A system and method that controls a wireless call from a home system regardless of its current serving system. In this system, when a wireless telephone is roaming, the serving system sets up a transmission path to the home system. The home system performs all of the origination functions as if the wireless unit were in the local area and communicates via the transmission path, with the wireless unit using the serving system as an extension of the home system.

Wireless telephony has grown at an exponential rate over the past several years. As more people use wireless telephones, service providers must add additional equipment in order to keep up with the demand for service. Thus, there are several manufacturers selling such mobile telephony equipment, wherein some equipment provides features and services not available on other systems. This sometimes becomes a problem when a wireless unit moves out of the coverage area of its home office and "roams".
Currently, there are standards for systems communications when a wireless unit is roaming. When a call is made to a wireless telephone, the incoming call is directed to the home switching office ("home system"), or MTSO. The home system performs a lookup on the wireless unit's directory number and determines that the wireless unit is not in the coverage area. The home system then determines the last location of the wireless unit and sends a message to that MTSO to determine if the wireless unit is still there. If it is, then the serving system sets up a trunk between the home and serving systems.
Conversely, when a wireless unit attempts to place a phone call with a foreign wireless system, it "registers", wherein its identification is stored in a specific location in memory in the MTSO. The serving system then sends out a query to locate the home system of this wireless unit. The home system sends some records of the wireless unit to the serving system. A call can then completed through the facilities of the serving system.
In the above two scenarios, the serving system is the controlling system for the roaming wireless unit. The serving system may not necessarily have the same facilities, functions and services that the home system has. For example, some systems provide the service of voice dialing with subscriber-specific voice dialing lists. Such lists are very memory-intensive, and are, thus, not transmitted from a home system to a serving system, because such transmission would take a lot of time and a lot of resources, and the serving system may not be able to support this feature in the first place. Therefore, the wireless unit loses features when it roams.
Furthermore, certain personal communication services (PCS) provide "dial tone" interface to the PCS system. In dial tone PCs, a path to the switch is set up whenever the wireless unit performs the equivalent of an "offhook". The MTSO then sends a dial tone to the wireless unit and the wireless unit sends digits which are then translated into dual tone multifrequency (DTMF) signaling, and the call is processed as if it were a line origination. However, due to the limited deployment of such PCS systems, it is not currently possible for a PCS wireless unit to roam.
Therefore, a problem in the art is that there is no system for providing a wireless unit with all of the features and services of its home system which is served by a foreign system.

System and method for providing local services to a wireless telephone served by another system


A wood pellet stove for efficiently burning wood pellets and especially burning pellets at low burns. The stove is accurately controlled by a control panel with a microprocessor which helps safely regulate air flow from a combustion air and exhaust gas fan. Also, the microprocessor helps control convection air flow from a convection air fan and regulate feed of wood pellets into a burn pot using a motorized auger. The microprocessor is further used to monitor inlet air temperature and exhaust gas temperature. The stove includes a stove housing with a fire box and a fire box access door in the front of the housing. The burn pot includes a burn grate and pit used for receiving and burning wood pellets. The burn pot is disposed on a fire box floor. A wood pellet hopper is disposed in the rear of the housing for holding wood pellets therein. The motorized auger is used for feeding the wood pellets into the burn pot. The stove is characterized by having heat exchanger panels with dimpled surfaces which can easily be removed for cleaning. The dimpled panels are attached to the fire box walls with a space therebetween for forming air and exhaust gas channels. Combustion air and exhaust gases are circulated from the fire box, using an exhaust fan, up a front side of the panels and into the air and exhaust gas channels behind the panels for effectively extracting generated heat from the air and exhaust gases.

Wood burning stoves, fireplaces, etc., pose a significant environment problem. ("Burning permits possible . . . Senate OKs bill relying first on voluntary efforts to cut wood smoke in area by half by 1995." Sanko J., Rocky Mountain News, Apr. 9, 1991.) There are hundreds of designs and configurations of stoves and fireplaces, and all are operated, more or less, for their esthetics and warmth. Some systems burn the fuel more efficiently than others with respect to heat output and still others with respect to pollution. This is particularly true with pellet stoves.
A pellet stove uses a compressed wood product manufactured from, for example saw dust and wood chips, etc., a waste product from the lumber industry. These pellets, sized in an extruded tubular shape nugget about 1/4 inch diameter and 5/8 inch long, provide an economical, renewable fuel source. As wood burning stoves or fireplaces go, the certified pellet burning stove is certainly the more efficient.
The problem is, that even these existing certified pellet stoves are not as friendly to the environment as they could be. Many of the currently available pellet stoves have heat exchange systems to make the system to be more efficient and a burner to reduce the carbon monoxide output. But they are still polluting and there is still room to more efficiently extract heat from the pellet fuel combustion.
It is necessary that the pellet stove apparatus be extremely sensitive in a burn cycle and, in particular, in a "low" burn where the pellet fuel is subject to high carbon monoxide levels in the exhaust gas. It is extremely difficult to keep the flame hot enough to maintain efficient low carbon monoxide levels, yet at a low fuel consumption rate. This would require a system that had a means to control even the smallest combustion flame maintaining an exact temperature, and a means to extract the greatest ratio possible from the heat generated to be called "overall" a high efficacy system. It is important to understand that all existing pellet fuel stoves are manually adjusted. That is, they are set to a "level" of operation by the user and the stove functions to that preset regardless of the ever changing prevailing conditions, e.g., wind changing pressures on air inlet and exhaust outlet, ambient room temperatures, exhaust gas temperatures, etc. These systems do not continuously adjust for the varying conditions and the result is a hit or miss as to efficiency and it is impossible for these system to achieve continuous clean burning.
It may therefore be seen that it is a problem in the art to provide a heating stove that can operate both at low burn, with low emissions and, have a high heat exchange ratio that is environmentally acceptable and still pleasingly esthetic.


A physical frame is constructed, the physical frame including a medium access control super-frame payload which in turn includes a plurality of medium access control frames. With respect to the constructed physical frame, virtual carrier sense information is set in the plurality of medium access control frame so that a result of carrier sense is identical to another by virtual carrier sense based on the plurality of medium access control frames in the medium access control super-frame payload. The physical frame in which the virtual carrier sense information has been set is transmitted to a destined communication apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus, a communication method, and a communication system for making a media access control based on carrier sense information contained in a physical layer and carrier sense information contained in a MAC layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Media Access Control (MAC) is to determine how a plurality of communication apparatuses making communication by sharing the same media utilize media to transmit communication data. In the case where two or more communication apparatuses transmit communication data by utilizing the same media at the same time there can occur an event (collision) that a receiving communication apparatus cannot isolate communication data. On the other hand, although a communication apparatus having a transmitting request exists, there can occur an event that a medium is not utilized by any communication apparatus. In order to minimize such events, a media access control technique is used to control an access from a communication apparatus to a medium.
However, in particular, in wireless communication, it is difficult to monitor transmission data at the same time when a communication apparatus transmits data. Therefore, a media access control (MAC) which does not presume detection of collision is required. IEEE 802.11 which is a typical technical standard of a wireless LAN uses a CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance). In the CSMA/CA of the IEEE 802.11, at a heater of a MAC frame, a Duration is set until a series of sequences consisting of exchange of one or more frames that follow the frame have terminated. In this duration, a communication apparatus which does not relates to the sequences and which does not have a transmission privilege determines a virtual occupancy state of a medium, thereby waiting for transmission. Therefore, an occurrence of a collision is avoided. On the other hand, a communication apparatus having a transmission privilege using the sequences recognizes that no media is used to expect a duration in which a physical medium is actually occupied. The IEEE 802.11 defines that a media access is controlled by determining a state of a medium in accordance with a combination between a virtual carrier sense in such a MAC layer and a physical carrier sense in a physical layer.
Up to now, the IEEE 802.11 using the CAMA/CA has promoted a higher communication speed by mainly changing a physical layer protocol. With respect to a 2.4 GHz bandwidth, the IEEE 802.11 (1997, 2 Mbps) is changed to an IEEE 802.11b (1999, 11 Mbps), and the IEEE 802.1b is changed to an IEEE 802.11g (2003, 54 Mbps). With respect to a 5 GHz bandwidth, only an IEEE 802.11a (1999, 54 Mbps) is now provided as standard. In order to define a standard for a higher processing speed in both of the 2.4 GHz bandwidth and the 5 GHz bandwidth, an IEEE 802.11 TGn (Task Group n) has already been established.
If a frequency spectrum identical to that in the existing standard is used in achievement of a higher communication speed, a communication apparatus newly provided enables coexistence with a communication apparatus that follows the existing standard. It is preferable that backward compatibility be maintained. Therefore, it is considered to be basically good that a Protocol of a MAC layer follows the CSMA/CA which matches the existing standard. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that a time-related parameter associated with the existing standard, for example, an interframe time interval (IPS: Interframe Space) or a back-off duration conforms to the existing standard.
Here, even if a higher data rate has been successfully achieved with respect to a physical layer, there is a problem that a substantial communication throughput cannot be improved. That is, in the case where a higher data rate of the physical layer has been achieved, a format of a PHY frame is no longer effective. It is considered that an overhead caused by this problem inhibits improvement of throughput. In the PHY frame, a time-related parameter according to the CSMA/CA is fixedly associated with the MAC frame. In addition, a PHY frame header is required for each MAC frame.
One method for reducing an overhead to improve a throughput includes Block ACK introduced in the latest draft IEEE 802.11e draft 5.0 (strengthening QoS of the IEEE 802.11). By using this method, a plurality of MAC frames can be continuously transmitted without back-off. Thus, an amount of back-off can be reduced, but a header of a physical layer cannot be reduced. In addition, according to an aggregation introduced in accordance with an earlier draft IEEE 802.11e, both an amount of back-off and a physical layer header can be reduced. However, a length of a frame of a physical layer including the MAC frame cannot be set to about 4 Kbytes or more because of a restriction on a conventional physical layer. Therefore, large restriction applies to improvement of efficiency. Even if a frame of a physical layer can be increased in length, there occurs a problem that error tolerance is lowered.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Communication apparatus, communication method, and communication system


