A transfer device is provided including an intermediate transfer belt and transfer rollers associated with respective of photosensitive drums. Each of the transfer rollers and the intermediate transfer belt define therebetween a contact range of which center lies downstream of the center of a contact range (transfer nip region) defined between the associated photosensitive drum and the endless belt in the direction of movement of the endless belt. The transfer roller deforms the path of movement of the intermediate transfer belt by contacting the intermediate transfer belt, and the resulting deformation causes the intermediate transfer belt to contact the periphery of the photosensitive drum over a predetermined range.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transfer device operative to transfer a toner image formed on an image carrier by electrophotographic image formation to a recording medium such as a recording sheet (hereinafter will be referred to as "recording sheet") via an endless belt. More particularly, the invention relates to a transfer device operative to transfer such a toner image from the image carrier to the endless belt or a recording sheet on the endless belt by the use of a transfer roller.
2. Description of the Related Art
Full-color image forming apparatus perform image formation using color toners corresponding to plural colors which are indicated by respective image data items obtained by color separation of a color image. For example, such image formation includes: reading the same color image through filters for three additive primary colors (red, green and blue); creating image data items respectively indicative of at least three subtractive primary colors (cyan, magenta and yellow) from the data thus read; forming visualized images based on the respective image data items using color toners respectively corresponding to the colors indicated by the respective image data items; and superimposing the visualized images of the respective colors one upon another to form a full-color image.
Heretofore, a tandem type full-color image forming apparatus has been proposed which includes a revolvable semiconducting endless belt and a row of image forming sections arranged in the direction of movement of the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt, the image forming sections being configured to individually form visualized images colored-different from each other, and which forms one full-color image during at least one revolution of the endless belt.
Tandem type full-color image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. H10-039651 and H10-293437 and Japanese Patent No. 2574804 are capable of higher-speed full-color image formation by employing either an intermediate transfer method including superimposing visualized images of respective colors formed at respective image forming sections one upon another on the outer peripheral surface of an endless belt, followed by transfer of the resulting image to a recording sheet or a transfer feed method including sequentially transferring visualized images of respective colors formed at the respective image forming sections to a surface of a recording medium being fed as attracted onto the outer peripheral surface of an endless belt.
Such a conventional tandem type full-color image forming apparatus is configured to form toner images on respective image carriers based on image information items obtained by color separation at the respective image forming sections and then transfer the toner images from the image carriers to the endless belt or a recording sheet being fed by the endless belt via transfer rollers. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, transfer roller 201 abuts against image carrier 203 with endless belt 202 intervening therebetween. The rotating shaft 201A of the transfer roller 201 extends parallel with the rotating shaft 203A of the image carrier 203 while being positioned on normal LV passing through a point of contact PC between the periphery of the image carrier 203 and the direction of movement of the endless belt 201. The transfer roller 201 is in contact with the endless belt 202 at the point of contact PC on the normal LV.
The peripheral surface of the transfer roller 201 is formed of a material which is softer than the surface of the image carrier 203. The transfer roller 201 is biased toward the rotating shaft 203A of the image carrier 203 along the normal LV and hence is pressed against the image carrier 203 across the endless belt 202. By this arrangement the transfer roller 201 and the image carrier 203 define therebetween a transfer nip region N having a predetermined width in the direction of movement of the endless belt 202. A toner image is transferred from the image carrier 203 to the endless belt 202 or a recording sheet through this transfer nip region N.
Since such a conventional full-color image forming apparatus has the above-described arrangement wherein the transfer nip region having the predetermined width in the direction of movement of the endless belt is defined by pressing the transfer roller having a lower surface hardness than the image carrier against the image carrier, exact transfer of a toner image becomes difficult due to instability in the circumferential velocity ratio between the endless belt and the image carrier which occurs when the velocity of the endless belt passing through the transfer nip region varies. Variations in the velocity of the endless belt passing through the transfer nip region are likely to occur due to variations in the coefficient of friction between the endless belt and the image carrier with environmental changes or with time.
The intermediate transfer type full-color image forming apparatus needs to have an increased nip width defined between the transfer roller and the image carrier in order to ensure reliable transfer of a toner image from the image carrier to the endless belt. As the nip width increases, the endless belt and the image carrier press against each other with increasing force, causing toner to aggregate. Such an aggregate of toner is likely to remain on the endless belt without transfer to a recording sheet. As a result, the image on the recording sheet suffers from voids (the phenomenon that toner forming inside portions of an image such as a character fail to transfer) and, hence, the image quality thereof is degraded. Further, the increase in the pressing force between the endless belt and the image carrier is likely to cause toner present on the upstream side of the endless belt to return to an image carrier on the downstream side, thus raising the problem of disagreement in image color due to undesirable mixture of color toners.
A feature of the present invention is to provide a transfer device for use in image forming apparatus which defines a transfer nip region having a predetermined width in the direction of movement of an endless belt without pressing a transfer roller against an image carrier across the endless belt, thereby preventing variations in the velocity of the endless belt passing through the transfer nip region, degradation in image quality due to toner aggregation, undesired entry of toner into the developing device of another image forming section, and an increase in toner consumption.


The present invention involves the use of quantitative RT-PCR to identify AC133 as a marker. AC133 is prevalent on endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which are important cells in angiogenesis. Therefore, the invention is applied to ascertain the quantity of EPCs in a subject, and to diagnose and monitor angiogenesis, for example, in injured tissues and in cancer development and progression.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the fields of cancer biology and nucleic acid biochemistry. Specifically, this invention provides a new method for diagnosing cancer and monitoring angiogenic activity through the amplification and quantitation of a particular gene product indicative of angiogenic activity.
2. Description of Related Art
Over forty target anti-angiogenic agents have been introduced into Phase I, II and III clinical trials in cancer and other non-cancer disease. Cytotoxic agents also possess anti-angiogenic activities. The clinical results from a number of lead anti-angiogenic agents have been disappointing despite their remarkable successes in animal models (Mundhenke et al., 2001). Only until recently, a randomized phase III study showed for the first time that adding bevacezumab, an antiVEGF antibody, to 5-FU, leucovorin, irinotecan (IFL) in metastatic colorectal cancer patients improved tumor response rate, time to tumor progression and overall survival as compared with IFL alone (Hurvitz et al., 2003). Therefore, monitoring and validating anti-angiogenic target response with a defined surrogate(s) would be of paramount clinical importance (Mundhenke et al., 2001; Folkman et al. 2001). Many techniques presently in use are impractical, invasive, and uneconomical.
Microvessel density assay (MVD), the most widely used angiogenesis surrogate, is quantified by counting the density of CD34+ endothelial cells distributed within the tumor (Byrne and Bundred, 2000). MVD has many practical and theoretical limitations for clinical use, however, as it requires direct assessment of microvessels within the tumor tissue. Thus, MVD is invasive and would not be suitable for serial measurements. Furthermore, tumor angiogenesis is enormously heterogeneous, as microvessel density is much higher in the periphery than in the center of an established tumor mass. In addition, MVD overlooks the systemic effects of angiogenic cytokines and, more importantly, endothelial progenitors.
Angiogenesis occurs not only through tumor vessel cooption, but also through mobilization and activation of bone marrow derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to the sites of active angiogenesis, an increasingly recognized key feature of postnatal angiogenesis, and a feature which MVD assays fail to assess (Asahara et al., 1999). Therefore, EPCs are viable angiogenic surrogates and could be quantified with fluorescence-activated cell sorting techniques (FACS) a using monoclonal antibodies.
However, the FACS procedure has many limitations. For instance, because EPCs are found in low concentrations and also give a poor yield during isolation, FACS assays require up to 50–100 mL of blood per assay. This process can be quite burdensome if serial measurements are required. FACS can be highly variable and subject to poor yield and viability of EPCs, as it is believed that EPCs often undergo apoptosis during isolation procedures, further lowering their recovery. In addition, the FACS procedure is cumbersome, and requires an expensive FACS sorter and an experienced technician to run the machine.
Therefore, there is a need for anti-angiogenic surrogate markers that meet the following specifications for clinical use: (1) they should be non-invasive, accessible and reproducible; (2) they should be feasible for serial measurement and economical; and (3) most importantly, they should mirror the underlying tumor angiogenic activities (Byrne and Bundred, 2000).

Quantitative RT-PCR to AC133 to diagnose cancer and monitor angiogenic activity in a cell sample

Board of Regents the University of Texas System


A multi-tier platform-as-a-service (PaaS) deployment reduced to a single-tier architecture for development is disclosed. A method of the disclosure includes mapping multiple tiers of a PaaS system to a consolidated environment executable on a virtual machine (VM), wherein networking stacks of the VM maintain a separation between the multiple tiers in the consolidated environment, and providing the consolidated environment as a development instance of the PaaS system for execution on the VM, the consolidated environment facilitating testing of code changes to the PaaS system.

