An inflation device useful for inflating a balloon provided with a surgical instrument, such as a balloon sinus dilation instrument. The inflation device includes a syringe, a connector, and mechanical pressure indicator. The syringe includes a plunger slidably disposed within a barrel. The connector is configured to fluidly connect an outlet of the syringe with a surgical instrument balloon in establishing a closed inflation system between the syringe and an interior of the balloon. The pressure indicator is associated with the syringe and is configured to transition from a non-alert state to an alert state when a pressure of the inflation system has reached a predetermined level. In some embodiments, the inflation device is characterized by the absence of a pressure gauge.

The present disclosure relates to sinus dilation systems and methods. More particularly, relates to inflation devices useful with balloon-based surgical instruments, such as balloon sinus dilation instruments for dilating a portion of a patient's paranasal sinuses in the treatment of sinusitis and other disorders.
The paranasal sinus system is a grouping of four pairs of air-filled cavities that are named for the facial bones in which they are located. The maxillary sinuses surround the nasal cavity, the frontal sinuses are above the eyes, the ethmoid sinuses are between the eyes, and the sphenoid sinuses are within the sphenoid bone at the center of the skull base under the pituitary gland. The paranasal sinuses are lined with respiratory epithelium, are joined to the nasal cavity via small orifices called ostia, and contain secretory tissue that produces a large volume of mucus. This mucus is normally relieved from the sinuses in a specific pattern through the corresponding ostia.
The mucus membrane that lines the paranasal sinuses can become inflamed. This inflammation is known as sinusitis (or rhinosinusitis), and can be caused by various factors such as bacteria, viruses, allergies, anatomical abnormalities, etc. If the mucosa of one of the paranasal sinus passageways becomes inflamed, the passageway can become blocked, trapping mucus. Patients suffering from sinusitis can experience a number of symptoms or complications, such as headache, facial pain, toothache, inner ear problems, etc.
Sinusitis is typically classified as acute (infection lasting 4 or less weeks) or chronic. Many instances of acute sinusitis can be effectively treated with medication (e.g., antibiotics, antihistamines, etc.). Chronic sinusitis may implicate a more invasive treatment option in which the paranasal passageways or affected sinuses are surgically accessed. Conventional sinus surgery entails an incision formed along the side of the nose or through the gums of the upper teeth to provide access to the targeted sinus anatomy. Once accessed, the paranasal sinus passageway in question is surgically enlarged or otherwise altered to facilitate resumption of mucus clearance.
More recently, corrective sinus surgery has been performed endoscopically, minimizing external trauma to the patient. With functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) an endoscope is inserted into the nose. Using visualization through the endoscope, the anatomical and pathological obstructions associated with the sinusitis are removed in order to restore normal mucus clearance. The benefit of FESS (and other intranasal procedures) is the ability to allow for a more targeted approach to the affected sinuses, reducing tissue disruption and minimizing post-operative complications.
An even more recent minimally invasive, intranasal sinus surgery is known as balloon sinus dilation or balloon sinuplasty. Balloon sinus dilation (or simply "sinus dilation") was initially developed to address the post-operative pain and bleeding associated with FESS. In general terms, conventional sinus dilation is an endoscopic, catheter-based procedure for treating sinusitis using a small, flexible balloon catheter to enlarge or dilate the affected sinus passageway(s). When the balloon is correctly located and inflated, it widens the walls of the sinus passageway, with the goal of restoring normal drainage without damaging the sinus lining.
When performing sinus dilation, the surgeon inserts a sinus guide catheter or cannula through the nostril (or naris) to gain access to the affected sinus ostia (opening) under endoscopic visualization. A guide wire and/or illumination system are then introduced into the targeted sinus via the sinus guide catheter. Once access to the intended targeted location is confirmed by light or fluoroscopy, a flexible catheter, carrying a balloon, is introduced into the sinus cavity over the sinus guide wire, locating the balloon in the blocked ostium. In this regard, the illumination system provides transcutaneous (through the skin) light transmission that the surgeon relies upon when estimating desired balloon placement. Once the desired balloon position has been visually confirmed, the balloon is gradually inflated to dilate the narrowed or blocked ostium. The balloon is then deflated and removed. Next, an irrigation catheter may be advanced over the guide wire to flush out mucus. Finally, the sinus irrigation catheter is removed from the sinus to allow the sinus cavity to drain any mucus.
While highly promising, existing sinus dilation systems and methods have several drawbacks. As highlighted by the above, available sinus dilation systems require multiple steps and multiple instruments. While the guide wire can facilitate accessing the targeted sinus site and use of a flexible balloon catheter, surgeons must be trained in the correct use of the guide wire, and the guide wire represents an added cost. Further, the required illumination source and use thereof is time-consuming and relatively expensive. Moreover, a surgeon is required to estimate a location of the targeted ostium only by illumination through the patient's skin. In some instances, the guide wire and/or illumination source may inadvertently be located in a "blind hole". As a point of reference, regions of the sinus system are pneumatized by various cells in most patients. These cells can build over time, collectively creating an anatomic variation. In some instances, for example, Type II cells can occur at the frontal sinus and can progress to a level that is grossly akin to the frontal sinus ostium. It is estimated that as many as 25% of patients suffering from sinusitis of the frontal sinus have Type II cells. When internally illuminated (and viewed externally), a region of the Type II cell cluster may appear (or "feel") quite similar to the natural frontal sinus ostium, leading the surgeon to incorrectly assume that the desired ostium has been accessed. When the balloon is subsequently inflated, it may actually occlude the ostium rather than open the ostium.
In addition to the above concerns, the inflation devices utilized with available sinus dilation systems have several drawbacks. As a point of reference, balloon catheters have long been employed for various surgical procedures (e.g., angioplasty, intravascular stent deployment, kyphoplasty, etc.), and inflation devices well-suited for these applications are widely available. Although the anatomical constraints and performance requirements associated with balloon sinus dilation are quite different from other balloon catheter procedures, existing balloon sinus dilation systems default to the already-available inflation devices. Available inflation devices are typically quite large (in order to maintain a sufficient volume of inflation fluid), full featured (e.g., include one or more gauges that display pressure(s) within the device), and complicated to use. For example, mechanical pressure gauges (with dial-type display), electronic pressure gauges (with digital-type display), are included with available balloon catheter inflation devices. While necessary for many balloon catheter procedures, a constant display of current system pressure is of less importance with balloon sinus dilation. These gauges render existing inflation devices highly expensive, especially where the inflation device is intended to be disposable. Further, the gauge(s) may need to be calibrated prior to each use, thereby increasing the time required to complete the procedure. Conversely, other, less-complex inflation devices (e.g., a simple syringe) provide no indication of system pressure, and are void of any warnings when system pressure exceeds a particular level.
In light of the above, a need exists for improved inflation devices useful with sinus dilation systems and other balloon-based surgical procedures.

Inflation device for balloon sinus dilation


In a method for regulating the braking force of motorcycles, the wheel circumferential speed is detected by sensors and evaluated by a microprocessor which gives a signal off to a pressure modulator if given limit values of deceleration are exceeded in positive or negative direction (locking signal) and if, within a predetermined period of time, a signal which symbolizes ground adherence of the rear wheel does not occur (lift-off signal), whereupon the pressure modulator reduces the pressure in the front brake circuit.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for regulating the braking force of motorcycles.
From Federal Republic of Germany OS 35 30 280 a method is known for the anti-lock braking of a motor vehicle. In that case, by the change in the volume of a three-dimensionally closed system, for instance by displacement of a pressure-relief piston, the brake pressure in the wheel cylinder of the overbraked wheel which tends towards locking is reduced.
Upon extreme braking decelerations two-wheel vehicles tend to lift up at the rear since the entire weight of the vehicle is shifted to the front wheel. By the loss of the ground contact force and thus all lateral guidance forces, the rear wheel is no longer able to impart sufficient stability in direction to the braked vehicle. In extreme cases, the center of gravity can be shifted upward and forward by a slight tipping of the vehicle around the front axle, whereby even greater tipping is induced, which, in its turn, results in an even more unfavorable shifting of the center of gravity. This self-excitation effect has the result that a vehicle which is in danger of lifting off can, within a short period of time, rise by a large angle of tip (greater than 45.degree.) and suddenly be no longer capable of being controlled by the driver. In addition to this, the strong deceleration of the vehicle which can cause excessive tipping occurs predominantly in a dangerous situation which generally already requires the entire concentration of the driver.
The danger of the vehicle lifting off is further increased by new tire characteristics, the .mu.-slip curve of which achieve a pronounced maximum, and by anti-lock systems which continuously utilize the maximum slip curve.
From Federal Republic of Germany OS 21 33 547 a braking force control for motor vehicles is known in which an additional logical coupling is provided which lowers the pressure on the front-wheel brakes if a signal indicating ground adherence of the rear wheels no longer occurs within a given waiting period.
Such a regulation of the braking force is perhaps suitable for utility vehicles since, due to their great weight, a considerable time is available in order to recognize the danger of the lifting off of the rear axle and counteract it.
Furthermore, four-wheel motor vehicles have only one brake system; in other words, upon actuation, the front axle and the rear axle are braked simultaneously. If the brake is actuated strongly, which on good gripping ground can lead to a lifting-off of the back of the vehicle, high braking forces are definitely present also on the rear wheels and immediately cause strong locking tendencies and make the lifting off clearly visible merely by observation of the lack of restarting of the rear wheel.
For motorcycles, such a regulating of the braking force, however, is unsuitable since the conditions are much more complicated. On the one hand, the lifting off takes place substantially faster due to the smaller masses while, on the other hand, motorcycles have two brake circuits which are actuatable independently of each other.
It is thus possible to decelerate a vehicle so greatly solely with the front wheel brake that lifting off of the rear occurs while, entirely independently thereof, the rear wheel brake can control the variation of the speed of the rear wheel. In combination with a non-disengaged drive, practically any speeds of the rear wheel can be brought about.
Upon recognition of the lift-off, all relevant wheel speed patterns must as far as possible be clearly recognized, i.e., on the one hand, all cases of lift-off which actually occur during each braking must be reliably recognized, while, on the other hand, lift-off should never be noted if not present, in order to avoid unjustified underbraking.

