The invention is directed to an apparatus and a method of separating particles, such as cells, from a heterogeneous fluid, such as blood, where the particles have a large range of sizes.

Separation by size or mass is a fundamental analytical and preparative technique in biology, medicine, chemistry, and industry. Conventional methods include gel electrophoresis, field-flow fractionation, sedimentation and size exclusion chromatography [J. C. Giddings, Unified Separation Science (Wiley, New York, 1991)]. Gel electrophoresis utilizes an electric field to drive charged molecules to be separated through a gel medium, which serves as a sieving matrix. The molecules are initially loaded at one end of a gel matrix, and are separated into component zones as they migrate through the gel. Field-flow fractionation is carried out in a thin ribbon-like channel, in which the flow profile is parabolic. Particles are loaded as a sample zone, and then flow through the channel. Separation occurs as particles of different properties flow in different positions of the flow, due to the influence of a field, resulting in different migration speeds. The field is applied perpendicular to the flow. Sedimentation utilizes gravitational or centrifugal acceleration to force particles through a fluid. Particles migrate through the fluid at different speeds, depending on their sizes and densities, and thus are separated. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) utilizes a tube packed with porous beads, through which sample molecules are washed. Molecules smaller than the pores can enter the beads, which lengthen their migration path, whereas those larger than the pores can only flow between the beads. In this way smaller molecules are on average retained longer and thus become separated from larger molecules. Zones broaden, however, as they pass through the column, because there are many possible migration paths for each molecule and each path has a different length, and consequently a different retention time. This multipath zone broadening (Eddy diffusion) is a major factor limiting resolution. J. C. Giddings, Unified Separation Science (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1991). Other methods for separation according to size, including gel electrophoresis, field-flow fractionation, also involve stochastic processes, which may limit their resolution. J. C. Giddings, Nature 184, 357 (1959); J. C. Giddings, Science 260, 1456 (1993).
The need for reliable and fast separation of large biomolecules such as DNA and proteins cannot be overemphasized. Recently, micro/nano-fabricated structures exploiting various ideas for DNA separation have been demonstrated. The use of micro/nano-fabricated structures as sieving matrices for particle separation was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,663. According to this document, DNA molecules are separated as they are driven by electric fields through an array of posts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,663 discloses a sorting apparatus and method for fractionating and simultaneously viewing individual microstructures and macromolecules, including nucleic acids and proteins. According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,663, a substrate having a shallow receptacle located on a side thereof is provided, and an array of obstacles outstanding from the floor of the receptacles is provided to interact with the microstructures and retard the migration thereof. To create migration of the microstructures, electrodes for generating electric fields in the fluid are made on two sides of the receptacle. This is analogous to the conventional gel electrophoresis. However, micro-machined structures are substituted for gel as sieving matrices.
A variety of micro-fabricated sieving matrices have been disclosed. In one design, arrays of obstacles sort DNA molecules according to their diffusion coefficients using an applied electric field [Chou, C. F. et. al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 96, 13762 (1999).]. The electric field propels the molecules directly through the gaps between obstacles, wherein each gap is directly below another gap. The obstacles are shaped so that diffusion is biased in one direction as DNA flows through the array. After flowing through many rows of obstacles, DNA with different diffusion coefficients are deflected to different positions. However, because the diffusion coefficient is low for large molecules, the asymmetric obstacle arrays are slow, with running times of typically more than 2 hours. In a second design, entropic traps consisting of a series of many narrow constrictions (<100 nm) separated by wider and deeper regions (a few microns), reduce the separation time to about 30 minutes [Han, J. & Craighead, H. G., Science 288, 1026 (2000).]. Because the constrictions are fabricated to be narrower than the radius of gyration of DNA molecules to be separated, they act as entropic barriers. The probability of a molecule overcoming the entropic barrier is dependent on molecular weight, and thus DNA molecules migrate in the entropic trap array with different mobilities. Larger molecules, with more degrees of configurational freedom, migrate faster in these devices. In a third design, a hexagonal array of posts acts as the sieving matrix in pulsed-field electrophoresis for separation of DNA molecules in the 100 kb range [Huang, L. R., Tegenfeldt, J. O., Kraeft, J. J., Sturm, J. C., Austin, R. H. and Cox, E. C., Nat Biotechnol. 20, 1048 (2002).]. However, these devices generally require features sizes comparable to or smaller than the molecules being fractionated. Han, J. & Craighead, H. G. Separation of long DNA molecules in a micro-fabricated entropic trap array. Science 288, 1026-1029 (2000); Turner, S. W., Cabodi, M., Craighead, H. G. Confinement-induced entropic recoil of single DNA molecules in a nanofluidic structure. Phys Rev Lett. 2002 Mar. 25; 88(12):128103; Huang, L. R., Tegenfeldt, J. O., Kraeft, J. J., Sturm, J. C., Austin, R. H. and Cox, E. C. A DNA prism for high-speed continuous fractionation of large DNA molecules. Nat Biotechnol. 2002 October; 20(10):1048-51; and Huang, L. R., Silberzan, P., Tegenfeldt, J. O., Cox, E. C., Sturm, J. C., Austin, R. H. and Craighead, H. Role of molecular size in ratchet fractionation. Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 178301 (2002). The need for small feature size may have the following detrimental effects: (i) the devices cannot fractionate small molecules such as proteins, (ii) the devices may have very low throughput, and thus are not useful sample preparation tools, (iii) the devices can only analyze very small volume of samples, and therefore usually require concentrated samples or expensive equipment for sample detection, and (iv) manufacturing the devices require state-of-the-art fabrication techniques, and thus high cost.
Human blood is a highly complex fluid containing objects of many different sizes and shapes. Blood plasma is the cell-free, clear, straw-colored fluid, which is free of objects bigger than 0.5 μm. The cell component consists of three main classes: (i) leukocytes or white blood cells (WBCs) are parts of the immune system, are roughly spherical, and range from 5 to 20 μm in diameter; (ii) erythrocytes or red blood cells (RBCs), carry oxygen to the tissue and are biconcave and discoidal (8 μm in diameter and 2 μm thick); and (iii) platelets range from 1 to 3 μm in diameter and are responsible for the clotting reaction (1, 2). Plasma, containing salts and proteins, constitutes a little over half the volume of blood. The rest of the volume is made up of cells. Over 90 percent of the cells are red blood cells.
Traditionally, the components of blood may be fractionated according to various physical properties, including buoyant density (3) and electric charge (4), and by specific immunologic methods (5). In some of these approaches, fluorescent or magnetic particles are selectively attached to components in blood through an immunologic target. Magnetic cell sorting (MACS) and flow cytometry (FACS) are widely used methods. However, they typically require additional labels. Size, without labels, has also been used to isolate rare blood components by using filter-based methods (6). The removed component may be harvested by periodically stopping the flow into the filter and flushing to remove the desired particles from the filter mesh. Additional microfluidic methods have also included magnetophoretic separation (7) and separation by leukocyte margination (8). Size-based filter methods have also been integrated with PCR amplification of genomic DNA from WBCs (9). In general, these processes are complex, involve fluorescent labeling, yield incomplete fractionation, clog easily, or introduce bias to the data.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,812, which claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 60/420,756, filed Oct. 23, 2002, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, discloses a microfluidic device for separating particles according to size and a method of separating particles with the disclosed device. The device comprises a microfluidic channel, and an array comprising a network of gaps within the microfluidic channel. The device employs a field that propels the particles being separated through the microfluidic channel. The individual field flux exiting a gap is divided unequally into a major flux component and a minor flux component into subsequent gaps in the array, such that the average direction of the major flux components is not parallel to the average direction of the field. The disclosed method comprises introducing the particles to be separated into an array comprising a network of gaps within the microfluidic channel and applying a field to the particles to propel the particles through the array. A field flux from the gaps is divided unequally into a major flux component and a minor flux component into subsequent gaps in the array, such that the average direction of the major flux components is not parallel to the average direction of the field. Preferably, the array is an ordered array of obstacles that is asymmetric with respect to the average direction of the applied field.
When particles having a large size range, such as the cells found in blood, are separated according to size in any of those prior art devices, multiple devices, either cascaded or in series, are required to prevent clogging. Therefore, a need exists for a single separation device that can separate blood cells in a blood sample or particles having a similar size range in other fluid samples and a method for separating particles having such a size range in a fluid sample that does not require complex off-device fluid handling. The present invention provides such a device and method.

Apparatus and method for continuous particle separation


The invention relates to a starter motor switch in which there are arranged a stationary magnetic core and a winding at the center of which a plunger moves to act on a rod, a portion of which carries a contact intended to establish contact between two terminals, of the type in which the stationary core delimits a chamber and a chamber and of the type in which the stationary core has a cavity in which a portion of the rod is accommodated, wherein it comprises a sealing partition comprising a transverse plate resting against the front face of the stationary core, which is extended by a rim which interacts in a sealed manner with the cover, and comprising a central part, the shape of which complements that of the central cavity with which it interacts in a sealed manner.