Currently, a variety of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offerings exist that include software and/or hardware facilities for facilitating the execution of web applications in a cloud computing environment (the "cloud"). Cloud computing is a computing paradigm in which a customer pays a "cloud provider" to execute a program on computer hardware owned and/or controlled by the cloud provider. It is common for cloud providers to make virtual machines hosted on its computer hardware available to customers for this purpose.
The cloud provider typically provides an interface that a customer can use to requisition virtual machines and associated resources such as processors, storage, and network services, etc., as well as an interface a customer can use to install and execute the customer's program on the virtual machines that the customer requisitions, together with additional software on which the customer's program depends. For some such programs, this additional software can include software components, such as a kernel and an operating system, and/or middleware and a framework. Customers that have installed and are executing their programs "in the cloud" typically communicate with the executing program from remote geographic locations using Internet protocols.
PaaS offerings typically facilitate deployment of web applications without the cost and complexity of buying and managing the underlying hardware and software and provisioning hosting capabilities, providing all of the facilities required to support the complete life cycle of building and delivering web application and service entirely available from the Internet. Typically, these facilities operate as one or more virtual machines (VMs) running on top of a hypervisor in a host server.
A PaaS offering is generally a complicated product. For example, some PaaS offerings run over multiple machines when deployed in production. Accordingly, development of a PaaS product can be a daunting task, as the PaaS product often times operates over multiple tiers with a variety of inter-related components and protocols. It can take time and resources to bring a developer up to speed on the structure and workings of the PaaS product. Furthermore, changes made to one aspect of a PaaS product may effect a variety of other aspects of the PaaS products, without a developer realizing such an effect.

Multi-tier platform-as-a-service deployment reduced to single-tier architecture for development


Examples of the present disclosure describe systems and methods of automatic inline detection based on static data. In aspects, a file being received by a recipient device may be analyzed using an inline parser. The inline parser may identify sections of the file and feature vectors may be created for the identified sections. The feature vectors may be used to calculate a score corresponding to the malicious status of the file as the information is being analyzed. If a score is determined to exceed a predetermined threshold, the file download process may be terminated. In aspects, the received files, file fragments, feature vectors and/or additional data may be collected and analyzed to build a probabilistic model used to identify potentially malicious files.

Malware detection has become an integral part of cybersecurity. Often times, anti-malware scanners and similar malware detection techniques are used to detect and remove malware from malicious files. Typically, such security techniques are performed on files that have been fully downloaded and stored by a recipient device. As a result, malicious files may be mistakenly executed or transmitted by the recipient device prior to performing the security techniques. Additionally, network bandwidth, computational resources and storage space is wasted in the processing of such files.
It is with respect to these and other general considerations that the aspects disclosed herein have been made. Also, although relatively specific problems may be discussed, it should be understood that the examples should not be limited to solving the specific problems identified in the background or elsewhere in this disclosure.

Automatic inline detection based on static data


This invention relates to a free float steam trap comprises a trap which casing having an inlet port and an outlet port and a valve chest formed therein, a valve seat member attached to the lower portion of the valve chest and having a valve orifice opened through which the valve chest communicates with the outlet port, a float valve arranged in a free state in the valve chest, rising and descending in accordance with the water level in the valve chest to directly open and close the valve orifice and a means for dispersing and passing condensate flow downward, provided at a fluid inlet through which the inlet port communicates with valve chest.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a free float steam trap adapted to directly open and close a valve orifice by a float valve accommodated in a free state in a valve chest, thereby automatically discharging only condensate from the mixture of steam and the condensate, based on a basic concept that difference in specific gravity between the steam and the condensate is employed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For example, a free float steam trap disclosed in Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 55-135292 is provided with a spherical float itself which rises due to buoyancy and descends in a free state in a valve chest and also has a function of valve body. The steam trap of this type is provided with a single operating portion in comparison with a conventional steam trap in which a float, a lever and a valve body are individually separate, and its structure is extremely simple, so that there occurs little trouble. Furthermore, since the entire surface of its float valve put in a free state forms a seal surface, a new valve surface can be easily obtained relative to a valve seat.
The construction of the conventional free float steam trap is shown in FIG. 7. A trap casing is constituted by attaching a cover member 93 to a main body 90 having an inlet port 91 and an outlet port 92. A valve chest 94 is formed in the interior portion thereof. A float valve 95 is accommodated in a free state in the valve chest 94. A valve seat member 96 is mounted on a lower portion of the valve chest 94 and held by a plug 97. At the valve seat member 96 is formed a valve orifice 98 opened to the valve chest 94. The valve orifice 98 communicates with the outlet port 92 through an outlet passage 99. Condensate entering from the inlet port 91 stays in the valve chest 94. The float valve 95 rises and descends due to buoyancy in accordance with the water level thereof so that the valve orifice 98 is opened and closed. The opening of the valve orifice enables the condensate in the valve chest 94 to be discharged and flows to the outlet port 92 through the outlet passage 99.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view substantially taken along a line 8--8 in FIG. 7, showing a condition that the condensate flows into the valve chest 94 from the inlet port 91. As understood from the figure, the sectional configuration of an inlet for condensate which indicates an inlet portion, and a portion for connecting the inlet port to the valve chest is generally designed to be circular because of the connection to a pipe arrangement. When the condensate flows in this portion, therefore, the condensate flow is gathered at a portion close to a central portion of the inlet port, as shown in the figure, then, becomes a thin water flow and flows down to the valve chest.
In the free float steam trap as mentioned above, the float valve is arranged in a free state in the valve chest, so that there originally arises such a defect that the float valve is liable to be vibrated. Therefore, when the condensate flow falls in a concentrated manner, as mentioned above, the float valve arranged at the destination of a fall of the condensate flow is significantly vibrated due to the action of the condensate flow. As a result, the contact between the float valve and the valve orifice is deteriorated, so that the leakage of fluid, especially, steam in the valve chest occurs.
When the condensate flows into the valve chest 94 from the inlet port 91 in a state as shown by an arrow X in FIG. 7, the condensate so exerts as to press the float valve 95 to the valve orifice 98, so that the float valve 95 is prevented from opening. As a result, there arises a problem that the discharge flow rate of the condensate is decreased.
On the other hand, when the condensate concentrically falls on the valve orifice side, the fluid in the vicinity of the valve orifice is brought into a turbulent state. Therefore, there arises such a problem that steam is liable to be involved in the fluid flowing out to the outlet port through the valve orifice.
Further, when the condensate falling in a concentrated manner is even slightly deflected from the center line of the float valve, namely, the axis of the valve orifice, the condensate flow so actuates as to push the float valve sideward. Consequently, the float valve is turned away from the valve orifice and the leakage of the fluid, especially, steam is induced.


A container includes a plurality of support legs, with each of the support legs having a plurality of wheel members adjustably mounted to the supports to provide for ease of leveling of the container structure, wherein the container in addition to the Christmas tree fastening rod members includes a support channel arranged to receive a first conduit, with the first conduit arranged for receiving a second conduit, and the second conduit having a bowl member to direct fluid from the bowl member through the first conduit and second conduit into the container in a remote manner to permit ease of watering of a Christmas tree mounted within the container structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to Christmas tree stand structure, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved Christmas tree stand apparatus arranged for the remote watering of a Christmas tree relative to a support container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Christmas tree stands of various types are utilized throughout the prior art and exemplified by the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,014,461; 3,885,763; and 4,976,411.
The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing for ease of watering of a Christmas tree within a support container and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A bore seal includes a polymeric interface portion adapted for coupling so an initiator activation signal transmission medium, and an initiator-receiving portion adapted for receiving an initiator therein. The bore seal generally houses a pyrotechnic initiator or igniter therein, for incorporation into a gas generating system or other system having a pyrotechnically actuatable element.

The present invention relates generally to gas generating systems and, more particularly, to gas generators used in vehicle occupant protection systems and related components, such as seatbelt pretensioners.
Gas generators used in seatbelt pretensioners are known as micro gas generators (MGG's) due to the relatively small size of the gas generator. Exemplary pretensioners using such micro gas generators include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,460,794, 6,505,790, 6,520,443, and 6,419,177, incorporated herein by reference. Micro gas generators generally include a bore seal for receiving and securing an initiator therein, an initiator including an initiator charge, and a gas generant composition which ignites and burns in response to activation of the initiator to produce gases for actuating the seatbelt pretensioner.
A portion of the bore seal is configured to mate with a mating connector element formed on a portion of a vehicle to which the initiator assembly is attached. Typically, the bore seal is formed from a metal, such as steel or aluminum. Mating features (such as slots and undercuts) and other desired features are machined into appropriate surfaces of the metal bore seal. However, machining these features into the bore seal is relatively expensive. Some existing micro gas generator designs incorporate an initiator assembly in which the initiator is molded into a bore seal formed from a plastic material to include the desired mating features. However, limitations on molding process temperatures and pressures imposed by the structure of the initiator tend to limit the range of plastics suitable for insert molding. This results in a bore seal having insufficient strength for micro gas generator operation.