Method and apparatus for regulating the braking force of motorcycles


The use of screening assays based on the role of human stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (“hSCD1”) in human diseases, disorders or conditions relating to serum levels of triglyceride, VLDL, HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, or production of secretions from mucous membranes, monounsaturated fatty acids, wax esters, and the like, is disclosed. Also disclosed are conventions useful in the prevention and/or treatment of such diseases.

Acyl desaturase enzymes catalyze the formation of double bonds in fatty acids derived from either dietary sources or de novo synthesis in the liver. Mammals synthesize four desaturases of differing chain length specificity that catalyze the addition of double bonds at the Δ9, Δ6, Δ5 and Δ4 positions. Stearoyl-CoA desaturases (SCDs) introduce a double bond in the Δ9-position of saturated fatty acids. The preferred substrates are palmitoyl-CoA (16:0) and stearoyl-CoA (18:0), which are converted to palmitoleoyl-CoA (16:1) and oleoyl-CoA (18:1), respectively. The resulting mono-unsaturated fatty acids are substrates for incorporation into phospholipids, triglycerides, and cholesterol esters.
A number of mammalian SCD genes have been cloned. For example, two genes have been cloned from rat (SCD1, SCD2) and four SCD genes have been isolated from mouse (SCD1, 2, 3, and 4). A single SCD gene, SCD1, has been characterized in humans.
While the basic biochemical role of SCD has been known in rats and mice since the 1970's (Jeffcoat R. and James, A T. 1984. Elsevier Science, 4: 85-112; de Antueno, R J. 1993. Lipids 28(4)285-290), it has not, prior to this invention, been directly implicated in human disease processes. Studies in non-human animals have obscured our understanding of the role of SCD in humans due to the well documented differences in the biochemical processes in different species. In rodents, for example, lipid and cholesterol metabolism is particularly obscured by the absence of Cholesterol Ester Transport Protein (CETP) (see Foger, B. et al. 1999. J. Biol. Chem. 274(52) 36912).
Further, the existence of multiple SCD genes in mice and rats adds additional complexity to determining the specific role of each of these genes in disease processes. Differences in tissue expression profiles, substrate specificity, gene regulation and enzyme stability may be important in elucidating which SCD gene plays the dominant role in each disorder. Most previous SCD studies assess SCD gene function by measuring mRNA levels or by measuring levels of monounsaturated fatty acids as an indirect measure of SCD enzyme activity. In both these cases this analysis may be misleading. In the latter method it has been particularly misleading and difficult to discern the relative contribution of SCD1 to the plasma desaturation index (the ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids of a specific chain length) due to the fact that multiple SCD enzymes may contribute to the production of monounsaturated fatty acids. Prior to this invention, the relative contributions of the multiple SCD isoforms to the desaturation index was unknown. In summary, previous studies have not differentiated which SCD isoforms play a major role in the total desaturase activity as measured by the desaturation index.
Recent work in in vitro chicken hepatocyte cell culture relates delta-9 desaturase activity to impaired triacylglycerol secretion (Legrand, P. and Hermier, D. (1992) Int. J. Obesity 16, 289-294; Legrand, P., Mallard, J., Bernard-Griffiths, M. A., Douaire, M., and Lemarchal, P. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 87B, 789-792; Legrand, P., Catheline, D., Fichot, M.-C., Lemarchal, P. (1997) J. Nutr. 127, 249-256). This work did not distinguish between isoforms of delta-9 desaturase that may exist in the chicken, once again failing to directly implicate a specific SCD enzyme to account for a particular biological effect, in this case, impaired triglyceride secretion.
Nor does this in vitro work correlate well to humans because substantial differences exist between chicken and human lipoprotein metabolism in vivo. Such differences include the presence, in chicken, of entirely different lipoproteins, such as vitellogenin, and distinct processes such as the massive induction of hepatic triglyceride synthesis during ovulation. Other differences such as the type of lipoproteins used for cholesterol transport and the process of secretion of dietary triglyceride in chylomicrons are well documented. These major differences between avians and mammals mean that extrapolation from the avians to mammals in the area of triglyceride metabolism must be considered provisional pending confirmation in humans.
Two other areas of background art form an important basis to the instant invention. Firstly, this invention relates to cholesterol and lipid metabolism, which in humans has been intensely studied. Since cholesterol is highly apolar, it is transported through the bloodstream in the form of lipoproteins consisting essentially of a core of apolar molecules such as cholesterol ester and triglyceride surrounded by an envelope of amphipathic lipids, primarily phospholipids. In humans, approximately 66% of cholesterol is transported on low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles, about 20% on high density lipoprotein (HDL) particles, and the remainder on very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles. An excellent reference to the basic biochemistry of cholesterol metabolism in humans and other organisms is found at Biology of Cholesterol. Ed. Yeagle, P. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla., 1988.
Secondly, this invention takes advantage of new findings from the Asebia mouse (Gates, et al. (1965) Science. 148:1471-3). This mouse is a naturally occurring genetic variant mouse that has a well known defect in sebaceous glands, resulting in hair loss and scaly skin. The Asebia mouse has recently been reported to have a deletion in SCD1 resulting in the formation of an early termination site in exon 3 of the SCD1 gene. Animals homozygous for this mutation, or a distinct deletion allele which encompasses exons 1-4, do not express detectable amounts of the wild-type SCD1 mRNA transcript (November 1999. Nature Genetics. 23:268 et seq.; and PCT patent publication WO 00/09754)]. Since the full extent of this naturally occurring deletion is unknown, it is also unknown if other genes neighboring SCD1, or elsewhere in the genome, could also be involved in the Asebia phenotype. In order to specifically study the activity of SCD1 in these disease processes, a specific SCD1 knockout mouse is required. The prior work on this variant has focused on the role of this mutation in skin disorders and not on triglyceride or VLDL metabolism.
It is an object of the instant invention to identify diseases and disorders that are linked specifically to SCD1 biological activity in humans, and in a preferred embodiment, diseases and disorders of triglyceride metabolism. It is a further object to develop screening assays to identify and develop drugs to treat those diseases, disorders and related conditions. Further, it is an object of this invention to provide compositions for use in treating these disease, disorders and related conditions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and compositions using stearoyl-CoA desaturase to identify triglyceride reducing therapeutic agents


