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The present invention relates to a narrow profile linear recirculating roller bearing for guiding a linear movement of a machine by rolling friction with a reduced resistance to movement. More particularly, the invention concerns a recirculating bearing which can be made from different types of materials which is not over constrained even when subjected to thermal expansion of rollers and the race.
Many machine tools and precision instruments require a bearing component to move linearly along one axis with minimal resistance. These bearings must normally be fully constrained bearing, that is one which is able to withstand a load in all other directions. Fully constrained bearings are usually preloaded whereby the rollers or other bearing contact surfaces are tightly clamped between the roller guide means. Thermal strains due to expansion can significantly alter the bearing's geometry and preload which can lead to reduced bearing performance, accuracy and useful life.
Many machine tool systems use hardened steel linear bearing assemblies which are bolted to cast iron structures. In this type of system however the coefficients of thermal expansion are different resulting in warping of the components at different temperatures. Thus a machine warm up time is necessary to bring the unit to a proper operating temperature in order to have the bearing function properly. Depending on the machine this may take several hours and thus the need for a warm up time is undesireable for those systems not intended to run 24 hours per day.
Other machine tool systems have used hardened steel for bearing components and aluminum for the structural components. Aluminum's thermal conductivity is five times greater than iron alloys which greatly decreases any required warm up time and decreases the potential for the occurrence of hot spots. However, as the thermal expansion coefficient of aluminum is twice that of steel severe warpage problems may result. Aluminum is also desirable as a structural material because of its light weight, high damping, and ease of machining.
An additional alternative approach to avoiding the adverse affects of thermal strains has been to use materials with a low thermal expansion coefficient and 36% nickels (sold under the trade name Invar). These materials have not proven to be satisfactory due to the expense and difficulty of machining. Additionally, these alloys are seldom hard enough for use as the wear surface, unless fluid film bearings are used.
Recirculating roller bearings are known in the art as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,059 to Teramachi. Disclosed therein is a bearing unit which is intended to reduce the need for turning and grinding operations during production. The bearing unit comprises a bearing body having a pair of downward projections at opposite sides thereof. A pair of parallel sectionally right-angled V-grooves are formed on the inclined load-carrying wall surfaces on the inner side of the projections and a pair of sectionally square U-shaped grooves are formed on the non-load-carrying wall surfaces on the outer sides of the bearing body in parallel relation with the V grooves. A track shaft having cooperating V grooves opposite the bearing body receives a plurality of rollers, alternately shifted 90.degree.. Retainers fixed on the projections form endless roller guide tracks in cooperation with the V and U-grooves. This system, however, is effected by thermal expansion. Additionally, because the bearing relies on the diameter of the roller being equal to the length, the load capacity is limited.
Another example of recirculating roller bearings is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,235 to Teramachi. This arrangement comprises a bearing unit body having a flat non-loading roller groove where the rollers are essentially horizontal. Two inwardly inclined projections with outer non-loading portions and inner loading portions are also provided. The roller grooves are formed with curved end parts to ensure circulation of the rollers. A track shaft cooperates with the inner grooves to receive rollers adapted to circulate through the upper and lower grooves and the loading and non-loading portions of the projections. This arrangement is also incapable of compensating for thermal expansion.
If different materials are used in the design of these bearings, as the system temperature changes, the distance between the surfaces that the roller contact will change. This causes a non-predictable non-linear change in the preload and bearing gap which will cause a non-linear response throughout the rest of the structure. For economic and manufacturing reasons most machine tools have their main structure made from cast iron and the high stress and wear areas made from hardened steel. These two materials have coefficients of expansion differing by as much as 20% depending on the alloy used. | {
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1. Art Field
The present invention relates generally to a fabrication system for fabricating an organic electroluminescent (hereinafter called organic EL for short) display device, and more specifically to a fabrication system for storing the substrate to be provided with a film, forming an organic material-containing thin film on the substrate and storing the substrate with the thin film formed thereon, and an organic EL display device fabrication process using the system.
2. Background Art
An organic EL display device comprises a matrix or other array of organic EL elements wherein light emitting elements are selectively driven to arrange characters, etc., thereby displaying information thereon. Basically, an organic EL element is built up of a tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) or other transparent hole injecting electrode (anode), a thin film form of a hole transporting material such as tetraphenyldiamine (TPD) formed as by vapor deposition on the transparent electrode, an organic light emitting layer formed of a fluorescent material such as an aluminoquinolinol complex (Alq3) and laminated on the thin film, and an electron injecting electrode (cathode) provided on the organic light emitting layer and formed of a material having a low work function, for instance, Mg. This element now attracts attention because a luminance as high as several hundred to tens of thousands cd/m.sup.2 is achievable at an applied voltage of approximately 10 V. To arrange organic EL elements an a matrix or other form, for instance, JP-A 5-275172 discloses that an anode is provided on a transparent substrate, and then patterned, after which a structure rendering patterning on a cathode side possible is formed by photolithography. JP-A 5-275172 also teaches a method for forming this cathode isolation structure with a negative or positive photoresist.
In many cases, an inter-layer insulating film is provided on the anode, as set forth in JP-A's 3-250583 and 3-274694. JP-A 3-250583 discloses that the inter-layer insulating film is formed of polyimide while JP-A 3-274694 discloses a method for forming the inter-layer insulating film using a photoresist.
Thus, organic materials such as photoresists and polyimides are usually deposited on an organic EL display device substrate.