A press-fit pin for a semiconductor package includes a shaft terminating in a head. A pair of arms extends away from a center of the head. Each arm includes a curved shape and the arms together form an s-shape. A length of the s-shape is longer than the shaft diameter. An outer extremity of each arm includes a contact surface configured to electrically couple to and form a friction fit with a pin receiver. In implementations the press-fit pin has only two surfaces configured to contact an inner sidewall of the pin receiver and is configured to contact the inner sidewall at only two locations. The shaft may be a cylinder. The s-shape formed by the pair of arms is visible from a view facing a top of the press-fit pin along a direction parallel with the longest length of the shaft. Versions include a through-hole extending through the head.

1. Technical Field
Aspects of this document relate generally to semiconductor device packaging and installation of semiconductor device packages to a printed circuit board (PCB) (motherboard) and/or to other elements.
2. Background Art
Semiconductor device packages (packages) often include elements to mount or otherwise couple the package to a printed circuit board (PCB) (motherboard) or to other elements. Such mounting elements sometimes include pins that are configured to be press-fit into pin receivers of a PCB/motherboard or other element. Press-fit pins on such semiconductor device packages generally do not require soldering to couple the pins and thus the package to the PCB/motherboard or other element. The pins are generally configured to electrically couple components of the package with external components of the motherboard/PCB or other external elements.

Press-fit pin for semiconductor packages and related methods

SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC


Methods, systems, and computer readable media for supporting source or listener directivity in a wave-based sound propagation model are disclosed. According to one method, the method includes computing, prior to run-time, one or more sound fields associated with a source or listener position and modeling, at run-time and using the one or more sound fields and a wave-based sound propagation model, source or listener directivity in an environment.

Sound propagation techniques determine how sound waves travel in a space and interact with the environment. In many applications, it is important to be able to simulate sound propagation in large scenes, such as games and training in both indoor and outdoor scenes, noise prediction in urban areas, and architectural acoustics design for buildings and interior spaces such as concert halls. Realistic acoustic effects can also improve the realism of a virtual environment. Acoustic phenomena such as interference, diffraction, and scattering for general scenes can only be captured by accurately solving the acoustic wave equation. The large spatial and frequency domain and accuracy requirement pose a significant challenge for acoustic techniques to be used in these diverse domains with different requirements.
Sound sources can be omnidirectional (e.g., radiating sound isotropically) or directional (e.g., radiating sound anisotropically). Most sound sources we come across in real life (e.g., ranging from human voices through speaker systems in televisions, radio, smartphones, machine noises in cars, aircrafts, helicopters, and musical instruments) are directional sources that have a specific directivity pattern. This directivity depends on the shape, size, and material properties of the sound source, as well as a complex interaction of the processes of vibration and sound radiation, resulting in varying directivity at different frequencies. Due to the non-uniform radiation of sound, directional sources have a significant impact on sound propagation and the corresponding acoustic response of the environments. Acoustic effects generated from directional sources are noticeable in everyday life: a person talking towards/away from a listener, positioning of different types of musical instruments in an orchestra, good-sounding places (sweet spots) in front of television in the living room, aircraft, helicopter, or fire trucks in an urban environment.
Analogous to source directivities, listeners also have directivities. In other words, listeners do not receive sound in the same way from all directions. The human auditory system obtains significant directional cues from the subtle differences in sound received by each ear which are caused by the scattering of sound around the head. Listener directivity can be used to enhance a user's immersion in a virtual environment by providing the listener with cues corresponding to the directions the sound is coming from, and thereby enriching the experience.
Various techniques may be used in predicting or modeling sound propagation. Some techniques may involve assuming sound travels like rays (e.g., beams of lights). Other techniques may involve assuming sound travels like waves. However, current techniques are unable to efficiently support source or listener directivity in an interactive wave-based sound propagation model.
Accordingly, there exists a need for methods, systems, and computer readable media for supporting source or listener directivity in an interactive wave-based sound propagation model.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for source and listener directivity for interactive wave-based sound propagation

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills


A clamping circuit for restoring the DC level of video input signals. The clamping circuit comprises a coupling capacitor, a latch, a logic element, a charge switch, and a constant current source. The latch is coupled to the coupling capacitor to receive a video input signal therethrough and comprises a bias current source for generating first and second output signals in response to the AC-coupled signal and a reference voltage. The logic element receives the first and second output signals, generating a charging control signal to the charge switch. The charge switch, responsive to the charging control signal, is turned on to direct the current of the bias current source to the coupling capacitor, raising the level of the AC-coupled signal. Meanwhile, the constant current source continuously discharges the coupling capacitor slowly.

The invention relates to a clamping circuit, and more specifically to a clamping circuit for restoring the DC level of video signals.
Video signals are processed in many different applications including televisions, video capture equipment, VCRs and camcorders. When transmitting video signals, the D.C. reference level thereof may be lost. Therefore, a clamping circuit is generally built into video receivers to restore the DC level of video signals to a reference level within the supply range of the video receivers.
FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a conventional clamping circuit 10, having a coupling capacitor C1, two current sources 14 and 16, and a comparator 18. The coupling capacitor C1 receives a video input signal Vin to be clamped. The comparator 18 coupled between the coupling capacitor C1 and the second current source 16, receives the video input signal Vin via the coupling capacitor C1 at a positive input terminal thereof and a reference voltage Vref at a negative input terminal thereof, thereby generating a charging control signal. Moreover, the current source 14 is coupled between the coupling capacitor C1 and ground, and the current source 16 coupled between a power line Vcc and the coupling capacitor C1, receives the charging control signal from the comparator 18. When receiving the video input signal Vin, the comparator 18 compares the magnitude of the video input signal Vin to that of the reference voltage Vref, and generates the charging control signal in accordance with the comparison result to the second current source 16. For example, when the AC-coupled signal Vac is less than the reference voltage Vref, the comparator 18 generates the charging control signal in a LOW state (i.e. logic '0'), turning on the current source 16, thereby charging the coupling capacitor C1 and raising the level of the AC-coupled signal Vac. When the video input signal Vin exceeds the reference voltage Vref, the current source 16 is turned off with the charging control signal in a HIGH state (i.e. logic '1'). The current source 14 is a weak current source, continuously discharging the coupling capacitor C1, lowering the level of the video input signal Vin slowly. FIGS. 1B and 1C are exemplary waveforms of the video input signal Vin before and after being clamped by the clamping circuit 10 respectively. Comparing FIG. 1B with FIG. 1C, it can be found that the lowest level of the video input signal Vin is clamped to the predetermined reference voltage level Vref by the clamping circuit 10.
The conventional clamping circuit, however, requires an extra current source such as current source 16 to charge the coupling capacitor; this may increase the required chip area and cost.