An ytterbium doped laser material remarkably superior to all others, including Yb:YAG, comprises Ytterbium doped apatite (Yb:Ca.sub.5 (PO.sub.4).sub.3 F) or Yb:FAP, or ytterbium doped crystals that are structurally related to FAP. The new laser material is used in laser systems pumped by diode pump sources having an output near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns, such as InGaAs and AlInGaAs, or other narrowband pump sources near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns. The laser systems are operated in either the conventional or ground state depletion mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new material useful as an ytterbium doped laser gain medium, and to laser systems using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, high-power efficient semiconductor laser diodes and diode arrays have been used to great practical benefit as pump sources for solid state lasers. T. Y. Fan and R. L. Byer, "Diode Pumped Solid State Lasers", IEEE J. Quantum Electronics, 24, 895 (1988). The vast majority of this work has involved AlGaAs diode pump sources emitting in the 780-810 nm range to pump rare earth doped solid state laser materials including neodymium (J. Berger, D. F. Welch, D. R. Scifres, W. Streifer, and P. S. Cross, "High Power, High Efficiency Neodymium:Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Laser End Pumped by a Laser Diode Array", Appl. Phys, Lett., 51, 1212 (1987)), thulium (P. J. M. Suni and S. W. Henderson, "1-mJ/Pulse Tm:YAG Laser Pumped by a 3 Watt Diode Laser", Opt. Letters, 16, 817 (1991)), holmium (T. J. Kane and T. S. Kubo, "Diode-Pumped Single-Frequency Lasers and Q-switched Laser Using Tm:YAG and Tm,Ho:YAG", Proceedings on Advanced Solid State Lasers, 6, 136 (1990)), and erbium (D. K. Killinger, "Phonon-assisted Upconversion in 1.64 Micron Er:YAG Lasers", Digest of Technical Papers, Paper THJ4, p240 CLEO, 1987). In the past year or so, powerful and efficient InGaAs diode arrays emitting in the 900-1100 nm region have become available (D. P. Bour, P. Stabile, A. Rosen, W. Janton, L. Elbaum, and D. J. Holmes, "Two-Dimensional Array of High Power Strained Quantum Well Lasers with Wavelength of 0.95 Microns", Appl. Phys. Lett , 54, 2637 (1989)) opening up the possibility of pumping a solid state laser using ytterbium (Yb.sup.3+) as the laser active ion (W. F. Krupke and Lloyd L. Chase, "Ground-state depleted Solid-State-Lasers: Principles, Characteristics, and Scaling", Opt. and Quantum Electronics, 22, S1 (1990)) (as well as providing an alternative diode pump source for erbium lasers). Part of the current intense interest in diode pumped Yb lasers accrues to the fact that the energy-storage lifetime of the Yb.sup.3+ laser ions is typically in excess of a millisecond compared to a few hundred microseconds for the Nd.sup.3+ ion. This longer lifetime lowers the diode array power required to produce a given degree of energy storage in the laser material which results in a correspondingly lower cost for the pump array.
The first demonstration of a Yb solid state laser pumped by a narrowband source was published by Reinberg, et al.. in 1971 (A. R. Reinberg, L. A. Riseberg, R. M. Brown, R. W. Wacker, and W. C. Holton, "GaAs:Si LED Pumped Yb-Doped YAG Laser", Appl. Phys. Lett., 19, (1971)). Ytterbium doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Yb:YAG) was used as the solid state laser material; it was pumped at a wavelength near 940 nm using GaAs:Si light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Silicon doping was used to shift the pump light to about 940 nm from about 860 nm, typical of undoped GaAs LEDs. The Yb:YAG crystal was cooled to a temperature near 77.degree. K. to reduce resonant loss at the laser wavelength (1029 nm). The pump LEDs were also cooled to 77.degree. K. to increase LED power and efficiency. The need to operate this laser at cryogenic temperatures discouraged interest in this device and no practical or commercial use ensued.
With the recent emergence of highly practical diodes and diode arrays operating in the 900-1100 nm region (D. P. Bour, P. Stabile, A. Rosen, W. Janton, L. Elbaum, and D. J. Holmes, "Two-Dimensional Array of High Power Strained Quantum Well Lasers with Wavelength of 0.95 Microns", Appl. Phys. Lett., 54, 2637 (1989)), a renewal of interest in designing and building practical Yb solid state lasers occurred (W. F. Krupke and Lloyd L. Chase, supra). Additionally, Krupke and Chase described a method (so-called "ground state depletion mode") by which the deleterious effects of resonance loss which compromise the practical utility of the Yb:YAG laser could be substantially overcome at room temperature by properly designing and utilizing intense, narrowband pump sources, such as an appropriately intensified laser diode array (W. F. Krupke and Lloyd L. Chase, supra). In 1991, Lacovara, et al.. reported the demonstration of a room temperature Yb:YAG laser pumped with a broad-stripe InGaAs laser diode (P. Lacovara, H. K. Choi, C. A. Wang, R. L. Aggarwal, and T. Y. Fan, "Room-Temperature Diode-Pumped Yb:YAG Laser", Opt. Letters, 16, 1089 ( 1991)). Although operated at room temperature, the experimental arrangement did not incorporate a sufficiently intense diode pump, in the manner described by Krupke and Chase supra) which would have mitigated the deleterious effects due to resonance absorption loss, and which would have allowed a considerably higher performance (efficiency, etc.) to be achieved.
Based on our analyses, the Yb:YAG material gain system falls far short of possessing the spectroscopic/laser parameters which will permit the superior room temperature operation possible in a more ideal Yb-solid state laser gain medium. Specifically, the pump absorption cross-section of Yb:YAG (about 0.8.times.10.sup.-20 cm.sup.2) is quite low and necessitates using a Yb doping level greater than 10.sup.20 ions/cc in order to obtain efficient absorption of pump light. This relatively high doping level introduces a proportionally higher resonance absorption loss at the laser wavelength, increasing the threshold pump power and lowering laser efficiency (when operating only several times above threshold). The undesirably low pump absorption cross-section also results in a pump saturation flux of 22 kW/cm.sup.2, which severely taxes the degree of pump array intensification needed to realize the benefits of operating the Yb:YAG laser in the ground state depletion mode. Additionally, the relatively low stimulated emission cross-section of Yb:YAG (about 2.times.10.sup.-20 cm.sup.2) results in a relatively low small signal laser gain for a given pumping flux and a relatively high saturation fluence (about 9.5 J/cm.sup.2). The latter high value is uncomfortably close to the optical damage threshold of YAG (10-15 J/cm.sup.2), limiting the extraction and overall laser efficiency of pulsed Yb:YAG lasers.
In view of these spectroscopic/laser parameter deficiencies of Yb:YAG for an InGaAs diode pumped solid state laser, it is desirable to provide an ytterbium doped laser gain material more suitable for commercial applications. In our survey, the most widely used laser hosts (e.g., YLF, BaY.sub.2 F.sub.8, LaF.sub.3, etc.) were found not to offer significant improvements over Yb:YAG.

Yb:FAP and related materials, laser gain medium comprising same, and laser systems using same


Methods and systems of providing security backup services to a home network are described. In one embodiment, the gateway for a home network is registered with a service provider. A network device is enrolled with the home network, and periodically reenrolls. The device detects whether the gateway has been replaced between enrolling and reenrolling, and if it has been replaced, determines whether the new network gateway has been endorsed by the service provider.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to field of home computer network security, and specifically to providing a network backup without breaching the owner's security.
2. Related Art
As more and more devices inside a home become network enabled, and as more and more commercial and private information becomes stored on such devices, the topic of home network security will become increasingly important. Unlike in a commercial environment, home users tend to be unwilling to perform redundant or laborious tasks, simply for the sake of network security. For the average home user, who is not paid to maintain his network, an ideal circumstance would be one in which a device could simply be plugged in, and it would work securely and consistently.
Home network security has commercial implications as well. For example, many digital content delivery systems, such as on-demand movies transferred via cable systems, rely upon unique identification of the recipient. The more secure home networks are proved to be, the more comfortable content providers are likely to be with such delivery systems. Moreover, the more secure the home network, the less likely the consumer is to have mistaken or fraudulent transactions applied to his account.
Unfortunately, such an ideal situation is unrealistic, given current technology.
One scheme for home network security works to streamline the process. A single device, most commonly a gateway, such as a router, between the home network and the home's Internet service provider (ISP), serves as a registrar for every device on the home network. When a new device is added to the network, some method of introducing the device to the gateway is used. A number of different methods of introduction are available, ranging from a relatively simple approach like pressing a button on the gateway and device at the same time, to a more complicated and secure method, such as using a hardware dongle to transfer a unique identifier, e.g., a private or secret key, from the gateway to the device.
Additionally, or in conjunction with the above described scheme, the home gateway can also be registered with the ISP. This can be done in number of ways, such as an automated system for detecting the presence of home gateway on the ISP's network, or the customer placing a phone call at the time of home gateway installation. Such a process allows the ISP to be certain of the identity of the home gateway; that is, to be able to associate a unique gateway with unique customer, in such way that billing for individualized content delivery, for example, becomes easy and straightforward. One method of implementing this approach is to have the ISP provide the home gateway with a credential, e.g., a certificate, signed by the ISP, verifying that the home gateway belongs to this particular customer of the ISP. This credential can then be passed on to the individual devices inside the home network, for use when engaging in some network processing that requires authentication or identification.
An issue with this particular scheme, and with other similar approaches, is that a failure in the gateway results in a complete loss of registrar data, and requires that every device be reregistered with the new gateway. A similar problem occurs when the gateway is replaced, for example, because of improvements in technology. If the ISP is replaced, a similar issue occurs, in that all of the credentials provided by the ISP are no longer valid. It is a system based entirely on establishing trust: the home gateway and the ISP trust each other, because they were introduced using a trustworthy system; the home gateway and the individual network devices trust each other, again because they were introduced using a trustworthy system. If either, or both, the ISP or the home gateway is changed, the chain of trust is broken, and the relationship must be re-created from scratch.
The relationship between the home gateway and the home network devices can be backed up. At present, in order to do this, the unique identifier known only to the gateway and the device have to be stored elsewhere. However, much like sharing a password, the security of the home network is compromised when a secret key is known to more than the home gateway and the device. With that secret (such as a public/private keypair), and access to the gateway, an unauthorized device could be used to gain access to the network, and also to the customer's unique identity, as certified by the ISP.

System and method for providing security backup services to a home network


A stuffing box and guide bushing assembly, particularly adapted for use with a reciprocating pump rod connected to a downhole well pump and to a pumping unit on the Earth's surface. The stuffing box includes a frame comprising a lower plate member with a floor surface, an upper plate member spaced from the lower plate member and including an opposed and generally parallel roof surface, the upper plate member being supported by circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending column members. The upper plate member includes an internal threaded bore centered at the longitudinal central axis of the stuffing box assembly, which axis is also the central axis of the well and the desired central axis of reciprocation of the pump rod. A guide bushing includes a bore for receiving the pump rod and an externally threaded hub portion for engagement with the bore of the upper plate member. The upper plate member is releasably secured to the frame column members by bolts which are arranged on a bolt circle equally spaced so that the upper plate member and the guide bushing may be indexed 90.degree., 180.degree. or 270.degree. in either direction from an initial position to present a new bearing surface by the bushing with respect to the pump rod as wear occurs on the bushing.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,944, issued Sep. 6, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,080 issued Jul. 23, 1996 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,688 issued Jun. 10, 1997, all to Grey Bassinger, disclose and claim self-aligning stuffing boxes for use in sealing the reciprocating pump rod or so-called "polished rod" of well pumping units. The subject matter of these patents is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Each of the above referenced patents discloses and claims a self-aligning stuffing box assembly which allows a rod packing or seal means to move laterally with respect to the central axis of the stuffing box housing and thereby accommodate some lateral displacement of the pump rod. However, there is still a tendency to wear the packing or seal means generally at the point where the packing or seal holder is being biased in a particular direction with respect to the central axis. Accordingly, the seal means or packing tends to wear unevenly and begin leaking due to the lateral deflection of the rod.
A related problem in assembling the stuffing box and packing assembly or when replacing the polished rod packing, is the difficulty encountered in properly aligning the polished rod with respect to the stuffing box before placing the pumping unit in service. It is often difficult and time-consuming to measure misalignment and adjust the position of the pumping unit with respect to the common central axis of the tubing string, wellhead and stuffing box housing. In this regard it is desirable to provide means which could be used to assist in aligning the polished rod with regard to structure including the stuffing box housing or frame which is already mounted on the wellhead.
The foregoing problems in the art of stuffing boxes for reciprocating pump units have been solved by the present invention.

