An apparatus and methods for preventing engagement of stacked embossed cards is disclosed. The methods include the steps of embossing a sheet of cards in at least two unique embossment patterns, separating the cards from the sheet, and collating the cards using at least one conveyor such that no two adjacent cards have substantially the same embossment pattern. The apparatus includes an embossing press, a first conveyor, a stripping station, and a second conveyor.

This invention relates generally to the field of manufacturing embossed cards, and more specifically to preventing a bottleneck in the manufacturing process that occurs when the embossed portions of stacked cards engage one another and cannot be quickly and easily separated. The present invention includes an apparatus and method for preventing the engagement of stacked embossed cards.
In the embossed plastic card industry, numerous standards have evolved over the years to ensure that the shape, size, thickness, and material of such cards are consistent. An example of these cards is a standard credit card. The term "credit card," as used herein, refers to any embossed plastic card, whether or not used for purchasing via credit, and generally having the characteristics of common, wallet-sized cards such as MasterCard® or Visa® cards. Because credit cards are so common, the universal shape, feel, and look of a credit card are instantly recognizable to most consumers. Given the widespread use of credit cards and the need for replacing them as they are lost, damaged, or expire, a sizeable market exists for mass-producing embossed credit cards.
Authentic credit cards usually contain unique embossed information, for example, a specific name, card number, and expiration date. For this reason, authentic credit cards commonly are produced individually in what is known by those skilled in the art as a "one-up" process, which allows for customization of the information embossed on each card. In the one-up process, a tool and die, arranged in the shape of a unique design (e.g., a name, credit card number, and expiration date), are used to perform the embossing, and the design on the tool and die is changed incrementally to allow embossing of cards that contain varying information. Because the tools and dies required for embossing must be variable in order to produce varying embossments, methods used to produce these are known as "dynamic embossing" methods.
The instantly recognizable look and feel of credit cards has led to a successful type of direct-mail advertising involving what are known as promotional or "dummy" credit cards. Promotional credit cards are not authentic credit cards, but generally look and feel like them. It is estimated that the success of direct-mail advertisements containing dummy credit cards results from consumers' interest in learning what information may be contained on the enclosed credit card, which they recognize by touch even before opening the advertisement. Promotional cards may or may not contain unique embossed designs on them. Because promotional credit cards need not necessarily contain unique information, they do not necessarily require dynamic embossing methods that allow for changes in the embossing pattern. Embossing methods that do not require such changes are known as "static embossing" methods and generally employ fixed rather than variable tools and dies.
Providers of both authentic and promotional credit cards frequently need cards produced in large quantities, sometimes tens of millions at a time. Generally, during manufacture, the embossed credit cards are stacked on top of one another, for example, in stacks of 500 or more embossed cards. These stacks frequently are bound together and sent to a downstream process in credit card manufacturing. For example, a stack of embossed cards may be transported to a manufacturing station where the cards will undergo additional processes such as ink jetting, in which a unique identifier number may be applied to each card, or affixing the embossed card to letterhead stationery in preparing a direct mailing. In many of these downstream processes, it is important that the individual embossed cards be quickly and easily removed from the stack.
There is a known bottleneck in credit card manufacturing that results from the tendency of stacked, embossed credit cards to physically engage one another at their embossed portions. This engagement occurs where an embossed portion of one credit card interlocks or "nests" with the embossed portion of an adjacent card in the stack. This may occur wherever an embossed portion of one card is similar in size and/or shape and location on the card to the embossed portion of the adjacent card immediately above or below it in the stack. The result of this engagement is that any individual card in the stack may not be easily or quickly removed from the stack. Downstream credit card manufacturing processes, particularly if automated, often require the embossed cards to be freely and quickly slid from the top or bottom of the stack. The engagement of adjacent embossed cards within a stack impedes downstream manufacturing processes and presents a significant problem in credit card production.
In the prior art, methods and mechanisms for producing cards having embossments in multiple patterns are known. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,900,168 and 6,142,370 to LaManna, for example, a card transporting system and mechanism is disclosed wherein single cards are embossed in multiple, selected card patterns using a "one-up" dynamic embossing process. To emboss the cards in selected patterns, the card transporting system and mechanism positions the cards to be embossed at selected locations. As well, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0028922 to Biller discloses a card embossing system for embossing a sheet of cards wherein the embossing on adjacent columns of cards is offset, and the cards are then cut and collated using an alternating receiving tray system. The alternating receiving tray system has a plurality of cells to receive individual cards, and must be moved to a new location after every sheet of cards is cut to ensure that adjacent cards stacked in the receiving tray will have offset embossing. The use of the receiving tray system to collate the cards is awkward and can be difficult to implement in a high volume manufacturing process because each card must fall into a particular cell on the tray, and the tray must be moved to alternating locations in order to stack the cards such that adjacent cards will have offset embossing.
Prior art methods and mechanisms do not adequately solve the nesting bottleneck problem because although the cards can be embossed in different patterns, most of the prior art is limited to a "one-up" dynamic embossing process and cannot adequately accommodate mass production of multiple cards simultaneously. More importantly, the prior art methods and mechanisms do not provide an adequate collating system to stack the cards such that no two adjacent cards have all embossments in substantially the same embossment pattern.
Given the limitations and problems with existing card embossing apparatuses and methods, there exists a need for an improved card embossing apparatus and method that can emboss a sheet of cards in a number of different embossment patterns, and easily and efficiently collate the cards such that adjacent cards in a collated stack do not have embossments in the same pattern. The present invention relates to improvements over the apparatuses and methods described above, and to solutions to the problems raised or not solved thereby.

Apparatus and methods for preventing engagement of stacked embossed cards


A device is used to convey empty rolls that have been removed by at least one roll changer of a web-fed rotary printing press. At least one empty roll receptacle can be displaced between the roll changer, where the empty rolls are held by the receptacle after they are removed by the roll changer, and an emptying station where the empty rolls are removed from the receptacle. A collection receptacle is provided at the emptying station. The empty rolls are emptied from the empty roll receptacle to the collection receptacle.

So-called roll changers, in which at least two paper rolls can be simultaneously clamped and supported, are employed for supplying web-fed rotary printing presses with printing paper. The paper web printed by the web-fed printing press is pulled off a paper web roll in the roll changer. As soon as this paper web roll is used up, a roll change is performed in the roll changer, so that thereafter the paper web is pulled off a fresh paper web roll. Following the roll change, the empty paper web supporting roll core must be removed from the roll changer in order to make space for a fresh paper roll.
Residual or empty roll core containers, which are brought to the roll changer by suitable transport means, are used for removing the residual or empty roll cores from the roll changer. After the fastening of the residual roll core in the roll changer has been released, the residual roll core falls into the residual roll core container, which thereafter is moved back again into a parked position. Such a movable residual roll core container is described in DE 198 60 475 A1, for example.
In generally known installations for the disposal of residual roll cores, the residual roll cores are temporarily stored in the residual roll core containers. The residual roll core containers must be emptied no later than the time at which the residual roll core container is completely filled with residual roll cores. This emptying is performed manually in prior installations. This means that the residual roll cores are removed manually from the residual roll core container, which manual roll core removal constitutes a considerable processing outlay.
DE 196 51 205 A1 shows a device for the disposal of the empty winding cores from roll changers. A core collecting container is lifted.
WO 95/20537 and EP 0 995 706 A1 describe roll changers with residual roll core disposal.
DE 39 10 444 C3 discloses a roll transporting system. A disposal station for residual roll cores is arranged outside of the roll storage facility.
DE 38 24 328 C1 shows a storage shelf for paper rolls.