The instant invention teaches a surgical implant wrench that includes: a handle; a head for mechanically engaging the handle at an angle relative thereto, that further includes: finger grip indents disposed thereon; and, a first mechanical assembly for rotatably engaging the crown of a surgical implant that is to be surgically implanted into the boney tissue of a patient. The wrench further includes: a second mechanical assembly for selectively varying the angle; a third mechanical assembly for selectively fixing the angle; and, a fourth mechanical assembly including finger grips for mechanically transmitting rotational mechanical force relative to the axis of the handle, from the handle to the first mechanical assembly.

The instant invention broadly relates to the field of surgical instruments. More specifically, the invention relates to the field of hand held surgical instruments used for installing surgical implants. Still more specifically, the invention relates to a hand held wrench for installing surgical dental or orthopedic implants such as bolts or screws, into the boney tissues of a patient.
Surgical torque screwdriver devices are well known in the prior art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,386 to Grabovac, et al, teaches a hand-held torque tester for a hand-held torque-limiting tool that includes an elongated horizontal plate with a central longitudinal axis; top and bottom surfaces; front and rear ends and opposite sides; an elongated horizontal longitudinally-extending deflection beam with front and rear ends in spaced relationship above the top surface and parallel with the longitudinal axis of the plate; a vertical mounting pin depending from the front end of the beam and into the plate for free relative rotation therein and against vertical and horizontal displacement relative thereto; a driver part fixed to and projecting rearwardly from the rear end of the beam and having a central vertical drive opening to receive and establish rotary driving engagement with a part of a tool to be tested; a reaction assembly carried by the plate and defining laterally-spaced oppositely-disposed reaction surfaces at opposite sides of the beam adjacent to the rear end thereof; an elongate horizontal pointer with front and rear ends normally in spaced parallel relationship with the beam and having its rear end fixed to the driver and a front end portion projecting forwardly and toward the top surface of the plate forward of the beam; and, a force-indicating scale on and extending laterally of the plate below the front end of the pointer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,906 to Crombie, et al, teaches an apparatus for installing a first part on a second part utilizing a threaded fastener passing through the first part and engaging the second part. The apparatus includes: a body; a drive assembly for applying torque to the threaded fastener. The drive assembly is rotatably mounted in the body and includes a socket assembly for receiving the threaded fastener; and an assembly for holding the first part adjacent to the body with the threaded fastener passing through the first part and received in the socket assembly. The holding assembly is configured and dimensioned to position the first part sufficiently close to the socket assembly so as to retain the threaded fastener therein. The drive assembly is rotatable with respect to the holding assembly. The first part may be installed on the second part without the necessity of a person touching or separately holding the first part after it is held by the holding assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,231 to Brumfield, et al, teaches a nut starting tool assembly for driving a nut onto a threaded end of a bone bolt when the bolt is secured in animal bone. The tool assembly includes a shaft having a first end configured for fitting reception on a tool receiving end of a bone bolt, and an opposite second end configured for rotating the shaft. The shaft further incudes a storage assembly at an intermediate portion thereof for reception and temporary storage thereon of a nut to be installed on the threaded end of the bone bolt. The assembly further includes a sleeve coaxially disposed on the shaft and a first end configured for fitting reception on the nut when temporarily stored on the intermediate portion of the shaft; and an opposite second end configured to be manipulated independent of the shaft to move the nut off the storage assembly and drive the nut onto the threaded end of the bone bolt when the nut is received within the first end.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,480 to Balfour, et al, teaches a dental tightening torque limit tool holder that includes a tool fixture, a hub and a plurality of torque limit controls.
Universal wrenches which embody universal joints are well known in the prior art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,028 to Cleveland, teaches A universal joint device for interconnecting the handle portion and socket portion of a socket wrench is disclosed. The universal joint device is constructed with grooves for receiving the upper and lower ends of a coil spring which maintains the universal joint in alignment during both tension and compression. The universal joint device is also provided with recessed apertures for receiving washers or similar adjustment devices to allow the device to be customized for additional rigidity or flexibility. Previous universal joint devices are described, for example, in the following U.S. Pat. No. 1,102,863 to Bojas; U.S. Pat. No. 1,324,898 to Hopcraft; U.S. Pat. No. 2,327,821 to Rueb; U.S. Pat. No. 2,499,569 to Cooley; U.S. Pat. No. 3,122,901 to Thompson; U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,713 to Hayes; U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,941 to Aoki; U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,913 to Tye; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,493 to Lane; U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,027 to Lenker; U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,654 to Mercer.
The above disclosed prior art surgical implant wrenches: require complicated torque measurement assemblies that add to their cost of production; and/or, can be effectively operated only by a plurality of operators, thus requiring additional man power; and/or, require rotation of a handle about an implant to tighten it, thereby precluding their use in various confined environments.
Thus, despite the foregoing contributions of the prior art, it would nonetheless be desirable to provide the surgical practitioner with an improved surgical implant wrench, wherein the angle between the head and handle of the wrench can be selectively varied and thereafter selectively fixed so as to enable reduced costs of production, operation by single operators, and application to substantially any surgical environment regardless of available operating space requirements.


Printing machine having at least one impression cylinder (16), characterised in that the impression cylinder (16) has a cylinder body (44) made of a material which, in circumferential direction of the impression cylinder (16) has a linear thermal expansion coefficient of less than 2×10−6 K−1. The material may be a composite material, for example, a material containing carbon fibers, in particular a synthetic resin reinforced with carbon fibers.

The invention relates to a printing machine having at least one impression cylinder.
An impression cylinder is used for example in a flexographic printing press for pressing the print substrate against a printing cylinder. In this case, the print substrate is conventionally guided around the impression cylinder and is advanced by this cylinder. In order for the printing ink to be precisely transferred from the printing cylinder onto the print medium at the location of contact between the impression cylinder and the printing cylinder, it is necessary to precisely adjust an optimal distance between the cylinders, in order to achieve a printed image with a uniform high quality which meets the high quality standards that are commonly required today.
The diameter of the impression cylinder may for example be in a range from 2 m to 3.5 m. Given a linear thermal expansion coefficient of about 11×10−6 K−1 for steel, a fluctuation of the temperature of the impression cylinder by 5° C. results in a change in the external radius by an amount of approximately 55 μm to 95 μm. For this reason, a temperature stabilisation is applied in conventional printing machines in order to avoid inadmissible fluctuations in the radius of the impression cylinder. Thus, steel impression cylinders are known which have a two-fold external steel wall the interstice of which serves as a channel for tempering water.
When, for example, the environmental temperature in a print shop fluctuates between 15° C. and 35° C., a tempering system of the liquid coolant type permits to limit the temperature fluctuation of the impression cylinder to ±0.5° C. or ±1° C., whereby the necessary dimensional stability of the radius of the impression cylinder is assured.

Printing machine including central impression cylinder


Feedback shift register control circuit including a checking circuit having an input being coupled to a seed input of a feedback shift register or to an internal node of the feedback shift register, the checking circuit configured to be responsive to a signal at the input indicating that the feedback shift register is in a not-allowed state, or is going to assume a not-allowed state to output an exception signal; and a gate circuit being coupled to the seed input or the feedback shift register and configured to be responsive to the exception signal to change the state of the feedback shift register or seed the feedback shift register such that the feedback shift register assumes an allowed state.

The present invention relates to feedback shift registers and control thereof.
Linear and non-linear feedback shift registers from parts of encryption algorithms and pseudorandom number generators. Encryption algorithms and pseudo number generators, in turn, are in, inter alia, used in security applications such as chip cards. In many applications if FSRs (FSR=feedback shift register) it is important that these shift registers operate correctly.


A method of operating a printer compares print job parameters for a current print job to be printed by the printer to a database of print job parameters for previously performed print jobs to identify media issues that may be caused by printing the current print job at a nominal printhead/media transport path distance. The gap between the printheads and the media transport is adjusted for identified media issues. Additionally, the method evaluates the image data content of the current print job to identify media issues that may arise from the printing of each sheet in the print job. If media issues are identified from the image data content, then the gap between the printheads and the media transport is further adjusted for sheets corresponding to the identified media issues caused by the image data content. An inkjet printer capable of being operated in this manner is also disclosed.