Self aligning stuffing box and guide bushing assembly


An image stabilizer for counteracting image shake of an object image formed on an image pickup device includes an image-pickup-device holding member; a guide device which guides the image-pickup-device holding member so as to be allowed to move linearly in a plane orthogonal to an optical axis; a driving device which moves the image-pickup-device holding member in a guide direction of the guide device to a force receiving portion on the image-pickup-device holding member; and a flexible printed wiring board, extending from the image pickup device, a part of which being fixed to the image-pickup-device holding member at a fixing position thereon. A distance between the fixing position and the force receiving portion is smaller than a distance between the guide device and the force receiving portion in a direction orthogonal to both the optical axis direction and the guide direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image stabilizer which is incorporated in an optical device such as a camera or binoculars.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Optical image stabilizers (shake reduction systems/anti-shake systems) prevent (reduce) image shake of an object image formed at a focal plane by moving a part of an optical system relative to an optical axis thereof so that the part of the optical system shifts from the optical axis in accordance with the direction and the magnitude of vibration (shake) applied to the optical device in which the image stabilizer is incorporated. Such optical image stabilizers can be broadly divided into the following two types: a type of image stabilizer which swings an image-stabilizing optical element about an axis positioned away from the optical axis of the optical system, and another type (X-Y stage type) of image stabilizer which moves an image-stabilizing optical element in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical system.
The latter type (X-Y stage type) has the advantage that the image stabilizing optical element can be moved precisely in directions to cancel image shake; however, in an apparatus such as an image stabilizer which is required to be driven with great precision, the occurrence of a deleterious moment such as a bending moment or a torsional moment must be considerably suppressed to move the image stabilizing optical element precisely with micrometer accuracy.
Specifically, in the case where an electrical component such as an image pickup device is adopted as the image stabilizing optical element, the load on movements of the image pickup device due to deformation of the flexible printed wiring board which extends from the image pickup device must be prevented from becoming a deleterious moment and must be prevented from causing friction.


A gaming system including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The gaming system includes a plurality of different types of progressive awards adapted to be provided to one or more players of the gaming machines in the gaming system. In one embodiment, one or more progressive awards are each associated with an outcome of a primary game, such as a designated symbol combination, wherein if the associated primary game outcome is generated, such progressive award is provided to a player. In one embodiment, one or more progressive awards are each associated with a progressive hit value, wherein when each progressive award increments to its respective progressive hit value, a triggering event occurs, such progressive award is provided to a player and the player is provided the opportunity to one or more additional progressive awards.

Gaming machines which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming machines generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming machines, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
In such known gaming machines, the amount of the wager made on the base game by the player may vary. For instance, the gaming machine may enable the player to wager a minimum number of credits, such as one credit (e.g., one penny, nickel, dime, quarter or dollar) up to a maximum number of credits, such as five credits. This wager may be made by the player a single time or multiple times in a single play of the primary game. For instance, a slot game may have one or more paylines and the slot game may enable the player to make a wager on each payline in a single play of the primary game. Thus, it is known that a gaming machine, such as a slot game, may enable players to make wagers of substantially different amounts on each play of the primary or base game ranging, for example, from 1 credit up to 125 credits (e.g., 5 credits on each of 25 separate paylines). This is also true for other wagering games, such as video draw poker, where players can wager one or more credits on each hand and where multiple hands can be played simultaneously. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that different players play at substantially different wagering amounts or levels and at substantially different rates of play.
Secondary or bonus games are also known in gaming machines. The secondary or bonus games usually provide an additional award to the player. Secondary or bonus games usually do not require an additional wager by the player to be activated. Secondary or bonus games are generally activated or triggered upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or triggering symbol combination in the primary or base game. For instance, a bonus symbol occurring on the payline on the third reel of a three reel slot machine may trigger the secondary bonus game. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming machines is the occurrence or triggering of the secondary or bonus game (even before the player knows how much the bonus award will be). In other words, obtaining a bonus event and a bonus award in the bonus event is part of the enjoyment and excitement for players.
One such secondary or bonus game provides a player one or more free spin sequences. In these gaming devices, upon an occurrence of a triggering event in the primary game, the gaming device temporarily halts the primary game play and enables a player to enter a free spin mode or sequence wherein one or more free spins are provided to the player. The player plays the free spin mode or sequence, likely receives an award during one or more of the free spins and returns to the base game. Free spin mode or sequences that provide players with large awards or the potential to win large awards are attractive to players.
Progressive awards associated with gaming machines are also known. A progressive award is an award amount which includes an initial amount funded by a casino and an additional amount funded through a portion of each wager made on the progressive gaming machine. For example, 0.1% of each wager placed on the primary game of the gaming machine associated with the progressive award may be allocated to the progressive award or progressive award fund or pool. The progressive award grows in value as more players play the gaming machines and more portions of these players' wagers are allocated to the progressive award. When a player obtains a winning symbol or symbol combination associated with the progressive award, the accumulated progressive award is provided to the player. After the progressive award is provided to the player, the amount of the next progressive award is reset to the initial value and a portion of each subsequent wager on a gaming machine associated with a progressive award is allocated to the next progressive award.
A progressive award may be associated with or otherwise dedicated to a single or stand-alone gaming machine. Alternatively, a progressive award may be associated with or otherwise dedicated to multiple gaming machines which each contribute a portion of wagers placed at such gaming machine(s) to the progressive award. The multiple gaming machines may be in the same bank of gaming machines, in the same casino or gaming establishment (usually through a local area network ("LAN")) or in two or more different casinos or gaming establishments (usually through a wide area network ("WAN")). Such progressive awards are played for by one or more gaming devices in the same gaming establishment sometimes called local area progressives ("LAP") and such progressive awards played for by a plurality of gaming devices at a plurality of different gaming establishments are sometimes called wide area progressives ("WAP").
Moreover, a gaming machine or bank of gaming machines may be simultaneously associated with a plurality of progressive awards. In these multi-level progressive ("MLP") configurations, a plurality of progressive awards start at different award or value levels, such as $10, $100, $1000 and $10,000 and each individually increment or increase until provided to a player. Upon a suitable triggering event at one of more of the gaming devices associated with the MLP, one or more of the progressive awards which form the MLP are provided to one or more of the players at such gaming devices.
Mystery bonus awards are also known. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,655,961, 5,702,304, 5,741,183, 5,752,882, 5,820,459, 5,836,817, 5,876,284, 6,162,122, 6,257,981, 6,319,125, 6,364,768, 6,375,569, 6,375,567, RE37,885 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,565,434 describe mystery bonus awards and certain methods for providing such awards to players. These patents also describe certain methods for determining which gaming machines will provide the awards to players. These patents further describe methods for a central server to determine which gaming machines will provide the bonus awards and the amount of the bonus awards.
PCT Application No. PCT/AU98/00525, entitled "Slot Machine Game And System With Improved Jackpot Feature" discloses a jackpot awardable to a plurality of gaming machines connected to a network. Upon each play of each gaming machine, a jackpot controller increments the value of the jackpot. Prior to each primary game, the gaming machine selects a random number from a range of numbers and during each primary game, the gaming machine allocates a plurality of numbers in the range, where the plurality of numbers is proportional to the wager. At the end of the primary game, the randomly selected number is compared with the numbers allocated to the player and if a match occurs, that particular gaming machine is switched into a feature game mode in which a jackpot game is played for all or part of the incremental jackpot.
PCT Application No. PCT/AU99/01059, entitled "Player Information Delivery" discloses a gaming console in which an animated character occasionally randomly appears and awards a player a variable random bonus prize. The occurrence of the animated character is weighted by the desired hit rate of the feature and is dependent upon the player's bet and may or may not be dependent upon the size and type of the player's bet. Additionally, the gaming console includes a bonus pool (funded by the player) and a random decision is made whether the contents of the bonus pool will be awarded in addition to any other win.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,608 B1 entitled "Progressive Wagering System" discloses a linked progressive wagering system specifying a boundary criteria, such as a maximum value or an expiration date and time, for a progressive award prize. If a gaming device has not randomly generated a prize award event when the specified boundary criteria is met, a progressive award prize is forced by the system upon one or more randomly selected participating players.
While such mystery progressive awards are popular amongst players, a number of problems exist with these known mystery progressive award systems. First, only one person wins the progressive award. This may discourage the other players who have also been playing for a long period of time. Such discouragement can lead to players walking away with jackpot fatigue. Jackpot fatigue can occur when a player no longer finds an award desirable or worth the cost of continuing to play. This desire to quit playing is also due to the fact that a player may feel they must wait a substantial period of time for the jackpot to climb back to a high value. That is, when a progressive award is provided at a different gaming machine, a player may feel deflated and not wish to continue playing for a base or reset level progressive award.
Additionally, because the mathematics and funding required to maintain the mystery progressive awards at levels desirable to the player, such mystery progressive awards are often won or hit infrequently.
There is a continuing need to provide new and different gaming machines and gaming systems as well as new and different ways to provide awards to players including bonus awards.

Gaming device and method having multiple progressive award levels and a secondary game for advancing through the progressive award levels


A device and method for positioning personal mobility vehicle are disclosed. The positioning method is implemented by a computer and comprises receiving messages from a plurality of auxiliary road side units, obtaining distances between a Personal Mobility (PM) vehicle and the plurality of auxiliary road side units based on the messages, estimating a candidate position of the PM vehicle based on the distances between the PM vehicle and the plurality of auxiliary road side units, receiving correction data from a reference road side unit, correcting the candidate position based on the correction data, and determining the corrected candidate position as a final position of the PM vehicle.