On the other hand, an organic EL display device is very sensitive to moisture. For instance, moisture has adverse influences on the organic EL display device, offering problems such as a separation between the light emitting layer and the electrode layer, and degradation of the constituting materials, which may other cause dark spots and so make it impossible to maintain light emission.
A substrate with an organic structure provided thereon adsorbs much moisture in the atmosphere. When such a substrate is immediately charged in a vacuum film formation chamber, it is required to evacuate a vacuum tank over a long period of time so as to reduce the remaining moisture therein to a sufficiently low level and then initiate film formation. It is thus required to operate a vacuum deposition system for an extended period of time, resulting in an increase in the fabrication cost of organic EL display devices.
In the fabrication process of an organic EL display device, the treatment of a substrate with films formed thereon is very important for the reason of having a close relation to the service life thereof. Usually, the substrate with films formed thereon is sealed up, as disclosed in JP-A 5-89959. When the substrate is sealed up after delivered out of a vacuum atmosphere into the atmosphere, however, it is affected by atmospheric moisture, resulting in the occurrence of display defects such as dark spots, and disadvantages such as loss of service life. With a continuous film formation system wherein substrates with films formed thereon are stored in the atmosphere as often found in a film formation system for liquid crystals, a storage time difference between substrates poses a problem in connection with the quality stability of the display device to be fabricated.
Referring here to a fabrication process of a substrate having such a structure as a cathode isolation structure or an inter-layer insulating film structure, the remnants of organic structures such as photoresists and polyimides are likely to be left on the cathode, too. When an organic EL display device is formed on a anode contaminated with the remnants, display defects such as luminance variations and dark spots are caused together with a driving voltage rise, resulting in disadvantages such as loss of service life.
For removal of atmospheric organic matters and dust deposited onto the anode, JP-A 9-232075 discloses a method of irradiating the anode with ultraviolet rays or ion beams in a vacuum tank. Only by use of irradiation with ultraviolet radiation, and ion beams, however, it is impossible to provide sufficient removal of photoresists or polyimides firmly deposited onto the anode in the substrate fabrication process. Another problem with the method set forth in JP-A 9-232075 is that some considerable expense is added to the system cost and the system running cost. Removal of organic materials may also be achieved by cleaning with ozone gas generated under reduced pressure from an ozonizer. However, it is again impossible to provide effective removal of photoresists or polyimides firmly deposited onto the anode during the substrate fabrication process.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a system and process for fabricating an organic EL display device with high yet stable quality and at low cost. | {
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A variety of residential and commercial buildings have HVAC equipment that may, for example, provide conditioning such as heating, cooling, ventilation, filtration, humidification, and/or dehumidification to improve the environment within the residential and/or commercial building.
In some instances, a building may be divided into two or more zones that may be relatively independently conditioned in order to provide more precise control of the environment throughout the building. A thermostat or other controller may be located within each zone, and each thermostat or other controller may be electrically connected to a zone control panel that is configured to receive signals (e.g. requests) from the thermostats and provide appropriate commands to HVAC equipment in response to the requests.
In some cases, a zone control panel may be programmed or customized for a particular application. A need remains for zone control panels that are easy and intuitive to use. | {
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Rotorcrafts such as helicopters include rotor blades, for example, main rotor blades and tail rotor blades. A conventional rotorcraft rotor blade derives a vast majority of its strength and stiffness from an internal torque tube, often referred to as a spar or D-spar. The remaining volume within a rotor blade is occupied, in part, by a core made of a material such as honeycomb core. An upper skin portion and a lower skin portion are adhesively bonded to the spar and core. In such a conventional rotor blade, skins are members whose curvature creates aerodynamic loads as the outer contour interacts with fluid. Such skins are thin and serve as aerodynamic fairings that provide a proportionally small amount of the load carrying capability of the rotor blade. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to printing devices and in particular to printing devices having a print element the characters of which are selectively engaged by a hammer mechanism for high speed printing of characters on paper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In current state-of-the-art serial impact printing, 30 to 55 characters per second is considered high speed. In many of such high speed printing devices a rotatable curved platen is used. As a result it has been generally concluded that in order to print on a paper placed against the curved platen, and obtain characters of uniform clarity and density, the type character must have a curved surface conforming to the curved surface of the platen.
It is common for a high speed printing device to employ a print wheel. These wheels are typically thin discs of plastic or metal, having slots cut radially around the circumference so as to provide a plurality of flexible spokes. The print characters are located on one side of the disc and towards the radially outer end of the spokes.
When made of plastic, the print wheel is generally injection molded. The mold is such as to provide the surface of the type characters with a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the platen. Printing is accomplished by striking the rear of the spoke, upon which the type character is located, with a hammer. Repeated hammering causes such plastic characters to deteriorate rapidly in print quality due to wear and deformation of the plastic print character.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to effect a durable print wheel which is both simple and economical to produce, and suitable for use in high speed printers which employ a platen which may not be flat.
Metal is the desirable material to use in making print wheels because of its durability. If a print wheel were to be made of metal, it was believed that the characters would have to be curved to conform to the surface of the platen. It is difficult to produce metal type characters (for high speed printing devices) having curved surfaces. An approach which has not proved successful was to etch flat surfaced print characters and then grind the curvature into the characters. A number of organizations have attempted to utilize techniques of this nature, but the expense and difficulty are so great that the efforts have terminated in failure. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a heat dissipating module and, more particularly, to a heat dissipating module having a pivot.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of computer technology, the operation speed of a computer increases continually, and then heat generating power of electronic components inside a main body of the computer also increases. To prevent overheating of the electronic components inside the computer main body, which may cause the electronic components to degrade performance temporary or permanently, enough heat dissipating efficiency should be provided for the electronic components inside the computer. Therefore, a heat dissipating module is usually additionally assembled at the electronic components with high heat generating power to reduce the temperature of the electronic components.