Inkjet imaging devices eject liquid ink from printheads to form images on an image receiving surface. The printheads include a plurality of inkjets that are arranged in some type of array. Each inkjet has a thermal or piezoelectric actuator that is coupled to a printhead controller. The printhead controller generates firing signals that correspond to digital data for images. Actuators in the printheads respond to the firing signals by expanding into an ink chamber to eject ink drops onto an image receiving member and form an ink image that corresponds to the digital image data used to generate the firing signals. The image receiving member can be a continuous web of media material or a series of media sheets.
A distance between the printheads in the printhead array and the surface of the image receiving member is carefully selected to optimize the imaging process. If the gap is too small, the image receiving member can burnish the face of the printheads. Burnishing not only reduces the life of the printheads, but results in poor image quality, unintentional markings, and increased downtime of the printer during maintenance. If the gap is too large, image quality suffers, particularly in high speed printers, since a large gap can affect the accuracy of the ejected ink drops landing on the image receiving member to form the printed image. Thus, the setting of a gap distance between a printhead and an image receiving member is an important parameter affecting image quality in an inkjet printer. A nominal gap distance between printheads and an image receiving surface for typically used media can be, for example, about 1 mm or less. As used in this document, the term "nominal printhead/media gap distance" means the smallest distance between a printhead and an upper surface of media being printed without causing print job faults arising from media issues.
Some types of media have a tendency to wrinkle when they are printed with high ink coverage areas because the amount of solvent that they absorb from the ejected ink distends the media surface. The threshold for what constitutes a high ink coverage area is lower for thinner media than it is thicker media. Coatings on papers also alter the response of the media to ink absorption. Additionally, the types of ink used for printing affect the amount of solvent absorbed by media. Distended media has an unpredictable effect on printhead face to media gap during a print job.
Previously known printers have included a sheet height sensor that generates a signal when a height of the media exceeds a height for a currently set printhead/media surface gap. The printhead array, the media transport, or both can be repositioned with actuators in response to height sensor signal to maintain a sufficient gap distance so that distended media does not impact the printhead. Adjusting the printhead/media surface gap in response to a real time height sensor signal, however, is extremely difficult in high speed printers. Therefore, being able to evaluate the probability of gap distances occurring during a print job that could have adverse impacts on the printheads and the image quality before a print job commences would be beneficial.

System and method for adjusting a printhead to media gap in an inkjet printer


A transduction apparatus, which employs an array of individual transducers that generates multiple acoustic radiation modes, is described. These modes are used together to yield directional steered beam patterns. In one embodiment separate transducers, clustered in the form of a ring array, are used together to generate wide and narrow cardioid type beam patterns through combined monopole, dipole and quadrupole radiation modes in the medium, along with at least one tail mass.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to acoustic transducer arrays and also relates to a transducer array capable of radiating steered modal based directional acoustic energy.
2. Background and Discussion
Traditionally arrays of sonar transducer are used to form directional beams that can be electronically steered to various directions. They often take the form of planar, spherical, or cylindrical arrays. U.S. Pat. No. 3,290,646, entitled "Sonar Transducer," by S. L. Ehrlich and P. D. Frelich describes a sonar transducer where beams are formed and steered from a single transducer in the form of a cylinder. Cardioid beam patterns are formed through the combination of extensional monopole and dipole modes of vibration of a piezoelectric tube, cylinder or ring. In the published paper, "Superdirective spherical radiator," J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 61, 1427-1431 (1977) by J. L. Butler and S. L. Ehrlich, a multimodal spherical shell and array is presented as examples of radiators which can achieve super-directivity through a specified addition of spherical radiation modes. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,734,604, entitled "Multimode Synthesized Beam Transduction Apparatus," issued on May 11, 2004, there is described a method for directional beam formation using monopole, dipole and quadrupole mechanical modes of vibration of a continuous piezoelectric tube operating as a unitary transducer with steered beam capabilities.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a transduction apparatus, which employs an array of individual transducers that generates multiple acoustic radiation modes in the medium which yield a directional steered beam pattern.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an array of transduction elements, which generates multiple radiation modes including the quadrupole mode to obtain an improved, more directional, steered beam pattern.
A further object of the invention is to provide an electromechanical transduction array apparatus having beam patterns with desirable beam width, side lobe and null structural properties as a result of the addition of the quadrupole mode.
Still another object of the present patent is to provide an electromechanical transduction array apparatus characterized by a constant beam pattern and smooth response over a broadband operating range from an array of transducers.

Modal acoustic array transduction apparatus


A sport novelty ball has an outer shell and a stabilizing shock absorbing core in which various interior components are embedded. A non-toxic smoke solution is introduced into the ball and stored. Centrally located within the ball is a smoke chamber containing a heating element, A switch/pump assembly is provided for completing an electrical circuit and moving the smoke solution through the ball. Upon actuation of the switch/pump assembly, simultaneously the heating element is actuated and the solution is pressured through fluid lines in the ball to an atomizer for spraying the solution onto the heating element, whereupon smoke is generated in the smoke chamber. Exhaust/intake channels extend from the smoke chamber to the ball periphery. When the ball is thrown, ambient air passing through the exhaust/intake channels causes a stream of air to be emitted from the channels, giving the appearance that the ball is smoking. A motion activated sound chip produces a sound feature which adds the impression of throwing a super fast pitch.

1. Field of the Invention
Sports have long captured the interest of adults and children. The use of novelty items so as to replicate sports heroes who perform at the highest level, such as professional baseball players, is a way of increasing and enhancing an individual's enjoyment of the sport.
The present invention is in the nature of a novelty item, and, in particular, to a ball that appears to generate smoke and give off sound when thrown to provide the experience of throwing or catching a super-fast ball or other type missile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various mechanisms and devices exist that create smoke, vapor or some variation thereof as their primary function. These mechanisms and devices may be stationary or portable, for commercial or recreational use, for indoor and/or outdoor activities (some undesirable for health, clean-up or handling reasons), but none for novelty purposes envisioned by this invention, with the possible exception of Hosoya, U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,340. Hosoya describes a ball that has a central core of detonator material and a layer of smoke emitting material to be ignited by the detonator material, but only upon percussive contact between bat and ball and not just when thrown.


An object of this invention is to provide a parboiled rice manufacturing apparatus capable of efficiently manufacturing good-quality parboiled rice without increasing the overall size of the apparatus.

Conventional parboiled rice is a kind of processed rice that is produced and eaten mainly in the Asian region including India and Pakistan and in some parts of America and Europe.
The parboiled rice has been manufactured by steaming unhulled rice after sufficient soaking to gelatinize starch of rice grains and then performing drying, hulling, and milling. For this reason, endosperm is impregnated with, e.g., the smell of a hull and has a flavor of hull.
Parboiled rice free of hull smell has been developed in recent years to meet diversified tastes of consumers, and manufacturing methods for the parboiled rice have been proposed (see Patent Literatures 1 to 3).
The manufacturing methods described in Patent Literatures 1 and 2 include a process of subjecting brown rice as a raw material to partial milling treatment, subjecting grains of the rice subjected to the partial milling treatment to water addition treatment with, e.g., a mist or moist forced air, subjecting the moisture of the rice grains subjected to the water addition treatment to tempering treatment, subjecting the rice grains with the moisture subjected to the tempering treatment to atmospheric steam-boiling treatment with steam, subjecting the rice grains subjected to the atmospheric steam-boiling treatment to pressurized steam-boiling treatment with pressurized steam, subjecting at least the surface of each rice grain subjected to the pressurized steaming to cooling treatment, subjecting the rice grains subjected to the cooling treatment to finish milling treatment, and subjecting the rice grains subjected to the finish milling treatment to drying treatment.
Since the manufacturing methods include steaming of brown rice, parboiled rice free of hull smell can be obtained.
At the manufacture of parboiled rice, rice grains need to be subjected to water absorption as pretreatment of pressurized steam-boiling treatment in order to gelatinize starch of each rice grain to the center through the pressurized steam-boiling treatment. In contrast, the manufacturing methods subject rice grains to water absorption not through soaking treatment but through water addition treatment and do not need use of a large amount of water and provision of drainage treatment equipment.
In the above-described manufacturing methods, however, if the amount of water added is increased to accelerate the speed of water absorption of rice grains at the time of the water addition treatment, a crack may appear in the surface of each rice grain to degrade the appearance quality of the rice grain.
Additionally, the parboiled rice manufacturing apparatuses described in Patent Literatures 1 and 2 each include a piece of dedicated equipment for each treatment in the above-described manufacturing method and suffer from the problem of increasing the overall size of the apparatuses.
The manufacturing method described in Patent Literature 3 subjects brown rice to preliminary pressurized steam-boiling treatment, prior to the above-described water addition treatment in the manufacture of parboiled rice described in Patent Literatures 1 and 2 described above.
According to the manufacturing method, starch of each rice grain is gelatinized only at a surficial portion by the preliminary pressurized steam-boiling treatment, and the surface of the rice grain is toughened by a gelatinized layer. For this reason, even if the amount of water added is increased to accelerate the speed of water absorption of rice grains, a crack does not appear in the surface of the rice grain. The manufacturing method allows manufacture of parboiled rice, grains of which have good appearance quality.
The parboiled rice manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Literature 3, however, also includes a piece of dedicated equipment for each treatment in the above-described manufacturing method and suffers from the problem of increase in overall size.
There is also proposed an apparatus for manufacturing parboiled rice in batches (see Non Patent Literature 1).
The manufacturing apparatus described in Non Patent Literature 1 subjects unhulled rice or brown rice to pressurized steam-boiling treatment inside a container and dries the brown rice or the like subjected to the pressurized steam-boiling treatment inside the container. A plurality of treatments can be performed inside the same container.
The manufacturing apparatus described in Non Patent Literature 1 described above, however, includes two large tanks for subjecting the brown rice or the like to soaking treatment as pretreatment of the pressurized steam-boiling treatment.
For this reason, the manufacturing apparatus described in Non Patent Literature 1 described above requires provision of large drainage treatment equipment and does not necessarily solve the problem of increase in overall size.