The statements described in this section merely provide background information for the present disclosure and does not constitute the related art.
As a moving means or a transportation means, the proportion of vehicles is decreasing, and the proportion of Personal Mobility vehicles (PM vehicles) is gradually increasing. Here, the PM vehicle is a moving object and means a moving means including an electric kickboard, a bike, a smart car, a vehicle, a Purpose-Built Vehicle (PBV), an air vehicle, and the like.
Meanwhile, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based on satellite signals is generally used to identify positions of PM vehicles. An example of the GNSS may include a Global Positioning System (GPS). Vehicle to Everything (V2X) standard technologies applied to intelligent transportation systems also estimate positions of vehicles based on the GPS.
A Global Positioning System (GPS) is a positioning technology used worldwide and is one of the most used positioning systems among technologies developed to date.
However, in general, an error range for positioning using the GPS is a range of 5 to 15 m, and an error may be up to 30 m, and thus the GPS does not satisfy the performance for general PM vehicle safety technology.
In particular, in urban areas with many high-rise buildings, GPS signals are diffusely reflected by high-rise buildings. The GPS diffused reflection may prevent the GPS signals from being transmitted to a destination at a shortest distance, thereby reducing the accuracy of positioning. In addition, since it is difficult to receive satellite signals in a GPS dead zone such as an indoor parking lot, it is more difficult to determine the positions of the vehicles.
To solve this problem, additional devices are used in GPS shadow areas or urban areas. In the positioning method using the GPS, in addition to the GPS technology, a map matching technology that displays positions of vehicles as positions on the nearest road may be used. In addition, through an Inertial Navigation System (INS), it is possible to reduce the inaccuracy of the GPS and to receive additional information necessary for positioning in a GPS dead zone. However, even when both the GPS and INS are used, there is a limit to reducing the positioning error because the position is estimated based on the satellite signals transmitted from the satellites.
If a technology for providing signal information to vehicles using the GPS is applied to the PM vehicles, a problem due to a GPS positioning error may be further highlighted. This is because, unlike vehicles that travel only on the road, the PM vehicles can travel along various routes, such as sidewalks, roads, bike roads, or alleys. That is, when traffic information is provided to the PM vehicles through GPS positioning, there is a problem in that it is difficult to transmit necessary information to the PM vehicles due to a positioning error.
Therefore, it is necessary to accurately identify positions of PM vehicles prior to providing various services to the PM vehicles.

Device and method for positioning personal mobility vehicle

KOOKMIN UNI. INDUS. ACADEMY COOPERATION FOUNDATION


Disclosed is a nickel electroplating bath or a nickel alloy electroplating bath used for electroplating a conductor partially masked with an organic high-molecular resist layer, wherein the nickel electroplating bath contains a water-soluble nickel salt, and the nickel alloy electroplating bath contains both a water-soluble nickel salt and a water-soluble salt of a metal capable of being alloyed with nickel. The above electroplating bath is incorporated with an electrical conductive salt containing at least one cation selected from the group consisting of an ammonium ion, magnesium ion, calcium ion, aluminum ion, and barium ion. Further, the electrical conductive salt substantially does not contain a sodium ion and a potassium ion as cations. Such an electroplating bath is capable of electroplating a conductor partially masked with an organic high-molecular resist layer without floating of the resist layer.

The present invention relates to a nickel or nickel alloy electroplating bath used for electroplating a conductor partially masked with an organic high-molecular resist layer, for example, a printed circuit board partially masked with a solder resist layer, and to an electroplating process using the bath. In particular, the present invention concerns a nickel or nickel alloy electroplating bath capable of electroplating the above conductor without floating (peeling) of the above resist layer during electroplating.
Nickel or nickel alloy electroplating has been used for printed circuit boards. Specifically, an organic high-molecular resist film (which is often called a solder resist film in the field of printed circuit boards) is partially formed on a printed circuit board, and a portion of the board excluding the area masked with the resist film is subjected to nickel or nickel alloy electroplating.
The above electroplating has been performed using a Watts type nickel electroplating bath mainly containing nickel sulfate and nickel chloride. Such a Watts type nickel electroplating bath, however, has been poor in macrothrowing power, and therefore, it has been expected to develop a new electroplating bath enhanced in macrothrowing power.
The nickel or nickel alloy plating baths enhanced in macrothrowing power have been known, for example, from Japanese Patent Publication Nos. Hei 2-22158, Hei 2-22160, Hei 2-44911, Hei 3-19308, and Hei 3-19309. In each of these plating baths, the concentration of a plating metal such as nickel is made relatively low, and an electrical conductive salt such as a halide, sulfate or sulfamate of an alkali metal, alkali earth metal, or aluminum is incorporated at a high concentration. In particular, a sodium salt or potassium salt has been practically used as the above electrical conductive salt.
The above-described nickel or nickel alloy plating bath enhanced in macrothrowing power, however, has problems. Specifically, in the case where a printed circuit board masked at a specific region thereof with the above resist layer is subjected to electroplating using the nickel or nickel alloy plating bath containing a sodium salt or a potassium salt in a large amount, there possibly occurs a floating (or peeling) phenomenon of the resist layer, although the macrothrowing power is undoubtedly enhanced. The floating of the resist layer leads to problems in that a copper underlayer of the printed circuit board is exposed and the copper layer thus exposed is corroded, and that the floating resist layer can no longer keep the solder resisting function resulting in occurrence of a solder bridging phenomenon upon soldering. These problems leads to critical defects of the printed circuit board. The floating of the resist layer has another problem. Specifically, although the resist layer is formed at the area where plating should not be performed, there is a possibility that a plating film is formed at a portion where the resist layer is floated (peeled).
It is to be noted that the above-described Watts type plating bath does not exhibit the floating phenomenon of the resist layer; however, as described above, it is poor in macrothrowing power.
In view of the foregoing, it has been required to develop a nickel or nickel alloy electroplating bath capable of giving a high macrothrowing power without floating of a resist layer.

Nickel or nickel alloy electroplating bath and plating process using the same


A new class of microporous compositions are described along with a process for preparing them and processes for using them. These compositions have a three-dimensional microporous framework structure of ZnO.sub.2, PO.sub.2 and M'O.sub.2 tetrahedral units, and an intracrystalline pore system. The M' metal is selected from the group consisting of magnesium, copper, gallium, aluminum, germanium, cobalt, chromium, iron, manganese, titanium and mixtures thereof. These molecular sieves are prepared by hydrothermal crystallization of a reaction mixture containing reactive sources of phosphorus, zinc, one or more M' metal, at least one alkali metal and water. This invention also relates to processes using these molecular sieves.

Zeolites are crystalline aluminosilicate molecular sieves which have a microporous three-dimensional framework structure. In general, the crystalline zeolites are formed from corner-sharing AlO.sub.2 and SiO.sub.2 tetrahedra and are characterized by having pore openings of uniform dimensions, having a significant ion-exchange capacity and being capable of reversibly desorbing an adsorbed phase which is dispersed throughout the internal voids of the crystal without significantly displacing any atoms which make up the permanent crystal structure.
Zeolites can be represented on an anhydrous basis, by the empirical formula EQU M.sub.2/n O:Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 :XSiO.sub.2
where M is a cation having the valence n, X is generally equal to or greater than 2. In naturally occurring zeolites, M can be Li, Na, Ca, K, Mg and Ba. The M cations are loosely bound to the structure and frequently can be completely or partially replaced with other cations by conventional ion exchange techniques. Currently over 150 species of both naturally occurring and synthetic zeolites are known.
Other crystalline microporous compositions are known which are not zeolitic, i.e., do not contain AlO.sub.2 tetrahedra as essential framework constituents, but which exhibit the ion-exchange and/or absorption characteristics of the zeolites. These include 1) a pure silica polymorph, silicalite, having a neutral framework containing neither cations nor cation sites as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,724; 2) crystalline aluminophosphate compositions disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,440; 3) silicon substituted aluminophosphates as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,871; 4) metal substituted aluminophosphates as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,197; and 5) metal sulfide molecular sieves disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,761.
Applicant has discovered a new class of molecular sieves based on tetrahedra of zinc, phosphorus and at least one other metal. These compositions have a three-dimensional microporous framework, a high framework charge and a high charge gradient which arises from the Zn.sup.+2, P.sup.+5 and M'.sup.+n (n=+2, +3 or +4) tetrahedral sites in the framework. This class of compositions are capable of ion exchange, adsorption of gases and are useful as catalysts.
There are a number of reports dealing with the synthesis and characterization of zinc phosphate materials. For example the crystal structure of Zn.sub.2 HK(PO.sub.4).sub.2.2H.sub.2 O has been reported by M. T. Averbuch-Pouchot and A. Durif in J. Applied Crystallography, No. 7, p. 403 (1974). Further, the properties of KZn.sub.2 H(PO.sub.4).sub.2.2.5H.sub.2 O has been reported by T. Barbou des Courieres and M. H. Simonot-Grange in Materials Research Bulletin, Volume 12, pp. 355-360 (1977). In this article the authors report that the zinc phosphate material contains water molecules which have partially zeolitic properties. However, heating of this material at temperatures of about 450.degree. C. results in a collapse of the structure. More importantly, the structure of this material was determined by I. Tordjman et al. in Acta Cryst. B31, 1143 (1975) and showed that two of the zinc atoms in the unit cell were not tetrahedrally coordinated (See Table 4, pp. 1147-48). Therefore, this material does not have a framework made up of tetrahedrally coordinated zinc and phosphorus atoms. Other references include the crystal structure of (Na,K)(ZnPO.sub.4) by O. V. Yakubovich and O. K. Mel'nikov in Sov. Phys. Crystallogr., 34(1) (1989) and A. W. Frazier et al. in J. Agr. Food Chemistry, Volume 14, page 522-529 (1966). However, both of the materials reported in these references are dense phase materials with the former reference stating that their material has a .beta.-tridymite structure.
There are also several references which disclose the synthesis and characterization of microporous zinc phosphate compositions. Gier and Stucky in Nature, 349, 508-510 (1991) disclose the synthesis of zinco (beryllo)-phosphate and arsenate molecular seives. Harrison et al. in Chem. Mater., 3, 27-29 (1991) disclose the preparation of zinc phosphate and beryllium phosphate molecular sieves having the zeolite X structure. The synthesis and characterization of zinc phosphate and beryllium phosphate molecular sieves with the sodalite structure has been reported by Nenoff et al. in J. Am. Chem. Soc., 113, 378-379 (1991). Gier et al. in Angew. Chem. Intl. Ed. Engl., 30 (9), 1169-1171 (1991) disclose and characterize lithium haloberyllophosphate and arsenate molecular sieves.
At this point it is helpful to discuss the difference between "microporous" materials and "dense phase" materials. Microporous materials are materials which have an intracrystalline pore system. The pores are large enough to admit various gaseous or liquid molecules. One example of microporous materials are zeolites. Zeolites contain cations which are found in the intracrystalline pore system of the zeolite and are hydrated. Therefore, a traditional criterion for microporosity is the presence of intracrystalline waters of hydration which are associated with cations found in the pores, i.e., structure directing cations.
Microporous materials are metastable with respect to solid state or dense phases. What this means is that all microporous materials, as a consequence of their metastable nature, will display either a structure collapse or a structure collapse followed by a recrystallization to a dense phase before the melting temperature is reached.
Dense phase materials on the other hand do not have an intracrystalline pore system which is capable of admitting gaseous or liquid molecules. Although in certain crystallographic views, these dense materials may appear to have intracrystalline pore systems, these pores are only large enough to accommodate a small cation without any waters of hydration. That is, the cation is actually coordinated to the framework oxygen atoms. Further, dense phase materials will not undergo a complete structure collapse before melting occurs.
Applicant's compositions differ in several ways from the materials described in the references above. First, applicant's compositions have zinc, phosphorus and one or more other metal in the framework. That is, these compositions have a three-dimensional microporous framework of ZnO.sub.2, PO.sub.2 and M'O.sub.2 tetrahedral units. Illustrative of these M' metals are: magnesium, copper, gallium, aluminum and germanium.
It should be pointed out that molecular sieves containing Al, P and Zn have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,029. Applicant's compositions differ from those disclosed in the '029 patent in that applicant's compositions contain alkali metals whereas the '029 compositions do not. The amount of aluminum in applicant's composition is outside the range disclosed by the '029 reference. Finally the structure of applicant's composition is different from those disclosed in the '029 reference.