The present invention is directed to a novel method of preparing a polymerizate, which includes the step of polymerizing a two-component composition, which includes: a first component containing at least one polycyanate reactant having at least two functional groups selected from isocyanate, isothiocyanate and combinations thereof, the polycyanate reactant being the reaction product of: a polythiol monomer having at least two thiol groups; and a polycyanate monomer having at least two functional groups selected from isocyanate, isothiocyanate and combinations thereof; and a second component containing at least one polyamine reactant having at least two functional groups selected from primary amine, secondary amine and combinations thereof. The molar equivalent ratio of (NCO+NCS) groups from the first component to (—NH2+—NH—) groups from the second component is from 0.5 to 100. The present invention is also directed to polymerizates prepared according to the method of the present invention. The present invention is further directed to photochromic articles that may be prepared from the polymerizates of the present invention.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of preparing a polymerizate from a two-component organic composition, the polymerizate having a refractive index of at least 1.6, an Abbe number of at least 33 and an initial Barcol hardness of at least 1. More particularly, the present invention relates to polymerizing certain two-component organic compositions comprising at least one polycyanate reactant having at least two isocyanate and/or isothiocyanate groups, and a polyamine having at least two primary and/or secondary amine groups. The present invention also relates to polymerizates and photochromic articles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of organic polymeric materials, e.g., plastics, have been developed as alternatives and replacements for glass in applications such as optical lenses, fiber optics, windows and automotive, nautical and aviation transparencies. As used herein, the term 'glass' is meant to refer to silica-based inorganic glass. These polymeric materials can provide advantages relative to glass, including, shatter resistance, lighter weight for a given application, ease of molding and ease of dying. Representative examples of such polymeric materials include, poly(methyl methacrylate), thermoplastic polycarbonate and poly[diethylene glycol bis(allylcarbonate)].
The refractive indices of many polymeric materials are generally lower than that of glass. For example, the refractive index of poly[diethylene glycol bis(allylcarbonate)] is about 1.50, compared to that of high index glass, which can range, for example, from 1.60 to 1.80. When fabricating lenses to correct a given degree of visual defect, e.g., a correction for myopia, the use of a polymeric material having a lower refractive index will require a thicker lens relative to a material having a higher refractive index, e.g., high index glass. When the degree of correction required is substantial, as in the case of severe myopia, a lens fabricated from a low index polymeric material can be required to be very thick. A very thick lens may negate any benefit resulting from the use of lower density lens materials relative to an equivalent degree of correction obtained from a higher refractive index glass lens. In addition, thicker optical lenses are not aesthetically desirable.
It is known that polymeric materials having refractive indices greater than 1.50 can be prepared from aromatic monomers and monomers containing halogens and/or sulfur atoms. The materials from which lenses, and in particular optical lenses, are fabricated can be categorized by their refractive indices. As those skilled in the art can appreciate, low indices typically include indices of refraction of from less than 1.50 through 1.53; middle indices comprise indices of refraction of from 1.54 through 1.57; and high indices commonly include indices of refraction of 1.58 and greater. Lenses prepared from polymeric materials having high refractive indices typically also have lower Abbe numbers (also known as nu-values). Lower Abbe numbers are indicative of an increasing level of chromatic dispersion, which is typically manifested as an optical distortion at or near the rim of the lens.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,889 to Jiang et al. discloses optical polymers, for use in lenses, prepared from a polythiol group-containing component, a polyisocyanate group-containing component and/or a polyfunctional vinyl group-containing component. The polymers disclosed typically had refractive indices less than 1.69 and Abbe number less than 35.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,681 to Herold et al. discloses an optical polymer, for use as a lens material, prepared from an isocyanate or isothiocyanate and a polythiol. The polymers disclosed have a refractive index of at least 1.57 and an Abbe number of at least 33.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,756 to Zhu et al. discloses an optical polymer described as a thermoplastic thiourethane-urethane copolymer prepared by reacting an aliphatic diisocyanate with a dithiol to form a thiourethane prepolymer, which is then reacted with a diisocyanate and a polyol. The polymers disclosed typically had a refractive index between 1.57 and 1.60 and Abbe number between 35 and 38.
While the optical polymers discussed above have adequate refractive indices and chromatic dispersion, they do not necessarily have the degree of impact resistance required to be suitable for use as daily wear lenses for eyeglasses.
It is accordingly desirable then to identify new polymeric materials, for example polymerizates, which can be used to prepare transparent polymerizates, particularly optical lenses that possess a combination of high refractive index and adequately high Abbe number as well as possessing the physical properties, in particular impact resistance, that are at least equivalent to and preferably better than those of lower index polymeric materials.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of preparing an optical polymerizate


A plurality of two-dimensionally arranged microlenses, a pair of light-receiving elements corresponding to the microlenses, and a light-controlling member configured to control incidence of light onto adjacent light-receiving areas of the pair of light-receiving elements are provided.

In a known image pickup apparatus, a single image pickup element is used, and the pupil of the pickup lens is divided to capture a pair of images having parallax for displaying a stereoscopic image (for example, see JP 2011-515045 A and JP 2003-523646 A). The image pickup element used in this image pickup apparatus is provided with a plurality of microlenses in a two-dimensional array and a pair of light-receiving elements corresponding to each microlens and is disposed so that the pupil divided image of the pickup lens forms on each pair of light-receiving elements. In this way, a pixel signal to generate one captured image of a stereoscopic image is obtained from one light-receiving element, and a pixel signal to generate the other captured image of a stereoscopic image is obtained from the other light-receiving element.

Image pickup element and image pickup apparatus


A system and method for providing integrated telephony and Internet services is described. An embodiment of the present invention comprises passively collecting incoming and/or outgoing call information from communications links communicatively coupled to a first party. The call information is extracted and customer information, such as demographic information, is retrieved. The customer information may be, for example, retrieved from a data provider or may have been previously collected or gathered. Thereafter, reports, charts, graphs, maps, and the like may be made available. In an embodiment, the reports, charts, graphs, maps, and the like are made available via a network such as the Internet.

The amount of revenue a business generates is dependent upon the customers the business attracts and how well the business serves the needs of the customers. To better identify the customers and their needs, it is often advantageous for a business to gather demographic information regarding its customers, including geographical and socioeconomic information. By gathering this information, a business is better able to customize its business for its customer base, thereby increasing revenues and decreasing expenses by determining the types of products or services to offer, the market for the products or services, the types of advertising that may be effective, the value of specific types of advertising, and the like.
One attempt to collect customer data has been utilized by businesses that advertise in the advertisement section of the phone book, commonly referred to as the Yellow Pages. In order to help publishers of the Yellow Pages prove the value of advertising in its Yellow Pages and to gather customer data, publishers may install equipment that tracks the response generated due to the advertisement in the Yellow Pages. To do this, the publishers typically assign a "virtual" telephone number to the business. When the virtual telephone number is called, the telephone call is routed to the actual telephone number of the business. In this manner, the publisher may collect caller information when customers call the virtual telephone number. The service enables publishers and businesses (i.e., advertisers) to receive detailed call traffic analysis including date and time of call, call duration, ring duration, source of call (residential or business), disposition of call (answered, busy, no answer), and the name and address of the caller. This information then allows businesses to obtain other socioeconomic data.
This ability, however, is not available or convenient for all businesses or aspects of a business. For example, as described above, the publisher typically assigns a "virtual" telephone number to the business. Many businesses have used and advertised existing telephone numbers for years and may not want to change telephone numbers. Other businesses may not want or need to advertise in the Yellow Pages, but would nonetheless like to obtain, and profit from, the information that may be gathered by such a system that collects information regarding callers. In another example, a business may want to collect information regarding specific aspects of a business, such as a customer service number, a sporting-goods department, or the like. In these cases, a company may not need to advertise the number, but would want to collect caller information to better serve its customers.
Thus, there is a need for a method and an apparatus that allows a business to collect customer information that may be used, for example, to gather marketing and advertising information, customer demographics, and the like.

Method and apparatus for integrated telephone and internet services


A sunshade device for a vehicle includes a first panel being slidable relative to a roof panel by receiving a driving force so as to open or close an opening portion formed in the roof panel of a vehicle, a second panel being slidable by receiving a driving force from the first panel so as to open or close the opening portion, a lifting mechanism for lifting the second panel upward relative to the first panel in a predetermined sliding position, and a link member provided between the first panel and the second panel and rotatably connected to the first panel and the second panel. When the second panel is lifted upward relative to the first panel by the lifting mechanism, the link member rotates relative to the first panel and the second panel.

A known sunroof for a vehicle is generally equipped with a sunshade, which is provided on a vehicle interior side of a lid for opening or closing an opening in a roof, to block sunlight in cases where the lid is formed by transparent or semi-transparent material.
Recently, more vehicles include large openings in a roof for the purposes of receiving more daylight. Then, a sunshade consisting of multiple panels (for example, 2 panels) that correspond to a size of the opening, and slide along the roof is provided to such vehicles. The sunshade is constituted such that the sunshade is moved between a deployed state in which panels are arranged side by side and a retracted state in which the panels are retracted by overlapping each other.
Such a sunshade disclosed in DE10327313A1 is explained with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12 showing a state in which the sunshade including two panels are moved from a deployed state to a retracted state.
In cases where a sunshade 1 is in the deployed state, as shown in FIG. 10, an engaging portion 2a formed on a slider 2 of a first panel engages, in a sliding direction, with a protruding portion 3a formed on a slider 3 of a second panel. At this time, a pushing face 2b of the engaging portion 2a of the slider 2 and the protruding portion 3a of the slider 3 are in contact with each other. That is, the first panel presses, by means of the pushing face 2b, the second panel in the sliding direction (i.e. rightward direction in FIGS. 10 to 12) so that the first panel and the second panel slide as a unit.
When the sunshade 1 slides to a predetermined position in the sliding direction, a cam portion 3b formed on the slider 3 of the second panel is made contact with a guide face 4. In such circumstances, when the first panel presses the second panel in the sliding direction, the cam portion 3b is guided upward (i.e. upper side in FIGS. 10 to 12) along the guide face 4. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the slider 3 of the second panel is lifted upward relative to the slider 2 of the first panel.
When the first panel further presses the second panel in the sliding direction, the slider 3 of the second panel is lifted, by means of the cam portion 3b and the guide face 4, further upward relative to the slider 2 of the first panel. Then, the protruding portion 3a of the slider 3 disengages from the engaging portion 2a of the slider 2. Accordingly, the slider 3 of the second panel disengages from the slider 2 of the first panel in the sliding direction, thereby causing the first panel to be slidable relative to the second panel. The first panel slides into a lower side of the second panel (i.e. lower side in FIGS. 10 to 12) and thus the second panel overlaps the first panel. The retracted state is achieved accordingly.
According to the aforementioned sunshade, the slider 3 of the second panel is lifted upward relative to the slider 2 of the first panel since the cam portion 3b of the slider 3 is guided to the guide face 4. The slider 3 of the second panel eventually disengages from the slider 2 in the sliding direction. In this case, while the slider 3 disengages completely from the slider 2, the cam portion 3b of the slider 3 is kept pressed against the guide face 4. Thus, a large friction is generated between the cam portion 3b and the guide face 4. Further, the protruding portion 3a of the slider 3 is lifted upward while the protruding portion 3a is pressed against the pushing face 2b of the slider 2. Thus, a large friction is also generated between the protruding portion 3a and the pushing face 2b. As a result, the upward movement of the slider 3 of the second panel relative to the slider 2 of the first panel (i.e. retracting operation) may be prevented by such a friction portion.
Thus, a need exists for a sunshade device that can realize a smooth retracting operation.