Abstract: A parboiled rice manufacturing apparatus according to this invention includes a drum which has a raw material hatch provided at a peripheral surface and is disposed to be rotatable about a horizontal axis, a heating unit which is disposed inside the drum and heats an interior of the drum, an agitation unit which is disposed inside the drum and agitates a raw material charged through the raw material hatch into the drum, a steam supply unit which supplies steam into the drum, a pressure adjustment unit which has a valve allowing communication of the interior of the drum with outside air and allows increase of pressure inside the drum with steam supplied from the steam supply unit by closing the valve at the time of processing of the raw material through the pressurized steam-boiling treatment, a water addition unit which is disposed inside the drum and adds water to the raw material inside the drum, and a drying unit which dries the raw material by reducing the pressure inside the drum.


A composition in the form of a chewing gum composition or a confectionery composition containing a stain removing complex of a stain removing agent and a cyclodextrin compound and methods of preparing and using the same to remove stains from dental material including teeth.

Unblemished white teeth have long been considered cosmetically desirable. Unfortunately, in the absence of thorough dental cleaning, teeth can become discolored or stained from color-causing substances present in food, beverages, tobacco, and the like, and internal sources such as blood, amalgam-based fillings, and antibiotics (e.g., tetracycline). The tooth structures that are generally responsible for presenting a stained appearance are enamel, dentin, and the acquired pellicle. Tooth enamel is predominantly formed from inorganic material, mostly in the form of hydroxyapatite crystals, and further contains approximately 5% organic material primarily in the form of collagen. In contrast, dentin is composed of about 20% protein including collagen, the balance consisting of inorganic material, predominantly hydroxyapatite crystals, similar to that found in enamel. The acquired pellicle is a proteinaceous layer or matrix that forms continuously over the surface of the tooth. Although the acquired pellicle can be removed through intensive mechanical cleaning, it quickly regenerates soon thereafter.
Discoloration of teeth can result from intrinsic and/or extrinsic staining. Intrinsic staining occurs when staining compounds penetrate the enamel and even the dentin, or alternatively, such staining arises from sources within the tooth. Typically such staining can only be removed through chemical methods of tooth cleaning. In contrast, extrinsic staining of the acquired pellicle arises as a result of compounds such as tannins and other polyphenolic compounds becoming trapped in and tightly bound to the proteinaceous layer on the surface of teeth. Discoloration from this type of staining can usually be removed by mechanical methods of tooth cleaning.
Stain removing agents have been used to remove such staining to whiten and clean teeth. One class of effective stain removing agents includes surfactants such as, for example, sodium stearate, which have been found to exhibit good stain removing activity on teeth. Such stain removing agents have been incorporated into stain removing chewing gum and confectionery compositions to clean and whiten teeth as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,471,945, 6,479,071 and 6,485,739. Other classes of stain removing agents include, for example, anti-bacterial agents such as thymol, triclosan, chlorhexidine and the like.
Although some surfactants and anti-bacterial agents which are slightly water soluble act effectively as stain removing agents, the limited solubility of such agents in water or aqueous environments adversely affects their ability to be delivered from the stain removing composition to the tooth surfaces in the mouth. This shortcoming is especially apparent in chewing gum compositions. Further, these surfactants and anti-bacterial agents do not effectively penetrate through the complex barriers typically present in saliva and on the tooth surfaces, thus further reducing their bioavailability for removing stain. Accordingly, higher levels of surfactants or anti-bacterial agents are typically needed to compensate their low release rate, and increase their bioavailability in the mouth of the consumer.
Higher levels of surfactant and/or anti-bacterial agent in stain removing compositions increase manufacturing costs with little improvement to whitening or stain removing efficacy of the composition. In addition, it has been determined that stain removing compositions containing higher levels of surfactant or anti-bacterial agent typically exhibit less than desirable organoleptic and taste characteristics. For example, chewing gum and confectionery compositions containing elevated levels of surfactant typically exhibit a soapy or undesirable taste, and unpleasant mouthfeel. In chewing gum, the elevated levels of surfactant also adversely affect the structure of the gum base resulting in premature disintegration, and unsatisfactory chew characteristics.
Cyclodextrin compounds are known to form complexes with many compounds. The cyclodextrin molecule includes glucopyranose units arranged in a ring-like configuration having all the secondary hydroxyl groups located on one side of the ring and all primary hydroxyl groups located on the other side. Generally, ′Y-, β-, and ε-cyclodextrins contain 6, 7 and 8 cyclic glucopyranose units, respectively, in the ring shell. The lining of the internal "cavity" is formed from hydrogen and glucosidic oxygen-bridge atoms, and thus the lining is slightly apolar.
It would therefore be a significant advance in the art of providing a stain removing chewing gum composition, which enhances the overall solubility and release rate of a stain removing agent therefrom. It would be a further advance in the art to provide a stain removing chewing gum composition which enhances the solubility and the release rate of the stain removing agent through the use of a complex of a stain removing agent and a cyclodextrin compound. The complex provides effective cleaning of dental material including teeth and can be effectively incorporated into a chewing gum composition and released therefrom during the chewing process in a manner which provides an effective amount of the stain removing agent. The chewing gum composition would then not only provide chewing satisfaction to the user, but would also provide a beneficial dental effect. There is a need for a chewing gum composition having enhanced tooth whitening and stain removal efficacy while avoiding or at least substantially minimizing the consequences of the above-described problems encountered in the prior art.
Confectionery compositions are well known in the art. Such compositions include, for example, hard boiled candies, nougats, panning goods, gel confections, centerfill confections, fondants, consumable thin films, and the like. Unlike chewing gum compositions, which often remain in the mouth for up to or exceeding several minutes, confectionery compositions tend to have a short life in the mouth because they dissolve relatively quickly upon chewing. Nonetheless, it would be of great benefit to provide confectionery compositions with an effective amount of a stain removing agent to provide such products to render them capable of providing a beneficial dental effect.


The present invention aims at providing a technique capable of supervising and controlling optical repeaters, without affecting transmission characteristics and wavelength bands of signal lights, by utilizing the Raman effect. To this end, the present invention provides a supervisory controlling system of an optical repeater, in an optical amplifying-and-repeating transmission system for amplifying and repeatingly transmitting signal light propagated through an optical transmission path by the optical repeater, wherein the supervisory control signal light is amplified due to the Raman effect by the signal light acting as excitation light in an optical transmission path (Raman amplifying medium), to thereby supervise and control the optical repeater in accordance with the thus Raman amplified supervisory control signal light.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a supervisory controlling technique of an optical repeater to be applied to various optical communications systems, and particularly to a supervisory controlling method and a supervisory controlling system for transmitting supervisory control information making use of the Raman effect.
(2) Related Art
In various optical communications systems, it has been desired to further increase capacities of the systems due to increased data communication traffics such as in the Internet. As a method to realize increased capacities of optical communications systems, attention has been directed to a WDM optical transmission system for transmitting wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) signal light including a plurality of optical signals of different wavelengths. Further, there has been also advanced development of an optical amplifying-and-repeating transmission system for amplifying a signal light by optical repeaters adopting optical amplifiers so as to perform the repeating transmission of the signal light.
In the conventional optical amplifying-and-repeating transmission system, as an optical amplifier used in optical repeater, there has been utilized an optical fiber amplifier that supplies an excitation light to such as an optical fiber doped with rare earth element to thereby amplify a signal light. Specifically, as an optical amplifier of optical repeater, there has been widely used an optical fiber amplifier (EDFA) that utilizes an optical fiber doped with Erbium as a rare earth element.
For the optical repeater utilizing such an EDFA, there is known a method to perform a supervisory control of operating conditions and the like, in accordance with supervisory control information to be transmitted together with a signal light between a transmission side terminal device and a reception side terminal device in a system. In a conventional supervisory controlling method of the optical repeater, as a specific method to transmit a signal light accompanied by supervisory control information toward the reception side terminal device from the optical repeater, for EDFA of an optical repeater, there has been proposed a method, as shown in (A) of FIG. 11, for supplying an excitation light which is modulated in accordance with information about supervisory control to an erbium doped fiber (EDF), to thereby apply the modulation of several percents onto the whole of signal light Ls. Alternatively, for example, as shown in (B) of FIG. 11, there has been proposed a method to provide a dedicated channel for supervisory control at an end portion of an amplification band of EDFA and to multiplex a supervisory control signal light Lsv and a signal light Ls.
However, for the conventional supervisory controlling method as mentioned above, in case of transmitting the supervisory control information by applying the modulation onto the excitation light for the EDFA, there is a possibility to cause an increase of penalty in receiving and processing the signal lights at the terminal device due to the modulated components superimposed onto the signal lights, respectively. Further, there is a problem that the transmission characteristics of the WDM signal light are fluctuated depending on wavelengths, because it is difficult to equally apply the modulation onto the optical signals of all the wavelengths included in the WDM signal light, respectively. On the other hand, in case of transmitting the supervisory control signal light by providing the dedicated channel, since at least one of waves within the amplification band of the optical amplifier is occupied for the supervisory control, there is defectively caused constraints on the effective usage of the limited amplification band of the optical amplifier, thereby resulting in a narrowed wavelength band for the signal lights.
Meanwhile, there have been investigated optical repeaters for amplifying and repeatingly transmitting signal lights by utilizing the Raman effect, such as by virtue of the recent development of optical fibers or high power light sources. The light amplification (Raman amplification) using the Raman effect utilizes such a phenomenon that, when a strong light (excitation light) is propagated through an amplifying medium such as an optical fiber, there is caused a Raman scattering phenomenon in which the thus input light is converted into a light (a Stokes light) of a longer wavelength, and further, if there exists a light (light to be amplified) coincident with the wavelength range where the Stokes light is generated, the wavelength conversion becomes frequent to thereby amplify the light to be amplified (stimulated Raman scattering). Such Raman amplification has an advantage capable of forming an amplification band in an arbitrary wavelength range, and has a wide amplification range. Thus, it is expected to apply those optical repeaters utilizing the Raman amplification to optical amplifying-and-repeating transmission systems, so as to enable to further widen the bands of the optical repeaters utilizing such as the aforementioned conventional EDFA's.
However, even in such optical repeaters utilizing the Raman amplification, it is also assumed that the aforementioned supervisory control is performed, thereby causing the same problem as in the above, if the conventional supervisory controlling method is applied in the same manner as the above. To solve such a problem concerning the supervisory control, it is demanded to realize a novel supervisory controlling technique taking account of the features of the Raman amplification.