An engaging sandbag envelope for receiving sand or another loose bulk or free-flowing medium, wherein the specific weight of the medium is higher than that of water and it does not harden during and after filling, characterised in that hook-and-loop female connecting elements are arranged on the top surface side of the sandbag envelope and hook-and-loop male sticking elements are arranged on the underneath surface side so that when the sandbag envelopes filled with a medium are stacked one upon the other and in relationship with each other the hook-and-loop male sticking elements of the one envelope engage into the hook-and-loop female connecting elements of at least one further envelope, and in that case the hook-and-loop male sticking elements and the hook-and-loop female connecting elements on the top surface side or the underneath surface side of the envelopes are arranged over the entire surface area or in portion-wise manner.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an engaging or touch-fastening sandbag envelope for accepting a loose bulk or free-flowing medium such as sand, with no hardening during or after filling, so that a stackable constructional element results therefrom, which can be used for building up any type of protective walls.
It is common to use sacks or bags filled with sand or the like to build up protective walls, barriers against surface water, for provisional repairs of dikes, the construction of igloos and shelters and similar purposes. The disadvantage in that case is that those filled constructional elements or sacks may slip out of place when being stacked, and thus the construction of those provisional structures is hampered.
A further disadvantage with constructional elements such as for example sandbags is that upon stacking of sandbags small gaps remain between them, which make the protective construction unstable, in particular in the case of temporary high-water levels from the sea or river side and in the case of a high water level created by hurricanes, tornadoes, damage from earthquakes or dam breaks and the like, because under those conditions the water is pressed with immense pressure against the protective structure. Thus the water can pass through these gaps and issue again at the other side, which in time results in possible destruction of the protective structure. Additionally, it is important that the connection between two constructional elements or sandbags is completed within seconds, enjoys long durability and is water-tight, which is impossible with the commonly used connecting devices as they always require some time to firmly close them and in addition they are then also not water-tight.
2. State of the Art
The most relevant state of the art is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,368. It describes a plastic container which is automatically filled with water by a suction effect when high water occurs. Those stackable plastic containers are additionally fixed on their top and bottom sides with fastener elements which are referred to as touch-and-close fastener elements or hook-and-loop fastener elements or xe2x80x98Velcroxe2x80x99 elements.
In contrast to the engaging sandbag envelopes in accordance with the present invention those water containers do not enjoy positionability which can be immediately adapted to the local conditions, in other words the water containers lack positional flexibility and positional elasticity which represent an essential property in the engaging sandbag envelopes of the invention. The lack of positional elasticity and positional flexibility in an on-site situation mean that the water container itself is not properly operational. Dangerous creepage gaps for high water immediately occur when the water containers are used to build a protective structure. Even the specified mode of fixing the water containers together with hook-and-loop fasteners remains ineffective as the water containers themselves are of a rigid nature and no longer involve engagement in relation to each other upon a minor positional displacement on site. In the event of an increase in water pressure, those water containers are directly threatened by collapse in the absence of the specific counterweight in relation to the water pressure at the side, as would be afforded for example by a filling with sand. The unfilled lightweight bags will be displaced by the pressure of the flow at a high water level during stacking. Additionally the specific weight of water-filled bags or sacks has a limited resistance to the applied water pressure at a certain level of water-pressure so that the wall becomes unstable and cannot function in the desired manner.
It is also doubtful whether the porous external surface structure for receiving water into the interior of the container functions correctly in the event of water contamination with oil or sludge or slurry because the pores of the flood water containment bags can get clogged by the pollutants and can lose their permeability so that they cannot absorb the necessary amount of water to increase in volume and weight to function as a flood water containment bag.
The water containers also lack what is known as blind layability. In a disaster situation, blind layability by virtue of sandbag envelopes using hook-and-loop fasteners is the technical standard. Due to the congruent arrangement of the hook-and-loop fastener elements on the top side and underside on the water containers, the corresponding operation of making up building construction involves a very high degree of fitting accuracy and is therefore a tedious and time-consuming operation. Since the fastener devices of that invention are in the form of narrow strips, the containers have to be stacked in a fitting manner to ensure that the strips of each bag or sack lie on a strip of another. Otherwise it would fail in establishing the desired connection between the bags or sacks.
In contrast thereto the sandbag envelopes in accordance with the invention have on the top side and the underside thereof patterns of hook-and-loop fastener elements which for example in a lattice or grid form guarantee immediate layability/stackability on site, requiring only seconds for that operation. In other words, the sandbag envelopes with their hook-and-loop fasteners can be built up on a surface at any angle in blind relationship with each other in the form of a wall-like protective structure. This is important in terms of affording protection and safeguarding life in a disaster situation.
The adhesive or cling action of the hook-and-loop fastener elements, in the operation of fixing the water containers in position, is limited only to fastening hooks but not to mushroom-shaped male sticking elements. Those mushroom-shaped male sticking elements afford an attachment or fastening action which is up 300% better, in comparison with conventional hook-and-loop fastener hooks. In the condition of being fixed in position by hook-and-loop fastening to constitute a protective wall-type structure, the sandbag envelopes equipped in that way with a hook-and-loop fastener arrangement enjoy a protective action in relation to high water, which is improved by about 300%.
A further crucial disadvantage of the water containers disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,368 (Bayer) is that such containers are only suitable for those areas of use in which water is available for automatically filling the containers, that is to say it is essentially limited to use in affording protection in relation to a high water level.
German utility model DE-GM No 18 64 678 discloses a bag or a sack consisting of foil material. Those sacks have on their outside means which increase the friction between the filled sacks lying one on another. Those means include projections like ribs, recesses or linings and those attachment means are not suitable for forming walls or embankments, as dikes and the like, which are compact, relatively stable and water-tight.
Furthermore there are known fasteners with male and female parts consisting of hooks or mushroom-like caps and loops engaging each other, which are covered with different types of materials.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,652 (Uraya et al) discloses a velvet-type fastener, each male element of the male piece consisting of a stem and a cap laterally expanded at the top thereof and being composed of compositions of first and second polyamide polymers having different melting points. The purpose of this two-component material is to improve the strength of the connected portion between the cap and the stem of the male elements. But there is no hint at the use of those elements for bags or sacks for forming a protective wall, a dike or the like. German utility model DE-GM No 84 02 729 describes a textile areal adhesive fastener which consists of a part with hooks and a part with loops engaging each other, wherein the filaments forming the hooks and loops are covered with a thin metal layer. The purpose of this metal layer is to increase the heat resistance of the conventional adhesive fasteners so that these adhesive fasteners are usable for protective clothes, filters in heating systems or the like. These types of connection are not water-tight and are susceptible to tearing and disengaging upon the application of lateral pressure on the connected parts such as water pressure from a body of water.
Moreover, in the state of the art there are known a lot of sealing means which seal ordinary bags, sacks or the like by means of xe2x80x98Velcroxe2x80x99-type fastening devices. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,998,304, 3,340,919 and 5,172,980 and German patent specification No 106 906. All these fasteners however are not suitable for use in sandbags for protective walls like dams, dikes, embankments and barriers against surface water, because those sandbags are exposed to very high pressures from the fluid or body of water so that the provision of sealing integrity must involve extremely firm engagement between the fastener parts, which cannot be obtained by the known sealing means. If the sandbags are used for protective walls in the case of fire or for protection against chemical substances, it is also necessary that the bags as well as the fastening and sealing devices withstand the heat of fire and chemical substances such as acids without disengagement from each other.
An object of the invention is to provide a sandbag envelope of the kind set forth above, which allows for the simple construction of protective walls, barriers of all kinds and/or wall-like provisional structures of a defined geometrical form, which are resistant to and retain sealing integrity to a high water mark at the side from the sea or river and to a high water level caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or dam breaks.
In accordance with the invention this object is achieved by the characterising features of claims 1 and 13. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the appendant claims.
The engaging sandbag envelope can be reliably used for all fields in which sandbags have previously been employed. They were in particular the areas of affording protection in relation to disasters and provisional structural works such as for example building igloos or shelters. In comparison with sandbags the hook-and-loop fastener-equipped sandbag enclosures according to the invention however have the advantage that they can be stacked like bricks which stick to one another. In comparison with the traditional sandbag system this affords a 20 to 30-fold improvement in protection thanks to the increase in adhesion strength. Handling of the sandbag envelopes according to the invention is simple even for untrained people. An advantage in this respect is the ease of handling of the sandbag enclosures in a disaster situation by virtue of fastening-specific patterns on the top side and underside of the sandbag envelopes which are to be fastened by the hook-and-loop fastening means. Those patterns are such that they constitute a blind-laying system which makes it possible in seconds to implement the beginning of a protective structural configuration. By means of this pattern system, the most widely varying construction systems can be extremely simply and easily produced, set up and dismantled again and transported to and from the location of employment.
The material components of the hook-and-loop female connecting elements and the hook-and-loop male elements or sticking elements advantageously comprise plastic alloys, plastic and metal or metal or metal alloys, as well as non-ferrous metal. The surfaces of the hook-and-loop connections can additionally be covered with a thin coating, for example by vapor deposition or otherwise. In that respect the coating can be heat-resistant and acid-resistant and comprise plastic or plastic alloys, plastic and metal or metal, metal alloys or specific alloys of non-ferrous metals. It is likewise desirable for only the outside surfaces of the envelopes or those of mat webs to be provided with the above-mentioned material coatings. The fastener-specific lattice or grid patterns or diagonal loop patterns form in a configuration on an envelope or on a mat web about 20 to 30 interengaging hook-and-loop connecting points. Those hook-and-loop fastening points which are distributed in a lattice or grid over an area of about 0.4 square meters have an adhesion capability of between about 250 and 400 kilograms in relation to lateral shearing forces. That adhesion capability is advantageously increased by the use of mesh metal or by the coating of mesh metal or the use of mushroom-shaped hook-and-loop male fastening elements comprising plastic material or metal.