A conventional heat dissipating module uses the combination of various kinds of heat sinks and heat dissipating fans, and they are fixed on the electronic components which generate heat by a binding adhesive, such as heat dissipating glue, bolted connection, or one of other ways. However, when the heat dissipating fans operate at high speed, they usually generate noise and vibration, and dust may accumulate on the heat dissipating fans to reduce the heat dissipating efficiency of the heat dissipating fans. To increase the heat dissipating efficiency and reduce the noise generated by the heat dissipating fans, the conventional heat dissipating module achieves the heat dissipating effect using a heat pipe cooperating with heat dissipating fins.
The heat dissipating module often achieves the heat dissipating effect using heat dissipating fin with a heat pipe. However, since the length and bending angle of the heat pipe are usually fixed, the distances between the heat dissipating module and other surrounding components or the computer housing need to be considered to avoid the interference with structure of the device. This may lead to the limitation in the design mode of the heat dissipating module and affect the heat dissipating effect. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
One or more embodiments of the invention are related to the field of software processes that provide answers to queries. Specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to methods of computing answer results to user-submitted queries customizable by one or more users without requiring keywords to operate, using a plug-in executor, a user database, a plug-in database, a content recognizer, an answer generator and a controller. Users may customize how answer engines respond to queries, answers may be generated by answer generator plug-ins created by other users, content recognizers may be implemented by content recognizer plug-ins created by other users, and answer generators may utilize content recognizers even if the content recognizers are not created by the same author. Not all content recognizers need to be executed for every user, and plug-in resources execution resources are bounded.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, users often access the Internet in search for answers to specific questions, rather than general search results, such as links to documents that contain keywords.
Generally, many users begin the process of finding answers by visiting a general search engine, such as Google or Bing. Google and Bing may be considered hybrid answer engines as they both use content recognition and knowledge databases to aid the search process, while indexing is still their main strength.
Typically, most general search engines only index the surface web. However, the deep web is generally much larger than the surface web. Due the size and difficulty in automatically discovering content in the deep web, little, if any, deep web content is typically returned by general search engines. Therefore, if the answer to a user's question resides only in the deep web, a general search engine would not be able to supply the answer to the user.
Typical solutions that enable deep web content to be available in search engine results suffer from several key disadvantages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,941,419 to Bhatkar et al., entitled “Suggested Content With Attribute Parameterization”, discloses system-provided URL templates to determine the location of context to fetch before fetching and returning the content to a user. U.S. Pat. No. 7,739,258 to Halevy et al., entitled “Facilitating Searches Through Contest Which Is Accessible Through Web-Based Forms”, discloses a system that facilitates crawling through web-based forms to gather information using reverse engineering forms. U.S. Pat. No. 7,693,956 to Moricz et al., entitled “Accessing Deep Web Information Using A Search Engine”, discloses identifying and reconciling associated query parameters of queries of query answer web pages to a set of search criteria. Also, United States Patent Publication 20100057686 to Brenier et al., entitled “Deep Web Search”, discloses a data processing system and method for researching websites according to a user query. The systems of Moricz et al. and Brenier et al., for example, use custom understanding of forms to build an index of deep web content. United States Patent Publication 20130304758, to Gruber, et al., entitled “Crowd Sourcing Information to Fulfill User Requests”, discloses how to utilize user-contributed sources to answer queries.
Such typical solutions as discussed above require that the deep web content be accessible by the search engine. If the content is located on a private network accessible by the user, but not the search engine, a typical search engine will not be able to fetch or index the content. Even if the content is reachable, a search engine would typically fetch the content as a generic user, instead of as the user issuing the search request. In such a case, generally, the indexed content would not match what the user would see had he fetched the same location, and this may lead to omitting the location in the list of search results, even though the location would contain relevant information if fetched directly by the user.
Other typical solutions, such as United States Patent Publication 20050160083 to Robinson, entitled “User-Specific Vertical Search”, discloses techniques for performing user-specific searches, wherein if the external site hosting the content is reachable through the network, but requires authentication for access, the content could be fetched on behalf of the user if the search engine stores and transmits the user's credentials with its requests to external services. However, due to security risks, users generally may not be willing to provide their credentials of other sites to the search engine.
Another disadvantage of typical solutions for searching the deep web is that the set of deep web services that is available cannot be customized by untrusted users, or if it is, customization requires integration into the search engine, testing, and manual approval before a new source of deep web services becomes available. DuckDuckGo Goodies, described below, may act as a source of deep web services, and are an example of a solution that allows customization by users, using Goodies, but Goodies must be approved before becoming available. The requirement for the manual approval generally originates from the fact that executing untrusted code carries serious security implications, with both the execution itself and the content that may be generated.