Crystalline microporous metallo-zinc phosphate compositions


Making carbon fiber from asphaltenes obtained through heavy oil upgrading. In more detail, carbon fiber is made from asphaltenes obtained from heavy oil feedstocks undergoing upgrading in a continuous coking reactor.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods of making carbon fiber from asphaltenes. In more detail, embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods of making carbon fiber from asphaltenes obtained from heavy oil feedstocks undergoing upgrading in a coking reactor.
Description of Related Art
Carbon fiber comes in several forms and has found wide applicability in military, aerospace, and energy applications primarily because of its extremely high tensile strength per unit weight, anisotropically along the length of the fiber. Carbon fiber also has the significant potential to reduce weight and energy requirements of vehicles, however, it has not to this point been widely adopted in the automotive industry, in part, because of the high cost associated with obtaining and preparing carbon fiber precursors.
Various precursors are currently used to produce carbon fibers of different morphologies and characteristics. Typical precursors include polyacrylonitrile (PAN), cellulosic fibers (e.g., rayon, cotton), petroleum or coal tar pitch, and certain phenolic fibers. Carbon fibers are generally manufactured from these precursors by the controlled pyrolysis of the precursors into fibrous form. The carbon fiber yield will depend on the precursor material. However, a typical PAN precursor will give a carbon fiber yield of about 50% of the mass of the original PAN.
In addition to the precursors listed above, a poorly understood and little-known carbon fiber precursor, asphaltene, may also be used in the production of carbon fibers. Large amounts of asphaltenes are currently being produced from the heavy oils that are mined from heavy oil sand deposits, such as from the Alberta oil sands near Fort McMurray, Canada. In addition to the large amounts of asphaltenes being generated from oil sand deposits, the asphaltenes contained within mined heavy oils typically include hydrogen to carbon ratios from approximately 1:1 to 1.2:1. Such low ratios promote carbon fiber strength and yield because outgassing is reduced during carbon fiber processing.
Asphaltenes are generally comprised of highly-ordered and complex aromatic ring structures typically containing small amounts of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and/or heavy metals in addition to their primary constituent, carbon. They are large, planar, hetero-atom containing molecules that lend themselves to pi-pi bond stacking. Asphaltenes are a distinct chemical component of asphalt, which can typically be isolated from the resins in asphalt or petroleum-based pitch due to their solubility by solvent extraction and other methods. They occur widely in heavy oil-producing formations, and are the non-melting (i.e., burns before melts) solid component of crude oil, giving such crude oils their color. For example, heavier, black-oil crudes, such as those found in tar or oil sands, will typically have a higher asphaltene content.
Asphaltenes are often described and defined based on their solubility. For instance, asphaltenes are soluble in toluene, tetrahydrofuran, and terpenes; however, they are insoluble in n-alkane solvents, such as n-pentane or n-heptane. Thus, asphaltenes may generally be isolated from heavy oils by recovering heavy residuum which is a byproduct left over from heavy oil upgrading. The heavy residuum is generally comprised of oil cuts, asphaltenes, and resin residues. The resins can be separated from the asphaltenes by dissolving the residuum in an n-alkane solvent and filtering out the asphaltenes. To then prepare the asphaltenes as a carbon fiber precursor, the asphaltenes must be dissolved in toluene, tetrahydrofuran, and terpenes, or the like. However, such dissolving and isolating processes are difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. Thus, to this point, isolating asphaltenes from the heavy oils in which they naturally suspended has not been widely utilized to form precursors for carbon fiber production.

Methods of making carbon fiber from asphaltenes

Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, LLC


A current-sensing static amplifier-based flip-flop is useful for high-performance VLSI circuitry. The flip-flop has a short latency and a small hold time, advantageous features in high-performance microprocessors. A flip-flop circuit includes an amplifier stage and a static stage. The amplifier stage has a data input terminal and a clock input terminal. The amplifier stage includes a dual-output amplifier having two output lines connected respectively to two current pulldown paths and a gate connected between the current pulldown paths. The static stage is connected to the amplifier stage and including a static latch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to flip-flop circuits. More specifically, the invention relates to amplifier-based flip-flop circuits for using in high-performance processors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Microprocessor architectures are continually evolving to improve and extend the capabilities of personal computers. Execution speed, power consumption, and circuit size are aspects of microprocessors and microprocessor performance that are constantly addressed by processor architects and designers in the ongoing quest for an improved product. Execution speed not only depends on the clock rate of a processor, but also upon the speed of interfaces such as cache memories and buses that supply instructions and data for execution by a processor core. The execution speed of microprocessors is heavily analyzed and compared using standard benchmark tests for judging the performance of competing entries into the microprocessor market.
Hold time is an important characteristic of electronic circuits that is specified to particular tolerances in a circuit design. Unlike setup time, variations of which are tolerated by slowing down the system clock, failure to meet the hold time specification result in a nonfunctional part. Currently a popular technique for setting hold time to defined tolerances is by insertion of delay cells between flip-flops. A difficulty with the usage of delay cells is that care must be exercised to avoid slowing down critical timing paths.
Referring to FIG. 1, labeled prior art, a schematic circuit diagram illustrates a conventional strobed amplifier flip-flop (SAFF) 100 including a strobed amplifier 102, followed by an RS-latch 104. The strobe amplifier flip-flop circuit 100 has a very good hold time due to the snapping nature of the amplifier input stage 102. Once the strobed amplifier 102 switches, a later change of input data D cannot overpower the strobed amplifier 102 and alter the state of the flip-flop 100. However, the RS-latch 104 includes two slow gate delays through cross-coupled NAND-gates 106 that adversely impact the CLK-to-Q performance of the strobe amplifier flip-flop circuit 100.
What is needed is a flip-flop circuit having a short latency and small hold time and is thus suitable for usage in high-performance VLSI circuitry.


An electronic device for analyzing a skin of a subject and identifying a cosmetic product for the subject includes one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors. The device transfers a digital image of at least a portion of a face of the subject. The digital image includes a plurality of pixels. Skin pixels in the plurality of pixels are identified. Color space values are identified from the skin pixels. A cosmetic product is identified at least based on the color space values. The device transfers information of the cosmetic product.

Selection of cosmetic products for a user typically involves many trials with different products. It often takes time and efforts to find a cosmetic product that works well for the user, which can be frustrating and cumbersome. Furthermore, a cosmetic product that has been selected solely based on a visual perception of the user may not be a correct cosmetic product for the user.

Systems and methods for recommending cosmetic products for users with mobile devices


Disclosed herein is a non-naturally occurring non-human vertebrate animal incapable of expressing a functional Fc receptor which may optionally be capable of expressing a protein which comprises a domain of a human Fc receptor, as well as DNA encoding such Fc receptor-based proteins. Also disclosed are in vivo methods for identifying proinflammatory agents that depend on a functional Fc receptor, in vivo methods for identifying proinflammatory agents that do not depend on a functional Fc receptor, and both in vivo and in vitro methods of identifying anti-inflammatory agents. Pharmaceutical compositions containing, and methods of treating inflammation with anti-inflammatory agents are also described.