Supervisory controlling method and supervisory controlling system of optical repeater


Vinyl acetate and an N-vinyl formamide are copolymerized to yield poly(vinyl acetate)-co-poly(N-vinyl formamide) which is base hydrolyzed to poly(vinyl alcohol)-co-poly(N-vinyl formamide). Two phase hydrolysis of particles of poly(vinyl alcohol)-co-poly(N-vinyl formamide) as a slurry in methanol yields particles of poly(vinyl alcohol)-co-poly(vinylamine).. provided is a copolymer of the following general formula ##STR1## where m is 0 to 15 mole %. n is 50 to 99 mole %.. x is 0 to 30 mole %. and PA1 y is 1 to 50 mole % .

Synthesis of amine functional addition polymers in general is difficult for two reasons. The simplest amine functional monomer, vinylamine, is thermodynamically and kinetically unstable relative to the isomeric Schiff base and condensation products of the base, ethylidene imine. Also, more complex molecules containing free radically polymerizable functionality, e.g., olefinic groups, and primary amine functionality are more expensive and typically show severe chain transfer during radical polymerization, especially involving protons on carbon atoms alpha to the nitrogen. The allylamines are particularly good examples of this difficulty and are known to produce mainly low molecular weight polymers and copolymers, even using large amounts of free radical initiators.
Despite these problems, amine containing polymers are highly valued in a number of areas. They represent virtually the only cost effective way of incorporating cationic charge into polymers for, e.g., cationic electrocoating, water treatment and enhanced oil recovery. Primary and, to a lesser extent, secondary amines offer the highest general reactivity spectrum of any group compatible with water. They will react with anhydrides, epoxides, isocyanates, esters, aziridines, aldehydes, ketones, Michael acceptors, aminoplasts and other alkylating agents to form covalent linkages. They react with acids and metal ions to form ionic linkages. Simple derivatives, e.g., Schiff bases, strongly and selectively complex many metal ions. This high reactivity produces a myriad of current and potential uses in such areas as coatings, adhesives, binders, structural polymers, viscosity control agents, ion exchange resins, and polymer boundary agents for bio/medical applications.
Because of their high electron donating ability when unprotonated and cationic charge when protonated, they offer superior adhesion to many types of substrates compared to other polymers which are typically neutral or anionic. The ability to change the reactivity and properties of primary or secondary amines by a simple pH change (addition of acid or base) offers numerous valuable options for viscosity control, emulsion stability control, polymer solubility modification (especially in water), or for formulating shelf-stable but reactive crosslinking or substrate reactive systems.
For many purposes it is desirable to prepare water soluble polymers which contain relatively low levels of amine functionality, either to reduce costs by diluting the expensive amine component or for applications in which a lower level of cationic or reactive amine gives superior performance. A particularly attractive polymer for certain applications would be a vinyl alcohol copolymer with a low but controllable level of amine functionality.
preparation of amine functional polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) has been previously attempted by hydrolyzing copolymers of vinyl acetate and either N-vinyl-O-t-butyl carbamate or N-vinylacetamide. The carbamate monomer is prepared by a long and costly synthesis and is reported to hydrolyze to a highly toxic aziridine in the presence of water. In both cases the poly(vinyl acetate) component was hydrolyzed with methanolic or aqueous base. In the carbamate case, treatment of an aqueous solution of the poly(vinyl alcohol)-co-poly(N-vinyl-O-t-butyl carbamate) with acid gave the poly(vinyl alcohol)-co-poly(vinylamine) acid salt. Hydrolysis of the poly(N-vinylacetamide) is known to require strong acid at high temperatures. Both approaches produce a relatively dilute aqueous solution of the polymer which is expensive to store or ship or requires expensive additional steps to isolate the polymer from the solution. The aqueous solution also contains substantial amounts of frequently undesirable salts or acid.
R. W. Stackman, et al., Ind. Eng. Chem. Prod. Res. Dev., 1985, 24, 242 discloses copolymerization of vinyl acetate with N-vinylacetamide and copolymer hydrolysis, probably to the poly(vinyl alcohol)-co-poly(N-vinylacetamide). See R. H. Summerville, et al., polymer Reprints, 24, 12 (1983).
W. M. Brouwer, et al.; J. Polym. Sci. Polym. Chem. Ed., 1984, 22, discloses copolymerization of vinyl acetate with N-vinyl-O-t-butyl carbamate and copolymer hydrolysis.

Method for preparing poly(vinyl alcohol)-co-poly(vinylamine) via a two-phase process


A liquid chromatography apparatus includes a separation column, liquid feed pump which feeds eluent into the separation column, a detector which detects elution component fed from the separation column, and a plurality of valves which control a flow of liquid which passes from the liquid feed pump to the detector via the separation column, wherein the liquid feed pump, the separation column, the detector, and the plurality of valves are disposed in a cooled portion within a first unit, and among the mechanical parts and the electrical parts that respectively form the liquid feed pump, the detector, and the plurality of valves, the electrical parts are disposed in a non-cooled portion within the first unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid chromatography apparatus, and in particular, relates to a cooling system of the liquid chromatography apparatus.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-317401, filed Sep. 9, 2003, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
In the case in which a separation of a thermally unstable substance, such as a biopolymer, is performed using a liquid chromatography apparatus, the procedure was conventionally performed by placing the entire liquid chromatography apparatus into a refrigerated room, a refrigerated case, or the like.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-74721 (Patent Document 1) discloses a liquid chromatography apparatus in which the temperature adjustments of an eluent supply unit, a liquid feed pump, an injection valve, and a column holding portion are performed by a heated air. Japanese Patent No. 3008595 (Patent Document 2) solved a problem that a warmed sample forms a deposit after injection, by maintaining a sample dissolution tank and a separating column at constant temperature. Although each of these patent documents discloses the technology of performing temperature adjustment of a part of a liquid chromatography apparatus, they do not address the case of the separation of a thermally unstable substance, such as a biopolymer, which must be performed under low-temperature conditions.
By using the conventional method of placing an entire liquid chromatography apparatus into the refrigerated room and the like, the system for holding the liquid chromatography apparatus must be large, and the workability of placing the liquid chromatography apparatus has also been inferior as a worker must frequently walk in and out of the refrigerated room and the like. Furthermore, because the entire liquid chromatography apparatus is refrigerated, failure of the electrical system may occur frequently by condensation and the like.