Water soluble uncrosslinked polysaccharides may be fluid loss control agents for viscoelastic surfactant (VES) fluids used for stimulation (e.g. fracturing) or well completion in hydrocarbon recovery operations. The VES fluid may further include proppant or gravel, if it is intended for use as a fracturing fluid or a gravel packing fluid, although such uses do not require that the fluid contain proppant or gravel. The water soluble uncrosslinked polysaccharide fluid loss control agents may include, but not be limited to guar gum and derivatives thereof; cellulose and derivatives thereof; propylene glycol alginate; salts (e.g. sodium, potassium, and calcium salts) of iota, kappa, and lambda carrageenan; agar-agar; xanthan gum; and the like; and/or mixtures thereof. The fluid loss control agent may be added to the aqueous viscoelastic treating fluid prior to VES addition, and/or at the same time and/or after the VES is added.

Hydraulic fracturing is a method of using pump rate and hydraulic pressure to fracture or crack a subterranean formation. Once the crack or cracks are made, high permeability proppant, relative to the formation permeability, is pumped into the fracture to prop open the crack. When the applied pump rates and pressures are reduced or removed from the formation, the crack or fracture cannot close or heal completely because the high permeability proppant keeps the crack open. The propped crack or fracture provides a high permeability path connecting the producing wellbore to a larger formation area to enhance the production of hydrocarbons.
The development of suitable fracturing fluids is a complex art because the fluids must simultaneously meet a number of conditions. For example, they must be stable at high temperatures and/or high pump rates and shear rates which can cause the fluids to degrade and prematurely settle out the proppant before the fracturing operation is complete. Various fluids have been developed, but most commercially used fracturing fluids are aqueous based liquids which have either been gelled or foamed. When the fluids are gelled, typically a polymeric gelling agent, such as a solvatable polysaccharide is used, which may or may not be crosslinked. The thickened or gelled fluid helps keep the proppants within the fluid during the fracturing operation.
While crosslinked and uncrosslinked polymers have been used in the past as gelling agents in fracturing fluids to carry or suspend solid particles in the brine, such polymers require separate breaker compositions to be injected to reduce the viscosity.
Aqueous fluids gelled with viscoelastic surfactants (VESs) are also known in the art. VES-gelled fluids have been widely used as gravel-packing, frac-packing and fracturing fluids because they exhibit excellent rheological properties and are relatively less damaging to producing formations than fluids gelled with crosslinked polymers. VES fluids are non-cake-building fluids, and thus leave no potentially damaging polymer cake residue. VES fracturing fluids offer many properties that are conducive to a well-executed frac pack or fracturing treatment. However, these fluids have little fluid loss control. The same property that makes VES fluids relatively less damaging tends to result in significantly higher fluid leakage into the reservoir matrix, which reduces the efficiency of the fluid especially during VES fracturing treatments. Fluid lost to the formation during frac pack and hydraulic fracturing operations increases the risk of slurry dehydration and premature screen-out, increases the risk of formation damage, increases the risk of fluid incompatibilities with formation fluids (e.g. emulsions), increases the volume of fluid needed to complete the treatment, and/or can cause increased hydraulic horsepower requirements.
It would thus be very desirable and important to find and use fluid loss agents for VES fracturing treatments in high permeability formations.

Fluid loss control in viscoelastic surfactant fracturing fluids using water soluble polymers


A device for a sending and receiving unit of a communication arrangement is provided. The device includes: a first passage for electromagnetic waves and a second passage for electromagnetic waves; a partially transparent surface which is transparent for electromagnetic waves of a first wave length range and which is reflective for electromagnetic waves of a second wave length range, wherein the second wave length range differs from the first wave length range; and a first retroreflective surface which is retroreflective for electromagnetic waves of the first wave length range. A direction of reflection of the electromagnetic waves of the first wave length range differs from a direction of reflection of the electromagnetic waves of the second wave length range if the electromagnetic waves of the first wave length range as well as the electromagnetic waves of the second wave length range are incoming through the same passage.

Dealing with thermal load may be a major challenge, in particular in connection with spacecraft that are used and operated out of the earth's atmosphere. This is because the heat exchange can take place only by heat conduction and thermal radiation due to lack of atmosphere and without convection.
Basically, heat may flow from a place with higher temperature to a place with lower temperature by heat conduction (also: heat diffusion or conduction) or by thermal radiation. Apart from that, heat transport by convection is also possible, wherein for this purpose a macroscopic material stream is necessary. Out of the earth's atmosphere, i.e., in vacuum, heat transport by convection is not possible due to lack of atmosphere. The present or missing or varying irradiation of an object by radiating sources, in particular also by the sun, may result in very high fluctuations in temperature within the object. This establishes a big challenge for man-made spacecraft, in particular as the used components need to be specified for a limited temperature range.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,888 describes a satellite that circles the earth and that comprises a temperature radiator. The temperature radiator is configured to discharge heat from a heat source and to radiate it into space. A heat conductor extends between the temperature radiator and the heat source and thermal switches are arranged to connect the heat source with the temperature radiator and to reduce the temperature of the heat source if the temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold value.


A composite video signal has a chrominance signal (14) and a luminance signal (10). A method and apparatus are disclosed for adjusting the chrominance signal (14) to obtain an enhanced chrominance signal (15) in which at least some transitions in the enhanced chrominance signal (15) align more closely with edges in the luminance signal (10) than transitions in the original chrominance signal (14) align with edges in the luminance signal (10). An edge in the luminance signal (10) of the composite video signal is detected (11). The position of the edge relative to a current pixel is detected (11). The chrominance of the current pixel is adjusted (13) in accordance with at least the position of said current pixel relative to the edge to obtain an enhanced chrominance signal (15).

As is known, picture signals in general have a luminance or brightness signal component, which determines the brightness level of pixels at any particular time, and a chrominance or colour signal component, which determines the colour level of pixels at any particular time. In for example the television formats NTSC, PAL and SECAM, a composite colour video signal includes both luminance and chrominance signals. The way these signals are generated and used differ in detail between the different television formats, but those differences are not material for present purposes. Moreover, the terminology used for the different signals differs between the different formats. Unless the context requires otherwise, the term "luminance" and the term "chrominance" used herein apply equally to the "brightness" and "colour" signals of the composite video signals of any of these television formats and any other equivalent format that uses luminance and chrominance signals.
As is known, in order to achieve backward compatibility with monochrome (black and white) television sets at the time, the colour television formats were set so that the chrominance signal has a narrow bandwidth compared to the luminance signal. The effect of this in practice is that chrominance transitions around colour edges are slower than luminance transitions around the corresponding luminance edges. The way that this manifests itself in the displayed image is that, at an edge in an image, whereas the luminance might for example shift rapidly from a bright region to a neighbouring dark region, the corresponding shift in the chrominance is slower such that there is often a mismatch between the chrominance edges and the luminance edges. This becomes displayed as hue distortions around colour edges such that, for example, red or blue colour can "bleed" into an adjacent region that should be pure white, causing a distortion in the colour of the "white" region at the colour edge. In early colour televisions, this difference was barely visible owing to the relatively poor quality of colour reproduction at the time. However, with more modern television sets, including particularly the large sized displays that can be achieved with LCD and plasma display panels, the visibility of hue distortions around the colour edges has become a more significant problem.
A number of colour enhancement methods are known. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,357, there is disclosed a colour transient improvement method in which an enhanced chrominance signal is obtained by selecting one of three signals at different times. The three signals are the original chrominance signal, a derivative of a once-delayed original chrominance signal, and a twice-delayed original chrominance signal. A choice is made between these three signals according to their relative values in order to avoid overshoot and undershoot. However, this method is rather basic and does not produce optimal results.
Another example of colour transient improvement is disclosed in US-A-2003/0107678. The method of this prior art is shown schematically in FIG. 1. An input chrominance signal 1 is passed through a Gaussian filter 2 to remove noise. Then a second derivative with respect to time is taken 3. Using the sign of the second derivative, a correction signal 4 is created. In particular, the sign of the second derivative determines if the correction signal 4 is derived from a local minimum or a local maximum of the chrominance signal. The absolute value of the second derivative is used in a gain control generator 5 to generate a gain control function accordingly. Then, using the correction signal and the gain control function, a chrominance adjustment signal is added to the filtered original chrominance signal in an adder 6 to generate the final output chrominance signal 7. A particular problem with the method of US-A-2003/0107678 is its use of and reliance on the second derivative of the original chrominance signal. This means that in the case that transitions in the chrominance signal are linear, no changes to the chrominance signal will be effected by this prior art method. Moreover, the enhanced colour transitions are still sometimes not aligned with the luminance edges and, in fact, the hue change artefacts around the edges can be made even more visible using this prior art method.