The present invention relates to a motor vehicle internal combustion engine starter motor switch.
More specifically, the invention relates to a switch for a motor vehicle starter motor, of the type comprising a casing in which there are arranged a stationary magnetic core and a winding at the centre of which a moving plunger moves axially to act on a moving control rod, a rear portion of which is guided in axial sliding in an axial hole in the stationary core, and a front portion of which carries a moving contact intended to establish electric contact between two stationary terminals which extend axially through a front cover which is crimped into the casing, of the type in which the stationary core delimits a rear chamber in which the moving plunger moves, and a front chamber in which the moving contact and the terminals are arranged, and of the type in which the front face of the stationary core has a cylindrical central cavity in which there is accommodated an intermediate portion of the control rod comprising an external radial collar against which a spring for retaining the moving contact bears axially and the rear part of which is of a shape that complements that of the bottom of the cavity which is extended by the hole for guiding the rod.

Starter motor switch comprising a sealing partition


A projector can be easily attached by mounting a connecting unit to a socket for illumination in an ordinary home. Since the projector includes a communication unit configured to receive an electronic mail, the projector updates an image signal and adjusts a diffusion degree of modulated light by a light-diffusion adjusting unit on the basis of contents of the mail received by the communication unit. Therefore, when a user desires to inform family members who will return home that the user suddenly has to go out, if the user transmits in advance, to the projector, a mail including a message for a family member who returns home, the family member who returns home turns on an illumination switch at the entrance, whereby the projector can start up, perform an illuminating function, and clearly project and display the message.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a projector that can function as lighting equipment and a control method for the projector.
2. Related Art
In a company, a public office, or the like, staff members often hold a meeting for a large number of people while projecting materials on a wall surface or the like of a meeting room using a projector. In such a meeting, for example, when data of a prepared material is wrong, the staff members sometimes desire to replace the material in a hurry. For example, JP-A-2009-3356 (Patent Literature 1) discloses a technique suitable for such a situation. Specifically, a receiving function or the like is added to the projector, whereby, when an emergent electronic mail is received, a material attached to the electronic mail is projected instead of a projected material.
JP-A-2005-99588 (FIG. 6) (Patent Literature 2) and JP-A-2006-227143 (Patent Literature 3) propose a projector including a component (a plug) for mounting (fixing) the projector to a socket for lighting equipment and capable of switching an illuminating function and a video projecting function using electric power received from the socket.
However, the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is based on the premise that the projector is used in the meeting room of the company where the projector is set. Therefore, a scene of usage is limited. In particular, in ordinary homes, many families do not own the projector itself and do not have an opportunity for using the technique. Therefore, versatility of the technique is poor.
On the other hand, with the technique proposed by Patent Literatures 2 and 3, by mounting the projector to the socket for lighting equipment, the illuminating function and the projecting function can be switched. However, there is no description concerning a specific method, for example, in what kinds of situations the two functions are switched (properly used). Therefore, it is difficult to effectively utilize the two functions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A circuit having primary and secondary sides includes a flyback converter having an input voltage source and a transformer with primary and secondary windings. A main switch is in series with the primary winding. A passive clamp circuit includes a clamp diode, a clamp capacitor, and an auxiliary circuit including first and second rectifiers in series with each other and with an electronic component configured to store electromagnetic energy. The electronic component has first and second terminals. A cathode of the first rectifier is connected with the passive clamp circuit, and an anode of the first rectifier is connected to the second terminal of electronic component. An anode of the second rectifier is connected with the cathode of the first rectifier, and a cathode of the second rectifier is connected with the first terminal of the electronic component.

Flyback topology is, arguably, one of the most used circuit topologies in the field of power conversion, especially in lower-to-medium power applications (such as AC-DC adapters, for example). The reason for such a high level of adoption of flyback topology is its simplicity and low cost of implementation, as well as the fact that the so-configured electrical circuitry can operate efficiently over a very large range of input voltages. In AC-DC adapter applications with powers under about 70 W, in order to gain a capability to nearly universal applications, the circuits formatted according to flyback topology are used to operate after an output from a simple bridge rectifier, while the alternating-current input voltage ranges from 90 Vac to 264 Vac (conventionally, a rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current to direct current, which flows in only one direction).
To meet all the AC-voltage standards for different countries, when placed at the output of the rectifier, the flyback converter has to be able to operate efficiently with a DC input voltage ranging from 127 Vdc to 375 Vdc, which is a range in which the ratio of the upper input voltage limit to the lower voltage limit is almost three to one. Additionally, the new standards for power delivery require that the adapters provide a voltage output ranging from 5V to 20V (with the ratio of the upper voltage limit to the lower voltage limit of four to one, as far as the output voltage is concerned). Most of the forward-derived topologies (such as, for example, half-bridge topology, two-transistor forward topology, full bridge topology, and others) are not able to operate efficiently over such large input and output voltage ranges provided by the transfer function of the flyback topology based circuit.
The trend for miniaturization of portable equipment (for example, portable computing devices such as laptops and tablets) extends this demand even further, such that AC-DC adapters have also become subject to these requirements. Presently, most laptops and tablets require, for operation, power ranging from 30 W to 65 W. Due to the significant technological advancement in portable computing devices, the size of laptops and tablets has been significantly reduced, and yet the AC-DC adapters used to power such devices remain quite large (for example, dimensions of a typical adaptor for a small tablet device are about 3.3″ by 1.8″ by 1.3″ or so). This has created pressures for size reduction of AC-DC adapters. An ability to reduce the size of the required adapters while maintaining the convection-based cooling methodology used today requires some significant improvement in efficiency of the adapters as well as a decrease of size of the magnetic and capacitive storage elements.
Over the years, the efficiency of the AC-DC adapters has been increased from about 70% to about 89-90% (in recent products such as the Apple 30W adapter, for example). This has been mostly due to the significant progress in semiconductor industry and a better understanding of magnetic technology. The flyback topology, however, possesses several drawbacks that limit its efficiency of operation. In most applications, the flyback-topology circuitry operates in a discontinuous mode. In a discontinuous mode of operation, the magnetizing current is first built up from zero to a peak conducting, and after the main switch turns off, the magnetizing current flows into the secondary side winding and transfers the energy to the output capacitor until the value of the magnetizing current decreases to zero. This portion of the operation cycle is followed by a second period of time, referred as "dead time", when no energy is stored in the transformer or transferred to the secondary. When the "dead time" is reduced to the transition time (which is the time interval during which the voltage across the main switch decays from the level it had when the magnetizing current flowed into the secondary winding to its lowest level, which occurs in the beginning of the "dead time"), this mode of operation is referred as a critical conduction mode of operation.


A web-guiding system for guiding a web of media travelling from upstream to downstream along a transport path in an in-track direction, including a web-guiding structure and an air source. The web-guiding structure includes an exterior surface having a pattern of recesses formed into the exterior surface, wherein the web of media travels past the web-guiding structure with a first side of the web of media contacting at least some non-recessed portions of the exterior surface of the web-guiding structure. The air source provides an air flow between the first side of the web of media and the exterior surface of the web-guiding structure thereby providing a lifting force to lift portions of the web of media overlying the recesses away from the exterior surface of the web-guiding structure.

In a digitally controlled inkjet printing system, a receiver media (also referred to as a print medium) is conveyed past a series of components. The receiver media can be a cut sheet of receiver media or a continuous web of receiver media. A web or cut sheet transport system physically moves the receiver media through the printing system. As the receiver media moves through the printing system, liquid (e.g., ink), is applied to the receiver media by one or more printheads through a process commonly referred to as jetting of the liquid. The jetting of liquid onto the receiver media introduces significant moisture content to the receiver media, particularly when the system is used to print multiple colors on a receiver media. Due to the added moisture content, an absorbent receiver media expands and contracts in a non-isotropic manner, often with significant hysteresis. The continual change of dimensional characteristics of the receiver media can adversely affect image quality. Although drying is used to remove moisture from the receiver media, drying can also cause changes in the dimensional characteristics of the receiver media that can also adversely affect image quality.
FIG. 1 illustrates a type of distortion of a receiver media 3 that can occur during an inkjet printing process. As the receiver media 3 absorbs the water-based inks applied to it, the receiver media 3 tends to expand. The receiver media 3 is advanced through the system in an in-track direction 4. The perpendicular direction is commonly referred to as the cross-track direction 7. Typically, as the receiver media 3 expands in the cross-track direction 7, contact between the receiver media 3 and contact surface 8 of rollers 2 (or other web guiding components) in the inkjet printing system can produce sufficient friction such that the receiver media 3 is not free to slide in the cross-track direction 7. This can result in localized buckling of the receiver media 3 away from the rollers 2 to create lengthwise flutes 5, also called ripples or wrinkles, in the receiver media 3. Wrinkling of the receiver media 3 during the printing process can lead to permanent creases in the receiver media 3 which adversely affects image quality.
There remains a need for a means to prevent the formation of receiver media wrinkles as a receiver media contacts web-guiding structures in a digital printing system.

Positive pressure web wrinkle reduction system


The present invention provides a method of transporting a pharmacologically active peptide across the blood brain barrier by administering to a living subject a conjugate molecule of a general class of chimeric hybrid conjugate molecules capable of simultaneous activation of MOR and SPR receptors within the CNS that is intrinsically a function of this class of molecules to permeate the mammalian BBB as an intact chemical entity. Accordingly, the chemical and pharmacological integrity of each of the receptor activating domains functionally enables BBB transport of its covalently bonded reciprocal receptor activating domain. As such, the requirement for an intact chimeric hybrid conjugate molecule as the only viable transport vehicle for equivalent BBB transport of each of its MOR and SPR receptor activation domains distinguishes the present invention as novel and unknown to the literature of CNS analgesic and anti-abuse drugs.