The apparatus for carrying out the method comprises a plurality of delivery trays arranged in the manner of a circulating bucket lift, which on the basis of user inputs can be freely selected and transported to a loading plane in which an inlet opening for the copy or print jobs also is located. An outlet opening is provided opposite the inlet opening, the individual delivery trays can be moved around a passthrough region which joins the inlet opening to the outlet opening, and each of the delivery trays can, in order to receive copy or print jobs, be slid into a loading position in the passthrough region and receives the copy or print job intended for that selected delivery tray.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,143 concerns a control device for a motor-driven circulating storage apparatus that is configured as a storage facility for the deposition and retrieval of documents, files, and other objects. Arranged on a pair of chains are a plurality of trays or carriers which can be moved by means of the control apparatus along an endless loop selectably to a workstation. Once a selected carrier is positioned opposite the workstation, the carrier can be loaded in or unloaded from the workstation.
EP-A-0 241 273 discloses a sorting apparatus for copiers. The apparatus comprises a plurality of selectable delivery trays into which the copied sheets are deposited. For defined deposition of the individual sheets into the various delivery trays, a switcher is provided which is movable vertically with respect to the delivery trays. The switcher moves to the particular selected tray and thereby makes possible delivery of the copies into the selected trays. The delivery trays can be configured closably so as to grant access to the contents of the delivery trays only to a limited number of persons.
A sheet sorting apparatus is presented in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,170. The apparatus comprises several compartments, arranged in a vertical stack, into which printed sheets can be deposited from a telefax unit or the like. Switchers are provided on the respective compartments in order to guide the sheets into a selected compartment. Each compartment is in the form of a drawer, which normally is locked in the sheet-receiving position. A switcher closing apparatus brings the selected switcher into the sheet deflection position out of the normal position in which the sheet can pass by the compartments. The switcher closing apparatus is at the same time an actuation apparatus for selective unlocking of the normally locked drawers.
It is the object of the invention to create a method with which copy or print jobs intended for a selected number of users can be collected in a manner which protects against access by unauthorized persons. In addition, the method is also intended to allow the output of copy or print jobs which do not require confidentiality.
According to the invention, this is achieved in that the method comprises the following steps:
selecting the collecting function for the copy or print job currently being processed;
moving a delivery tray into a loading plane that coincides with an inlet opening for the copy or print jobs, the delivery tray moved into the loading plane being the one matching an identification number of the copy or print job;
sliding the delivery tray into a loading position into a passthrough region around which the delivery trays are arranged so as to circulate in the manner of a bucket lift, and collecting the copy or print job on the delivery tray; and
moving the delivery tray with the collected copy or print job back such that the delivery trays (20.sub.1, 20.sub.2, . . . , 20.sub.N) are arranged again in the manner of a bucket lift.
A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus with which copy and print jobs can be both collected for a selected number of users in a manner protected against access by unauthorized persons, and also output directly to a finishing unit. In addition, the apparatus is intended to have a simple transport path for the copy or print jobs, in order to prevent damage or blockage.
According to the invention, this is achieved in that an outlet opening is provided opposite the inlet opening; that the individual delivery trays can be moved around a passthrough region which joins the inlet opening to the outlet opening; and that each of the delivery trays can, in order to receive copy or print jobs, be slid into a loading position in the passthrough region.
The method is advantageous in that copy or print jobs requiring confidentiality can be collected in a manner protected against access by unauthorized persons. At the same time, the method makes it possible for copy or print jobs that do not require confidentiality to be conveyed directly through the apparatus so as thereby to make possible output or finishing.
The apparatus is advantageous in that the two countervailing properties--the collection and transport of copy or print jobs--are combined. In this context, the linear transport path for the copy or print jobs is retained, and deflection thus prevented, when a copy or print job is to be directed to an output or finishing unit and is not to be collected in the apparatus. The apparatus furthermore has the advantage that copy or print jobs requiring confidentiality can be collected in a manner protected against access by unauthorized persons.
Further advantageous modifications of the invention are evident from the subclaims.

Method and apparatus for collecting and transporting copy or print jobs


The present invention provides methods and systems for narrow bandwidth digital processing of an input audio signal. Particularly, the present invention includes a high pass filter configured to filter the input audio signal. A first compressor then modulates the filtered signal in order to create a partially processed signal. In some embodiments, a clipping module further limits the gain of the partially processed signal. A splitter is configured to split the partially processed signal into a first signal and a second signal. A low pass filter is configured to filter the first signal. A pass through module is configured to adjust the gain of the second signal. A mixer then combines the filtered first signal and the gain-adjusted second signal in order to output a combined signal. In some embodiments, a tone control module further processes the combined signal, and a second compressor further modulates the processed signal.

Narrow bandwidth audio processing has a variety of applications, including voice communications in extreme first responder environments, auscultation of various body sounds, hydrophones, telecommunications, or unusual speaker/microphone situations where the available information is of very poor quality. In these situations, the audio content is generally restricted to only a few octaves.
Although traditional, full spectrum audio enhancement systems and methods are capable of enhancing the sound quality of narrow bandwidth audio content, these standard configurations tend to be underutilized and fall short of achieving stellar quality enhancements. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to improve audio processing and enhancement for narrow bandwidth audio content throughout various applications, in order to produce a clear and easily interpretable audio output. Further, it would be beneficial to allow a user to calibrate the audio processing for different applications having different narrow bandwidth frequency ranges.

System and method for narrow bandwidth digital signal processing


This invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid fragment encoding floral development proteins, more specifically FT, TFL or Ap3 homologs. The invention also relates to the construction of a recombinant DNA construct encoding all or a portion of the floral development proteins, in sense or antisense orientation, wherein expression of the recombinant DNA construct results in production of altered levels of the FT, TFL or Ap3 homologs in a transformed host cell.

Flowering in plants is a consequence of the transition of the shoot apex from vegetative to reproductive growth in response to environmental and internal signals. Currently, there is little information about how plants coordinate the activities of the cells that give rise to reproductive plant tissues, however, research has focused on identifying the genes that control this developmental process. Floral homeotic genes that control the specification of meristem and organ identity in developing flowers have been identified in Arabidopsis thaliana and Antirrhinum majus. Most of these genes belong to a large family of regulatory genes that possess a characteristic DNA binding domain known as the MADS-box. Members of this gene family display primarily floral-specific expression and are homologous to transcription factors found in several animal and fungal species. Molecular evolutionary analysis reveal that there are appreciable differences in the substitution rates between different domains of these plant MADS-box genes. Phylogenetic analysis also demonstrate that members of the plant MADS-box gene family are organized into several distinct gene groups: the AGAMOUS, APETALA3 (Ap3)/PISTILLATA and APETALA1/AGL9 groups. Several genes that belong to the APETALA3 (Ap3) group have been identified in Arabidopsis thaliana (Jack, et al., (1992) Cell 68:683-697). Genes of this group have been shown to play a role in the control of organ identity of petals and stamens during floral development (Bowman, et al., (1989) Plant Cell 1:37-52 and Bowman, et al., (1991) Development 112:1-20; Weigel and Meyerowitz (1994) Cell 78:203-209; Coen and Meyerowitz (1991) Nature 353:31-37; WO 93/21322). Thus, the shared evolutionary history of members of a gene group appear to reflect the distinct functional roles these MAD-box genes play in flower development.
The flowering locus T gene (FT) encodes a protein that appears to be involved in the regulating plant growth by controlling the rate at which maturation occurs. For example, an increase in FT function has been shown to produce early flowering (Kardailsky, et al., (1999) Science 286:1962-1965). Thus the FT gene may be useful to accelerate flowering in various crops.
The deduced sequence of the FT protein is similar to the sequence of TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1) and shares sequence similarity with membrane-associated mammalian proteins (Kardailsky, et al., (1999) Science 286:1962-1965). TFL1 in Arabidopsis, and the homologous Antirrhinum gene CENTRORADIALIS (CEN) play a key role in determining inflorescence architecture (Bradley, et al., (1997) Science 275:80-83; WO 97/10339; WO 99/53070).
FT protein belongs to a family of membrane-associated phosphatidylethanolamine-bind proteins (PEBP), which may function as kinase inhibitors to regulate the signal transudation pathways (Kardailsky, et al., (1999) Activation tagging of the floral inducer FT Science, December 3; 286 (5446); 1962-5. Also, Kobayashi, et al., (1999). A pair of related genes with antagonistic roles in mediating flowering signals Science December 3; 286 (5446); 1960-2.). The Arabidopsis gene TFL encodes a protein related to FT. Genes play antagonistic roles in the floral transition such as TFL is a repressor of flowering whereas FT is an activator (Kardailsky, et al., 1999; Kobayashi, et al., 1999). International patent application PCT/US01/43750 claims 9 corn homologs of the Arabidopsis FT. For continuity, maize genes were named ZmFT or ZmTFL (Table 1) accordingly to the degree of the translational homology to Arabidopsis FT-TFL proteins (GenBank accession numbers FT AB027504, TFL U77674).
There is a great deal of interest in identifying the genes that encode proteins involved in cellular differentiation in plants. These genes may be used in plant cells to control development. Accordingly, the availability of nucleic acid sequences encoding all or a portion of an Ap3 or FT or TFL1 gene homolog would facilitate studies to better understanding development in plants and provide genetic tools to enhance or otherwise alter plant developmental processes. Nucleic acid fragments encoding Ap3 homologs may be useful for engineering plant sterility/fertility, and flower development and morphology. Nucleic acid fragments encoding FT or TFL1 homologs may be useful for engineering flowering time, plant growth rate, inflorescence architecture, and tissue culture morphology and rate of cell division to enhance transformation.