Method and apparatus for adjusting a chrominance signal

Vestel Elektronik Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S.


Processes for forming ferric chloride solutions that are stable at relatively low temperatures and suitable for transportation without precipitation are provided. The stable ferric chloride solutions have an iron content of about 16 to about 23 weight percent and a hydrochloric acid content of about 11 to about 17 weight percent, wherein the ferric chloride solution is a stable solution and/or reversibly freezes at −10° C. Also disclosed are processes for reconstituting the stable ferric chlorides solutions to provide a final iron content of 10 to 14 weight percent and lower the concentration of hydrochloric acid contained therein.

The present disclosure generally relates to ferric chloride solutions, and more particularly, to processes for making stable ferric chloride solutions suitable for transport thereof, wherein the iron content in these solutions is about 16 to about 23 weight percent and does not precipitate at temperatures greater than −10° C.
Aqueous solutions of ferric chloride (FeCl3) are commonly used as flocculating agents for treatment of water, for hydrogen sulfide control, struvite control, sludge conditioning, color removal, phosphate removal, heavy metal removal, lime softening applications, and the like. For water treatment applications, the trivalent iron functions exceptionally well for both potable and wastewater clarification. Solutions containing ferric chloride can be prepared in a variety of ways. For example, ferric chloride solutions can be produced by oxidation of ferrous chloride using oxygen (O2) or chlorine (Cl2); by dissolution of ferric oxide with hydrochloric acid; and the like. These iron solutions are typically supplied with an iron concentration about 10 to about 14 weight percent because at iron concentrations greater than 15% by weight, precipitation can result especially when the ferric chloride solution is subjected to relatively low temperatures of about 0° C. or less.
Moreover, because many of the processes for manufacturing ferric chloride use hydrochloric acid as a reagent in the reaction, precipitation can result at even lower iron concentrations depending on the concentration of hydrochloric acid in the final ferric chloride solution. For example, the reaction of ferric oxide with hydrochloric acid to form ferric chloride can be quantified as follows:1Fe2O3+6HCl→2FeCl3+3 H2O
The hydrochloric acid and ferric oxide react to form reaction products including ferric chloride, water, and residuals including unreacted hydrochloric acid and unreacted ferric oxide. The amount of unreacted hydrochloric acid in the product is typically on the order of a few weight percent at most. As shown in prior art FIG. 1, the phase behavior at 0° C. of a ferric chloride, hydrochloric acid, and water system is such that the maximum iron content in solution decreases as a function of increasing hydrochloric acid up to an excess of about 15 weight percent hydrochloric acid.
In view of economies of scale, it would be desirable to maximize the amount of trivalent iron content available in ferric chloride solutions and provide high iron content ferric chloride solutions that are stable during transportation from one location to another location, especially if subjected to relatively low temperatures. Accordingly, it would be desirable and a significant commercial advantage to define a process and solution composition that provides a stable ferric chloride solution with increased iron content.

Processes for making stable ferric chloride solutions


An ultrasonic transducer includes a substrate, a supporting film, and a piezoelectric element. The substrate includes an opening. The supporting film is configured on the substrate to cover the opening. The piezoelectric element is configured at a part of the supporting film. The part overlaps with the opening in a planar view in a thickness direction of the substrate. A thickness of the part of at a center of gravity in the planar view is smaller than a thickness of an outer edge portion of the part. The outer edge portion is closer to the substrate than the center to the substrate.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic transducer, an ultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic examination device.
2. Background Technology
An ultrasonic transducer in which a plurality of ultrasonic elements are arranged in a matrix pattern has been known. This ultrasonic transducer includes a substrate that has a plurality of openings, a supporting film that is provided on the substrate so as to cover each of the openings, and a piezoelectric element that is provided on a part of the supporting film corresponding to each of the openings. A diaphragm is constructed by the part of the supporting film corresponding to the opening which is a part coinciding with the opening of the supporting film in a planar view. The ultrasonic element is constructed by the diaphragm and the piezoelectric element provided on the diaphragm. The thickness of the supporting film of the ultrasonic transducer, that is, the thickness of the part of the supporting film corresponding to the opening which coincides with the opening of the supporting film in a planar view is set to be uniform (for example, see Patent Document 1). In the ultrasonic transducer, the diaphragm is greatly deflected when ultrasonic waves are transmitted, and the diaphragm is slightly deflected when ultrasonic waves are received.
The well-known ultrasonic transducer, however, has a problem that the diaphragm is greatly deflected especially when ultrasonic waves are transmitted, which causes the stress to concentrate in the vicinity of an outer edge portion of the diaphragm and causes damage such as cracking or chipping. On the other hand, if the thickness of the diaphragm is increased to improve the strength of the diaphragm, the diaphragm will become hard to deflect. Then, especially when ultrasonic waves are received with the ultrasonic element, the deflection amount of the diaphragm will become smaller, which makes the stress generated in the piezoelectric element very small. Consequently, the level of a reception signal output from the piezoelectric element will be deteriorated. In other words, the characteristics of transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves, in particular, the sensitivity in reception will be deteriorated.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2000-23296 (Patent Document 1) is an example of the related art.

Ultrasonic transducer, ultrasonic probe, and ultrasonic examination device


In the case of a method for producing a fluid device with a fluid structure having an active height, a basic wafer is provided, which comprises a supporting substrate, an insulating layer on the supporting substrate and a patterned layer on the supporting substrate, the thickness of the patterned layer determining the active height of the fluid structure. Following this, the fluid structure is produced in the patterned layer of the basic wafer, said fluid structure extending through the semiconductor layer. A transparent wafer is then applied so that the fluid structure is covered. Subsequently, the supporting substrate and the insulating layer are removed from the back so that the fluid structure is exposed at a second surface of the patterned layer. Finally, a second transparent wafer is attached to the exposed second surface of the semiconductor layer so that the fluid structure is covered. The essential parameter of the fluid device, viz. the active height of the fluid structure, need no longer be controlled making use of the etching parameters, but is already determined by the specifications of the starting material, e.g. an SOI wafer. This means that economy-priced fluid devices can be produced with high precision.

In the field of analytics there is a great demand for fluid devices and in particular capillary paths for transporting e.g. fluids by means of capillary forces, for examining them while they are being transported or for producing sample receptacles in which the fluids stand and the surfaces of which are treated with chemical substances so that specific sample fluids will undergo a reaction with these substances, said reaction causing e.g. a change in colour of these sample fluids. In order to be able to detect such a change in colour of a sample fluid, or in order to be able to detect the optical properties of a sample fluid in general, it is important that fluid devices are transparent on both sides so that analyses can be carried out in transmitted light, e.g. by making use of fluorescent properties.
Capillary paths are nowadays used in a great variety of technical fields, e.g. in the field of chemical analytics and biochemistry. Such capillaries are etched into silicon wafers and then provided with a cover and thus closed. Although a glass cover can be used for closing such silicon-etched wafers, a substrate wafer, which is normally not optically transparent, is provided on the back, i.e. on the other side of the capillary path. Hence, such capillary paths are not suitable for transmitted-light analyses. In order to be actually able to carry out optical analyses with such capillary paths, it is necessary to apply e.g. a metal layer to the silicon-etched fluid structures, so that a reflection analysis can be carried out. In addition to the fact that such capillary paths are not suitable for transmitted-light determinations, the application of a mirror coating to the silicon is a further production step, which is complicated and which increases the costs for the fluid device.
In addition, it is difficult to adjust precise depths of the fluid structure by means of etching methods. It is true that very precisely controllable amounts of material can be removed by dry-etching techniques, but these techniques are disadvantageous insofar as the etching parameters must be controlled very precisely; this, in turn, results in high production costs for such capillary components. If the etching parameters are not strictly controlled in this way, a high reject rate will occur in the production process.
Especially in the field of analytics, disposable analysis elements are used to an increasing extent. Hence, fluid devices become more and more mass-produced articles. Especially mass-produced articles should fulfil the requirement of being economy-priced. It follows that even small differences in prices will have the effect that one product will gain more acceptance on the market than another. Only economy-priced fluid devices are therefore competitive.