Field of the Invention
The present invention lies firmly within the fields of drug, bio-effective and body treating compositions, more specifically a method for transporting chimeric hybrid molecules across the blood brain barrier (BBB). The present invention will be especially useful for transporting analgesic molecules possessing complex chemical structures consisting of one or more functional domains across the BBB to achieve acute and chronic pain relief or pharmaceutical amelioration of pain-related pathophysiological conditions.
Description of the Prior Art
The present invention relates to transporting novel hybrid alkaloid/peptide chimeric molecules across the BBB through the use of an alkaloid moiety.
Transporting analgesic compounds across the BBB is useful for achieving efficacious analgesia. The relief of suffering due to pain is an important objective of clinical practice and for restoring quality to life and the ability to function normally to pain sufferers.
Pain represents an integrated, complex, perception of noxious stimuli originating from somatic elements such as arms and legs and/or from visceral organs such as heart and liver.
Mechanistically, acute pain signaling involves noxious stimulation of free nerve endings innervating somatic elements and/or visceral organs leading to the activation of different types of slowly-conducting afferent fibers and of the A delta and C classes, terminating in the dorsal sensory spinal cord. A significantly more complex etiology underlies the initiation and persistence of chronic pain syndromes. This involves initial damage to peripheral nerves innervating somatic and visceral fields, persistent immunological challenge by cytokines and inflammatory mediators, reorganization of spinal cord and brainstem relay systems, and higher cortical adaptation.
From an established pharmacological perspective, opioids remain the key agents of choice for treatment of a wide variety of acute and chronic pain states. The prototype opioid analgesic or painkiller is morphine. Morphine and morphine-related opioids produce their painkilling effects by profound pharmacological inhibition of neurons of the peripheral/sensory nervous system (PNS) and the central nervous system (CNS). The biochemical and cellular effects of morphine, including potent analgesia, are transduced through a membrane-associated G-protein designated the mu (μ) opioid receptor (MOR), found in high concentrations within the PNS and CNS. In a prior invention (U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,842), I established a therapeutic procedure or treatment regimen for inducing or eliciting a markedly enhanced opioid-dependent analgesic response within a living subject. That treatment methodology employs the concurrent administration of two recognized, self-contradicting and physiologically antagonistic compounds, the opioid analgesic morphine sulfate and the tachykinin peptide substance P (SP), at individual concentrations that had been empirically shown to have either marginal or completely ineffectual pharmacological properties in vivo. Because noxiously challenged or damaged sensory nerves release a variety of excitatory chemical mediators, including SP, the tachykinin SP had been previously designated as a nociceptive or pain-producing peptide transmitter at the spinal level. Nevertheless, my research demonstrates that at prescribed low nanogram concentrations SP appears to be a potent regulator of opioid analgesia in vivo.
Despite this apparent contradiction and the previously demonstrated physiological antagonism between these compounds in their traditional formats and conventionally used concentrations, my novel treatment process demonstrated a synergistic relationship over a period of time, and that an effective and efficacious opioid-induced analgesia results within the living subject from the process.
Unfortunately, because my prior invention requires the concurrent administration of two different self-contradicting and physiologically antagonistic compounds, SP and morphine, it presents difficulties in successfully establishing and testing the appropriate concurrent dosages for efficacious and safe administration in humans, as reflected by FDA and NIH clinical testing guidelines. This includes differences in the ability of morphine and of SP to cross the BBB.
While morphine is the prototype opioid analgesic or painkiller, its complex alkaloid characteristics differ greatly from those of peptides, and SP is a peptide. In subsequent research, therefore, collaborators and I combined the active pharmacological domains of SP and the peptide endomorphin-2 into one chemical entity: a novel seven amino acid peptide chimera, designated ESP7. Repeated administration of the chimeric molecule into the rat spinal cord milieu produced analgesia mediated by the MOR without a loss of potency over a 5-day time course. Essentially, ESP7 represented a non-tolerance forming compound with future potential as a specialized spinal analgesic for control of acute and/or chronic pain. (Foran, et al., A Substance P-opioid chimeric peptide as a unique non-tolerance-forming analgesic, 97 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 13 (2000))
Although ESP7 provided the advantage of a single analgesic molecule, it has several unifortunate disadvantages. Operationally, the peptide chemical nature of ESP7 restricts its effective dosage and time-effect relationship within the CNS due to significant metabolism in the blood stream. This is supported by collected pharmacological data indicating significant difficulties encountered by peptide drug candidates for crossing the mammalian BBB (Eggleton R D, Abbruscato T J, Thomas S A, Davis T P Transport of opioid peptides into the central nervous system. J Pharm Sci 1998; 87(11):1433–9).
Morphine is a relatively complex organic molecule, termed an alkaloid due to its positively charged nitrogen group, unlike the endogenous peptide endomorphin-2 which provided the analgesic moiety in ESP7. Morphine is a highly efficacious MOR-selective opioid analgesic and will cross the human BBB, as will its active metabolite morphine 6-glucuronide. (Stain-Texier F, Boschi G, Sandouk P, Scherrmann J M, Elevated concentration of morphine 6-beta-D-glucuronide in brain extracellular fluid despite low blood-brain barrier permeability. Br J Pharmacol 1999; 128(4):917–24) SP, however, is a peptide. Chimeric hybrid molecules possessing an alkaloid moiety and a peptide moiety are unknown to the literature of analgesia and to clinical practice. Chimeric hybrid molecules possessing an alkaloid moiety to activate the human MOR and a peptide moiety to concurrently activate the human SP receptor (SPR) are unknown to the literature of analgesia and to clinical practice. Chimeric hybrid molecules comprised of one moiety with a chemically modified morphine molecule to activate the human MOR and another moiety with a SP fragment to activate the human SPR are unknown to the literature of analgesia and to clinical practice. The method of inhibiting the development of opioid tolerance using such chimeric hybrid molecules is unknown to the literature of analgesia and to clinical practice.
Another major challenge is to design a molecule that will cross the BBB and produce analgesia in a living subject, while inhibiting tolerance development and dependence formation. Peptides do not readily cross the BBB. To achieve the analgesic effects I envisioned, a chimeric compound that activates both an MOR and SPR must cross the BBB. Such a molecule should be structured in such a way as to activate simultaneously the MOR and SPR domains in the PNS and/or CNS. With respect to both morphine and SP, a variety of alkaloid morphine and SP peptide fragments can be synthesized, having potentially different pharmacological effects if bound to another moiety. No obvious method is known for the SP moiety to be cross-linked to a morphine alkaloid moiety in a fashion that the resulting molecule will allow simultaneous activation of both the MOR and SPR receptors. Chimeric hybrid molecules with a moiety comprised of a chemically modified morphine molecule to provide the method to transport active SP fragments across the mammalian blood brain barrier are unknown to the literature of analgesia and to clinical practice.
The novelty of the present invention is not predictable according to the teachings of Syvanen and coworkers Syvanen, S., Xie, R., Sahin, S. & Hammarlund-Udenaes, M. (2006) Pharmacokinetic consequences of active drug efflux at the blood-brain barrier. Pharm. Res. 23, 705–717) who studied influx and efflux process of morphine and morphine-glucuronides in relation to their BBB permeability properties and brain concentrations. Syvanen and coworkers teach that efficacious BBB permeation is determined by a combination of influx hindrance (a gatekeeper function in the luminal membrane that is functionally linked to P-glycoproptein activation) and efflux enhancement by transports that pick up molecules on one side of the luminal or abluminal membrane and release them on the other side. The facilitative method of BBB transport of morphine and morphine congeners by covalently bonded heterologous SPR activating domains as found in the structure of chimeric hybrid conjugate molecules is not predictable by the general principle of BBB permeation by morphine and morphine congeners codified by Syvanen and coworkers. Conversely, the facilitative method of BBB transport of SP fragments or non-peptide SPR activating domains by covalently bonded heterologous morphine, morphine congeners, and opioid peptide MOR activating domains as found in the structure of chimeric hybrid conjugate molecules is not predictable by the teachings of Syvanen and coworkers.
Presently there also are no analgesic opioid chimeras that have crossed the BBB to achieve effective analgesia for mammalian acute or chronic pain without significant tolerance development and dependence formation.
Objects and Advantages
I have invented novel and useful methods employing heretofore unknown morphine-SP hybrid chimeras, as I have described below. Several objects and advantages of my present invention are:                a. a method for transporting, across the BBB, a molecule that can be dosed to produce effective analgesia in a living subject, i.e., a mammal (an animal class which includes humans),while inhibiting tolerance development;        b. a method for transporting, across the BBB, a molecule that can be dosed to produce effective analgesia in a living subject while inhibiting dependence formation;        c. a method for transporting, across the BBB, a molecule that can be dosed to produce effective opioid analgesia and that can be administered through a variety of methods of clinical administration, including oral, systemic and epidural administration;        d. A method for transporting, across the BBB, a molecule that can be dosed to produce effective opioid analgesia without significant restriction on its effective dosage and time-effect relationship within the CNS due to metabolism in the blood stream;        e. a method for transporting, across the BBB, a molecule that can be dosed to yield effective opioid analgesia with a reduction in the likelihood of undesirable side effects;        f. a method for transporting, across the BBB, a molecule that can be dosed to produce effective opioid analgesia with a reduction in the likely severity of undesirable side effects that become manifested by the patient;        g. a method for transporting, across the BBB, an opioid analgesic that can be dosed for administration to children without undue tolerance development;        h. a method for transporting, across the BBB, an opioid analgesic that can be dosed for administration to children without undue dependence formation; and        i. a method for transporting, across the BBB, an opioid analgesic suitable for PCA in the treatment of chronic and/or acute pain.
Additional objects and advantages of my present invention are:                a. to provide a method for transporting a chimeric molecule across the BBB so as to treat pain with opioid analgesia and little or no opioid tolerance development;        b. to provide a method for transporting a chimeric molecule across the BBB so as to treat pain with opioid analgesia and little or no opioid dependence formation;        c. to provide a method for transporting a chimeric molecule across the BBB so as to treat pain with opioid analgesia with reduced likelihood of undesirable side effects;        d. to provide a method of transporting a chimeric molecule across the BBB so as to provide opioid analgesia for PCA for acute and/or chronic pain; and        e. to provide a method of transporting a chimeric molecule across the BBB so as to treat drug abuse by administering as a substitute for the abused drug an analgesic that elicits little or no tolerance development or dependency formation and thereafter adjusting the dosage as tolerance and/or dependence is modulated.
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description of my invention.