The biological introduction apparatus includes a drive force generation and input mechanism, a drive force transmission mechanism, a helical rotation member, a holding member and a positioning mechanism. The positioning mechanism positions a proximal end portion of a main body portion which is arranged in the helical rotation member to an intermediate portion arranged between a distal end portion of an insertion unit and a proximal end portion of the insertion unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a biological introduction apparatus that introduces an insertion unit of an endoscope into a living body and an endoscope having this biological introduction apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2011-161138 discloses an endoscope insertion auxiliary tool arranged at a distal end portion of an insertion unit. This endoscope insertion auxiliary tool has a bag-shaped traveling unit and a support unit that is arranged in the traveling unit and supports the traveling unit. The support unit has a worm gear and a peripheral tooth portion that is arranged at a proximal end portion of the worm gear and arranged over an entire periphery along a circumferential direction of the proximal end portion. The peripheral tooth portion meshes with a pinion arranged at a distal end portion of a torque wire. At this time, the peripheral tooth portion and the pinion are arranged in the traveling unit. A proximal end portion of the torque wire is connected with a drive source.
When the drive source drives, the torque wire rotates, and the worm gear rotates through the pinion and the peripheral tooth portion in accordance with this rotation. As a result, the traveling unit circulates so that the outer side of the traveling unit travels in a counter-inserting direction and the inner side of the traveling unit travels in an inserting direction, for example. When the traveling unit circulates, the insertion unit obtains propulsive force. As a result, for example, forward movement of the insertion unit is aided by this propulsive force.
Further, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2010-527651 discloses a catheter. This catheter has a corrugated pipe into which an endoscope is inserted and a helical screw arranged at a distal end portion of the corrugated pipe. Furthermore, the catheter has a handle that is arranged apart from the helical screw, arranged at a proximal end portion of the corrugated pipe, and rotates the helical screw through the corrugated pipe and a fixing portion that is arranged to be closer to a proximal end portion of the corrugated pipe than the handle and fixes an endoscope.
The corrugated pipe is arranged over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the catheter. The helical screw is arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the corrugated pipe, and it is also helically arranged around a longitudinal axis of the corrugated pipe. When the handle rotates, the corrugated pipe rotates, and the helical screw rotates in accordance with the rotation of the corrugated pipe. When the rotating helical screw engages with an inner wall of a lumen, the corrugated pipe obtains the propulsive force. As a result, for example, forward movement of the corrugated pipe is aided by this propulsive force.

Biological introduction apparatus and endoscope having biological introduction apparatus


An insulating cover for beverage bottles is formed by cutting, folding, and sewing a unitary, flexible sheet of insulating material such as a laminate of fabric and neoprene foam. Following sewing, the cover is turned inside out so that the stitching is hidden inside the cover. The sheet is shaped in the cutting stage so that the cover includes a portion that surrounds a part of the neck of the bottle, and a web that extends across and covers substantially the entire bottom surface of the bottle. The bottle is inserted into the cover through one of two openings on opposite sides of the web.

Insulating covers for use with beer cans are well known. A typical beer can cover is composed of a laminate of fabric and an insulating foam such as neoprene, formed into a shape that includes a hollow cylindrical part that receives and closely fits all, or at least a lower portion of, the cylindrical part of the beer can, an open top through which the beer can is inserted into the hollow cylindrical part, and a bottom, which can be entirely closed, or which can have a central opening or one or more openings.
Insulating covers for bottles such as beer bottles are formed from materials similar to the materials used for beer can covers. Because a typical beer bottle has a neck that is narrower than the lower part of the bottle, the insulating bottle cover is typically formed in one of two ways. It can have a shape similar to that of the beer can cover, i.e., an open top having a shape and size corresponding to the shape and size of a horizontal cross section of the interior of the cover. An example of a first kind of insulating bottle cover is illustrated and described in U.S. Design Pat. No. D795,025, granted Aug. 22, 2017. This type of cover does not insulate the neck portion of a bottle. A second kind of insulating bottle cover includes a portion fitting the neck of the bottle, but requires a zipper or similar closure device to enable the cover to be fitted onto and removed from, the bottle. Examples of bottle covers having zippered neck-fitting portions are illustrated and described in U.S. Design Pat. No. D666,060, granted Aug. 28, 2012 and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,271, granted Apr. 22, 2003.
Both of the above types of bottle covers are closed by insulating material at the bottom in order to limit conduction of heat to the contents of the bottle from a surface on which the bottle is placed.


The purpose of present invention to provide a method for the production of an easy-to-take solid preparation, which is mainly characterized in that a coating processing for the easy-to-take property is simply performed by using a gelling agent in a dry process, without going through a wet condition, the easy-to-take solid preparation and the like.

Taking properties of a preparation for oral administration have been previously improved for patients who have difficulty in swallowing, and elderly people and children who have a weak swallowing ability and the like.
For example, the preparations are formulated into liquid or jelly preparation form in many cases. However, when a content of a main drug is high, it will be difficult to mask its taste. And, when an active ingredient such as a drug is unstable in water, it will be difficult to be formulated in any preparation form.
Accordingly, easy-to-take preparations have been recently developed for facilitating swallowing of the solid preparation, wherein the surface of the preparations is coated with a gelling agent so that they will show slipperiness and become slippery against mucous membrane and easy to swallow when they are brought into contact with water in oral cavity.
These techniques use processes such as, for example, 1) formulating gell into a tablet by freeze-drying of; 2) punching into a circle shape a film of gelling layers comprising a drug layer between them; 3) punching into a circle shape gelling film layers comprising a tablet between them; 4) spraying a coating solution for gelling on a tablet, and the like.
Patent Literature (PTL) 1 discloses a coating composition for use in an easy-to-take solid preparation, which comprises a first thickener of a metal-crosslinking thickener, a polyvalent metal compound, and a second thickener; a method for the production of a preparation for oral administration by spray-coating alcohol solution having the coating composition dispersed therein onto a drug core comprising an active ingredient; and the preparation for oral administration produced thereby.
Patent Literature (PTL) 2 discloses a powder compression-molding machine to perform simultaneously compression molding of an inner core (core tablet); and a manufacturing method of a product, comprising applying a lubricant to a mortar inner surface, the bottom end surface of an upper-pestle, and the top end surface of a lower-pestle with a first injection device, applying a coating agent over the resulting lubricant layer with a second injection device, filling the mortar with powder, and subsequently compressing the powder with the upper- and lower-pestles.
However, neither of these Patent Literatures discloses or suggests a dry method for the production of an easy-to-take solid preparation that is coated with a gelling agent.

Production method for easy-to-take solid preparation, and easy-to-take solid preparation

Abstract: The present invention relates to a dry-process method for the production of an easy-to-take solid preparation wherein a compression-molded core is coated with a coating agent comprising a gelling agent that will show slipperiness when it is brought into contact with water, comprising directly applying only powder of the coating agent to a mortar inner surface, the bottom end surface of an upper-pestle, and the top end surface of a lower-pestle, and subsequently loading and integrally compression-molding a core-molding material; a powder composition for coating the solid preparation, which comprises a water-soluble polymer to be used in the aforementioned production method, and the like.


An optical receiver including a variable optical attenuator for controlling an optical loss value for each optical transmission line based on a predetermined optical loss value; a variable dispersion compensation module for controlling a wavelength dispersion value for each optical transmission line based on a predetermined dispersion value; an optical loss/dispersion controller for measuring the optical loss value and the wavelength dispersion value of every optical transmission line, outputting these values so that they are equal in all the optical transmission lines, and controlling the attenuator and the module based on the outputted predetermined values; a receive amplifier for receiving the optical signal whose light level is kept constant and amplifying the signal; and, a transmission line switch control module is provided for switching a working transmission line into a protection line if the optical signal level of the working line is lower than a threshold value.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical receiver, and more particularly to an optical receiver which is configured to receive an optical signal.
(2) Description of the Related Art
With recent variety of data flowing through a communication network and recent increase of users of the internet, the amount of data flowing through the network is growing more and more. To cope with the growth, it has been requested to expand the capacity and the scale of the network. In the field of long-distance communications, therefore, for the purpose of expanding the capacity of the network through the use of the existing optical fiber facility, the main focus is placed on the WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplex) transmission system.
This WDM transmission system is a system which is configured to multiplex lots of signals with their respective wavelengths into one fiber when those signals are transmitted. Hence, when the wavelength-division-multiplexed signal is transmitted, the amount of data flowing through the fiber is increased in proportion to the number of wavelengths to be multiplexed. Since the WDM transmission treats a large amount of data to be transmitted through one fiber, if some accident such as a disaster or a malicious deed is brought about in the fiber facility, the communication network is far more greatly impaired. For protecting the WDM transmission line, therefore, the WDM transmission line ordinarily includes a redundant configuration, that is, a working system line and a protection system line.
Traditionally, a system for automatically controlling dispersion compensation required in switching a line has been proposed on the assumption that the WDM transmission line has the redundant configuration. For example, refer to the Official Gazette of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2000-236298 (paragraph numbers [0014] to [0017], FIG. 1).
However, in building the redundant configuration of the conventional WDM system, the redundant provision of switches for switching a transmission line in the transmitting station and the receiving station of the WDM transmission system, that is, the redundantly switching of a transmission line for each signal wavelength makes the system too large in scale because the system needs the same number of switches and transponders as the number of signal wavelengths to be treated. The massive system has a shortcoming that it is not reasonable in a variety of factors such as initial cost, running cost, maintenance, and reliability.
As another shortcoming, for realizing the redundant configuration as keeping the system less large in scale, it has been considered to provide a transmission switching function after the signal is wavelength-division-multiplexed and a receive switching function before the signal is wavelength-division-multiplexed. This provision of the switching functions also has a shortcoming that the receive amplifier needs a considerable length of time until the amplifier enters into a stable state after switched and thereby the main signal stays in an erroneous state for a relatively long time, because the amplifier greatly varies its dynamic range and makes its transient response too large.
On the other hand, the foregoing Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-236298 is dedicated for controlling the dispersion compensation in switching a signal wavelength. No consideration is given to the delay of the transient response of the receive amplifier occurring when the transmission line is switched and the number of components of the overall redundant configuration is reduced.