In addition, known systems for searching the deep web have difficulty indexing practically infinite amount of data that may be in one of a huge variety of formats. Considering a web form that takes as input a UPC-A code, for example, there are typically ten digits in a UPC-A code between a numbering system digit and a check digit, therefore there are about 10^10 or 10 billion UPC-A codes in a given numbering system. Very few of the pages may be pruned from the index, because generally UPC-A codes are looked up more or less randomly. Indexing the entire set of pages returned by the form, such as a single form among the millions on the Internet, would normally require 10 billion entries. To overcome this disadvantage, search engines like Google appear to perform content recognition on search queries, wherein for example, Google recognizes twelve digit codes as UPC-A codes, and information about the associated product is returned at the top of the result page. Alternatively, the set of known UPC-A codes may be indexed, which is much smaller than all the possible UPC-A codes. While these approaches are effective, users generally cannot customize the content recognition algorithm, limiting its usefulness. For example, a product manager who uses an issue tracking web application typically does not have the ability to customize Google to recognize an eight-digit number as an issue number for the manager's issue tracking application. As a result, Google is generally unable return a link to the issue tracking web application in its search results, when an eight-digit number is entered as a search query. Also, typically, each query needs to be checked for several, if not all, known content formats since there is no way for a user to customize his account to only recognize certain formats, in order to decrease his query response time or to disambiguate formats that match the same text. The more format types that may be recognized, the more computing resources are consumed and, past a certain degree of parallelism, generally the longer the query will take to process. Other previously mentioned systems, such as United States Patent Publication 20130304758, to Gruber, that do not allow for user implemented content recognizers, also suffer from the same disadvantages.
Instead of general search engines, users may consult answer engines, which perform computation to answer queries. A popular answer engine most often used for technical queries, for example, is Wolfram Alpha. Wolfram Alpha generally uses a computation engine and a knowledge database to provide answers to queries like “sin(pi/2)*3” or “atomic mass of carbon”. One limitation of this typical approach is that answer queries that involve computation need to be crafted in a single language, such as Mathematica. Furthermore, another limitation of such a typical approach is that the answers are generally provided only by Wolfram Alpha itself; hence users typically cannot direct the website to compute arbitrary functions, include answers from other websites, or inject knowledge into its database. An example of a website that does allow user contributions is Freebase, which exposes a database of human knowledge. Freebase, generally, relies on the community to provide knowledge, but it only contains about 2 billion facts as of 2013, while the number of useful facts is likely to be orders of magnitude larger.
Typically, there are many questions asked by real users that have answers that may be easily computed, but not by Freebase or any other knowledge engine, for example. Furthermore, Freebase generally stores only data, but not algorithms to compute answers. Therefore, typical knowledge engines generally cannot, for example, respond meaningfully to a query such as, “What is the 5 day moving average of the stock price of IBM?”, if the answer has not been pre-computed and stored already.
DuckDuckGo, for example, is an answer engine that typically allows users to upload plug-ins called Goodies that generate answers, either in the form of an inline answer (the content of the answer) or a link to a page that contains the answer. These plug-ins, generally, are written in Perl, a relatively insecure programming language, and must generally be approved by the management of DuckDuckGo before going live. Most likely, a reason for the approval step is required because executing untrusted code is a performance risk and a security risk. Once approved, the content in an inline answer produced by a plug-in, typically, is inserted directly into answer pages. In the DuckDuckGo answer engine, generally, all plug-ins are executed, regardless of the identity of the user. If a malicious plug-in is inadvertently approved, for example, the DuckDuckGo answer engine may be attacked, or an answer page may be injected with script that steals cookies or otherwise compromises any user's security.
Using the DuckDuckGo answer engine, generally, Goodies must individually implement content recognition in order to generate different results for the same type of content. For example, if one Goodie outputs the estimated house price at an address, and another Goodie outputs the property tax information for an address, both Goodies typically need to implement address recognition, and both recognition algorithms need to execute. Due to DuckDuckGo's lack of user accounts, generally, users cannot select which Goodies to run, as all Goodies are always running. The number of recognition routines that need to be executed typically increases linearly with the number of Goodies, which may not scale indefinitely.
In “Ranking Suspected Answers to Natural Language Questions Using Predictive Annotation”, by D. Radev, J. Prager, and V Samn, an answer service, called GuruQA, is developed to use indexed documents to answer questions. GuruQA, uses a pre-defined set of content recognizers to mark answer query terms as belonging to a few categories. Since documents need to be reachable to be indexed, GuruQA suffers from the inability to access the deep web. Even if the entire web could be indexed, for example, GuruQA cannot perform computations like “square root of 5.33” since it relies on the answer being in a document. As stated by the authors, GuruQA also generally does not handle “how” and “why” questions very well, as it needs to use artificial intelligence to understand the documents it indexes. Finally, it is not possible in GuruQA for users to define content recognizers or strategies to answer questions.
Other typical search engines, such as vertical search engines, may also provide answers. Given that a segment is known, a vertical search engine is likely to return more relevant answers than general search engines due to its use of domain specific knowledge and focused crawling of sites known to be relevant to the segment. However, vertical search engines are usually not appropriate to use as starting points to determine any kind of answer. Generally, the vertical search engine needs to be selected a priori by the user. Furthermore, most vertical search engines use indexing web crawlers, wherein like general search engines, they are also unable to return many results from the deep web. United States Patent Publication 20050160083 to Robinson appears to show how a vertical search engine could retrieve personalized results from the deep web. However, such a system generally requires that: (1) the search engine has access to the content, which could be in a private network, but still be available to the user; and (2) the user is willing to share with the search engine his credentials to access other external services, which may be a security risk.