Method for producing a fluid device, fluid device and analysis apparatus


A dual position sharpening device can be set up so that the abrasive wheel is either vertical or horizontal. A guard retains cooling water in either position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sharpening devices for edge tools such as chisels, gouges, planer blades, and the like.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Sharpening devices and methods for tools date from prehistory. In modern times edge tools such as chisels are manufactured from hardened, tempered steel and have edges that can be sharpened by grinding with a suitable abrasive material or stone. While sharpening can be carried out be hand, by drawing the tool edge across the face of a stone, in a production environment it is easier to keep the tool edge fixed and move the stone. A conventional grinding apparatus employs a circular abrasive wheel rotated at constant angular speed by an electric motor. The wheel can be formed with a cylindrical peripheral surface parallel the axis of rotation, and the operator moves the tool edge into contact with the peripheral surface of the rotating wheel. Conventionally, the wheel is mounted vertically so that it rotates about a horizontal axis, and the operator move the tool in a generally horizontal plane.
The circular wheel provides a hollow grind. Often it is desirable, however, to provide a flat grind on the tool edge. This geometry provides a more durable, longer lasting edge. This can be accomplished by drawing the tool edge over a flat stone surface by hand. Alternatively, a rotating abrasive cup wheel or abrasive disk can be used. Human ergonomics and convention suggest that in this instance the abrasive wheel preferably rotate in a horizontal plane, and that the tool be moved into contact with the upper surface of the rotating wheel, in a generally horizontal plane.
Conventionally, grinding and honing form two distinct and successive stages in the preparation of the tool for use. Grinding consists of imparting the required geometry or shape to the cutting part of the tool. Next, honing consists of refining the leading or cutting edge so that it exhibits a high degree of sharpness. These two stages often require sharpening stones with different geometries (whether hand or powered) and made of different grades of abrasive. Hence more than one sharpening device may be employed to fully prepare the tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,495 discloses a powered sharpening system in which a generally horizontal turntable is used to rotate reversible, interchangeable platters carrying different grades of abrasive for grinding, polishing, and lapping woodworking and other edge tools. A belt and vertically mounted conventional sharpening wheel are also provided and driven by the same electric motor.
Grinding steel on an abrasive produces frictional heat. When sharpening is accomplished by hand, the frictional heat produced is likely dissipated on a time scale comparable to its generation and there is no significant heat build up. However, when the stone is driven mechanically, significant heat can be generated at a rate faster than dissipation, raising the temperature of both the stone and the work piece being sharpened. This is undesirable, because the tool is frequently a tempered steel, which can lose its temper if a critical temperature is exceed, hence weakening the tool.
Mechanical grinders can be provided with a cooling bath, such as a water-filled trough in which the wheel is partially submerged.
There is a need for a versatile sharpening device for edge tools that can provide a single sharpening wheel in either a vertical or horizontal orientation, while also maintaining the wheel in contact with a cooling fluid.


A task cooperation processing method acquires a processing flow in which cooperation processing by a plurality of tasks is defined. Input information associated with the amount of data to be processed by the acquired processing flow is set. The task cooperation processing method calculates an estimation time required for the processing of the acquired processing flow on the basis of the input information. If the calculated estimation time is longer than a designated time limit, the function settings of each task in the processing flow are changed to make the calculated estimation time become equal to or shorter than the time limit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for creating a cooperation processing flow which defines cooperation processing for a plurality of tasks and executing the flow.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a multi-function peripheral combining a copying machine with facsimile, scanner, and printer functions is known. Such a multi-function peripheral allows cooperation between paperwork processing mainly based on sheets of paper which uses the copying machine, the facsimile apparatus, and the like and processing of digitized documents on a personal computer. More specifically, this apparatus can scan a paper document and transfer the resultant data to the personal computer or can transmit a document received by the facsimile function as image data to the personal computer without printing it.
In addition, the automation of more procedures and processes is required in cooperation with each other after paper documents and facsimile received documents are digitized. For this purpose, there has been proposed a technique for preparing cooperation templates describing desired settings for items to be set in advance in a multi-function peripheral, designating a cooperation template, and performing processing upon changing set values as needed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-83263 discloses an image forming apparatus that can store a plurality of output setting data (cooperation templates) for setting output forms and can form and output images in output forms in accordance with selected output setting data. In the above image forming apparatus, as proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-287861, there is a technique for making settings not only for the functions of the apparatus itself but also for other printers, scanners, and other similar devices connecting to a network and for cooperation of processes, thereby allowing cooperation of a plurality of processes.
However, the image forming apparatuses disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 10-83263 and 2004-287861 cannot set a cooperation flow in consideration of the processing times in other printers, scanners, and the like connecting to a network and the processing time in the image forming apparatus itself. For this reason, if some limitation is imposed on the time during which processing is to be performed, the above apparatuses cannot terminate a cooperation flow within the time limit.

Information processing apparatus and method


A system for using a wide-area communication network, e.g. the Internet, as a conduit to communicate to and from the location of sports filed lighting, to control operation of the lighting, or monitor the lighting or other events at the location.