Method of transporting a chimeric hybrid molecule across the blood brain barrier


Described are 2,6-dimethylbicyclo[3.3.1]non-6-ene-3-methanol and substituted derivatives thereof defined according to the generic structure: ##STR1## wherein each of the dashed lines represents a carbon-oxygen covalent bond or no bond; N is 0 or 1; R.sub.1 represents hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.2 lower alkyl, lower alkenyl, lower alkylenyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.2 acyl, alkoxycarbonyl, magnesium halo or lithium; and R.sub.2 represents methyl or hydrogen as well as uses thereof (wherein R.sub.1 is not magnesium halo or lithium) for augmenting or enhancing the aroma of consumable materials selected from the group consisting of perfume compositions, perfumed articles, colognes, deodorizing articles, deodorizing compositions and malodor maskants.

Our invention relates to 2,6-dimethylbicyclo[3.3.1]non-6-ene-3-methanol and substituted derivatives thereof defined according to the generic structure: ##STR2## wherein each of the dashed lines represents a carbon-oxygen covalent bond or no bond; N is 0 or 1; R.sub.1 represents hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.2 lower alkyl, lower alkenyl, lower alkylenyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.2 acyl, alkoxycarbonyl, magnesium halo or lithium; and R.sub.2 represents methyl or hydrogen with the proviso that when N is 1, each of the dashed lines are carbon-oxygen covalent bonds; R.sub.2 is hydrogen and R.sub.1 is only lower alkylenyl; and when N is 0, each of the dashed lines are no covalent bonds and R.sub.1 is not lower alkylenyl; and uses of the genus of compounds defined according to the structure: ##STR3## wherein R.sub.1 ' is hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.2 lower alkyl, lower alkenyl, lower alkylenyl or C.sub.1 -C.sub.2 acyl; R.sub.2 is methyl or hydrogen; and each of the dashed lines represents a carbon-oxygen covalent bond or no bond and N is 0 or 1 with the proviso that when N is 1, each of the dashed lines are carbon-oxygen covalent bonds; R.sub.2 is hydrogen and R.sub.1 ' is only lower alkenyl; and when N is 0, each of the dashed lines are no covalent bonds and R.sub.1 ' is not lower alkylenyl in augmenting or enhancing the aroma of consumable materials including but not limited to perfume compositions, perfumed articles, colognes, deodorizing articles, deodorizing compositions and malodor maskants.
There has been considerable work performed relating to substances which can be used to impart (modify, augment or enhance) fragrances to (or in) various consumable materials. These substances are used to diminish the use of natural materials some of which may be in short supply and to provide more uniform properties in the finished product.
Long-lasting, substantive and intense green, early morning forest path, sandalwood, piney, camphoraceous, geranium, rhodinol, peppery, woody, orris, orivone, sweet and grapefruit-like aromas with natural piney, green, woody, pine needle, sappy, camphoraceous, rhod inol, peppery, and orivone topnotes and "cooling" undertones are desirable in several types of perfume compositions, perfumed articles, colognes, deodorizing compositions and odor maskant materials.
The use of polycyclic alcohols and derivatives thereof such as ethers and esters for augmenting or enhancing the aroma of consumable materials including perfume compositions, perfumed articles, colognes, deodorizing articles, deodorizing compositions and malodor maskants is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,184 issued on Jun. 4, 1991 wherein adamantane derivatives defined according to the generic structure: ##STR4## are described for use for augmenting or enhancing the aroma of consumable materials such as perfume compositions, perfumed articles, colognes, deodorizing articles, deodorizing compositions and realodor maskants (wherein R.sub.1 ' represents hydrogen, acyl or alkyl; and R.sub.2 ' is hydrogen or lower alkyl and the dashed line is a carbon-carbon single bond or a carbon-carbon double bond ) .
Nothing in the prior art however discloses the unexpected, unobvious and advantageous organoleptic properties of the 2,6-dimethylbicyclo[3.3.1]non-6-ene-3-methanol and substituted derivatives thereof of our invention; and the structure of the 2,6-dimethylbicyclo[3.3.1]non-6-ene-3-methanol and substituted derivatives thereof of our invention are different in kind from the structures of the adamantane derivatives of U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,184 issued on Jun. 4, 1991.

2,6-dimethylbicyclo[3.3.1]non-6-ene-3-methanol, substituted derivatives thereof, organoleptic utilities thereof, processes for producing same, and process intermediates therefor


The present disclosure provides a lock assembly for a bag, wherein the bag has a bag body and a bag flap, the assembly comprising: a body-side sub-assembly secured to the bag body; and a flap-side sub-assembly secured to the bag flap, wherein the body-side sub-assembly comprises: a base member having a rear portion secured to the bag body, a pair of rotation members, each rotation member including an upper grip and a lower shaft extending from the upper grip, a rotation-force transfer mechanism configured to transfer a rotation force between the pair of rotation members, wherein the rotation-force transfer mechanism employs a belt.

