the inner circumferential surface of the support unit. The CHSU top preparation is located at the SUTE. The CHSU top preparation mates with a corresponding casing head support unit running tool (CHRT) bottom preparation.

The disclosure relates generally to production of fluid from subterranean reservoirs.
Fluids are typically produced from a reservoir in a subterranean formation by drilling a wellbore into the subterranean formation, establishing a flow path between the reservoir and the wellbore, and conveying the fluids from the reservoir to the surface through the wellbore. Fluids produced from a hydrocarbon reservoir may include natural gas, oil, and water.
Typically, a production tubing is disposed in the wellbore to carry the fluids to the surface. The wellhead system is sealed between the reservoir and the earth's surface for onshore wells, and between the reservoir, the seabed, and the sea surface for offshore wells. The wellhead system sits on a conductor casing as a means of structural support. The conductor is typically a pipe (called casing) of approximately 28″ to 36″ (inches) in outside diameter (depending on the application) that is laterally inserted into the earth's surface or seabed. A casing head support unit (CHSU) forms the interface between the top of the conductor and the bottom of the wellhead system.
Typically, the CHSU is welded to the top of the conductor. This welding operation takes place in the field at the location of the well. Often, the field location is not conducive to high-specification welding. Thus, the welding at the wellsite is performed without sufficient quality assurance, quality control, and quality surveillance to guarantee the integrity of the weld, and the weld may fail in use.

Casing head support unit (CHSU) design for life cycle well integrity assurance


Cleaning compositions including a non-ionic surfactant and a glycol ether are disclosed. These cleaning compositions are useful as liquid cleaners or de-greasers for animate surfaces, such as skin. The cleaning compositions provide improved cleaning and removal of soils without the use of certain VOCs.

The present disclosure relates generally to a cleaning composition including one or more non-ionic surfactants and a glycol ether. The combination of a non-ionic surfactant and a glycol ether provides improved grease removal on animate surfaces, and in particular, skin. Accordingly, the cleaning compositions of the present disclosure are useful as skin cleaning compositions such as used in liquid hand soaps, as well as for inclusion in cleansing personal products such as cleaning wipes.
Conventional detergent cleansers for soil removal have included volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Many high VOC content materials are excellent solvents and possess excellent cleaning properties. For example, d-limonene has proven to be a powerful solvent; thereby, providing a significant cleaning benefit. In recent years, however, stringent restrictions on the amounts and types of these materials that can be emitted into the atmosphere have been imposed. Although not specifically considered hazardous air pollutants, VOCs are thought to contribute to the overall lowering of air quality.
Accordingly, there is a need for cleaning compositions and cleansing products including the cleaning compositions that provide effective skin cleaning and skin degreasing without the use of VOCs. It would further be advantageous if the cleaning compositions were phase stable.