This therefore affords a wide range of mutually interchangeable material properties, this applying in regard to all existing plastic materials, metals and non-ferrous metals. If for example steel hook-and-loop sticking or male elements or steel hook-and-loop female connecting elements are coated with the non-ferrous metal aluminum, then both those elements have the material property of steel in regard to the physical forces which occur such as pressure or shearing force, but in terms of surface adhesion (in engagement) the material properties are those of aluminum. It is also to be noted that metal hook-and-loop male and female connecting elements adhere to each other about 10-fold better than conventional plastic hook-and-loop fastening elements or normal hook-and-loop fastening elements and in that respect they are also fire-resistant and acid-resistant. In addition surface adhesion is increased due to metal mesh which is in the form of a mushroom-shaped or mushroom head-shaped attachment element. In comparison with plastic hook-and-loop hooks, the mushroom-shaped or mushroom head-shaped attachment elements which are made from plastic material have a material connection adhesion effect which is between 200% and 300% higher.
The sandbag envelope can comprise carbon fiber fabric in order to ensure a high temperature resistance. It is also possible to produce the sandbag envelopes from anti-rot UV-resistant synthetic fibers such as for example polyacryl or another-plastic fabric or natural fabric. An envelope in the form of a plastic sheet or foil material is also desirable, in which case that fabric can be reinforced.
The top side and the underside of each sandbag envelope can be marked with the letters O and U respectively, which are preferably fluorescent. Thus the letters are identifiable on the sandbag envelopes even in darkness. This ensures secure stacking and construction of interengaging sandbag envelopes, even in darkness.
It is desirable for the hook-and-loop male or sticking elements and the hook-and-loop female or connecting elements on the top side or the underside of the engaging envelopes also to be fluorescent. Hook-and-loop sticking elements and hook-and-loop connecting elements are provided to form the hook-and-loop fastenings. The hook-and-loop sticking elements can be in the form of hooks or mushroom heads and the hook-and-loop connecting elements can be in the form of fleece, fleece loops or fleece felt, velvet or warp-knitted loop or pile velvet.
They are non-releasably connected to the engaging sandbag envelope for example by sticking, sewing, hot welding or ultrasonic welding. Their size depends on the respective area of application. For example, engaging sandbag envelopes of extremely large dimensions may be used for protection against storm tides or for protecting a steep embankment. The surface patterns of the hook-and-loop male sticking elements and female connecting elements respectively may vary. It is possible to have diagonal patterns in strip form, diagonal patterns in serpentine form, lattice or grid patterns or circular patterns. Those surface patterns are interchangeable with each other for the felt and hook surfaces. Those surface patterns can also be used for double-sided hook and fleece mats as well as for hook and fleece strips. Those mats can have at both sides either hook-and-loop sticking elements or hook-and-loop connecting elements. It is also possible for those mats to have hook-and-loop sticking elements on the top side and hook-and-loop connecting elements on the underside. They may however also have hook-and-loop sticking elements and hook-and-loop connecting elements on the top side and hook-and-loop connecting elements and hook-and-loop sticking elements on the underside. With the features referred to hereinbefore as being in accordance with the invention, for the hook-and-loop materials and the kinds of fabric involved, these features are also suitable for a design configuration of the double-sided engaging mats or engaging mat webs. The function of those areal double-sided engaging mats or double-sided engaging mat webs is for them to function in a similar manner to a layer of mortar between bricks. These engaging mat webs can be used in the most widely varying lengths and widths. This element can additionally in the longitudinal direction connect the envelopes for example of a protective wall in engagement with each other, thereby increasing the loading stability of building structures, for example that of dike protective walls to resist high water at one side thereof or frontal wave pressure at the side towards the sea. The engaging mat webs serve for the construction of protective walls and also as structural positional foundations for the engaging sandbag envelopes. In that respect they may be arranged lengthwise, in a stepped form, in an upward direction or in a downward direction, in engaging relationship with the fleece-type or engaging sandbag envelopes. In that way the engaging mat webs are a necessary supplemental structural element for stabilisation of the envelopes. The above-mentioned engaging mats or engaging mat webs would without the envelopes have no function.
The above-outlined engaging mat webs are therefore also suitable for affording supplemental stabilisation in regard to the areas of use which are also set out hereinafter for the engaging sandbag envelopes.
The engaging sandbag envelopes are suitable for example for:
the construction of protective walls for dike defense purposes at high water, storm tides or with a high water level at the side towards sea or river,
construction of temporary homes and shelters in disaster areas, for example in an igloo style,
construction of temporary bridge pillars or bridges of viaduct type; sturdy support of buildings threatening to collapse after an earthquake,
construction of protective walls to afford protection from high wind speeds and high water levels which occur for example with hurricanes and tornadoes, and
the erection of protective walls in relation to large fires by means of incombustible sandbags.
They can also be used for safeguarding tunnels in mines by affording sturdy supports. A special design configuration of the invention provides that the engaging sandbag envelopes can also be in the form of a triangular, acid-resistant hose system for stemming chemicals which have escaped or contaminated extinguishing water in fire-fighting uses and so forth. Further possible uses of the sandbag envelope involve for example preventing loads from slipping when being transported on ships, aircraft, trucks and other transport systems (for example railway).
For the purposes of constructing a protective wall-type system, the sandbags are filled either until they are tight or to an extent such that they are not tight. Non-tight filling affords the advantage of positional. stackability of the engaging sandbag envelopes to form building structures. That is to say the engaging sandbags which are not filled to the extent of being tight but which are therefore slack can assume virtually any geometrical shape in the stacked condition, when considered from the point of view of cross-section. In that respect no sandbag in the strictly technical sense is the same in terms of its geometrical cross-sectional shape as any other, and smaller or greater deviations in terms of volume and configuration are the standard here.
The combination of slack filling of the engaging sandbag envelopes with the hook-and-loop fastening elements-specific blind laying system permits optimum flexible and elastic inherent statics in relation to pressure forces occurring at the side from the exterior, in the case of hurricanes, storm tides, explosion or bombardment. A building structure of that kind can equalise the frontal pressure or flow or hydraulic pressure, for example when a high water level occurs, with the optimum flexibility and elasticity, while the hook-and-loop elements on the envelopes in engaging relationship with each other can react flexibly to different flow or hydraulic forces and pressure forces. In other words the structure adapts itself to the hydrodynamic pressure forces in respect of inherent statics and post-stabilisation capability. The stability of a protective wall-like structure is advantageously increased by the structure being formed in individual honeycombs in the longitudinal direction. The individual honeycombs are filled in their free central surface area for example with a medium comprising sand or gravel. That affords a higher level of stability in relation to storm and flood waves.
A further advantageous embodiment of the engaging sandbag envelopes with features according to the invention provides that the operation of filling an envelope is implemented by means of a plurality of small envelopes filled with material. These small or miniature envelopes can be of the most widely varying shapes and sizes for filling purposes, the, shape and size of the miniature envelopes being determined in dependence on the nature of the constructional use of the sandbag envelopes. Accordingly they are preferably filled with sand or a loose bulk or free-flowing medium which does not harden, and in that respect they can be selectively connected together by a line, cord or,another form of connection. In the event of bombardment or when sharp-edged propellent material is involved, this sandbag envelope can thus admittedly be damaged, but as a component of a building structure it does not loose its function as for example only one or two of a plurality of miniature envelopes are damaged or destroyed. This kind of functional construction has a remote similarity to the safety bulkheads in the hull of a ship to resist penetration of water into the hull due to sudden leaks. Conventional envelopes in contrast suffer a loss of their structural function due to the contents being washed out or water seeping in, therefore that kind of protection from seepage or washing-out in the case of engaging sandbag envelopes is of significance in regard to erecting protective walls and other building structures and the static load-bearing capability thereof. In this connection conventional sandbags can also be filled in the above-indicated configuration. It is likewise desirable for the miniature envelopes to be of a fleece configuration in part or over the whole of their area, on their outside surface, by virtue of a fleece fabric.
In a further advantageous configuration, the hook-and-loop sticking elements on the surface side and the hook-and-loop connecting elements on the surface side of the envelope can be interchanged. The interchange is effected by virtue of hook-and-loop connecting elements over part of the surface area or the whole thereof, in orderly patterns, in the form of adhesive strips or pattern-perforated adhesive surface foils, wherein the pattern-perforated adhesive surface foils are either sticky on one side or are sticky on both sides at their surface and in that respect non-releasably adhere directly to the envelope itself and/or form an engagement with the outside surface of at least one envelope. Likewise it is possible for self-welding adhesive connecting elements to be mounted to envelopes over part or the entire surface area thereof. The above-mentioned features according to the invention relating to the arrestable surface patterns and so forth apply in regard to all kinds of adhesive connections referred to herein.
With the above-mentioned features in accordance with the invention relating to the kinds of fabric and fillings it is possible in a further configuration according to the invention to use tubular envelopes on site. In this case, a plurality of tubular envelopes are laid in mutually juxtaposed relationship on site in a longitudinal row. Those tubular envelopes can be plaited or braided or woven manually or by machine like over-sized yarns in the longitudinal direction, in which case the result is an areal geometrical plaiting or weave. The structure of the surface in that case is more or less lumpy and bumpy and can advantageously be used for positional securing purposes for the next layer of the plaited or braided or woven tubular envelopes. The envelope material should therefore be flexible or elastic and should involve a predetermined longitudinal or serpentine form. In a situation involving stacking layer upon layer, that kind of woven layer array consisting of tubular envelopes can be additionally arrested in position on both sides with a double-sided hook-and-loop fastening hook mat web. That therefore affords the structure an increased level of composite strength when confronted with relatively heavy swell or so-called tsunamis which occur after seaquakes. Advantageously, the tubular envelopes can be bound together by cord at both ends and extended manually or by machine by being suitably tied to other tubular envelopes.
Due to the high level of stability of the sandbag envelopes in comparison with the known sandbags, the amount to be transported for the respective area of use is often reduced. That decreases the costs for storage. Thus the procurement costs for an amount of sandbag envelopes for protection and safeguarding purposes is lower than the procurement costs for adequate amounts of conventional sandbags.