One example of a portable bag to receive therein a relatively small article is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a bag, in particular, a handbag 200 includes a bag body 210 having a storage space formed therein, and a bag flap 220 configured to open or close an opening of the body 210. The handbag 200 include a lock assembly 10 attached to the body and flap. When the bag flap 220 closes the opening of the bag body 210, the lock assembly 10 keeps a locking state of the bag.
The lock assembly 10 includes a body-side sub-assembly 20 secured to the bag body 210 and a flap-side sub-assembly 30 secured to the bag flap 220. In an operation, for a lock mode, the body-side sub-assembly 20 is coupled to the flap-side sub-assembly 30 and is rotated to a locking position. Otherwise, for an unlock mode, the body-side sub-assembly 20 is rotated to an unlocking position and is separated from the flap-side sub-assembly 30. This may be referred to a "turn-lock" mechanism. With this turn-lock mechanism, the body-side sub-assembly 20 may have two rotation members which are gripped by and rotated by a hand of the user such that the body-side sub-assembly 20 is locked into or unlocked from the flap-side sub-assembly 30. Especially, a rotation of only one rotation member may cause a rotation of the other rotation member. This may lead to improved convenience for the user.
As shown in FIG. 2, the body-side sub-assembly 20 may include a base member 21, a pair of rotation members 24 and a rotation-force transfer mechanism 25. The body-side sub-assembly 20 may be secured to the bag body 210 using a bag body fixture 22 and bag body fixing bolts 23.
The base member 21 may be secured to the bag body 210 using the bag body fixture 22 and bag body fixing bolts 23. Thus, the base member 21 may be closed, at an open rear side thereof, to form an inner space therein.
On a front side of the base member 21, a pair of shaft-insertion holes 21a may be formed to correspond to a pair of elongate holes 31a of the flap-side sub-assembly 120 respectively. Each of the shaft-insertion holes 21a may have a guide groove 21b formed vertically along the hole 21a at one side thereof.
The pair of rotation members 24 each may include a horizontal bar-shaped upper grip 24a and a vertical bar-shaped lower shaft 24b. The horizontal bar-shaped upper grip 24a and the vertical bar-shaped lower shaft 24b may be monolithic. A combination of the horizontal bar-shaped upper grip 24a and the vertical bar-shaped lower shaft 24b is rotated to lock or unlock the bag.
The upper grip 24a may pass away the corresponding elongate hole 31a, and, thereafter, may be kept to be orientated in an orthogonal direction to the elongate hole 31a to keep the locking state of the bag. Otherwise, the upper grip 24a may be orientated in a parallel direction to the corresponding elongate hole 31a and, thereafter, may pass away the corresponding elongate hole to be separated from the elongate hole 31a, to unlock the bag. The upper grip 24a may be disposed on the front side of the base member 21.
The lower shaft 24b may extend downwards vertically from the corresponding upper grip 24a. The lower shaft 24b is rotatably inserted into the shaft-insertion hole 21a via a rotation of the upper grip 24a. That is, the lower shaft 24b is rotatably engaged with the base member 21.
The lower shaft 24b may have a rotation guide protrusion 24c formed thereon, where the rotation guide protrusion 24c is configured to guide the rotation member 24 along the guide groove 21b during the vertical movement and rotation of the rotation member 24. To be specific, the rotation guide protrusion 24c is configured to guide the rotation member 24 to move from a top portion of the guide groove 21b to a middle level portion to a bottom portion of the guide groove 21b while the rotation member 24 rotates by 90°.
The rotation-force transfer mechanism 25 may include a pair of upper plates, a pair of lower plates, two pairs of balls, two pairs of springs, and a pair of linkers, all of which are disposed in the inner space of the base member 21. The rotation-force transfer mechanism 25 may be operatively coupled to the two lower shafts 24b. Thus, when one rotation member of the pair of rotation members 24 is rotated, the rotation-force transfer mechanism 25 may transfer the rotation force from one rotation member to the other rotation member. In this way, the pair of rotation members 24 may be rotated via a rotation of only a single rotation member 24.
The base member fixture 26 closes the open bottom of the base member 21, and the body-side sub-assembly 20 may be secured to the bag body 210 using the base member fixing bolts 27.
As shown in FIG. 3, the flap-side sub-assembly 30 may include a front fixture 31, a rear fixture 32, and fixing bolts 33. The flap-side sub-assembly 30 may be secured to the bag flap 220 using the front fixture 31, rear fixture 32, and fixing bolts 33.
The front fixture 31 may have the adjacent two elongate holes 31a formed therein, where the two elongate holes 31a pass through the bag flap 220. The front fixture 31 may be secured to a front side of the bag flap 220.
The rear fixture 32 may be secured to a rear side of the bag flap 220 to correspond to the front fixture 31.
The fixing bolt 33 may secure the front fixture 31 and rear fixture 32 to each other, and, thus, fasten the front fixture 31 and rear fixture 32 to the bag flap 220.
FIG. 4 shows a combination of the body-side sub-assembly 20 and flap-side sub-assembly 30 in the conventional lock assembly 10 for a bag. In this connection, as shown in FIG. 4, the bag flap 220 is disengaged from the bag body 210.
For the disengaged state, the upper grip 24a of the body-side sub-assembly 20 may be rotated to be oriented in a parallel direction with an extension direction of the corresponding elongate hole 31a. Thereafter, the upper grip 24a of the body-side sub-assembly 20 may be rotated such that the protrusion 24c reaches the middle level of the guide groove 21b and, thus, the upper grip 24a passes away the corresponding elongate hole 31a. In this way, the bag flap 220 may be detached, at its free end, from the bag body 210.
Based on a desired state, namely, a locked or unlocked state of the bag, any one of the two upper grips 24a may be rotated by 90° in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, vertically upwardly or downwardly, while the guide protrusion 24c moves along the guide groove 21b. In this connection, the rotation-force transfer mechanism 25 may transfer the rotation force from one rotation member to the other rotation member.
In this connection, the rotation-force transfer mechanism 25 includes the four springs and balls, the two upper plates, the two lower plates, and the two linkers. Thus, the rotation-force transfer mechanism 25 has a large number of the parts thereof. In particular, the balls and springs each has a small size, leading to a difficulty to assemble them. For the locking or unlocking operation of the bag, the rotation direction of the rotation member is limited to the specific direction since the guide groove 21b is formed only at one side of the shaft-insertion hole 21a and, thus, the rotation guide protrusion 24c of the rotation member moves only along the guide groove 21b. This may result in inconvenience for the user to lock or unlock the bag. Further, in the conventional lock assembly 10 for a bag, the rotation member 24 is not securely kept to be in the locked or unlocked state of the bag. Further, in the conventional lock assembly 10 for a bag, due to much deviation in movement of the linker, the rotation member 24 is not precisely aligned.
This "Background" section is provided for background information only. The statements in this "Background" section are not an admission that the subject matter disclosed in this "Background" section constitutes prior art to the present disclosure, and no part of this "Background" section may be used as an admission that any part of this application, including this "Background" section, constitutes prior art to the present disclosure.


A framing template for use in the framing of a building structure. The template has a plurality of groups of printed measuring indicia, each measuring indicia comprising a centering mark. The centering marks for each group have a predetermined spacing therebetween. The centering marks of each group may include numbers, colors or shaped symbols indicative of a repetitive measured distance from a zero reference point of the template. The centering marks also include indicia indicating the total distance the centering mark is from the zero reference point. The numbers are readable regardless if the template is secured on a horizontal or a vertical surface. In another broad aspect, the present invention contemplates permanently affixing the template, such as with printing, on building materials requiring measurements for integrating into the building structure.

The present invention relates to a measuring template in the form of a tape or printed on building materials for use in the framing of building structures and its method of use whereby to permit precise positioning and sacrament of building components while facilitating and accelerating the framing of building structures.
Various devices have been heretofore provided to assist the carpenter in the framing and construction of building structures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,783 discloses a layout template tool which facilitates the marking of the positions of studs, joists, rafters, trusses, before nailing-in these building components in permanent position. A problem with these layout tools is they are usually constructed of metal members and they are cumbersome to use, require the user to use a pencil to mark desired locations, it is difficult to transport, some have moving parts which can be lost rendering the tool inoperative and their measuring markings wear out with periodic use often resulting in improper measurement markings. The tools also have restricted use when used close to other walls or building components, due to the fact that the tool is rigid and cannot be bent around corners.
Templates made of flat flexible thick material having adhesives thereon are also known in the cabinetry trade and other trades and an example of such is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,737. Such tapes are used at precise locations to indicate the position of holes when making cabinetry which require precision hardware to be installed thereon. Such templates have therefore very limited use. It is also known to use templates in the construction of housing development where repetitious measures are utilized and such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,302. Such templates have again restrictive usage and are not practical as a measuring tool for all sorts of building structures. There is also a need in the prior art to provide a template which is securable on building surfaces to identify components which are not visible and further wherein building components may be erected directly on the templates at precise locations. There is also a need to provide a template which is easy to use, which is economical and which accelerates construction.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a flexible framing template which is an improvement over the above-referenced prior art templates and which is formed from an elongated flat tape of flexible material.
It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a flexible framing template in the form of a tape and which accelerates the construction of the framing of building structures, which is easy to use, economical, and which may be adhesively secured to building materials to identify the positioning of building components or to identify the position of building components which are not visible.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide a flexible framing template in the form of a tape and which may be used as a level indicator.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide building materials on which the template of the present invention is permanently affixed thereto such as being printed thereon.
According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the present invention provides a measuring template for use in framing of building structures. The template is comprised by an elongated printed measure having two or more groups of measuring indicia. The groups of indicia are disposed at predetermined intervals from one another. There are two or more of the said predetermined intervals. Each of the groups of indicia has a center mark associated therewith. A first set of numerical markings is associated with each of the center mark of each of the groups of indicia. The center mark indicates an exact location of the numerical markings. The first set of numerical markings is identical and indicates a cumulative measure from a starting point. The numerical markings of the first set are disposed on opposed sides of the center mark on a transverse axis of the template and aligned with the center mark. A second set of identical numerical markings is disposed on a longitudinal axis of the template on opposed sides of the center mark whereby the numerical markings of the first and second sets are easily readable when the template is disposed horizontally or vertically. The groups of measuring indicia each have a distinctive identification means to distinguish said groups from one another. Each distinct identification means indicates an associated one of said two or more groups of measuring indicia. The sets of numerical markings of distinct identification means groups define a numerical spacing between the groups of measuring indicia.
According to a still further broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a measuring template for use in framing of building structures. The template is comprised by an elongated printed measure having two or more groups of measuring indicia. The groups of indicia are disposed at predetermined intervals from one another. There are two or more of the said predetermined intervals. Each of the groups of indicia has a center mark associated therewith. A first set of numerical markings is associated with each of the center mark of each of the groups of indicia. The center mark indicates an exact location of the numerical markings. The first set of numerical markings is identical and indicates a cumulative measure from a starting point. The numerical markings of the first set are disposed on opposed sides of the center mark on a transverse axis of the template and aligned with the center mark. A second set of identical numerical markings is disposed on a longitudinal axis of the template on opposed sides of the center mark whereby the numerical markings of the first and second sets are easily readable when the template is disposed horizontally or vertically. Each group of indicia is further provided with a cumulative numbered indicia adjacent the center mark and indicating a cumulative number of building components required from said starting point to each said center mark.

Measuring template having a plurality of indicia groups each including an indicator for indicating a spacing of the indicia of each of the groups of indicia


A ball valve having a main body portion with a throughbore and a rotatable ball valve closing off the throughbore. The ball is of resilient plastic and is comprised of a pair of interconnected sides defining a slot therethrough. The valve body portion has cams associated with the throughbore engageable with the ball side when the same is rotated. The sides, in a first position, close off the throughbore, the cams engage the flexible sides and camming the same into fully seated closure of the throughbore. When rotated away from engagement with the cams, the slot in the ball valve is aligned with the throughbore allowing fluid flow therethrough.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to ball valves; and, more particularly, to a ball valve that fully seats in a throughbore through a valve body without additional parts to effect such seal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of ball valves are known in the art. Such valves usually have a number of parts or components to effect a good positive seal of the bore through the valve body. Some of these parts or components must be carefully machined in order to carry out such seal in that the ball valve must be fully seated in closing off the bore through the valve body. Thus, such conventional ball valves have a large number of parts to effect such seal, such as 10 parts.
There is thus a need for a ball valve wherein a positive seal is effected of the bore through the valve body using a lesser number of parts than prior ball valves and which eliminates the need for machining of parts or separate machined valve seals.