Throughout this application various references are referred to within parentheses. Disclosures of these publications in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this application to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains. Full bibliographic citations for these references may be found at the end of each section and in the body of the text.
The interaction of antibody-antigen complex with cells of the immune system results in a wide array of responses, ranging from effector functions such as antibody-dependent cytotoxicity, mast cell degranulation, and phagocytosis to immunomodulatory signals such as regulating lymphocyte proliferation and antibody secretion. All these interactions are initiated through the binding of the Fc domain of antibodies or immune complexes to specialized cell surface receptors on hematopoietic cells. It is now well established that the diversity of cellular responses triggered by antibodies and immune complexes results from the structural heterogeneity of Fc receptors. Considerable progress has been made in the last several years in defining this heterogeneity for IgG and IgE Fc receptors (Fc.gamma.R, Fc.epsilon.R) through their molecular cloning. Those studies make it apparent that Fc receptors share structurally related ligand binding domains, but differ in their transmembrane and intracellular domains which presumably mediate intracellular signalling. Thus, specific Fc.gamma.Rs and Fc.epsilon.R has also revealed at least one common subunit among some of these receptors.
It was recently observed that a family of disulfide-linked dimers are shared by Fc receptors and the T cell antigen receptor (TCR). Comparison of the genes for Fc.epsilon.RI(Fc.gamma.RIII).gamma. and TCR.zeta. chain indicates that they belong to the same family and have been generated by duplication. Both genes are located on mouse and human chromosome 1 and show an analogous organization of their exons. In both genes, the leader peptide is encoded by two exons, the second of which also contains the short extracellular domain, the hydrophobic transmembrane region, and the beginning of the cytoplasmic tail. The following exons, exons 3-5 and exons for .gamma. and .zeta., respectively, encode the remainder of the cytoplasmic tail. Furthermore, a high level of homology between the two genes is found in three of their respective exons, at the DNA and protein level (both about 50%). Finally, both .gamma. and .zeta. polypeptides use homologous cysteines essential for the surface expression of their respective receptors.
The detection of transcripts for .zeta. chains in TCR-, CD3-NK cells led to the finding that human Fc.gamma.RIIIA.alpha. from NK cells physically associates with .zeta.-.zeta. homodimer and with .zeta.-.gamma. heterodimer. So far, three different dimers have been identified in Fc receptor complexes: .gamma.-.gamma..zeta.-.zeta. and .zeta.-.gamma.. These dimers are also part of the TCR complex and probably mediate similar functions. There is a third member of the same family, TCR.eta. which is generated by alternate splicing from the same gene as TCR.zeta.. The dimers .eta.-.eta., .eta.-.zeta., and .eta.-.gamma. apparently are only associated with TCR, and so far there is no evidence that they associate with Fc receptor structures. Possibly, new members of the same family will be identified that form part of Fc receptor complexes.
Fc receptors (FcRs) for IgG and IgE couple humoral and cellular immunity by directing the interaction of antibodies with effector cells. These receptors are present on most effector cells of the immune system and mediate phagocytosis, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), activation of inflammatory cells and many of the biological sequelae associated with antibody-dependent immunity (reviewed in Ravetch and Kinet, 1991; Beaven and Metzger, 1993). Intensive analysis of the genes and proteins encoded by this family of receptors has revealed a structural heterogeneity for these receptors which mirrors the functional diversity mediated by these cell surface molecules (Ravetch, et al., 1986).
The high affinity FcR for IgE, Fc.epsilon.RI, is found on mast cells and basophils, and is responsible for the degranulation of these cells in response to crosslinking by antigen (reviewed in Parker, 1987). It is the receptor primarily responsible for triggering both peripheral and systemic anaphylaxis. In addition to the well known pathological response of these cells when activated by allergen, Fc.epsilon.RI has been associated with host resistance to parasitic infections (Matsuda et al., 1990). In contrast to the restricted expression of Fc.epsilon.RI, FcRs for IgG, Fc.gamma.Rs, are found on most cells of the hematopoietic lineage, and mediate both high and low affinity binding to IgG. The high affinity receptor, Fc.gamma.RI, binds monomeric IgG and is expressed exclusively on macrophages and neutrophils. It is capable of mediating ADCC and phagocytosis in response to crosslinking by antibody (Askenase and Heyden, 1974, Heusser, et al. 1977; Diamond et al. 1978). The low affinity receptors for IgG, Fc.gamma.RII and Fc.gamma.RIII, are responsible for effector cell responses to immune complexes and represent the Fc.gamma.Rs primarily involved in the inflammatory response in vivo. Fc.gamma.RII is widely expressed on haematopoietic cells and functions as an inhibitory receptor on B cells (Uhen, et al., 1985; Kurosaki, et al. 1993), while on cells of the myeloid lineage and on platelets, Fc.gamma.RII triggers ADCC, phagocytosis and the release of inflammatory mediators when crosslinked by immune complexes (Nathan, et al. 1980). These disparate functions result from the genetic heterogeneity of Fc.gamma.RII, as well as alternative splicing of its mRNA to generate proteins with distinct intracellular domains (Stuart, et al., 1989; Brooks, et al., 1989; Qiu, et al.,1990). Fc.gamma.RIII is restricted in its expression to NK, macrophage, neutrophils and mast cells, and mediates effector responses when crosslinked by immune complexes (Weinshank, et al., 1988; Perussia, et al., 1989). It is the sole FcR on NK cells, mediating all the antibody-dependent responses on those cells. In addition to these well-characterized effector cell pathways, Fc.gamma.RIII has been found on immature (day 15) thymocytes, where it has been postulated to function in early thymocyte development (Rodewald, et al., 1992).
Molecular characterization of the genes and protein products for Fc.gamma.RIII and Fc.epsilon.RI revealed that these two receptors were homologous (Ravetch and Anderson, 1989; Ravetch and Kinet, 1991) and required the identical subunit, the .gamma. chain, for efficient cell surface expression (Ra, et al. 1989; Kurosaki and Ravetch, 1989). This homodimeric protein not only mediates assembly of these receptors by preventing the degradation of the ligand binding .alpha. subunit in the endoplasmic reticulum (Weissman, et al., 1989; Kurosaki, et al. 1991), it is also critical for transducing signals into the cell interior resulting in cellular activation through a tyrosine kinase-dependent pathway (Romeo and Seed, 1991; Wirthmueller, et al., 1992). In murine macrophages, neutrophils, mast cells and basophils, the .gamma. chain is necessary for surface expression of Fc.gamma.RIII and Fc.epsilon.RI. In NK cells, a homologous chain, the .zeta. chain, first described as a component of the TCR/CD3 complex, is also expressed and forms heterodimers with the .gamma. chain (Kurosaki and Ravetch, 1989; Lanier, et al., 1989). Based on reconstitution studies and in vitro experiments, the murine .zeta. chain alone cannot substitute for .gamma. chain, due to a single amino acid substitution in the transmembrane domain of this .zeta. replacing a leucine for an isoleucine (Kurosaki and Ravetch, 1989; Kurosaki et al., 1991). This change in the transmembrane domain greatly diminishes the association of .zeta. chain with the ligand binding a chain. The .gamma. chain has also been found to be associated with the TCR/CD3 complex (Mercap et al., 1990), although its specific function, distinguishing it from the homologous .zeta., chain has yet to be determined. Although not required for its surface expression or ligand binding in transfected fibroblasts, the .gamma. chain has been found to be associated with FC.gamma.RI in the human monocytoid line U937 (Ernst, et al. 1992), where it may function as a signal transducing subunit.
The tissue deposition of immune complexes in diseases as diverse as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosis, glomerulonephritis, and vasculitis is widely recognized as a major pathogenic factor triggering the inflammatory cascade, leading to tissue damage and its subsequent morbidity and mortality. The most widely employed experimental model for the study of the pathological effects of antibody-antigen interaction is the Arthus phenomenon, first described by Maurice Arthus in 1903 (1). It was first characterized as the acute local inflammation and hemorrhage produced when an intradermal injection of horse serum was administered to previously sensitized rabbits, and its manifestations are a direct result of immune complex formation and deposition: edema due to increased vascular permeability and local mediator release, neutrophil infiltration in response to the local formation of chemotactic peptides, hemorrhage due to damage to the blood vessel wall, and in severe cases, tissue damage produced by the release of lysosomal enzymes. The study of the mechanisms and inhibitors of this reaction thus has broad relevance to the understanding of immune complex-mediated diseases and has provided important insights into the understanding of the process of inflammation.
Because the induction of the direct Arthus reaction suffers from substantial intra- and interspecies variability in the immunologic responsiveness to a foreign antigen, a number of experimental variants of the original Arthus reaction have been developed. The one which best minimizes the difficulties with reproducibility and generalizability is the reverse passive Arthus reaction, in which heterologous antibody is injected into the skin and cognate antigen is injected intravenously; immune complexes are formed locally in the skin as circulating antigen diffuses into the tissue and binds to its antibody. Since it is independent of host response to specific antigens in the levels and specificity of antibodies generated, this variant maximizes the detection of host factors necessary to the inflammatory response and as such has allowed elucidation of the many elements contributing to this complex cascade.
The first definitive experiments demonstrating that serum antibody was necessary to the Arthus reaction were performed by Opie in 1924 (2); subsequent experiments by Culbertson, Cannon and Marshall, Fishel and Kabat, and Benacerraf and Kabat (3) correlated the actual quantity of antibody with the intensity of the reaction. Using fluorescent antibody techniques, Cochrane and Weigel in 1958 (4) demonstrated the presence of both antigen and antibody in histologic lesions, supporting the hypothesis first put forth by Opie (2) more than a quarter of a century earlier that the Arthus reaction was produced by the local formation of antigen-antibody complexes.
That polymorphonuclear leukocytes play a critical role in the Arthus reaction was demonstrated independently in the 1950's by Stetson, Humphrey and Cochrane, et. al. (5). Animals which were depleted of neutrophils with either nitrogen mustard or anti-neutrophil antiserum showed markedly reduced Arthus reactions, despite the continued presence of antibody-antigen complexes. In 1964, Ward and Cochrane (6) demonstrated the integral role of complement to the production of the Arthus reaction by pre-treating animals with cobra venom factor, which cleaves the C3 component of complement and inactivates the cascade. In the absence of complement, neutrophil infiltration was substantially attenuated, consistent with the key role of complement in inflammatory activation. Once it became known that immune complexes can bind and activate complement directly via the "classical pathway" (7) and that activated complement components are themselves potently chemotactic for neutrophils (8), a model of immune complex-triggered inflammatory disease was proposed which has persisted to this day.
In this model, antibodies bind to their antigen to form immune complexes, which results in complement binding and activation via the "classical pathway". The resulting chemotactic peptides cause neutrophil invasion and activation, with subsequent discharge of granules (degranulation) and release of inflammatory mediators. The direct consequences of this cascade are the classical symptoms of inflammation--edema, hemorrhage and tissue destruction. However, this model has not addressed the potential role of specific cell-surface receptors known to bind antibody-antigen complexes and activate effector cells. These well-defined receptors, collectively known as Fc receptors for their binding of the Fc portion of antibodies, mediate macrophage, neutrophil, NK cell and mast cell activation in vitro and are capable of triggering many of the responses classically associated with inflammation (9).
Fc receptors are members of the immunoglobulin superfamily and exist as membrane-associated glycoproteins. Distinct receptors are expressed for each isotype of antibody. Among the IgG Fc receptors, three classes of molecules have been defined, varying in structure and affinity for IgG. Fc.gamma.RI, present on monocytes and macrophages, is the only Fc receptor capable of binding monomeric antibody, due to its relatively high ligand affinity. Fc.gamma.RII and Fc.gamma.RIII are both low affinity receptors and will only bind antibody in the form of immune complexes. Fc.gamma.RII is expressed widely on hematopoietic cells, whereas FC.gamma.RIII expression is generally limited to monocytes, NK cells, neutrophils, and mast cells.
Fc receptors are generally hetero-oligomeric receptors, composed of a ligand binding subunit .alpha., and in the case of Fc.epsilon.RI, Fc.gamma.RI and Fc.gamma.III of a dimeric .zeta. or .gamma. chain, required for surface expression and signal transduction. While the .alpha. subunits of murine Fc.gamma.RII and III are nearly identical in their extracellular domains, they have distinct transmembrane and intracytoplasmic regions, which mediate their interaction with associated subunits and thus result in the activation of different signaling pathways (9). Dissecting the role of individual Fc receptors in vivo has been complicated by the overlapping expression of this large family of related receptors, each of which can bind immune complexes and mediate effector cell response.
An oligopeptide which blocks immune complex binding to immunoglobulin Fc receptors is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,282 (Hahn, 1987).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,342 (Maliszewski, 1933) discloses DNA encoding IgA Fc receptors.