In one embodiment, a method comprises registering, by a first label switching router having been identified as a root of a prescribed transport tree for transport of a prescribed group of data packets, at least two next hop label switching routers as belonging to the prescribed transport tree based on receiving respective label mapping messages; detecting by the first label switching router a prescribed condition indicating the first label switching router is to be removed from service as the root of the prescribed transport tree; and outputting, by the first label switching router, label distribution protocol messages for the prescribed transport tree to each of the next hop label switching routers determined as belonging to the prescribed transport tree, each label distribution protocol message indicating the first label switching router is to be removed from the service as the root of the prescribed transport tree.

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments (RFC) 3031 specifies a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) architecture. The MPLS architecture in RFC 3031 permits packets entering a network to be assigned by an ingress router to a prescribed "Forwarding Equivalence Class" (FEC): once a packet has been assigned to a specific FEC (identifiable by a "label" added to the packet), the packet can be forwarded with its corresponding assigned label to a next hop label switching router (LSR). The next hop LSR can use the label supplied with the packet as an index to locate a forwarding table entry that specifies the next hop, and a new label used by the corresponding next hop LSR for the corresponding FEC and which replaces the label in the received packet. Hence, the next hop LSR replaces the label in the received packet with its new label, and forwards the packet on the next hop specified in the table, resulting in forwarding the packet via a label switched path (LSP) without the necessity of executing other routing algorithms based on parsing the network layer protocol header (e.g., the Internet Protocol (IP) header). RFC 3036 specifies a label distribution protocol (LDP) that enables label switching routers to exchange label bindings, enabling the label switching routers to map network-layer routing information directly to data-link layer switched paths.
The Internet Draft by Minei et al., "Label Distribution Protocol Extensions for Point-to-Multipoint and Multipoint-to-Multipoint Label Switched Paths," draft-ietf-mpls-1dp-p2mp-02, June 2006, describes extensions to the label distribution protocol specified in RFC 3036 for establishing multipoint-to-multipoint LSPs between label switching routers having established a tree topology with a single root and one or more leaf nodes, where the leaf nodes can operate as ingress nodes for inserting traffic into a network, and/or egress nodes for outputting traffic from the network, without requiring use of any multicast routing protocol within the network. In contrast, a point-to-multipoint LSP has one ingress label switching router and one or more egress label switching routers, and a multipoint-to-point LSP has one or more ingress label switching routers and one unique egress label switching router.

Root node shutdown messaging for multipoint-to-multipoint transport tree


A hydrocarbon fuel processing reactor for generating a hydrogen-enriched reformate from hydrocarbons is disclosed. A plurality of shells are arranged coaxially having a gap defined between each of the successive shells, thereby forming a plurality of coaxial zones. The shells are configured to permit heat transfer from one zone to another. Fluid streams for reactions within the reactor are preheated by heat transfer from adjacent zones.

Reforming of hydrocarbon fuels to make hydrogen is well known in the art. Conventionally, hydrocarbons are reformed predominately in large-scale industrial facilities providing hydrogen for bulk storage and redistribution, or producing hydrogen as an on-line, upstream reagent for another large-scale chemical process. For the most part, these prior processes operate continuously and at steady-state conditions.
More recently, however, a strong interest has developed in providing hydrocarbon-reforming reactors integrated with an end use of the hydrogen. Also, there is a strong interest to develop a low-cost, small-scale source for hydrogen that can replace the need for storing hydrogen gas on site or on board. More particularly, a great interest has developed in providing reactors for producing hydrogen, which can be integrated with a fuel cell which uses hydrogen as a fuel source to generate electricity. Such hydrogen generator/fuel cell systems are being pursued for stationary uses such as providing electrical power to a stationary facility (home or business), for portable electric power uses, and for transportation.
In mobile applications such as a vehicle, or in any "power on demand" system, such as a backup electric power supply, the system must run these reactions continuously at variable demands for total hydrogen production. In addition, the system must be inexpensive and easy to assemble and maintain. In effect, it must cost and act more like an automobile engine, and less like a small chemical plant.
Reactions used to generate hydrogen enriched gas from hydrocarbons, including those for treating such product gases to increase the hydrogen concentration or reduce carbon monoxide include partial oxidation (with or without a catalyst), steam reforming, water gas shift reactions, and selective or preferential oxidation. Of these, only steam reforming is not exothermic. Hence to increase or optimize an integrated reactor's efficiency the heat generated by any of the exothermic reactions needs to be used for useful work, such as for preheating reactants or reactions. One example is to use the heat from partial oxidation to drive a steam reforming reaction, to provide autothermal reforming "ATR."
Also, it is common to control temperatures of exothermic reactions by heat transfer to a cooling heat transfer medium.
In some reactors, particularly reactors providing steam reforming, auxiliary heat provided by a burner may be desirable or necessary to drive the steam reforming. Even with reactors employing ATR may benefit from an auxiliary burner to enhance performance during start up or transient load conditions. Additionally, burners are commonly used to burn the anode gas from a fuel cell.
In addition, if such a reactor is integrated with a fuel cell, by product heat from the fuel cell must also be used efficiently.
The plumbing conventionally employed to accomplish all of the heat transfers necessary, available, or desirable in an integrated reactor or integrated reactor and fuel cell (including coiled tubes, fins, tube clusters, pool boilers, and detached heat exchangers) can be difficult to assemble and maintain, and increase the cost and size of an integrated unit.
The present invention addresses the above short comings in the art provides other advantages as will be understood by those in the art in view of the following specification and claims.

Heat transfer optimization in multi shelled reformers


A method and apparatus that allows a remote aircraft to be controlled by a remotely located pilot who is presented with a synthesized three-dimensional projected view representing the environment around the remote aircraft. According to one aspect of the invention, a remote aircraft transmits its three-dimensional position and orientation to a remote pilot station. The remote pilot station applies this information to a digital database containing a three dimensional description of the environment around the remote aircraft to present the remote pilot with a three dimensional projected view of this environment. The remote pilot reacts to this view and interacts with the pilot controls, whose signals are transmitted back to the remote aircraft. In addition, the system compensates for the communications delay between the remote aircraft and the remote pilot station by controlling the sensitivity of the pilot controls.

"Pilot Aid Using a Synthetic Environment", Ser. No. 08/274,394 filed Jul. 11, 1994. "Digital Map Generator and Display System", Ser. No. 08/543,590, filed Oct. 16, 1995.
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the field of remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
2. Discussion of Prior Art
RPVs can be used for any number of purposes. For example, there is a large organization that promotes the use of remote controlled planes. Certain RPVs are controlled by viewing the plane with the naked eye and using a hand held controller to control its flight Other RPVs are controlled by a remote pilot using simple joysticks while watching the video produced by a camera in the remote aircraft. This camera is also used to produce the reconnaissance video. There are tradeoffs involving the resolution of the video, the rate at which the video is updated, and the bandwidth needed to transmit it. The wider the bandwidth the more difficult it is to secure the signal. The freedom to balance these tradeoffs is limited because this video is also used to pilot the aircraft and must therefore be updated frequently.
Certain UAVs are preprogrammed to follow a predetermined course and lack the flexibility to deal with unexpected situations.
The 1983 patent to Kanaly (U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,943) shows a control and communications system for a remotely piloted vehicle where an oculometer determines where the remote operator is looking and signals the remote vehicle to send the high resolution imagery corresponding to the area around where the remote operator is looking and low resolution imagery corresponding to the remote operator's peripheral vision. The objective is to minimize the bandwidth of the information transmitted to the remote operator.

Method and apparatus for remotely piloting an aircraft


In one embodiment of the present invention, provided is a semiconductor device having a silicon substrate provided with a DRAM region containing first transistors and capacitor elements, and with a logic region containing second transistors. A minimum gate length of the second transistors provided in the logic region is smaller than a minimum gate length of the first transistors provided in the DRAM region. One of a cobalt silicide layer and a titanium silicide layer is provided on source/drain regions and on gate electrodes of the first transistors provided in the DRAM region, and a nickel-containing silicide layer is provided on source/drain regions and on gate electrodes of the second transistors provided in the logic region.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same, and in particular to a semiconductor device having silicide layers, and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Related Art
There is known a conventional semiconductor device such as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-127270, describing formation of a semiconductor device of the embedded DRAM (dynamic random access memory), in which a silicide layer is formed over the entire surfaces of the DRAM section and the logic section, at a time in a single process step.
Nickel silicide has been becoming more popular as the silicide generally used for CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) device, rather than cobalt silicide and titanium silicide, as the elements are shrunk to a higher degree. This is because nickel silicide is superior to cobalt silicide, from the viewpoint of so-called thin wire effect, characterized by increase in sheet resistance under smaller gate length.
Adoption of nickel silicide is, however, more likely to cause junction leak as compared with cobalt silicide or the like. More specifically, nickel has the melting temperature lower than those of titanium and cobalt, and is therefore more reactive with the silicon composing the silicon substrate. Nickel atoms in the nickel silicide layer are more likely to diffuse across p-n junctions at the source/drain interfaces into the silicon substrate during annealing involved in the process of manufacturing. For this reason, adoption of nickel silicide with transistors provided in regions such as those in a DRAM section, under severe requirements in terms of suppression of junction leakage current, has been anticipated to cause current leakages possibly exceeding an allowable limit. It has therefore been difficult to adopt nickel silicide to the embedded DRAM device having transistors with a short gate length.
One known technique of improving this non-conformity is described in a pamphlet of International Patent WO 2003/96421. The literature describes a technique of forming a nickel silicide layer in transistors in the logic section, but providing no silicide layer to the transistors in the DRAM cell section. Providing no silicide layer to the transistors in the memory section, while providing silicide layer to the transistor in the peripheral circuit, is described also in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-191428.