Redundant WDM transmission system optical receiver with reduced variable optical attenuators and/or variable dispersion compensation modules


A system for managing the transfer of agricultural material from a material-transferring vehicle to a material-receiving vehicle. An unloading chute is adapted to transfer material from a first storage container of the material-transferring vehicle to a material-receiving vehicle alongside the material-transferring vehicle. A location-determining receiver is adapted to estimate position data for guiding the material-transferring vehicle. An image sensor is mounted on the material-transferring vehicle or the first storage container for estimating a lateral separation distance between the first storage container and the material-receiving vehicle for receiving the material. An electronic data processing system guides the material-transferring vehicle based on the estimated position data and the estimated lateral separation distance, to maintain a generally constant target lateral separation distance between the material-transferring vehicle and the material-receiving vehicle during the transfer of the material.

A cart, wagon or other vehicle may hold harvested agricultural material (e.g., grain) until it is unloaded or transferred to a truck for transportation from a farm. In some prior art, certain carts or wagons have integral augers and unloading chutes to facilitate the transfer of the harvested agricultural material to the truck. If the driver fails to maintain proper alignment between the cart and truck, an unwanted collision between the unloading chute and the truck may occur, which can lead to inopportune down-time of the equipment in the midst of harvest season. Thus, there is a need for a system for automated unloading of agricultural material that minimizes unwanted collisions, among other things.

System for automated unloading of an agricultural material


There are provided a golf ball molding die capable of manufacturing a golf ball having a satisfactory surface condition, and a golf ball manufactured by using the die. The present golf ball molding die comprises at least two die bodies within which a cavity for molding a golf ball is formed by jointing of the die bodies; and a pin accommodating hole provided in at least one of the die bodies, and is characterized in that at least one groove communicating directly with the cavity is provided in the wall surface of the pin accommodating hole.

The present invention relates to a golf ball molding die and a golf ball manufactured by using the die. More particularly, it relates to an improvement of a die used for molding a golf ball.
A golf ball is usually manufactured by an injection molding process or a compression molding process. In the case of an injection molding process, an injection molding die is used. In this injection molding die, a spherical cavity is formed.
When a golf ball is molded, air that is present in a gap between the wall surface of the cavity and a rubber elastic body, which is the core material for the golf ball, and a volatile constituent such as a gas released mixedly with a resin are discharged to the outside of the die through a gap between a support pin for supporting the golf ball in the cavity and a support pin accommodating hole.
If the air and the volatile constituent such as a gas are not discharged well, what is called a weld-mark such as a bird footprint is formed on the surface of the golf ball (weld defect). Further, in some cases, a defect called "burning" may be produced by adiabatic compression of gas in the cavity. To prevent such defects, a large venting hole is conventionally provided to dissipate the gas. In this case, however, the clearance between the pin and the hole must be made large, which results in the production of relatively large burrs on the surface of the golf ball. As a result, a full-scale burr treatment process must be introduced, so that there arises a problem of significantly increased manufacturing cost.
As another method for dissipating the gas, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-215684 has proposed a technique in which a plurality of convex parts and concave parts are formed alternately in the circumferential direction on the side surface of the support pin. Thereby, the clearance between the concave part and the accommodating hole is increased. However, this support pin has a problem of being easily broken as compared with the case where the convex parts and concave parts are absent.


An oil supplying apparatus for supplying the oil to an engine of a watercraft can be provided with an oil sump, a vapor-liquid separation chamber, a scavenging pump for sending the oil in the oil sump to the vapor-liquid separation chamber, a transfer path for returning the oil from which air and blow-by gas have been separated in the vapor-liquid separation chamber to the oil sump, a feed pump for supplying the oil in the oil sump to the engine, and openings and for returning oil used to lubricate the engine to the oil sump. The oil sump can be provided below the crankcase, and the vapor-liquid separation chamber can be provided to a side surface of the engine.

1. Field of the Inventions
The present inventions relate to engines having an oil supply apparatus, for example, engines of watercraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
Engines used for small planing boats, such as a personal watercraft, can have an oil supplying apparatus for circulating oil throughout the internal components of the engine. For example, Japanese Patent Document JP-A-2003-293721 describes such a design. This planing boat has a dry sump type engine including a cylinder head and an oil tank. The oil tank is provided in a position lower than a cylinder head.
This boat also has a feed pump for supplying oil from an oil tank to the engine and a scavenging pump for returning oil from a bottom section of the engine to the tank. In the tank, oil and vapors, such as air and blow-by gases, are separated by the natural tendency of the vapors to aspirate out of the pooled liquid oil. A breather pipe is connected to the oil tank so as to allow the separated air and blow-by gases to be discharged from the oil tank via the breather pipe.

Engine comprising oil supplying apparatus


An electrostatic holding device (100) in which an electrode group (103) having a plurality of electrodes covered with an insulating material (102) is used as a holding surface applies predetermined voltage to the electrode group (103) to hold a holding object (104) by an electrostatic force with a contact state or with a floating non-contact state. The electrostatic holding includes an internal polarization eliminating device (applied voltage control portion 105) to eliminate the internal polarization generating in the insulating material (102) by switching the polarity of voltage to be applied to the electrode group (103). There are provided with the electrostatic holding device in which the electrostatic attraction does not deteriorate by usability, and electrostatic tweezers in which the electrostatic attraction does not deteriorate when the tweezers are manually used.

Conventionally, there has been used a vacuum chuck as a general holding device for holding an object. However, when a thin plate is used as an object, the vacuum chuck is disadvantageous in that the periphery of the thin plate flexes. At the same time, according to an electrostatic holding device such as an electrostatic chuck, since an object can be held by the electrostatic force of the entire electrode plane, the periphery of the thin plate does not flex even when the thin plate is handled (held) (for example, reference to Japanese Patent Laid-Opens H7-257751, H9-322564. H10-66367, 2001-9766).
There have been known electrostatic holding devices illustrated in FIGS. 13, 15, and 17 as the above electrostatic holding device.
Here, in an electrostatic holding device (electrostatic chuck) of contact type 1100 shown in FIG. 13, a reference numeral 101 denotes a base member for attaching an electrode (electrostatic electrode) 103, and the electrode (electrode group) 103 including an electrode element 103a and an electrode element 103b, which is covered with an insulating material 102, is secured to the base member 101. In this case, a plurality of electrode elements 103a, 103b can be used respectively, and when a plurality of electrode elements 103a, 103b is used, electrode elements 103a, 103b are shown as an electrode element group 103a, 103b respectively.
These electrodes 103 are connected to a control portion (controller) 1105, which is connected to a switch SW. By means of ON/OFF operation of the switch SW, the control portion 1105 outputs a predetermined voltage (for example, +V1 to the electrode element 103a and −V1 to the electrode elements 103b) when the switch SW is turned on, and disconnects the voltage when the switch SW is turned off, as illustrated in FIG. 14. Therefore, when the switch SW is turned on, the electrostatic attraction is induced between the electrode (electrode surface) 103 and a handling object 104, and the handling object 104 is attracted to be held to a holding surface (attachment holding surface) 102a of the insulating material 102 by the electrostatic attraction. In addition, when the switch SW is turned off, the electrostatic attraction is removed. Accordingly, the electrostatic holding device 1100 functions as an electrostatic chuck by attracting the handling object 104 such as electric conductor, semiconductor, or high-resistance body with the electrostatic attraction or by eliminating the electrostatic attraction.
In an electrostatic holding device (electrostatic chuck) 1200 of floating type shown in FIG. 15, a surface (electrode surface 103) of an electrode 103 is covered with an insulating material 102, and the insulating material 102 is secured to a base plate 101. A displacement sensor 206 is provided to feedback a gap g (separation) between the electrode surface 103 and a handling object 104 such as electric conductor, semiconductor, or high-resistance body with an actual time.
The displacement sensor 206 passes through a through-hole 207 to measure the gap g between the handling object 104 and the electrode surface 103, and feedbacks the gap g to a controller 1205. The controller 1205 controls an applied voltage based on the measured gap g, and keeps the gap g in a previously set predetermined value. For instance, as illustrated in FIG. 16, when the gap g is larger than a target gap (gap>target), the controller applies predetermined direct-current voltage to induce the electrostatic attraction; thus the handling object 104 is attracted by the electrostatic attraction to reduce the gap g.
On the other hand, when the gap g is smaller than the target gap (gap<target), the controller disconnects the voltage to be applied to each of the electrodes (as 0V) to eliminate the attraction to the handling object 104; thus, the handling object 104 is lowered by the own weight to increase the gap g. The handling object 104 can be held to a predetermined gap g by repeating the above operations.
In an electrostatic holding device 1300 shown in FIG. 17, a pair of electrode element groups 503a, 503b is covered with an insulating member 102 which is secured to a base member 101. A control portion 1305 applies predetermine voltage to these electrode element groups 503a, 503b. Therefore, the electrostatic force is induced, and the handling object 104 is attracted to be held to the surface of the insulating material 102 (holding surface 102a) with the electrostatic attraction.

Electrostatic holding device and electrostatic tweezers using the same