Meta-search engines, typically, may increase the breadth of general search engines, save the user from searching multiple sites, and allow the possibility of user customization of the choice and implementation of the search engines that are consulted. Typically, meta-search engines combine results from other general search engines. For example, DogPile combines results from Google, Yahoo!, and Yandex. Meta-search engines like DogPile generally suffer from the same disadvantage as general search engines, which is the difficulty of returning results from the deep web. Typical solutions such as European Patent 1158421 to Bae et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,487,144 to Shakib et al., allow for greater customization, however generally do not simplify the manner of returning results from the deep web. The system of Bae et al., for example, discloses wherein each search engine is typically only activated when triggered by keywords, therefore the user has no other control over the activation or priority of the vertical search engines. But, generally, a search query might not have any keywords, like a number.
If a user submits search queries by selecting text, the selected text is unlikely to contain the keywords needed to activate the vertical search engine. Also, a user may want to ensure a particular search engine's results are favored over those of another, such that that it takes less time for the user to find the first search engine's results in the list of search results. In the system of Shakib et al., for example, a user may select a vertical search engine in his preferences, which positively influences the possibility of the vertical search engine being used to service the user's query. However, the logic for selecting a vertical search engine and ordering its results is made by a “vertical determinator”, which is generally not customizable by the user. As such, queries without keywords associated with a given vertical search engine, usually, are unlikely to activate the vertical search engine. U.S. Pat. No. 7,373,351 to Wu et al., entitled “Generic Search Engine Framework”, discloses a knowledge database used to determine which search engines are selected. However the system of Wu et al. suffers from the same disadvantages discussed above.
Typical answer engines, knowledge engines, vertical search engines, and meta-search engines are usually not optimal for finding answers. Many users looking for answers, typically, use a general search engine to find the right website(s) to look for answers, then enter their query in the discovered website(s). For example, a user looking up the English definition of a word in Chinese might search for “Chinese English dictionary” on google.com, which would return a list of sites, such as http://www.zhongwen.com. Typically, the user would then select the link to http://www.zhongwen.com, and finally enter the word to look up. If the user visits ZhongWen.com frequently, the user may generally bookmark the site, or remember the site address, but the next time the user wants to look up a word, the user would typically have to either find the bookmark, or recall the site address and enter it in a browser. If there are multiple websites that the user wants to use to look up the word, for example, the user generally must find each site and enter the word on every website. This process quickly becomes tedious, especially when looking up several words.
Some existing solutions for removing the need to enter queries on multiple web sites rely on the assumptions that (1) the best answer pages available on the web are most likely to be the result of submitting forms on websites built for a specialized purpose, and (2) submitting such a form frequently results in a HTTP GET request of a URL that contains the search query, possibly after a transformation like URL encoding. As such, answer URLs are typically generated by taking a URL template and substituting parts of the search query into the URL template. URL templates are generally used in products like Search Center and Selection Search; both Google Chrome extensions. The output URLs are then typically either loaded into a browser directly or compiled in a result page. While using such typical solutions, typically, (1) the URLs are built on the client side, therefore the set of sites that may be searched may only be upgraded by the user updating the browser plug-in or by defining the URL template directly; (2) knowledge on the effectiveness of URL templates for all users is not accumulated, therefore the user may not know which URL templates to select; (3) the user must specify which sites or categories to use before submitting a query, otherwise many irrelevant answers will be returned; (4) a custom browser or browser plug-in needs to be downloaded and installed; and (5) inline answers are not supported, such as the answer to “second prime number” being “3”.
United States Patent Publication 20020069194 to Robbins, entitled “Client Based Online Content Meta Search”, appears to disclose how to download URL templates from a server, and execute them on the client. Once the URL is formed and downloaded, the client can parse the contents to extract the relevant information, and present it in the search results. Since the URL templates are stored on the server side, knowledge of the availability and effectiveness of URL templates from multiple users can be accumulated on the server. However, the system of Robbins appears to require that the user specify which sites or categories to use before submitting a query, or else too many sites will be accessed and too many results will be returned, and a custom browser or browser plug-in needs to be downloaded and installed. Also, extracting and presenting information found by downloading URLs may be computationally expensive, use network resources unnecessarily, or violate the hosting site's terms of service.
United States Patent Publication 20120136887 to Cha et al., entitled “Method and System for Providing Multifunctional Search Window Service Based On User-Generated Rules”, appears to disclose utilizing user created rules for creating URL templates, and allowing users to customize the search results by selecting and prioritizing such rules. However, the system of Cha et al. appears to disclose wherein the rules are triggered by keywords, and if keywords are not present, the default rules, which may be too general for some search queries, may output too many irrelevant answers.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,941,419, to Bhatkar et al., appears to utilize URL templates in a server-side solution, but fetches the content from the URL before returning it to the user. As such, the system of Bhatkar et al., typically, is unable to return results that are not available on the server-side, even if they are available on the client-side. Also, the system of Bhatkar et al., generally relies on “triggering words” to be present in a query to determine which URL templates to use.
Search result pages returned by general search engines typically contain a list of results, each having a link to another site. The user typically needs to manually click each link to view the search result, which either: (1) opens the link in the same tab or (2) opens the link in another browser tab. In the case of option (1), the user typically needs to go back to the search results page to view the other results. In the case of option (2), the new browser tab must typically be closed manually even if the user initiates another search.