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same


A modulation device includes at least one memristive device, and a control block, the modulation device having an equivalent conductance yi(t) produced by the at least one memristive device and the control block being configured to receive a clock signal and perform a first modification of the equivalent conductance yi(t) upon receipt of each clock signal, receive an input voltage pulse and perform a second modification of the equivalent conductance yi(t) upon receipt of each input voltage pulse, the first and second modifications being in opposite directions.

Generally speaking, an artificial neural network comprises a plurality of artificial neurons and a plurality of artificial synapses. Each artificial synapse ensures a connection between two artificial neurons. Each artificial neuron is connected to a plurality of other artificial neurons.
Each artificial synapse typically has an electrically adjustable conductance and a synaptic weight proportional to its conductance. Each artificial neuron typically has a potential, also called membrane potential or transmembrane potential. When an artificial synapse transmits a pulse to an artificial neuron, the potential of the artificial neuron is modified as a function of the synaptic weight of the artificial synapse. For example, in the case of an excitatory artificial synapse, the greater the synaptic weight, the more the potential of the artificial neuron increases. Conversely, in the case of an inhibitory artificial synapse, the greater the synaptic weight, the more the potential of the artificial neuron decreases.
If a given artificial synapse is considered, connecting a first artificial neuron to a second artificial neuron, "presynaptic pulse" is taken to mean a pulse emitted by the first artificial neuron and transmitted by said artificial synapse to the second artificial neuron, and "postsynaptic pulse" is taken to mean a pulse emitted by the second artificial neuron. In this case, the first artificial neuron is also called presynaptic neurone, and the second artificial neuron is also called postsynaptic neuron.
Several studies have focused on implementing an LTP (long term plasticity) mechanism for artificial synapses. According to this mechanism, the synaptic weight of an artificial synapse is modified as a function of the pulses emitted by the postsynaptic neuron:                if, shortly before the emission of the postsynaptic pulse, the presynaptic neurone has emitted a pulse, then the synaptic weight of the artificial synapse increases;        otherwise, the synaptic weight of the artificial synapse decreases.
Such a mechanism contributes in fact to enabling unsupervised learning of the artificial neural network. "Learning" is generally taken to mean the fact that the artificial neural network learns to process different types of input patterns, while converging towards a final state specific to each type of input pattern. Learning is designated "unsupervised" when the artificial neural network, from a pattern that is presented to it, is not forced to converge towards a precise final state but is left free to converge towards any final state.
The articles entitled "Variability-tolerant convolutional neural network for pattern recognition applications based on OxRAM synapses" (D. Garbin et al., IEDM 2014) and "Real-time decoding of brain activity by embedded Spiking Neural Networks using OxRAM synapses" (T. Werner et al., ISCAS 2016) have for example described the implementation of a long term plasticity LTP mechanism for artificial synapses produced by means of non-volatile resistive memories each having only two distinct resistive states. The articles entitled "Phase change memory as synapse for ultra-dense neuromorphic systems: application to complex visual pattern extraction" (M. Suri et al., IEDM 2011) and "Visual pattern extraction using energy-efficient "2-PCM Synapse" neuromorphic architecture" (O. Bichler et al., TED 2012) have for their part described the implementation of a long term plasticity LTP mechanism for artificial synapses produced by means of non-volatile resistive memories each having at least three distinct resistive states.
Known artificial neural networks are however sensitive to noise. They have in fact a tendency, when the input patterns are noisy, to "learn from noise", which degrades their performances.

Modulation device and method, artificial synapse comprising said modulation device, short term plasticity method in an artificial neural network comprising said artificial synapse

COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES

INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE ET DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALE


A pattern forming method of the present invention includes the steps of forming, on a substrate before droplets are ejected onto the substrate, a water repelling area, in which a contact angle between the droplet and the target surface is a first contact angle, and a water attracting line, which is adjacent to the water repelling area and in which a second contact angle is smaller than the first contact angle and which is to be the pattern to be formed; and landing droplets onto the target surface such that part of the droplet landed is in a water repelling area and part of the droplet landed is in a water attracting line, the equation (1) is satisfied,D≦L×{1+2(cos θ2−cos θ1)}  (1)where D is a droplet diameter, L is a pattern width, θ1 is a first contact angle, and θ2 is a second contact angle. By decreasing the number of discharged droplets, it is possible to prevent increase of a tact time and decrease of an inkjet operating life.

In recent years, a wiring pattern of a substrate is formed by an inkjet technology. A wiring pattern can be directly formed on a substrate by the inkjet technology, so that high-cost processes, such as vacuum deposition, photolithography, etching, and resist removing process, can be omitted. As a result, a substrate can be produced at low costs.
Incidentally, when a wiring pattern is formed by using an inkjet head, fluid ink (droplets) containing a wiring material is jetted out and landed on a predetermined position on a substrate. When the droplets are discharged and landed on a substrate as above, there is a possibility that the droplets spread too much or come off due to the characteristics of a surface of the substrate. Therefore, there is a problem that a desired wiring pattern cannot be obtained.
In view of this, Japanese publication for Unexamined Patent Application Tokukaihei, No. 11-204529, (published on Jul. 30, 1999) discloses a method by which a desired wiring pattern can be formed while suppressing spreading or coming off of landed droplets as much as possible.
In the technology disclosed in the above publication, a surface of a substrate is modified beforehand so that an area, in which a wiring pattern may be provided, has affinity with droplets and the other area does not have the affinity. Then, the wiring pattern is formed by discharging droplets onto the affinity-having area (pattern forming area) on a substrate. In this case, the area except for the pattern forming area does not have affinity with droplets. Therefore, the droplets, which land on the pattern forming areas on a substrate, do not spread beyond the pattern forming areas.
Further, in the technology disclosed in the above publication, the droplets are discharged to be overlapped partially with each other on the pattern forming areas so that the landed droplets do not come off from the substrate. This prevents landed droplets from coming off.
However, in the pattern forming method disclosed in the above publication, the number of discharged droplets is large, because the wiring pattern is formed by discharging the droplets so that the droplets overlap partially with each other to prevent the landed droplets on a substrate from coming off. In such a case, there are problems that (i) a processing time (tact time) for a series of steps until forming the wiring patterns will increase due to an increase of the number of the droplets to discharge, and (ii) an operating life of an inkjet head will be shortened.
The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pattern formation substrate and pattern forming method which attains a satisfactory wiring characteristics, while preventing an increase of a tact time and an operating life shortening of an inkjet head by decreasing the number of discharged droplets.

Basic material for patterning and patterning method


This invention relates to the preparation of novel titanium silicate molecular sieves with modified properties such as adsorption, ion-exchange and catalytic behavior by selective extraction of framework titanium atoms after synthesis of the sieves.

ETS-10 is a novel large-pored crystalline titanium silicate described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,202. The sieve is composed of chains of titania octahedra interlinked with chains of silica tetrahedra. This type of molecular sieve has been the subject of numerous subsequent patents and publications as well as commercial activity.
ETS-10 contains octahedrally coordinated framework titanium atoms. As a result, for charge balance, each framework titanium atom is accompanied by two countercharges (e.g. two sodium cations). The chemical and physical properties of ETS-10 to a significant degree are determined by the architecture (structure) and chemical composition of the framework, the charge density of the framework and the number, type and location of the counterions.
The washed commercial product typically has a Si/Ti ratio of about 5. Pore diameter is about 8 Angstrom units. Prime commercial use has been as an adsorbent, although utility as an ion-exchange agent has been widely investigated. Efforts have been made to develop catalysts based on the ETS-10 structure. However, the available form of ETS-10 has limited utility as an oxidation catalyst, inspite of the fact that many oxidation catalysts are based on the presence of titanium atoms in molecular sieve structures.
The basic ETS-10 platform (U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,202) is flexible for substitution of both octahedral and tetrahedral atoms into the basic structure.
Reference is made to the following: S. M. Kuznicki and K. A. Thrush; U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,650 and U.S. Pat. No.5,208,006 M. W. Anderson, A. Philippou, Z. Lin, A. Ferreira and J. Rocha; Angew. Chem. Int. Engl., 34, 1003 (1995). J. Rocha, Z. Lin, A. Ferreira and M. W. Anderson; J. Chem. Commun., 867 (1995)

Removal of titanium atoms from titanium silicate molecular sieves


A pump for use in operably evacuating a chamber in a vacuum degassing apparatus includes one or more pumping cavities that are in fluid communication with the chamber, and a continuous vent channel that has an outlet disposed in fluid communication with a respective one of the one or more pumping cavities. The vent channel is configured to provide dilution gas flow into the pumping cavity of the pump at a rate sufficient to prevent solvent condensation in the pumping cavity during operation of the pump in liquid degassing applications.