Mice mutant for functional Fc receptors and method of treating autoimmune diseases

Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research


A miniature air pump includes a motor unit, a valve unit and a compression unit. The compression unit is driven by the motor unit to input or output airflows via the valve unit. The compression unit includes an air chamber module and a linkage rod. The air chamber module includes a plurality of compressible chambers and a plurality of resilient connection members, each resilient connection member is located on each compressible chamber. The linkage rod is connected with the motor unit and includes a central rod and multiple sleeves extending from the central rod. Each sleeve has a side cutout. Each resilient connection members engages each sleeve via the side cutout such that the motor unit drives the air chamber module to be compressed or decompressed to input or output airflows via the valve unit. A longitudinal direction of the side cutout is in parallel with the central rod.

Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a pump. More particularly, the present invention relates to a miniature air pump.
Description of Related Art
A miniature pump is a smaller size pump. Because the miniature pump's volume is reduced, only a motor of a lower power can be installed in the miniature pump. Therefore, the efficiency of miniature pump depends on its valve or chamber design.
FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a conventional miniature pump. A conventional miniature pump 100 includes a motor unit 110, a valve unit 120, two chamber units 130/130′ and a linkage rod 140. An eccentric shaft portion 112 is coupled with the motor unit 110, and the linkage rod 140 is inserted into an eccentric hole 112a of the eccentric shall portion 112. The two chamber units 130/130′ have their bottom ends fastened to the linkage rod 140 and being compressed or decompressed by the linkage rod 140, which rotates eccentrically, thereby enabling airflows to be input or output via the valve unit 120.
Because the chamber units 130/130′ within the conventional miniature pump are made from elastic rubber materials and the two chamber units 130/130′ have their bottom ends fastened to the linkage rod 140 directly, the two chamber units 130/130′ may not be compressed or decompressed by the linkage rod 140 efficiently and the bottom ends of the two chamber units 130/130′ may sometimes be pulled off from the linkage rod 140 to result in malfunction of the miniature pump.


A fuel delivery module for a vehicle having a fuel tank. The fuel delivery module comprises a flange, a reservoir, a fuel pump, a guide rod, a guide rod receiver, and an elastically deformable member. The flange couples to an opening of the fuel tank. The reservoir is in fluid communication with the flange and a fuel pump connected to the reservoir transports fuel from inside the fuel tank to outside the fuel tank through the flange. The guide rod is coupled to the flange at a first end of the guide rod and the guide rod receiver is fixedly disposed on the reservoir. The elastically deformable member is moveably coupled to the guide rod and to the reservoir such that a second end of the guide rod is selectively receivable in the guide rod receiver.

In low-profile (or shallow profile) automotive vehicle fuel tanks, such as saddle tanks, conventional fuel delivery modules are too tall to fit inside the tank because the fuel pump is mounted vertically and the height of the conventional fuel delivery module is too large for such applications. Reducing the height of the conventional fuel delivery module, which includes a fuel pump, results in a limitation of the fuel reservoir capacity of the fuel delivery module. Reducing the height of the conventional module further interferes with the function or packaging of the inner components of the fuel delivery module.
Alternatively, it is possible to reduce the height of the fuel delivery module, while retaining fuel reservoir capacity and inner component functionality, by enlarging the cross-section of the fuel delivery module in its horizontal plane; however, enlarging of the cross-section requires a corresponding enlarging of the opening of the fuel tank. This is undesirable because it reduces the strength of the fuel tank and increases the diffusion of fuel vapor from the fuel tank.
Thus, it is known to mount a conventionally-sized fuel delivery module in a substantially horizontal orientation within the low-profile fuel tank. By mounting the fuel delivery module in a substantially horizontal orientation, the fuel reservoir capacity and inner component functionality are unchanged. Furthermore, the horizontally-mounted fuel delivery module may be configured to accommodate a conventionally-sized fuel tank opening.
The fuel reservoir of the fuel delivery module may become unstable due to variations in the height of the fuel tank, a change in vehicle attitude, or even an alteration of the fuel tank shape. Improvements in fuel delivery modules for low-profile fuel tanks are therefore desired.

Fuel delivery module for low-profile fuel tank


An exhaust system is disclosed that has pipes and a housing, through which exhaust fumes of an internal combustion engine flow. The exhaust fumes generate a condensate, at least in part and/or in certain areas. To prevent the corrosion of sheet metal by the condensate, a sacrificial anode, which can be made of zinc and/or magnesium, is provided at least in one of the areas where the condensate collects.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exhaust systems.
2. Description of the Background Art
Exhaust fumes generated during the combustion of gasoline or diesel flow through exhaust systems of internal combustion engines. They contain carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, ammonium compounds and water vapor, to name a few. If the exhaust fumes drop below the dew point, particularly in the start and partial load range, a liquid condensate forms inside the exhaust system, with a pH-value of between 6.5 and 2.5. This condensate causes corrosion of the steel material that the exhaust system is made of.
Year after year, the automobile manufacturers demand a higher product life of the exhaust system. The objective is lifetime serviceability. Thus, the manufacturers of exhaust systems are forced to switch to stainless steels instead of surface-passivated steels, for example, aluminated steel. However, even stainless steel is subject to corrosion resulting from the combined effects of acid and heat. For this reason, the sheet metal for the manufacture of the pipes and housings must be of a considerable thickness. This makes it harder to work with, and increases both the weight and the cost.
It is known from container-building as well as shipbuilding to protect steel parts from corrosion by using sacrificial anodes, which essentially contain zinc and/or magnesium. A typical example are storage tanks of hot-water systems, whereby the storage tanks are completely filled with water so that the zinc or magnesium ions released by the sacrificial anodes can reach every part of the tank. In the corrosion protection of the body of a ship, seawater makes it possible for the ions to migrate to all parts of the ship's hull that are subject to corrosion.
It is suggested in ES 2073969 A to protect the entire chassis of a motor vehicle against corrosion with a sacrificial anode. The anode corrosion protection is to include all the components of the exhaust system that are connected to the chassis. This would protect the exhaust system from external corrosive attacks, for example, melted road salt, but not, however, from the internal corrosive attack by the condensate.
In actuality, the use of sacrificial anodes in the construction of automobiles did not prevail. Instead, the chassis is made of galvanized sheet metal.
Exhaust systems, on the other hand, are not made of galvanized sheet metal because using galvanized sheet metal to make exhaust pipes and housings is extremely problematic. As previously mentioned, stainless steels with a high content of chromium and nickel are used instead, or else ordinary steels coated with an aluminum alloy. When exposed to air, the aluminum coatings form an oxide layer, which effectively wards off corrosion attacks. However, as soon as the aluminum coating is damaged in one place, for example, when the steel is bent, punched, molded, or welded, the corrosion continues to advance unimpededly.


Systems and methods for setting up carrier applications within a setup wizard are disclosed. In some implementations, a computing device launches an operating system setup wizard. The computing device launches, from the operating system setup wizard, a carrier-specific setup wizard. The computing device presents, from within the carrier-specific setup wizard, a setup interface for each of a plurality of carrier applications.

Some operating systems for mobile devices (e.g., Windows Phone®) do not provide inter-process communication (IPC) between applications during out-of-box experience (OOBE), immediately after a new computing device is powered on for the first time. Instead, applications must be launched by the user to allow them to use IPC.
Mobile carriers (e.g., Verizon Wireless®) provide applications, such as a contact management application or a text messaging application, to users of their services. These applications may require setup from the network or from the user prior to use. In order to initialize the phone at OOBE, the operating system provides a setup wizard application. However, the setup wizard application cannot communicate with the carrier-provided applications at OOBE because the carrier-provided applications have not been launched yet and, thus, cannot use IPC. As the foregoing illustrates, a new approach for setting up carrier-provided applications at OOBE may be desirable.

System and method to integrate/setup multiple branded applications in the setup wizard