Cleaning composition having improved soil removal


To provide a method for manufacturing a medical glass container prevented from breakage and deformation and a fire blasting device.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a medical glass container prevented from breakage and deformation and a fire blasting device.
Various kinds of borosilicate glass have been used for a medical vial. Mentioned are a low expansion type (Thermal expansion coefficient α: 32-33/° C.×10−7) excellent in heat resistance, a medium expansion type (Thermal expansion coefficient α: 48-56/° C.×10−7) excellent in chemical durability, a high expansion type (Thermal expansion coefficient α: 60-70/° C.×10−7) excellent in low-temperature processability, and the like. Besides the borosilicate glass, soda lime glass has been used, and a large number of high expansion types (Thermal expansion coefficient α: 95/° C.×107) made from the soda lime glass. A glass for use in a medical vial is indicated as a material standard for a container for pharmaceutical agents or laboratory instruments in a pharmacopeia (USP37 or EP6.0), ASTM, JIS, and the like.
The heat resistance of the glass container depends on not only glass characteristics, such as thermal expansion coefficient, fracture strength, and elastic coefficient but the shape and the size of the container, glass uniformity, such as thickness, the surface state, and manufacturing conditions, such as annealing conditions. The heat-resistant temperature (At) of the glass as the physical properties depending on these conditions can be drawn as the physical quantity based on the following formula (I).Δt=P(1−σ)/αE  Formula (I)(Δt: Heat-resistant temperature, P: Fracture strength, σ: Poisson ratio, α: Thermal expansion coefficient, E: Elastic coefficient)Further, a practical empirical formula (Formula (II)) shown below is derived from the experimental results by Volf.Δt=10000/α×10−7  Formula (II)As a result, it is known that the heat-resistant temperature is inversely proportional to the thermal expansion coefficient and substances having higher thermal expansion coefficient have lower Δt (heat-resistant temperature).
Among the borosilicate glass mentioned above, as a raw material of a medical glass container, such as a medical vial, a medium expansion type borosilicate glass excellent in chemical durability has been used in many cases. By heating and deforming a glass tube containing borosilicate glass, a mouth portion and a bottom portion of the vial are molded. When the borosilicate glass is heated, alkaline components contained in the borosilicate glass are volatilized. The volatilized alkaline components condense particularly on the inner surface near the bottom portion of the vial to generate a region deteriorated by processing. Such a region deteriorated by processing has a possibility of causing the elution of the alkaline components into a pharmaceutical agent and the like to be stored in the vial. To address the problem, the alkaline component of elution standard is established in ISO4802-1 or ISO4802-2 and the like.
As a method for reducing the elution of alkaline components, a method is known which includes subjecting a deteriorated glass generated in the inner surface of a vial molded from a glass tube to fire blasting with an oxygen-gas flame by a point burner while rotating the vial (Patent Literatures 1 and 2).

Method for manufacturing medical glass container and fire blast device provided with rotator

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a medical glass container includes a processing process of placing a glass container 10 on the outer peripheral surface of each of a first roller 61 and a second roller 62, which are disposed side by side in such a manner that the axis lines are parallel to each other, so that the axis line of the glass container 10 is parallel to the axis lines of the first roller 61 and the second roller 62 and the entire outer peripheral surface in an inner surface 15 of the glass container 10 corresponding to a region deteriorated by processing is made to abut on the outer peripheral surface of each of the first roller 61 and the second roller 62, and then applying a flame ejected from a point burner 30 to the region deteriorated by processing in the inner surface 15 of the glass container 10 while rotating the glass container 10 by rotating the first roller 61 and the second roller 62 around the axis lines.


System for determining the properties of tissue parts of a living organism, comprising an optoelectronic measuring device (10) and an attachment device (20) which is opaque to light and surrounds a measuring window (28) through which determinations are carried out. The device (20) has one or several components (26) for reproducibly attaching the measuring device (10) in a direction toward a first surface of the tissue. Other subject matters of the invention are an attachment device (20) and a method for determining the properties of tissue parts with the aid of the claimed system.