Degassing of liquid solvents is an operation utilized in a variety of applications. A particular example of such an application is in the degassing of the mobile phase in a liquid chromatography system, where the presence of even small amounts of dissolved gases can interfere with the accuracy and sensitivity of the results obtained. Moreover, if the dissolved species is chemically active, as in the case of oxygen and air, such species can additionally produce unwanted changes or deterioration in the mobile phase itself.
Techniques for degassing liquid materials have included heating or boiling the liquid to be degassed, exposing the material to a reduced pressure environment or vacuum and using combinations of heat and vacuum to reduce the amount of dissolved gases in the liquid. In addition, vacuum degassing through a membrane apparatus has been accomplished by utilizing a length of relatively small diameter, semi-permeable tubing formed from a synthetic polymer resin material, and contained within an enclosed chamber held under a reduced pressure or vacuum. The liquid to be degassed is transported through the enclosed chamber within the tubing fabricated from the semi-permeable polymer material. An example of such a vacuum degassing approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,384, which is assigned to the same Assignee as in the present invention, and is herein incorporated by reference.
To effectuate the evacuation of the enclosed chamber of a vacuum degassing apparatus, pumps are typically employed in operable connection with such vacuum chambers. Although various pump types may be utilized, it has been found that single or multiple-stage positive-displacement pumps are best suited to create and maintain a desired level of reduced pressure within the vacuum degassing chamber. One issue that arises in the use of such pumps in vacuum degassing applications, however, is the presence of solvent vapor infiltrating the pump from the degassing vacuum chamber as a result of permeation of such solvent vapors through the semi-permeable membrane wall disposed in the chamber. If the concentration of the solvent vapor reaches a critical level, solvent condensation may occur, leading to operational and durability problems of the pump. For example, condensed solvent may cause a pump to "choke" and may also cause corrosion of metallic parts in the pump.
To minimize the likelihood of solvent vapor condensation within the pump, "flow restrictors" have been utilized to allow a small amount of air external to the pump to enter into, for example, the compression chambers of the pump so as to dilute the solvent vapor concentration below a critical condensation point. The vent flow rate of the air required to avoid such solvent condensation depends upon the solvent vapor pressure at the pump operating temperature, as well as the solvent permeability through the semi-permeable membrane utilized in the degassing operations in the vacuum chamber. Solvent permeability is unique for each solvent, and the solvent permeation rate approaches zero in situations where the solvent partial pressure inside the vacuum chamber is equal to the solvent vapor pressure at the chamber temperature. Under static flow conditions with the total chamber pressure below solvent vapor pressure, the partial pressure of solvent inside the chamber is equal to the total pressure. Under dynamic flow conditions, however, the amount of solvent permeating the membrane increases due to the introduction of entrained air into the chamber that reduces the solvent partial vapor pressure within the vacuum chamber. Solvent permeability may be calculated using the following equations:pp=p×Vs/(Vs+Vgas)Vs=Vos×(1−pp/ps)Wherein:
pp—solvent partial pressure (mm Hg)
p—total pressure in the chamber (mm Hg)
Vs—solvent vapor total permeability (standard cm3/minute)
Vos—solvent total permeability at conditions wherein the solvent partial pressure is zero (standard cm3/minute)
Vgas—total vapor vent gas flow (standard cm3/minute)
ps—solvent vapor pressure at the pump exhaust temperature (mm Hg)
The vent gas flow rate required to prevent condensation in, for example, the compression chamber of the pump may be calculated by the following relationship:Vgas=ms×22,400/MWs×(B/ps−1)Wherein:
ms=solvent total mass permeability (grams/minute)
MWs=solvent molecular weight
B=barometric pressure (mm Hg)
Conventional vacuum pumps utilized in liquid degassing applications have commonly employed sintered porous frits as flow restrictors to control the infiltrating vent gas flow rate. An example of such a pump arrangement is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,938, which is assigned to the same assignee as in the present invention, and is incorporated herein by reference. Such sintered porous frits, however, present operational drawbacks and the potential for degradation over time. In particular, many of such sintered porous frits are fabricated from materials that are susceptible to corrosion from certain solvents and additives utilized in, for example, liquid chromatography mobile phases. Corrosion of such sintered porous frits manufactured from, for example, stainless steel, may cause significant and permanent changes in vent gas flow restriction. Such changes may be difficult to track over time, and may therefore degrade the accuracy and efficiency of the vacuum degassing operations unbeknownst to the system operator.
Moreover, the sintered porous frits commonly utilized in vacuum degassing applications contain pore sizes on the order of less than 1 μm. Due to the small size of the frit pores, particles may become lodged within the pores, thereby blocking or reducing vent gas passage therethrough. The small pore size can also lead to solvent vapor condensation within the pores, which can cause vent gas restriction and/or vapor condensation within the pumping cavities. In addition, such sintered porous frits are relatively expensive.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a mechanism for enabling controlled vent gas influx into a chamber of a pump utilized in reduced pressure degassing of liquids, without the use of sintered porous frits manufactured of corrosion-susceptible material, and/or those having mean pore sizes of less than 1 μm.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mechanism for enabling vent gas influx, which mechanism is relatively inexpensive.


A ballpoint pen with cap has an overall length which is substantially equal to a conventional credit card enabling the pen to fit snugly in a credit card receiving pocket of a pocket book. The pen has a thin, flat body containing a writing cartridge and having opposite side edges diverging rearward in plan from a front writing end to provide a broad, flat, blade-like, hand engaging rear portion. The body also tapers in thickness as it extends outward to opposite side and rear edges forming a narrow, peripheral insertion edge. The rear end is straight and the cap is rectangular so that, when assembled, opposite ends of the pen have straight edges extending substantially perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the body. The body has a lateral supporting and guiding lobe for engagement with a writer's hand in different positions to facilitate a fluid writing action with different pen grips.

The need for a pen which is convenient to carry on the person and is unlikely to be forgotten so as to be available for casual use is well recognized.
The majority of ballpoint pens for everyday use have traditionally included a rigid, round or prismatic body and are commonly approximately six inches in length so as to require retention in the relatively protected environment of a pocket of an upper garment, such as the breast pocket of a jacket or shirt.
However, when changing their clothing people often forget pens when transferring other essential accessories such as pocketbooks containing credit cards, driver licenses and other essentials, particularly when continuous use of a pen is not required.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,880 issued to Sekiguchi in 1989, teaches a writing set in which two small writing instruments are stored in a flat, rectangular case having the perimetrical dimensions similar to those of a credit or business card for storage in a credit card receiving pocket of a pocket-book. However, the instruments must be removed from the case for use which can require some manual dexterity in view of their small size and close fit, also requiring the use of both hands with several items to manage, altogether an undesirably fiddly and time consuming operation. The multipart construction is inherently expensive, while the necessity of always carrying the case to protect the exposed pen tips and a pocket from damage results in an undesirably heavy and bulky structure.
Furthermore, the case has a blunt, square edge which is 2 or 3 mm thick preventing easy insertion by parting a closed mouth of a credit card receiving pocket or slipping between credit cards, which is inconvenient and frustrating and can easily result in strain of the pocket mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,504, issued 1988 to Telli, teaches a ballpoint pen with a generally flat and essentially flexible outer body so that it may be carried in a back pocket of a pant/trouser type garment without breakage.
However, the essentially flexible property of the pen would often cause a leading edge to crumple or fold back on itself also preventing easy insertion in a closed mouth of a credit card receiving pocket or insertion between credit cards therein. Furthermore, pens with flexible bodies can be difficult to grip for satisfactory writing control.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,213 teaches a structure which is foldable from a flat form usable as a bookmark to a triangulate form for use as a pen, evidently of conventional length, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 322,811 and 324,879 issued both teach combination pen and bookmarkers. However, none of these prior taught structures are suitable for or suggestive of the purpose of the present invention.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a ballpoint pen which is adapted for direct storage in a credit card receiving pocket of a wallet and which is available for direct use and of simple construction, adapted manufacture using conventional mass production techniques for high volume production at low cost.

Ballpoint pen for credit card receiving pocket


An image capturing apparatus provided to a movable body for capturing a clear image without blurring even if it is the case where it is moving. The image capturing apparatus includes: an image capturing unit which captures an image; a speed measurement unit which measures a speed of the movable body; a displacement calculating unit which calculates a displacement of a region indicating a subject which exists in an angle-of-view of the image capturing unit in an image captured by the image capturing unit based on the speed during an exposure time of the image capturing unit; a capturing magnification rate-of-change calculating unit which calculates a rate-of-change of a capturing magnification of the image capturing unit, wherein the capturing magnification rate-of-change calculating unit compensates the displacement; a capturing magnification control unit which controls the capturing magnification in order to change it by the rate-of-change; and a capturing timing control unit which makes the image capturing unit capture an image while the capturing magnification changing by the rate-of-change.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus, an image capturing method, and a machine readable medium storing thereon an image capturing program. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus mounted with a vehicle, an image capturing method for the image capturing apparatus, and a machine readable medium storing thereon an image capturing program, which cause the image capturing apparatus to be functioned.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, an in-vehicle camera is known which is mounted with a vehicle, such as a car, and captures the image around a vehicle (cf. Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 8-161698). An image captured by such an in-vehicle camera is used to enhance driving safety by recognizing an object which exists near the vehicle from the image and by notifying a motor driver or the like for the recognition result, as well as the image is displayed to the motor driver.
However, when the vehicle moves during exposure time, only an indistinct image which has blurring in the subject image can be captured. Consequently, the driver has had trouble seeing the image in the conventional in-vehicle camera. Moreover, when the object which exists around the vehicle is to be recognized using such an indistinct image, the recognition rate was low and it could not enhance the driving safety sufficiently enough.