Another type of user interface for viewing search results allows users to switch tabs within the same page, with each answer page in an iframe activated by a tab. An example of such a typical search engine is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,912,532 to Andersen, entitled “Multi-Level Multiplexer System for Networked Browser”. In using the system of Andersen, with current websites, each iframe may not be displayed at all because many websites now send an X-Frame-Options header in their HTTP responses which prevents their content from being displayed in iframes in order to prevent click-jacking attacks.
If the user is using an effective answer engine, typically, the results are more likely to be what the user is seeking, as such alternative user interfaces for presenting search results may be more appropriate. Generally, only presenting links on a single page may be the result of search engines typically earning revenue when such links are manually clicked. Client-side solutions such as Search Center, Selection Search, and as discussed in United States Patent Publication 20020069194 to Robbins, generally have the advantage that with a custom browser or browser plug-in installed, the process of searching for answers may be streamlined. With tools like Selection Search, search queries may typically be selected on existing web pages instead of entered manually into an input box. Search Center, Selection Search, and other similar plug-ins are typically purely client-side solutions; therefore users do not get the benefit of search plug-ins created by other users.
Another typical solution for the search user interface is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,747,626 to Grimm et al., entitled “Search Results Clustering in Tabbed Browsers”, wherein search results are opened in another browser window's tabs, therefore the user may see answer pages instantly, without having to scan a result page and click links. However, the system of Grimm et al. typically loads all answer pages immediately after the search engine returns the search result. As such, if there are many search results, the browser may be asked to execute tens or even hundreds of web requests at the same time, and each web page could in turn loads dozens of external images, CSS files, and JavaScript files. The concurrent requests typically slow the loading of the first result page unnecessarily, since the user does not see the other result pages until after he clicks the other browser tabs. Additionally, the concurrent requests may over utilize the capacity of the client, which may be a mobile device connected to the network with a low bandwidth connection. Further, the system of Grimm et al. generally does not include a mechanism of learning from user activity about which results are better than others. Generally, prior art user interfaces for displaying web search results in browser tabs do not handle the possibility of results containing inline answers, as opposed to answer locations.
In summary, the answer engine systems described above lack one or more of the following capabilities that enable answer engine users the capability to customize the operation of an answer engine, enable an answer engine to be implemented by a developer community instead of a monolithic entity, enable an answer generation process to occur without keywords or a pre-defined grammar, enable content providers to leverage content recognition capabilities in other plug-ins, enable the reduction of computation required for content recognition based on the user's preferences, enable new answer generation methods to come online and change the behavior of the answer engine without server restarts, manual approval, or significant security risks, enable returning results from the deep web, including results in private networks and results generated with knowledge of the user's identity, and allow content providers to control when users are directed to their sites. Furthermore, the user interfaces to display answers lack one or more of the following capabilities that enable users to view multiple search results without leaving the currently viewed window by selecting or inputting text, enable users to view multiple search results without loading each search result immediately, streamline the process for users to search for multiple items in a succession, and rank plug-ins and their generated answer results based on user interaction with a browser. For at least the limitations discussed above, there is a need for methods of computing and presenting answer results to user-submitted queries. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Ethernet devices include pulse transformers for the purpose of achieving impedance match and electrical insulation in input/output terminals. Such transformers include magnetic cores generally composed of soft magnetic materials. Such pulse transformers are required to have a high incremental permeability μΔ under the application of a direct-current magnetic field in a temperature range of −40 to 85° C., for example, as defined in American standards ANSI X3.263-1995[R2000]. The incremental permeability μΔ is a value that indicates the degree of magnetization of a magnetic core under the application of a magnetic field.
A soft magnetic material used in the application is generally Mn—Zn ferrite. Mn—Zn ferrite is advantageous, for example, in that a high permeability and a high inductance can be easily achieved for a soft magnetic material and Mn—Zn ferrite is less expensive than amorphous metals and the like. Developments of Mn—Zn ferrites suitable for the application are performed and described in, for example, Patent Literatures 1 and 2.
However, Mn—Zn ferrite is an oxide magnetic material and hence has drawbacks in that, compared with metal magnetic materials, magnetic characteristics considerably vary with change in temperature and a material having a high permeability has a low saturation flux density.
Accordingly, stable magnetic characteristics are less likely to be achieved in a wide temperature range, in particular, in a high temperature range, which is problematic.
To overcome the temperature dependency of characteristics of Mn—Zn ferrite, it is known that addition of CoO having positive magnetic anisotropy is effective. For example, Patent Literature 1 states that a Mn—Zn—Co ferrite for the application allows a high permeability under the application of a direct-current magnetic field of about 33 A/m.
The inventors previously developed
“A Mn—Co—Zn ferrite comprising a basic component, additional components, and impurities, wherein the basic component consists of Fe2O3: 51.0 to 53.0 mol %, ZnO: 13.0 to 18.0 mol %, CoO: 0.04 to 0.60 mol %, and the balance being MnO; the ferrite contains, as the additional components, SiO2: 0.005 to 0.040 mass % and CaO: 0.020 to 0.400 mass % relative to an entirety of the ferrite; the ferrite contains, as the impurities, P: less than 3 mass ppm and B: less than 3 mass ppm relative to the entirety of the ferrite; and an average pulverized particle size is 1.00 to 1.30 μm”, which is suitably used for a magnetic core for a pulse transformer in an Ethernet device, and disclosed the ferrite in Patent Literature 3.
The development of such a Mn—Zn—Co ferrite provides a ferrite core having a high incremental permeability of 2300 or more under the application of a direct-current magnetic field of 33 A/m in a wide temperature range of −40° C. to 85° C.