1. Field of the Invention
Subject matter of the invention is a system for determining the properties of tissue parts of a living organism, a device for attaching an optoelectronic measuring device to the surface of the tissue, and a method for the non-invasive determination of the properties of tissue parts.
To date, the majority of determinations of properties of living organisms is carried out in the form of invasive methods. The structure of tissue is characterized, for example, with the aid of surgical methods. When an analyte is to be determined in body fluids, a certain amount of body fluid was obtained from the tissue, i.e. the human body, by obtaining blood from the veins, for example. These invasive methods lead to tissue damage, particularly when several determinations are carried out successively. It is for this reason that methods have then developed recently where the properties of tissue of the living organism can be determined even without withdrawing body fluids or surgical intervention.
2. Description of the Related Art
WO 94/10901 describes a method and device for analyzing glucose in a biological matrix which utilizes the multiple scattering of light by tissue. This patent application discloses that a measuring head is attached to a suitable site of the body weight the aid of an adhesive tape. In order to keep away foreign light sources, the measuring head is provided with a skin contact part whose diameter is considerably larger than the one of the measuring opening used. The ring is made of a non-transparent material and tightly urges against the skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,417 describes a device where a light beam is sent through a finger. The device is equipped with light-emitting diodes and photodetectors that are flexibly connected to one another so as to be arranged on opposite sides of the finger. The device also has wings to shield off light from the environment when the device is attached to the finger.
Moreover, the device described is provided with an adhesive tape to attach the light source and the photodetector to the skin. Object of the adhesive is to increase the resistance against undesired removal of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,691 also describes a flexible device which comprises a photosensor and a light source. These elements are mounted on to a flexible material which, in turn, can be attached to various sites on the body. This is accomplished with the aid of an adhesive strip.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,563 describes a pulsoximeter whose sensors are attached to the skin with the aid of an adhesive plaster. The plaster contains substances to stimulate the blood flow. Once the drug has entered the skin, a measurement is carried out. When the measurement is completed the instrument is removed from the skin.
EP-A-0 573 137 describes a pulsoximeter where the sensors are attached to the skin with the aid of an adhesive strip which contains substances that stimulate the blood flow. In order to shield off light from the environment, the photodetector has a wall that reaches through the adhesive strip on to the skin. This device was designed for disposable use as are the other above mentioned devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,464 describes an element for attaching a sensor for the non-invasive measurement of blood components. The sensor can be attached to a finger.
EP-A-0 572 684 describes a sensor for monitoring life signs, especially saturation with oxygen. Said sensor can be attached to various sites of the skin. To do this, the described system has transmitter element as well as a receiver element which have been designed for multiple use. Moreover, the system has a housing to contain the above listed elements and connections for attachment of the above-mentioned elements.
In the devices and methods described in the above mentioned prior art, accuracy of positioning is irrelevant as a pulsoximetry application depends on the pulse signal rather than the site of the application.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,955 describes means for use of a non-invasive measuring device for several subject. It describes a flexible band which is placed around the upper arm of the subjects. The band has an element for individually adjusting the position of the band and, hence, of a measuring window. Experience has shown, however, that the reproducibility of the individual measurements is not satisfactory.

System and method for the determination of tissue properties


A scanning device for a magnetic-tape apparatus is proposed, which device comprises a stationary upper drum section (1) and lower drum section (2) and a head disc (10) which rotates in a gap (5) between the drum sections. In its upper radial surface and its lower radial surface the head disc (10) has segmental recesses (26, 27) for accommodating magnetic heads (11) secured to head mounts (12). At one side of the head disc (10) the recesses (26, 27) accommodate magnetic recording heads and at the other side said recesses accommodate the magnetic reproducing heads.

The invention relates to a scanning device for a magnetic-tape apparatus of the type having a rotary head disc rotatable about an axis of rotation and including a plurality of magnetic recording heads and a plurality of magnetic reproducing heads at the periphery of the disc.
A scanning device comprising a two-part tape-guide drum and a head disc rotating in the gap between the two parts is known from DE 12 30 779 B2. The head disc carries two magnetic heads at its periphery. The signal transfer to and from these magnetic heads is effected via planar rotary transformers. The lower and the upper side of the rotary head disc each carry one of the planar rotary transformers.
Moreover, DE 36 44 502 C2 describes a rotary magnetic-head arrangement for the recording and reproduction of signals, in which the recording and reproducing amplifiers are arranged on opposite sides of a rotary head disc. The corresponding magnetic recording and reproducing heads are mounted circumferentially equispaced on a lower radial surface.
Finally, it is known from the DE magazine "Fernseh- und Kino-Technik", Vol. 44, no. 3/1990, pp. 133 to 142, to arrange the magnetic recording and reproducing heads for four channels spaced 90.degree. apart on a head disc. arrangement the magnetic heads are also situated on one side of the head disc.
It is the object of the present invention to reduce the crosstalk occurring between recording and reproducing channels in a scanning device of the type mentioned in the opening sentence.

Rotary head disc for a magnetic-tape apparatus having reproducing heads shielded from recording heads