An extruded aluminum section insert, for use as a vehicle jacking point, comprises an inside wall spaced apart from an outside wall and adapted to abut internal side walls of a vehicle sill box structure. It has a floor wall and a ceiling wall, each spanning the gap between the side walls and connecting thereto. One or more reinforcing fillet walls interconnect either the floor and ceiling walls, between the inside and outside walls, or vice versa. A depending flange from the floor wall, on the underneath, opposite side thereof from the inside and outside walls and ceiling wall, provides the jacking point. The depending flange is adapted to be engaged by a jack and transmit vehicle weight loads through the floor wall, into the inside, outside and ceiling walls and to the side walls of the sill when connected thereto. Said adaptation comprises sufficient strength for the intended load and means to positively engage with the jack to prevent slippage of the jack in a transverse direction with respect to the floor wall. A vehicle comprising said insert is described, comprising a box structure sill on each side of the vehicle between front and rear wheels. The sill is reinforced by the section disposed within the sill, the depending flange extending through a slot in a floor wall of the sill, whereby the flange provides at least one jacking point on either side of the vehicle.

Due to concerns over fuel use, it has become imperative for automotive manufacturers to adopt an ecologic mindset. In this mindset efficiency plays a predominant role when developing new vehicle systems. A new car must waste as little fuel as is practical. Hence it is important to increase the mileage that the car achieves, and so reduce the cost of running the vehicle and its environmental impact.
One particular aspect of fuel usage is vehicle weight. Cost effective means of reducing vehicle weight, without compromising other aspects such as strength, or longevity are desirable, increasingly, aluminium and aluminium alloys are being used to make vehicle body panels and other components of the vehicle.
A problem with all cars is the provision of suitable points at which a vehicle jack can be applied to lift the vehicle, most typically when a wheel is to be replaced. While jacks used in garages are frequently large in terms of the surface area that they occupy, whereby the load on the vehicle is spread over a wide area, such is not the case with on-board jacks that are carried in the car and which vehicle owners use in emergency situations when they need to change a wheel following a tyre puncture. Such jacks need to be email and compact, so that they can be stored in the vehicle in convenient locations without occupying a lot of space, or indeed, themselves representing a substantial load.
Typically, such jacks are provided with a male or female lifting component designed to engage with a corresponding male or female component disposed under the vehicle, in perhaps four locations, one adjacent each wheel around the vehicle, often in or under the side sills of the vehicle. Vehicle sills, like many structural components of a vehicle body, are box structures formed by two or more panels welded together along seams. A frequent arrangement is for the seam itself to form a location for engagement by a jack because the seam is a double layer of the panel material. The panel material itself is almost certainly too weak to support the weight of the vehicle on a small jack head, at least when loaded in a flexing mode of the panel. In a shear mode, however, panels are much stronger and of course sill seams tend to be downwardly directed so that loading the seam tends to be in shear mode anyway. However, even a double layered seam, in shear mode of loading, is most likely still too weak to accept the weight of the entire vehicle on a small jack head. Frequently a third panel piece is connected to the sill wall, perhaps welded between the sill panels in the seam, to reinforce the sill, or rather especially the sill seam, where the jack is intended to engage.
Vehicle sills are inevitably vulnerable to corrosion being located only a few centimeters off the road surface. They are subject to spray from the road in use. Sills are formed during construction of the car body shell up to the eponymous "Body in White" stage of vehicle manufacture, at which stage much of the metal protection systems are applied before assembly of the final car begins. Special coatings and treatments may be applied to such areas as the sills and in many cars sills remain "wet" during life of the vehicle, meaning that they are not sealed and are exposed (internally and externally) to the environment. Consequently, water is frequently entrained within the sills and, especially in winter, salt water from salted roads can commence galvanic corrosion, indeed, this can continue into the summer because, although the sills may be wet, as just described, they do not drain easily and are not flushed out, so that salt can linger. Galvanic corrosion is a particularly aggressive form of corrosion that surface coatings guard against. Even so, stone chips can soon undermine such coatings, so avoiding galvanic corrosion as much as possible is desirable. Galvanic corrosion is caused by employing different metals.
As mentioned above, aluminium is replacing steel as a material of choice. However, aluminium needs to be much thicker than steel to achieve a comparable strength. Aluminium is also not capable of being worked in the same way as steel without compromising strength and, unlike steel, cannot be bent into sharp corners.
One particular form of sill reinforcement for a jacking point in a steel vehicle is a steel box comprising a floor with an aperture, an upstanding back wall and depending side walls that act as reinforcing fillets between the floor and back wall. The back wall and floor are to a side wall and base wall of the sill respectively. A plastic or rubber bung is inserted in the aperture (through a mating aperture of the sill base wall) to provide a jacking point. Such an arrangement is perfectively satisfactory, but it is heavy. Moreover it could not be used in an aluminium-bodied vehicle, especially in a wet zone, without inevitably causing a serious galvanic corrosion problem.
It is an object of the present arrangement to provide a sill reinforcement for the jacking point of a vehicle that does not suffer from, or at least mitigates some of the effects of, the aforementioned issues.

Vehicle jacking point and reinforcing insert


A method and apparatus for a receive equalizer of a gigabit transceiver that is reconfigurable to support multiple communication standards. Communication standards having variable common mode and coupling requirements are accommodated through the use of reconfigurable integrated circuits (ICs), such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), that provide a plurality of reconfigurable transceivers that are programmable through configuration, or partial reconfiguration, events. The reconfigurable transceivers apply internally generated common mode voltage signals to the differential input in support of the various communication standards.

Communication developments in the last decade have demonstrated what seems to be a migration from parallel data input/output (I/O) interface implementations to a preference for serial data I/O interfaces. Some of the motivations for preferring serial I/O over parallel I/O include reduced system costs through reduction in pin count, simplified system designs, and scalability to meet the ever increasing bandwidth requirements of today's communication needs. Serial I/O solutions will most probably be deployed in nearly every electronic product imaginable, including IC-to-IC interfacing, backplane connectivity, and box-to-box communications.
Although the need for increased communication bandwidth continues to drive future designs, support for the lower bandwidth legacy systems still remains. As such, the future designs are required to provide a wide range of scalability, whereby data rate, slew rate, common-mode voltage, and many other physical (PHY) layer attributes are adaptable. For example, a particular transmitter/receiver pair may be configured for alternating current (AC) coupled, ground referenced signaling as is required by the PCI Express (PCIe) standard. Once configured, however, the same transmitter/receiver pair is precluded from supporting other transmission standards having different common mode requirements.
Efforts continue, therefore, to provide a single receive interface that supports multiple communication standards having various coupling and common mode requirements. In addition to providing the flexibility to handle multiple communication standards, the programmably terminated receive interface should not sacrifice signal integrity for those communication standards that do not require programmable terminations.

Method and apparatus for a programmably terminated receiver


A printed circuit board is disclosed. The printed circuit board includes a first substrate portion, and a second substrate portion connected to the first substrate portion and having a flexible insulation layer which is bendable, and the second substrate portion includes a frame member inserted into the flexible insulation layer.

Recently, with the development of ultra-high definition displays and antenna modules for high frequency transmission, demand for a printed circuit board having a rigid-flex structure is increasing.
Meanwhile, in order to apply a printed circuit board having a rigid-flex structure to a device with high performance, a high degree of circuit density is required in a confined space, so demand for a technology for mounting an electronic device or implementing a fine circuit in a flexible substrate portion is increasing.


A PC computer monitors the energy, power, voltage, and current consumed at a plurality of local stations placed behind the electrical meter of the utility company for individual billing of the local users, a bidirectional communication line being used therebetween. A command from the PC computer causes at each station the power, voltage, current and totalized energy to be stored, and thereafter the PC computer derives individually the results for separate estimations and central billing.