However, a Mn—Zn—Co ferrite core in the application mainly has the form of a closed magnetic circuit with a small size represented by a toroidal core having an outer diameter of about 2 to 6 mm. In the case of such a small size, since there is a high probability of mold breakage in compaction, it is impossible to apply a high compaction pressure. Accordingly, when a surface of a core that is a fired compact as illustrated in FIG. 1 is observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), there are cases where cavities due to insufficient disintegration of granulated powder remain as illustrated in FIG. 2(b).
When a core includes such cavities, the volume occupied by the magnetic material is small and hence magnetic fluxes concentrate in the magnetic material region and a magnetic flux density locally increases. Accordingly, the same phenomenon as an increase in a superposed magnetic field seemingly occurs in the magnetic material region and, as a result, the incremental permeability decreases. Thus, it is difficult to continuously maintain an incremental permeability of 2000 or more in a wide temperature range of −40° C. to 85° C. | {
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In many sporting activities there is a risk of injury when a player hits his/her head. In particular, when there is a direct hit on the top of a player's head, the player could suffer a wide range of injuries, from a concussion to permanent paralysis. Some athletes who have sustained direct hits to the top of their head have ended up as paraplegics and quadriplegics.
In view of the risk of injury a number of head gear devices have been suggested to help reduce the risk of spinal injury. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,541 issued Feb. 10, 1998 to Landau shows a device which includes a sleeveless jacket worn about the user's torso, a head shield shaped to cover the user's head and rigid supports extending from the jacket to the head shield. Another head gear arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,261,125 and 5,581,820 issued Nov. 16, 1993 and Dec. 10, 1996, respectively, and both issued to Cartwright et al. These patents show a helmet connected to an arm which in turn is attached to a vest worn about the torso.
Alternatively a number of protective head gear devices have been designed primary for use in football. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,816 issued on Dec. 10, 1996 to Davis shows a football-type helmet attached to shoulder pads. The shoulder pads have tracks attached thereto and side connections which are attached to the helmet run in the tracks. Somewhat similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,699 issued May 21, 1996 to Abraham shows a football-type helmet adapted to provide protection from spinal injuries. Abraham shows a protective hood with rigid side supports that is designed to fit over a helmet and is hingeably attached at the side to the shoulder pad. U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,870 issued August 1995 to Pinsen shows a helmet and shoulder pad combination that includes spaced apart inner and outer helmet portions with a plurality of springs therebetween. A generally concentric guide having outer and inner portions is attached to the shoulder pads and an inner element attached to the helmet is positioned between outer and inner portions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,905 issued Dec. 13, 1994 to Keim shows a somewhat different device. Keim shows a helmet which is attached to shoulder pads with a fluid dampening mechanism or a shock absorber. The fluid dampening mechanism has limits at either end to limit the hyper-flexion and hyper-extension. All of these devices have attachments or devices attached to a football type helmet which directly restrict the movement of the helmet.
Other devices have been suggested such as head gear with inflatable bags or head gear with gas chambers therein. For example, the two Rush III, U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,36, issued Feb. 21, 1995 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,562 issued February 1994 which show two embodiments of helmets designed to protect spinal injuries. In the one embodiment there is provided an inflatable bag that is triggered by a predetermined force on the crown of the helmet. In a second embodiment there are a plurality of cylinders that are molded into the outside of the helmet. A piston is positioned inside the cylinder and is attached to a generally rigid ring like member that in the retracted position is positioned around the bottom of the helmet. The cylinders are connected to a gas chamber so that when the helmet is hit with a predetermined force the pistons move downwardly until the ring engages the shoulders or shoulder pads of the user. Somewhat similarly Archer shows an enclosed helmet with an inflatable air bag.
Alternative devices show shoulder pads that have attachments for restricting the movement of the helmet downwardly. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,590 issued Apr. 11, 1995 to Monica, Jr. is directed to a restraining collar that extends upwardly from shoulder pads to restrict the movement of a helmet. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,736 issued Feb. 27, 1996 to Allison which is directed to a helmet with protrusions extending outwardly therefrom and corresponding posts extending upwardly from the shoulder pad so that the downward motion of the helmet is restricted by the protrusions engaging the posts.
None of these devices appear to be generally used by amateur or professional athletes. In particular none of these devices appear to be used by hockey players. Some of these devices are complex devices that would be costly to manufacture. Further, many of the devices include interactive components that are proximate to the athlete's face. Others would restrict the rotational movement of the athlete's head. Still others include chemicals for inflating air bags and the like.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a protective head gear that, while it protects the head when hit on the top of the head, allows for rotational movement of the athlete's head. Further, it would be advantageous to provide head gear that minimizes the risk of spinal injury while minimally changing the protective gear currently being worn. Still further it would be advantageous to provide a protective head gear that is generally open and that can easily be disengaged such that when an athlete is not in play such as between periods or during a penalty the athlete can move the head gear so that he/she can freely move their head. | {
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In modern hair styling it is customary for people who want to look their best to reshape their hair by forming it around curlers or the like, usually after, or in conjunction with shampooing or other treatment by liquid and/or heat. However, all curlers available to date are believed to share one or more disadvantages. A big disadvantage is awkard curler shape which makes the user uncomfortable when resting, with a tendency to pull the hair and dig into the scalp, and which has an untidy appearance, pointing in various directions and showing different amounts of hair wrapped around in different ways, and held by obtrusive members.
Another big disadvantage with conventional curler design is in the type curl produced, normally a curl with the axis tangent to the head of the user.