Image capturing apparatus, image capturing method, and machine readable medium storing thereon image capturing program


A composition useful for protecting and/or repairing DNA from oxidative damages said composition comprising redistilled cow's urine distillate (RCUD) having components benzoic acid, and hexanoic acid, with ammonia content of the composition ranging between 5-15 mg/L, and optionally along with anti-oxidants; and a method of protecting and/or repairing DNA from oxidative damages using composition of claim 1, said method comprising steps of estimating the amount of folded DNA in a sample, mixing the said composition to the said DNA either before or after the exposure of the DNA to the oxidatively DNA-damaging agent, and determining percentage folded DNA in the mixture showing protection and/or repair of DNA from oxidative damages.

In Veda, the products of cow have been compared with the nectar (Rig-Veda 10.15 pp. 47). In Ayurveda cow's urine is one of the ingredient of Panchagavya. According to Susrut, Cow's urine has several medicinal properties (45/221, pp-61, 72, 220, 221). Its properties are also described by Charak (Solka-100 pp. 72). Cow's urine is extensively used in Ayurveda for purifying certain materials which otherwise possess toxic properties (pp-73).
However, the literature and scripture does not mention urine or its distillate as a protector of cells from DNA damage and chromosomal aberration. To investigate the property of cow urine distillate, the applicants obtained Kamdhenu Ark which is cow urine distillate prepared and marketed by the Govigyan Anusandhan Kendra (GVAK), Nagpur (India). This is the urine distillate suggested for oral ingestion to improve the general health and to control weight gain, oedema, stomach ache, indigestion, skin disease, cardiac problem etc. It is stated in the production process of Kamdhenu Ark that the cow's urine should be fresh as well as free of ammonia. Experiments carried out in NEERI revealed that storage of cow's urine results in formation of ammonia as could be seen from the following Table 1.
TABLE 1Ammonia concentration in cows urineIn Open containerIn Closed containerConcentrationConcentrationof ammoniaTimeof ammoniapH(mg/L)(in Hrs)(mg/L)pH8.010001008.08.295319758.28.31055212328.48.41421313798.48.51649414238.48.51849517108.58.51799616868.58.51885719898.68.41600818508.68.31398913638.38.516641014088.48.414411110338.38.516621217308.58.312961314738.48.415351415118.48.311591513288.48.618671617388.58.516621718628.78.921581818478.78.919571918868.6
The previous work of the applicants was on oxidative damage of the cigarette smoke can be prevented by vitamin C. The Authors demonstrated that the exposure of sub clinical or marginal vitamin C—deficient guinea pigs to cigarette smoke causes oxidation of plasma proteins as well as extensive oxidation degradation of the lung microsomal proteins. Further, cigarette exposure also induces Peroxidation of microsomal lipids as evidenced by the formation of conjugated dienes, malondialdehyde, and fluorescent pigment. However, complete protection against protein damage and lipid Peroxidation occurs when the guinea pigs are fed vitamins. Also, cigarette induced damage of proteins and lipid is reversed after discontinuation of cigarette smoke exposure accompanied by ascorbate therapy. The results if extrapolated to humans, indicate that comparatively large doses of vitamin C may protect the smokers from cigarette smoke-induced oxidative damage and associated degenerative diseases. (Panda, chattopadhyay, and Chatterjee; free radical biology & medicine, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 115-124, 2000.)

Composition (RCUD) for protecting and/or repairing DNA from oxidative damages and a method thereof

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research


An apparatus receptive of illumination light from an illumination light source for providing a color image on a projection lens includes three displays responsive to a video signal for modulating incident lights to display respective component images, a first dichroic layer for separating the illumination light into a first component light and a first mixed light of different wavelength regions to give the first component light to one of the displays, a second dichroic layer for separating the mixed light into second and third component lights of different wavelength regions to give the second and third component lights to other two of the displays respectively, a third dichroic layer for synthesizing, out of the first, second and third information lights from the displays, the first and second information light, and a fourth dichroic layer for further synthesizing the light synthesized by the third dichroic layer with the third information light.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a liquid crystal display (hereinafter abbreviated to LCD) projection apparatus in which a video signal formed from the entering white light is separated into chrominance components of three primary colors, and then the components after having been modulated by using respective monochrome video image display devices such as LCD ones are synthesized again to permit projection of an image in full color.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, television sets of the projection type have rapidly come into such wide use that they can be seen not only in the public facilities but also in home. This kind of apparatus uses three high-luminance cathode ray tubes in which are made up color component images corresponding to the respective color component lights of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) and these images are projected by projection lenses onto a screen where they are synthesized to display a picture of the original color. FIG. 1 shows the outline of the video projection apparatus. 1, 2 and 3 are cathode ray tubes corresponding to the color components R, G and B respectively and are driven by drive circuits 4, 5 and 6 for R, G and B into which the video signals of the color components R, G, B enter respectively. 7, 8 and 9 are projection lenses, and are each arranged in focus on a screen 10 in front of the cathode ray tubes 7, 8 and 9. Note, in this figure, the projection lens is shown by a single lens, but in actual practice is usually constructed with a plurality of lenses for correction of various aberrations.
However, such an apparatus increases in size, and, when the distance to the screen is changed, re-adjustment is required so that the three monochrome projected images overlap one another on the screen.
Therefore, as an arrangement for the possibility of projecting by one projection lens P, what is shown in FIG. 2 is considered. In the figure, S is an illumination light source issuing white light, for example, for use in the Koehler illumination system. As means for separating parallel entering light A which is white light into three primary colors, use is made of dichroic mirrors 11 and 12 having two dichroic layers of different wavelength regions crossed to each other. For example, the dichroic mirror 11 reflects the blue color component B, and the dichroic mirror 12 reflects the red color component R. Of the three color components R, G and B separated by this crossed dichroic mirrors 11 and 12, the color component R is reflected by total reflection mirrors 13 and 14, the color component G goes straight as it is, and the color component B is reflected by total reflection mirror 15 and 16, entering LCDs 17, 18 and 19 corresponding to the respective ones. Because in the LCDs 17, 18 and 19, pictures of each color component of red, green and blue are imaged out, when light permeates here, the variation of transmittance due to the pictures of each of the LCDs 17, 18 and 19 is modulated to the variation of intensity of light.
That is, in FIG. 2, color components R, G and B of red, green and blue are modulated by the video signals of the LCDs 17, 18 and 19, respectively, becoming color components (color information light) R', G' and B'. These lights are synthesized again by a dichroic prism 20 to produce an exiting light A'. Note, the exiting light A' is, as known in the art, projected by the projection lens P onto the screen. On the screen, a picture of full color comes out. In such a manner, in the prior known apparatus, the two dichroic mirrors 11 and 12 are used in the crossed state. Therefore, a portion of the reflection surface of one dichroic mirror 11 is stripped off, giving a drawback that the picture is partly broken down. For example, in FIG. 3, on assumption that the dichroic mirrors 11 and 12 cross each other at right angles, the relationship between the thickness t of the dichroic mirror and the size t' of the broken portion of the reflection surface is expressed by the following equation: EQU t'=t/2.sup.0.5 . . . (1)
The value of t' of this equation (1) cannot be ignored, and a problem arises that by that portion alone, the center of, for example, the blue is broken down to a stripe shape. Also, the dichroic prism 20 used for synthesizing the modulated color components in FIG. 2 is very high in price, and its weight is also large, being unsuited to be used in home. Further, the optical path from the entering light A to the exiting light A' differs from color component to component. Therefore, the problem of aberration etc. also is large.


An apparatus for encoding arrays of data elements of a stream of arrays of data elements. The apparatus includes encoding circuitry for encoding an array of data elements. The apparatus also includes processing circuitry for producing two one-dimensional arrays of data values from a two-dimensional array of data values. The data values of the two-dimensional array are representative of the properties of the array of data elements. The data values of the two one-dimensional arrays are representative of the data values along the two dimensions of the two-dimensional array respectively. The processing circuitry is operable to use the two one-dimensional arrays to approximate data values in the two-dimensional array, and to use the approximated data values of the two-dimensional array when encoding arrays of data elements in the stream of arrays to be encoded.