The electrical companies usually place at least one meter at the junction of the main distribution power lines with their customer consumption location, that it be a factory, a house, a shop, a business, or a residential building, thereby to collectively monitor the kilowatts drawn from the main AC lines on the basis of the sensed voltage and current, and to compute the energy so as to bill the customer according to actual demand. It is now proposed to determine at the customer's level how much at a sublevel has been consumed, behind such an electrical meter of the utility company, at each of the sublocations of users in order that the billing can be divided and the cost fairly distributed between them, that they be residents, tenants, workshop craftsmen, or shopkeepers.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,491 to control the demand of energy consumed by several users pertaining to a common building. The purpose, there, is to stop the user's consumption whenever it exceeds a predetermined limit. To this effect, when power may be exceeded, from a central location all the users in the group are distributively switched OFF, either cyclically and for a certain duration, or told to switch OFF.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,978 to control remotely electrical loads, such as multi-unit lodging establishments, power sensing being used to deenergize a load having excessive consumption.
From U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,242 it is known to monitor loads under programmed peak load reduction from a computer load center operating with a signal transmitter upon a plurality of installations having their local signal receiver and load limiter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,062 shows an energy demand controller for a house, or a building, having separated heaters and appliances, each having a local control unit and an intermediary switch.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,426 load controlling is accomplished with plug-in modules which are part of a standard package associated with the respective loads for a given installation.
With U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,443 protective load disconnection is remotely performed at a single control input terminal from a master controller and monitoring unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,926 discloses the use of low voltage thermal relays placed adjacent to the downstream or outlet side of a residential circuit breaker n the in-residence power distribution lines leading to individual electrical heating elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,719 is for a load management application wherein, between the local load and the power input, a conventional circuit breaker is combined with a management module.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,572 is like the '719 patent but with a contactor-circuit breaker arranged for mounting in the same panelboard having the load circuit breaker serving for energization.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,511 relates to a load management circuit breaker containing an electronic package and a remote-controlled switch, associated with an electric energy meter and a master control transmitter connected through a line of communication.
Complementary to the '511 patent, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,874 is described a power line communication system with selectable address formats.
Digital processing for producing signals representative of electrical energy parameters, in a system like shown in the '511 and '874 patents, is described by U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,061.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,855 relates to a system for rating electric power transmission lines. The system there described includes current sensor-transmitter for multiplexed transmission by telecommunication-link to a computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,860 shows digital overcurrent relay apparatus using sampling with digital conversion in relation to the monitored AC current.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,459 a solid state circuit is illustrated involving AC current monitoring by sampling and digital conversion.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,264 a microprocessor-based solid-state trip unit processes digital signals derived from current sensors.
Digital power metering with voltage and current samples is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,021.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,752, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,005 and from U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,671 to perform metering functions with high speed sampling at several local stations and to transmit the information to a common remote station.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,633 to effectuate energy monitoring with a communication channel between a central station and several remote stations.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,761, a communication system is known including a master unit and several remote units with transfer of data relating to power consumption from one remote unit to the master unit.

Energy monitoring system for a plurality of local stations with snapshot polling from a central station


A multifunctional module for internal combustion engine, forming a structural assembly and incorporating the functions of exhaust gas cooling and regulation, at least in part, of the circulation flows in said engine's cooling circuit, comprising a first functional unit incorporating, on the one hand, a part at least of an exhaust gas recirculation circuit and a heat exchanger for cooling the gases, preferably of elongated form, together with at least one gas flow regulation/diversion component, and, on the other hand, a part at least of the engine cooling circuit, with at least the water outlet casing and a thermostatic component for regulating the flow therein; the structural assembly comprises a second functional unit in the form of a substantially flat, plate-shaped body, consisting of a stiffening and fixing plate for the first functional unit and a thermal isolation interface between the first functional unit and the engine block; the plate-shaped body comprises on one of its faces sites for fitting and fixing the first functional unit and on the other face sites for fitting and fixing on the engine block.

At present, the space available under the engine bonnet of vehicles is ever more restricted, particularly around the engine block, and tends to favour integration of the functions to be carried out with a view to reducing size, while maintaining their quality and performance longevity, on which the vehicle's operational reliability depends.
In addition, in terms of developing and manufacturing internal combustion engine vehicles, the current trend is no longer to think in terms of isolated elements, namely components or parts, but in terms of assemblies, units or modules, each fulfilling an overall function or several interdependent functions.
This is particularly the case for functions connected simultaneously to the engine cooling circuit and the recirculation or reinjection of exhaust gases (EGR).
It would of course be advantageous, for reasons of compactness and size reduction, as well as for reasons of reducing the number of parts and assembly and fitting operations, to integrate, for example, at least some of the functions of regulation and distribution of the coolant liquid when it leaves the engine block with the cooling function of the gases to be recycled, to achieve a single structural unit fulfilling these various functions.
In addition, if such a unit could also incorporate conduit portions of the respective circulation circuits, it would be possible to reduce still further the number of separate parts needed, as well as the length of the corresponding circuits, allowing, for example, rapid warming of the engine to be achieved after a cold start.
Moreover, to achieve a compact installation that does not require a particular support structure to retain it under the vehicle's bonnet, it would be useful to fix such a unit directly on the engine block.
Finally, it is also advantageous, for economic reasons, to produce at least certain constituent parts of such a unit in a plastics material, which must however be protected against too high temperatures.

Multifunctional module, motor vehicle comprising such a module and process for manufacturing such a module


Substrates coated with films of a ceramic material such as aluminum oxides and titanium oxides are biocompatible, and can be used in a variety of applications in which they are implanted in a living body. The substrate is preferably a porous polymer, and may be biodegradable. An important application for the ceramic-coated substrates is as a tissue engineering scaffold for forming artificial tissue.

This invention relates to implantable devices such as tissue engineering scaffolds.
Many complex animal tissues cannot regenerate after certain injury or disease. In other cases, animal tissues are damaged or malformed due to congenital or developmental defects. One approach to repairing tissue in these cases is known as tissue engineering. Tissue engineering is performed by providing a "scaffold" which serves as a matrix upon which cells can grow. Tissue structures are formed in vitro by growing cells on the scaffold. The structures can then be implanted into living organisms to repair natural tissues that have been damaged by disease or injury. Implantable devices of these types are of interest for repairing bone, ligaments, dental ligaments, tendons, epidermal tissue, muscle tissue (including cardiac tissue) and in other applications.
The scaffold material is usually a three-dimensional, porous structure. Porous polymers have attracted increased interest in the field of tissue engineering, because porous polymers have unique physicochemical properties, which can provide three dimensional structures as scaffolds to guide cell growth and tissue development. The ability of a cell to migrate and attach to a substrate or scaffold surface is an important attribute of the scaffold material. In addition, the scaffold material must be biocompatible and nontoxic.
Certain polymers are known to be highly biocompatible. Examples of these polymers include poly-L-lactic acid (or poly-L-lactide), copolymers of L-lactic acid or L-lactide with other alpha-hydroxyacids such as glycolic acid; copolymers of L-lactic acid or L-lactide with ethylene glycol; polyesters such as poly(ε-caprolactone), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), poly(s-caproic acid), poly(p-dioxanone) and certain poly(ortho esters) such as polyol/diketene acetals addition polymers. These have been suggested for use as scaffold materials in, for example, U. S. Published Patent Application 2006/0263335 and 2007/0276509. Collagenous materials often are biocompatible and have been suggested for use as scaffold materials, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,338,517.
The porous structure of pure polymers adversely impacts their mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Ceramics such as aluminum oxide and titanium oxide have excellent biocompatibility and bonds well to bone. See, e.g., K. Rezwan et al., "Biodegradable and bioactive porous polymer/inorganic composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering", Biomaterials, 27 (2006) 3413; H. Warashina et al., "Biological reaction to alumina, zirconia, titanium and polyethylene particles implanted onto murine calvaria", Biomaterials, 24 (2003) 3655; and Y. Takami et al., "Biocompatibility of alumina ceramic and polyethylene as materials for pivot bearings of a centrifugal blood pump", Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, 36 (1997) 381. The inclusion of bioactive ceramic compositions in polymer substrates may reinforce the porous structures of the pure polymer and enhance the bioactivity and the tissue interaction. Therefore, hybrid three-dimensional porous scaffolds of synthetic or naturally derived biodegradable polymers and ceramics may be useful as bone replacement materials or as scaffolds for bone regeneration composition. These hybrid materials potentially exhibit favorable mechanical properties and bioactivity so that they can receive and respond to specific biological signals that direct and promote cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation, and tissue regeneration.
In many practical applications, porous polymer/ceramic composites are often produced via incipient wetting methods such as casting, porogen leaching, and gas foaming. The solvent-based methods have the risk of leaving potentially toxic organic solvent residues. Dispersing micro-sized or nano-sized ceramic particles in the polymer matrix is another method that has been proposed to fabricate the polymer/ceramic composites. However, a potential negative effect of nanoparticle-containing scaffolds is the possibility of migration of nanoparticles within the body and their distribution via the blood stream, leading to pathologies of unknown origin. See, e.g., L. C. Gerhardt et al., "Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles filled poly(D,L lactic acid) (PDLLA) matrix composites for bone tissue engineering", Journal of Materials Science-Materials in Medicine, 18 (2007) 1287.
Therefore, there is a desire to produce a porous polymer/ceramic composite that is biocompatible, exhibits little toxicity towards cells (particularly mammalian cells and especially human cells) or the organism as a whole, and which has good mechanical properties. The composite should be a material to which cells and/or bone tissue can become easily attached. To accomplish this, the composite should have the ceramic material coated onto both the interior surfaces (i.e., the surfaces of the pores) as well as the exterior surfaces, and the pore size should be such that cells can migrate into the pores and become attached there.

Implantable devices having ceramic coating applied via an atomic layer deposition method

The Regents of the University of Colorado, a Body Corporate


A system is provided for automatically adjusting the air pressure of a tire based on variations in loading to improve tread wear. For a particular loading of the tire, the system provides for the determination of a preferred air pressure setting designed to minimize tread wear. This preferred air pressure, Pp, is determined from an analysis of the longitudinal stresses that occur within the contact patch of the tread.