This invention relates to a system and method of providing Internet connectivity to and through outdoor sports field lighting and outdoor security lighting.
One aspect of the invention relates to a system and method of controlling and monitoring sports lighting and outdoor security lighting and the capability to do so from a remote Internet location as well as using existing or newly installed elevated outdoor sports field lighting and outdoor security lighting as ready-made wireless hubs for a wide area network.
Another aspect of this invention relates to an apparatus and method for an electronic scorebook. In particular, this invention relates to the use of an electronic scorebook that stores scoring information for a sporting contest and updates a scoreboard with the information. This invention further relates to connecting the electronic scorebook or the scoreboard to a network such as the Internet and accessing the electronic scorebook and related information remotely. This invention further relates to integrating software that creates audio and/or graphic description of the recorded information in integrating that information with other related information from other sources such as historical information about participants, sports news, and promotions, public service announcements, and advertisements. It could also include video images in still or action format.
One goal of sports lighting is to provide bright and evenly illuminated playing fields. Similarly, a goal of wide area security lighting is to provide illuminated parking lots, sidewalks, streets, parks, and other areas. Providing bright and evenly illuminated lighting requires a great deal of control over many aspects of lighting. This control may involve the need to turn lighting on or off at particular times. This control may also involve the need to monitor the condition of lights. Owners of sports facilities using sports lighting may not have the expertise or qualifications to properly operate these lighting systems and may find it a drain on resources to properly monitor and maintain the lights due to high cost or other factors.
This problem may be particularly significant for government (e.g. municipality, school district, county, township, state, provincial, territorial, state, federal, city, recreation district, park and recreation district), quasi-public (e.g. privately run athletic fields, leagues, and other venues) and privately owned facilities. Sports and security lighting is found everywhere from small towns to large cities. A single government unit or sub-unit or private owner may operate multiple sports lighting and/or security lighting at multiple locations thus increasing the difficulty in operating and maintaining the lights.
Traditionally, lighting systems are purchased and installed by a group or entity which is then responsible for operation and maintenance, including turning lights on or off. Substantial administrative and labor burdens are used to keep track of schedules and to have a person physically go to the site and turn lights on or off and otherwise monitor and maintain the conditions of the lights.
Furthermore the maintenance and monitoring of lights as well as the control systems used have been limited due to these restrictions. The control of lights has generally been limited to a manual selection of "on" or "off" or a timer that turns lights on or off at a particular time. In security lighting, there has also been use of a proximity switch to turn security lights on or off based on the proximity of a moving object such as a person. More effective features are not used because that would increase the need for maintenance, control and monitoring.
There is a need in the art to address these problems, particularly as recreational activities of many types evolve and expand, and more are conducted at times that need artificial lighting.
Attempts are being made to address these issues. One attempt involves use of cellular telephone transceivers to receive wireless instructions from a remote control center. If voice channels are used then there is an associated cost of service that is recurring and substantial. If only the control channels are used there may need to be an arrangement with a specialized cellular service that can encode and decode the information from the control channels. One example of such a service is that provided by Cellemetry, LLC. Furthermore, given the nature of this type of solution there are limitations related to the available bandwidth and the latency of the communication, thereby presenting limits on flexibility and functionality.
Wide area networks such as the Internet provide wide area communications coverage. However, hard-wired connections are the normal communications link. Hard wiring to date has taken advantage of the existing land line telephone infrastructure. However, capacity and bandwidth are limitations, particularly in plain old telephone service (POTS) implementations. Fiber optics and other wire innovations have presented improvements. However, there are still limitations, such as lack of adequate infrastructure and the associated time and cost of creating and maintaining infrastructure.
Recently, another wire option is use of coaxial cable of the same type as cable television, as the communications link. Speed, throughput, and bandwidth are improved over analog telephone communications. However, the coverage of cable wiring is not as ubiquitous as telephone lines and may not be available from a telecommunications provider in all areas. The required infrastructure results in substantial cable installation and maintenance. There is therefore a need in the art for better access to wide area networks.
Other problems in the art relate to Internet connectivity for general uses and not just for use in controlling sports lighting. The relationship between sports lighting and Internet connectivity will be become clearer in context of the present invention that solves both problems.
One method of providing remote control of devices is the use of Internet based systems such as found in a multitude of Internet devices and appliances. One example of a Internet control system that permits home automation functions such as controlling lights to be controlled remotely via a web browser is the Home Seer product from Keware Technologies. One problem with extending this type of system to sports lighting is the service cost to provide an Internet connection to the light control system. Furthermore there are technical limitations to this type of system. A phone line connection to an Internet service provider is generally not dedicated. When phone lines are not dedicated at both sides of the connection (Internet provider and Internet subscriber) then there is not a continuous Internet connection. If they are dedicated, the service cost will increase, particularly if a long distance connection is used. Even if such lines are dedicated, there can be a loss of the connection due to weather conditions and outages.
Digital services can be used to provide an Internet connection that is continuous. These costs can be substantial where digital lines are used.
Conventional land line systems have been challenged in some markets through the use of wireless systems. Wireless systems have some advantages over land line systems such as fiber optic lines, cable lines, and POTS lines. The first advantage is the amount of bandwidth or speed that a fixed wireless device can provide. For example, if a standard telephone line (POTS) is used in conjunction with a modem, the connection speed is limited to 56 kilobits per second. This speed can be increased by using digital lines but there is an associated increase in cost and limited availability. Examples of digital lines include digital subscriber lines (DSL) connections as well as T1 or T3 connections. DSL connections typically provide speeds of 768 kbits/second. T1 lines can operate at speeds of 1.5 Mbits/second, while T3 lines operate at 4.5 Mbits/second.
A second advantage of wireless systems is that they do not require the same communications infrastructure as landline systems. In landline communications, lines must be run from location to location if preexisting lines are not available. If the lines are not already available, it will take time to build the required infrastructure. Furthermore, the lines will also need to be maintained. Wireless systems do not require the same infrastructure required for landline based solutions.
Wireless communication can be either mobile wireless or fixed wireless. Mobile wireless communication such as that used in cellular phone systems permits receivers or transmitters to move around. The movement of the receivers and/or transmitters introduces additional technical problems including multipath phenomenon and fading problems as is well known in the art. These problems limit the reliability and the speed or bandwidth of a mobile wireless system.
These problems can be overcome by using a fixed wireless system. Despite these advantages, fixed wireless systems have a significant limitation. Fixed wireless systems require a line of sight transmission from a subscriber to a hub. This need for line of sight requirement is related to the frequencies being used. For example, broadband wireless is typically in the bands between 2 to over 40 GHz. At these frequencies, the corresponding wavelength of the radio waves is small. Due to the small wavelengths involved, these radio waves cannot effectively be communicated through physical barriers and are more prone to the multipath phenomenon. Thus there is a need for line of sight transmission.
The Internet has developed at an amazingly fast rate. What is called the Internet backbone currently provides connectivity points, called "points of presence" of the Internet, to most parts of the United States and even the world, mainly using existing infrastructure such as telephone lines. Significantly high speed/throughput rates are achievable. However, connectivity from the points of presence to the ultimate end users is still problematic. This is called "the last mile". Currently the "last mile" must use wireline twisted pair telephone lines to reach most households. Thus, even if there is high speed/throughput to and from the points of presence, conventional copper phone lines can not handle such speed/throughput. They are therefore disappointingly unsatisfactory in performance. It is simply not cost effective to lay such things as fiber optic lines to residential homes.
Attempts are being made to overcome this problem by using cable TV lines or satellite signals. However, each has their own limitations and represent significant cost.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a method of providing remote control of sports field lighting and security lighting.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a method and system of monitoring the status of sports field lighting and security lighting remotely.
It is yet further objective of the present invention to provide a method and system of providing Internet connectivity to sports field lighting and security lighting.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a system and method of providing wireless Internet service to subscribers.
Many locations using sports lighting regularly hold athletic events. Examples of common events are baseball, softball, football, and soccer. A record of many of these games is maintained by keeping a scorebook, such as is well known. Many such sports venues also maintain scoreboards so that players, coaches and spectators can view a summary of the game.
Problems in the art regarding scorebooks and scoreboards are discussed below. The relationship of scorebooks and scoreboards will become clear with regards to a description of the present invention.
In the field of sporting contests, scores and other contest-related information are recorded. Such information is important for many reasons. For example, this information is needed in order to determine the eventual outcome of a contest, including the eventual winner of a contest. In addition, this information is often compiled into statistics, which are used by both participants in the sporting event, as well as coaches, fans and spectators. This type of information has generally been written in a scorebook in order to keep a record of the sporting event.
Some efforts have been to create an electronic scorebook that can be used to keep score and to replace the handwritten scorebook. For example, software can be used on a computer that will permit scoring to be kept. This also facilitates record-keeping with regards to statistics. One example of a computer software product that can be used to keep score for baseball is Fixed It!'s Baseball ScoreBook, e.g. version 2.0C shareware, that operates on a Microsoft Windows platform.
One problem with these prior art types of scorebooks is that it is too easy for inaccuracies to exist in the scoring information. For example, where statistics are involved, a written scorebook provides many opportunities for error in calculations or in transposing numbers and other information. The use of an electronic scorebook can reduce or eliminate calculation errors but also introduces typographical and related errors. Furthermore, the scoring may not be done on a timely or complete basis, particularly where volunteers are utilized for the process.
Furthermore, the software is just dedicated to creating an electronic version of a conventional scorebook. It does not appear to disclose or teach anything about using the scoring for additional purposes, or enhancing the value of electronically scoring a game by integrating it with other functions or systems.
Scoreboards provide updated information concerning the status of sporting contests. For example, at baseball fields, scoreboards will typically provide the cumulative score, the score for each inning, the number of outs in the current inning, the current batters name, the current batter's count and other information, e.g. cumulative hits and errors per team. This and other scoring information must be entered into a scoreboard in order for the scoring information to be displayed on the score board. Also, to begin the scoring the score must record the participants names and other related information.
Room for improvement exists with regard to scoreboards. Many are still manually operated, which are cumbersome and labor intensive to operate. Errors can occur. Electric or electronic scoreboards also may contain errors based on misinformation to the person entering information to the scoreboard, or mistake by the operator. They also require dedicated controllers and input devices, many times have not other function and not integratable with other devices or systems.
Therefore, there is a real need in the art for improvement in how scorebooks and scoreboards are maintained for athletic events. There is also a real need in the art for improvement in the state of the art regarding communication between athletic facilities and participants, players, or other interested parties.
There is a need in the art for utilization of information about a game or event and integration of the information with other information.
It is therefore an objective, feature or advantage of one aspect of the present invention to provide an apparatus, method and system that is capable of receiving scoring information and both recording scoring information and updating a scoreboard according to the information received.
It is a further objective, feature or advantage of the invention to provide the capability of calculating statistics based on the scoring and related information and updating a scoreboard with the calculated information.
It is a still further objective, feature or advantage of the present invention to provide a means for broadcasting the scoring information over a network.
Yet another objective, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a system for providing information to and from a scoreboard.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a predefined size summary of the events by selecting what to report from an order of priority and to submit an article to news media for reporting the event.

Apparatus, system and method for wide area networking to control sports lighting


Systems and methods for setting cookies across applications on a device include receiving a first cookie indicating authorization of a first application on the device to use an online account. A second cookie indicating that the first application is authorized to use the online account may be set in a second application on the device.

Online content may be available regarding any number of disparate topics. For example, a first website on the Internet may be devoted to the migratory habits of bats and a second website may be devoted to automotive repair. In many cases, a user must proactively seek out online content of interest to the user. For example, an Internet user may utilize a search engine to search for webpages devoted to automotive repair. The user may then navigate between the webpages in the search results until the user finds the webpage that most closely matches the user's interests.
To assist a user in receiving content of potential interest to the user, an online service may select certain types of content for presentation to the user. For example, a webpage devoted to automotive repair may include an advertisement for a sale on car parts selected by the online service. In some cases, the selection process may be based on data stored through the use of a device identifier, such as a cookie, that identifies the user's device to the service. However, a cookie set on the device via one application may not be accessible by other applications on the device. For example, a cookie set in a web browser application may not be available to other applications on the same device and vice-versa. The service, therefore, may select different content for presentation in the web browser than for the other applications. It is challenging and difficult to design a system whereby cookies are set across applications.