This technology described herein relates to a method of and apparatus for encoding data arrays, and in particular to encoding streams of data arrays, such as in the case of encoding frames of video data, e.g. for transmission and/or storage.
It is common to encode a stream (sequence) of arrays of data elements, such as arrays of image data values (e.g. frames of video for display), so as to compress the data in order to reduce bandwidth and memory consumption. This is particularly desirable in data processing apparatus, e.g. portable devices, where processing resources and power may be limited. The encoded arrays may then, e.g., be written out to memory and subsequently read and decoded for output (e.g. display).
The particular encoding process to use when encoding an array may vary between the arrays in a stream of arrays, e.g. to achieve desired rates of compression and data quality. In general the aim is to maximise the compression of the arrays in the stream (so as at least to achieve a desired bit rate), while trying to maintain as high quality for the reproduced arrays when they are decoded as possible. A particular encoding process may vary, for example, the particular size of the blocks into which an array is divided for the purposes of encoding, or the particular way in which the reference arrays (relative to which the arrays may be encoded) are derived.
When encoding an array in a stream of arrays, e.g. relative to a previous array in the stream, it is useful to know in advance (or be able to predict) the data elements in the array being encoded (e.g. what a frame of video image data looks like). This helps to make encoding decisions, e.g. to optimise the quality of the encoded data versus the number of bits output for an encoded array. A good first approximation may be to assume that the current array being encoded has the same data elements as the previous array (e.g. which it is being encoded relative to). However, it may be beneficial to detect that something in the stream of arrays has changed (or is predicted to change), so that the encoding can react appropriately.
To help with this, statistical information may be collected during the encoding process from analysis of the arrays being encoded. Such statistical information may, for example, relate to the distribution of properties of the data elements in the array being encoded, such as brightness, level of detail, complexity, etc., across the array. The particular encoding process to use when encoding an array may then be controlled using the statistical information that has been gathered.
The Applicants accordingly believe that there remains scope for improved techniques for encoding streams of data arrays, e.g. using statistical data to control the encoding of arrays of data elements.


Disclosed is a medical power system for powering an implantable medical device including an implantable rechargeable battery pack, a wearable power source, a power cart, and an external power supply. The system may be used in three modes: 1) Fully disconnected (powered by implanted battery only); 2) Power provided by a wearable power source and/or a portable wheeled power cart via an inductive link, and 3) Nonportable power provided by a non-portable source such as an AC outlet with an uninterruptible power supply. The system includes automatic choice of the optimum source of power depending on the circumstances, and greatly increases “untethered time” a bionic-dependent patient may spend.

Electronic biomedical devices such as pacemakers, defibrillators, left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), cochlear implants, diaphragm pacemakers, artificial retinas, glucose sensors, insulin pumps, and neuromuscular stimulators are significantly improving both the length and quality of life for millions of people. New implantable devices are under development to treat a myriad of disabilities and ailments including spinal cord paralysis, epilepsy, diabetes, blindness, and deafness. Power sources used for many such portable devices may require large current drains, and thus require relatively large size batteries for extended use. Additionally, life-critical implantable medical devices require ultra-reliable power sources.
It has been widely taught that implantable, self-sufficient energy sources are impractical for high-power devices such as circulatory assist devices (See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,896 to LaForge et al.). While implantable battery technology has improved significantly in recent years, it remains necessary to provide external energy sources for such high-power devices. Since artificial hearts, LVADs, diaphragm pacemakers, ventilators, and the like must have 100% reliable power sources and back-up power, these devices require that the patient either remain tethered to a fixed power source, or remain close to a fixed power source for frequent recharging of a portable power source. This severely impacts the patient's quality of live by restricting mobility.
Several devices have been developed to provide portable power suitable for various non-medical uses. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,321 to Rodriguez describes a battery and equipment vest containing batteries suitable for powering photographic equipment. Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,929,597 and 6,106,971 teach wearable power sources for cordless devices such as power drills. U.S. Design Pat. No. D475,680 illustrates the ornamental appearance of a wheeled battery cart containing an air compressor, light, and inverter for powering a variety of electrical devices. None of these provide power for implanted medical devices.


A system and method for converting a desk-top computer into a rack-mounted computer includes mounting the chassis of a desk-top computer in a carrier tray. The carrier is then mounted in means for sliding the carrier in and out of an electrical equipment rack.

The present invention pertains to a mounting system for a desk-top computer; more particularly, the present invention pertains to a system for mounting a desk-top computer in an electrical equipment rack.
In recent years, the explosion in the use of desk-top computers has placed these units in a wide variety of locations to include laboratories and repair shops. In such laboratories and repair shops electrical equipment such as oscilloscopes and power supplies are often mounted in racks. These racks are designed with standard size openings for the insertion of various types of electrical equipment. Desk top computers, however, are not readily inserted into electrical equipment racks because of the way that desk-top computers are packaged and sold by manufacturers.
Typically, the disk drives, circuit boards and power supply within a desk-top computer are enclosed in a factory installed protective cover and have a factory installed face plate or bezel on the front of the desk-top computer which provides a decorative appearance for the user. In the face plate are normally holes or slots for disk drives and one or more openings for lights and switches which respectively control or indicate the operation of the computer.
When it becomes necessary to use a desk-top computer in conjunction with other components typically mounted in electrical equipment racks, users have either placed the entire desk-top computer with its cover and face plate in place in another container and inserted the combination in a rack. Still other users have drilled holes in the top or sides of the factory installed cover and used the cover for the desk-top computer as a mounting bracket. Other users never confront the problem and merely place the desk-top computer on a shelf in the electrical equipment rack.
The three foregoing systems for placing commonly available desk-top computers in electrical equipment racks all have their drawbacks in that they do not provide for easy access to the inner portion of the desk-top computer to either service or upgrade the desk-top computer. Therefore, when it becomes necessary to service the desk-top computer or to add more memory or additional computing ability, it is necessary to disassemble the entire computer or remove the computer with its cover and face plate from the rack before any access can be gained to the interior of the computer. Such actions are difficult and time-consuming.
There is, therefore, a need in the art to provide an easy method and system for mounting a desk-top computer in an electrical equipment rack which provides for easy accessibility to the inside of the computer. Such system should not require any modification to the electrical components or to the component mounting chassis of the desk-top computer.

System for rack mounting a desk-top computer


The present invention relates to a sheet for mounting a workpiece, which includes a sheet body. The sheet body includes a top surface, a plurality of foamed pores, and a plurality of surface holes or at least one surface groove. The top surface is used for mounting a workpiece. The foamed pores are disposed in the interior of the sheet body. The surface holes or the surface groove have opening on the top surface but does not communicate with the foamed pores. The surface holes or the surface groove is formed by machining, and arranged in at least one pattern. Whereby, the time for taking off the workpiece from the sheet is reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet for mounting a workpiece, and more particularly to a sheet for mounting a workpiece that has holes or grooves on a surface thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Polishing generally refers to control of abrasion of an originally rough surface in a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process, in which slurry with fine particles is evenly distributed on a top surface of a polishing pad and meanwhile a workpiece is pressed against the polishing pad to repeat abrasing regularly. The workpiece is an object such as a semiconductor, a storage medium workpiece, an integrated circuit, a liquid crystal display (LCD) flat glass, an optical glass, and a photovoltaic panel. During polishing, a sheet for mounting a workpiece is needed for carrying and retaining the workpiece, and the quality of the sheet for mounting the workpiece directly influences the polishing effect of the workpiece.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a polishing device using a conventional sheet for mounting a workpiece disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,393. The polishing device 1 includes a lower base plate 11, a sheet 12, a workpiece 13, an upper base plate 14, a polishing pad 15, and slurry 16. The lower base plate 11 is relative to the upper base plate 14. A bottom surface 122 of the sheet for mounting the workpiece 12 is adhered to the lower base plate 11 by a self-adhesive layer 17, and a top surface 121 of the sheet 12 is used for carrying and retaining the workpiece 13. The polishing pad 15 is retained on the upper base plate 14 and faces the lower base plate 11, for proceeding polishing on the workpiece 13.
The operations of polishing device 1 are described as follows. Firstly, the workpiece 13 is disposed at the sheet 12, and the workpiece 13 is sucked by the sheet 12. Then, the upper base plate 14 and the lower base plate 11 rotate in opposite directions and meanwhile the upper base plate 14 moves downwards to enable the polishing pad 15 to contact a surface of the workpiece 13. The continuous refill of the slurry 16 and the function of the polishing pad 15 may realize the polishing of the workpiece 13.
Although the sheet 12 is capable of mounting the workpiece 13, after the polishing is completed, it takes a long time for taking off the workpiece 13 from the sheet 12. Particularly, nowadays, the workpiece 13 is developed to have a large size and a thin thickness, it becomes more difficult to take off the workpiece 13, and thus the working efficiency is reduced and the breakage rate is increased.
Therefore, it is in need of an innovative and inventive sheet for mounting a workpiece to solve the above-mentioned problems.


A plurality of CCD image pickup devices are provided. When the multiplex exposure is executed, the exposure timings of the plurality of image pickup devices are set to different timings. The output signals of the plurality of image pickup devices of different timings are synchronized and synthesized, thereby forming a multiplexed signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video camera for multiplexing picture planes of a plurality of fields and displaying a multiplexed image.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a camera integrated type VTR, a VTR having a multiplex exposing function for multiplexing picture planes of a plurality of fields and displaying a multiplexed image has been put into practical use. In almost of the conventional VTRs of the camera integrated type, an image pickup device of the single plate type is used. In case of the single plate type, the image pickup device operates at timings such that when one field is exposed, the other field transfers a signal. Therefore, a multiplex exposure is realized by an interpolating process by using a field memory.
In a video camera using the conventional image pickup device of the single plate type, there are problems such that since output images are intermittently obtained every field, when the multiplex exposure is performed, it is necessary to execute the interpolating process by using the field memory and only one image information is obtained every two fields, and in a field in which the image information lacks, the image of the field just before such a field must be repetitively read out from the field memory.