Commercial vehicles typically transport loads that can vary substantially in amount between different loads. When maintained at a relatively constant air pressure, the tire on such a vehicle will undergo changes to the shape of the contact patch as the loading is varied. As a result, the wear life of the tire's tread will be adversely affected.
Systems have been developed that allow for the addition of air to a tire in order to maintain a preset pressure. For example, commercial vehicles such as heavy duty truck and trailer combinations may be equipped with an air source and pressurized air storage systems for adding air to one or more tires if the measured air pressure falls below a predetermined value. In addition, systems have been provided for determining the load on a given axle based upon, e.g., the air spring operating pressure. However, none of these systems provide for automatically increasing and decreasing tire air pressure depending upon changes in the loading of the tire as the vehicle is used, much less provide for adjusting the pressure of the tires to a specific pressure based on loading in order to optimize the life of the tread.
In addition to variations in loads, the construction and positioning of tires used on commercial vehicles can also vary substantially. Commercial tires come in a variety of constructions and can include e.g., ribbed and non-ribbed tread. For a tractor and trailer combination, tire positions can include steer, drive, tag, and trailer positions. The impact on tread wear due to variations in loads will likely not be uniform between tires of different construction or between tires at different positions on a commercial vehicle. As a result, with load variations, the changes in air pressure required to minimize changes in the contact patch and improve tread wear will likely vary between the different tires and/or positions on the vehicle.
Manually adjusting tire air pressure based on changes in loading is not practical for a variety of reasons. Commercial vehicles may include a large number of tires; a well known example in North America includes the eighteen tires of the frequently used heavy duty tractor and trailer combinations. Manually inflating or deflating the trailer and/or drive tires each time a loading of the vehicle occurs would be time consuming and impractical.
A practice commonly followed by commercial vehicle operators is to employ a single, predetermined air pressure for all loads regardless of the variations between the loads. For example, a fleet operator may attempt to maintain all trailer tires above a certain minimum pressure setting but within the maximum pressure limit for a particular tire. The minimum pressure setting can be selected based on the minimum pressure recommended by e.g., guidelines provided by the Tire and Rim Association for the maximum load expected to be applied to the tire. Unfortunately, as previously stated, this constant approach is deleterious to tread life as changes in the load will cause variations in the contact patch. In addition, aside from the above described problems of a constant pressure approach, the pressure recommendations provided by the Tire and Rim Association are not based upon the optimization of tread wear for a given tire loading and do not suggest how such pressures might be determined.
Accordingly, a system for automatically adjusting the air pressure of a tire based on changes in loading is needed. More particularly, a system that improves tread wear performance by automatically adjusting the air pressure to a preferred air pressure as variations in loading of the tire occur would be very useful.

Tire air pressure optimization system for improving tread wear

Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin


A filter for fluids includes a pair of layers or multiple layers or pairs of material joined together to form a laminate having a fluid contacting surface. A plurality of spaced pockets is formed between the layers of material in the contacting surface. The layers of material are fluid permeable at the pockets whereby fluid may flow through the laminate at the pockets. The fluid contacting surface is fluid impermeable except for the pockets to require the fluid passing through the laminate to be confined to flowing through the pockets. Filter members are in the pockets for removing any contaminants from the fluid.

Various beverages are made by flowing a fluid or liquid, such as hot water, through a beverage making substance, such as coffee grounds or tea. Other beverages or fluids are also mixed with water including food concentrates such as cocoa, baking or cooking mixes, juices, flavors, milk, soup, infant formula. It is known to hold the beverage making substance such as coffee grounds in a filter material when the water passes through the coffee grounds in making coffee. The known practices of utilizing a filter for holding the beverage making substances, however, does not provide for any removal of contaminants before or after the water reaches the beverage making substances. As a result, the contaminants can have adverse effects, such as causing a bitterness in the resultant beverage. Additionally, it would be desirable if contaminants could be removed from the liquid to help avoid the ingestion of extraneous substances which are potentially harmful to living species.
It would also be desirable if contaminants could be removed from other fluids such as in the regeneration of spent cooking or lubricating oils or if unwanted material could be removed from such fluids as milk, baby formula, wine and alcoholic beverages, as well as industrial fluids.


The present disclosure is related to improved systems and methods for delivering samples for high-throughput mass spectrometric analysis to an atmospheric-pressure ionization source. In an exemplary embodiment, the system includes a solvent reservoir for storing a solvent solution, a first valve which is coupled to the solvent reservoir, first and second pumps for delivering solvent solution and which are coupled to the first valve and which the delivery flow rate of the first pump is greater than the delivery flow rate of the second pump, an injection system having a sample injector and an second valve which is coupled to the first valve and which is capable of being coupled to can be couple to an electrospray ionization source. In another embodiment, the system can also include an atmospheric-pressure ionization chamber, an atmospheric-pressure ionization sprayer and a nebulizer gas source and a voltage supply source. In yet another embodiment, the system may further include a puffer valve that is coupled to the nebulizer gas source and the atmospheric-pressure ionization sprayer and a gas puffer that is coupled to the puffer valve. A distal end of the gas puffer may be located within the atmospheric-pressure ionization chamber and aligned with the distal end of the atmospheric-pressure ionization sprayer and the puffer valve may control the delivery of the nebulizer gas to the atmospheric-pressure ionization sprayer and the gas puffer.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for delivering samples for mass spectrometric analysis. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for facilitating high throughput mass spectrometric analysis of generated electrospray ionized samples.
Generating electrospray ionized samples for mass spectrometric analysis generally requires samples to be delivered to electrospray ionization source at a low flow rate. To minimize contamination and improve the accuracy of the results of the mass spectrometric analysis, before another sample can be processed by a delivery system which delivers the samples to the electrospray ionization source, those portions of the delivery system which were exposed to the previous sample need to be thoroughly rinsed. Existing sample delivery systems accomplish this rinse cycle at the same flow rate at which the samples are delivered to the electrospray ionization source. Because the volume of rinsing agent that may be required to adequately rinse the delivery system can be quite large, existing delivery systems cannot support high throughput mass spectrometric analysis protocols since a significant amount of time for rinsing has to be expended between the introduction and analysis of each subsequent sample.

Systems and method of a gated electrospray interface with variable flow rate for high throughput mass spectrometric analysis


A paintball marker is provided including a body, an inlet control device, a firing system, a first regulator and a second regulator. The body has a paintball inlet and a barrel for receiving a paintball from the paintball inlet. The inlet control device is movable between an open position wherein the inlet control device permits entry of a paintball through the paintball inlet, and a closed position for chambering a paintball. In the closed position the inlet control device prevents entry of a paintball through the paintball inlet. The firing system includes a firing valve that is moveable between a firing position wherein the valve permits firing gas at a selected pressure to flow to the barrel and a non-firing position wherein the firing valve prevents flow of firing gas to the barrel. The first regulator is fluidically connectable to the pressurized gas source and is configurable to provide gas at a first pressure. The first regulator is operatively connected to the firing valve for movement of the firing valve between the firing and non-firing positions. The second regulator is fluidically connectable to the pressurized gas source and is configurable to provide gas at a second pressure that is lower than the first pressure. The second regulator is operatively connected to the inlet control device for movement of the inlet control device towards the closed position.

Many people today enjoy playing paintball games with sophisticated paintball markers. A typical paintball marker has a barrel from which paintballs are fired. A breech is provided which receives paintballs through an inlet, and which communicates with the barrel. A paintball tube holds paintballs for feeding into the breech. A bolt slides within the breech to chamber a paintball, ie. to move a paintball that has been fed into the breech, into the barrel. The bolt also controls the entry of paintballs from the paintball tube into the breech. The bolt is typically moved between an open position whereby a paintball is permitted to enter the breech and a closed position whereby the entry of paintballs into the breech is prevented. A pneumatic actuator, such as a pneumatic cylinder is typically used to move the bolt.
If a paintball does not feed correctly in the breech, the bolt can squash and rupture the paintball, releasing paint onto the interior mechanisms of the marker. As a result, the released paint can disrupt the proper functioning of the marker. Consequently, after a paintball is squashed inside a marker, it is usually required for the marker to be disassembled and cleaned to remove any paint on the interior mechanisms.
Another problem with current markers is the use of solenoid valves, which have been incorporated into markers to operate the firing valve and the bolt. Solenoid valves are favoured at least in part for their seemingly quick response time, however, several problems exist with markers in which solenoid valves are present. These markers by necessity include relatively complex electrical systems, which include a battery and typically a control circuit which assists in timing the sequence of operation of the solenoids. All of these electrical components are a source of unreliability in such paintball markers. For example, during play a battery could run out of power. Furthermore, during adverse conditions, such as wet, cold or hot conditions, the electrical components are at risk of failing. Typically, electrical components are not sufficiently robust to withstand repeated impacts, which can occur as a player inadvertently drops or otherwise impacts a marker during play.
There is, therefore, a continuing need for improved paintball markers that have a reduced tendency to squash and rupture paintballs during a loading and chambering operation. Also, in another aspect, there is a need for improved markers that are capable of firing quickly and at high frequency, but that have a reduced dependence on electrical components, such as solenoids.

Paintball marker and kit of parts therefor