Other disadvantages of conventional curler design include bulkiness, slowness and difficulty in applying to the hair and sometimes in removal from the hair, monotonous and undefined showings of tint and shape. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Enterprises may offer a variety of products in a variety of markets. Enterprises may compete with each other by offering similar products in the same markets. Each market may provide a limited amount of opportunity, and different enterprises may compete to obtain as much of that opportunity as possible. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antireflection film and an optical member including an antireflection film.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a lens (transparent substrate) formed of a light-transmitting member such as a plastic, an antireflection film is provided on a light incident surface in order to reduce loss of transmitted light caused by surface reflection.
For example, as an antireflection film to visible light or infrared light, for example, a dielectric multi-layer film or a fine unevenness layer having a surface on which a fine unevenness structure having a shorter pitch than a wavelength of target light is provided is known.
An object of JP2014-21146A is to provide an optical film which can be applied to optical members having various surface shapes and has excellent performance such as wavelength range properties and incidence angle properties, and JP2014-21146A discloses an optical film in which a fine unevenness layer as a second layer is formed over a transparent substrate with a thin layer as a first layer interposed therebetween. In the optical film described in JP2014-21146A, the first layer includes a region in which the refractive index changes continuously or stepwise depending on a change in a composition ratio of a refractive index material in a thickness direction, and specific examples thereof include a film which is formed using a two-source deposition method of titania and silica and a film which is formed using a two-source deposition method of zirconia and silica.
As in JP2014-21146A, JP2014-81522A discloses a configuration in which a fine unevenness layer is formed over a transparent substrate with a transparent thin film interposed therebetween, and discloses an antireflection film which can be manufactured with reduced kinds of materials and is configured to improve productivity. In JP2014-81522A, the transparent thin film includes multiple layers including the same kind of nitride layers and/or oxynitride layers, and examples of the nitride layers include SiN, AlN, and SiAlN, and examples of the oxynitride layers include SiON, AlON, and SiAlON. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Wireless communication systems are being broadly developed in order to provide various types of communication services, such as voice or data services. Generally, a wireless communication system corresponds to a multiple access system that may support communication with multiple users by sharing an available system source (bandwidth, transmission power, and so on). Examples of a multiple access system include a CDMA (code division multiple access) system, an FDMA (frequency division multiple access) system, a TDMA (time division multiple access) system, an OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) system, an SC-FDMA (single carrier frequency division multiple access) system, an MC-FDMA (multi-carrier frequency division multiple access), and so on. | {
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Some MOSFET driver circuits act as an interface between the low-power switching signals such as generated by a pulse width modulator (PWM) and a power MOSFET to provide high drive current to supply the charge to the gate of the power MOSFET and to provide the full rail to rail voltage on the gate. The MOSFET driver circuit's current rating and the power MOSFET gate charge predominately determine how quickly the MOSFET can switch on and off.
Driver circuits using MOS-only drive stages are able to fully switch the power MOSFET between the two power rails, VDD and ground, which is not possible with a bipolar only driver circuit. The disadvantage of a MOS-only driver circuits is the inability to source high gate currents at low voltage, such as the power MOSFET threshold voltage.
As a result compound driver circuits consisting of a combination of bipolar and MOS power devices have been developed. An example of this type of circuit is shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1 an input signal passes through an amplifier 10 which drives the gates of an upper P-channel MOSFET 12 and a lower N-channel MOSFET 14, the base of a lower NPN bipolar transistor 16 and is input to an inverter 18, the output of which drives the base of an upper NPN bipolar transistor 20. There is a common node connected to each of the MOSFETs 12, 14 and the bipolar transistors 16, 20 which drives the gate of an N channel power MOSFET 22. A low input signal turns on both P-channel MOSFET 12 and the upper bipolar transistor 20 to turn on the power MOSFET 22 and makes the gate of the power MOSFET 22 to VDD. A high input signal turns on both N-channel MOSFET 14 and the lower bipolar transistor 16 to discharge the gate of the power MOSFET 22 and turns the gate of the power MOSFET 22 to ground. The bipolar transistors 16, 20 provide the rated current where it is needed most, at the Miller plateau of the power MOSFET 22.
However, the added high-voltage high-performance bipolar transistors 16, 20 increase fabrication cost. Moreover, the specific on-resistance R (sp, on) of the bipolar transistors 16, 20 can not be simply reduced by scaling its design according to the CMOS lithography rule, as LDMOS does, and therefore a large die size is required for the bipolar transistors 16, 20, even using advanced process technology codes. | {
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EP1084327 describes a control method for feeding cooling air from a compressor to the stator and rotor blades of a given turbine stage. The cooling air flows through the stator blades and the stator inner ring into the rotor of the same stage, and finally through the rotor blades. A valve for regulating cooling airflow upstream from the stator is operated by a control unit, which operates on the basis of a feedback signal from a pressure sensor at the valve outlet, and, in the control method described, adjusts cooling airflow to maintain a predetermined pressure signal from the sensor.
This control strategy has the drawback of apparently not taking into account the power output or turbine load, and of failing to accurately adjust cooling air consumption. For example, in the event of excessive cooling air consumption, at high loads the reduction in combustion airflow could increase temperature in the combustion chamber and therefore nitric oxide emissions.
Conversely, an excessive reduction in cooling air consumption at low loads could cause a temperature drop in the combustion chamber and therefore an increase in carbon monoxide emissions and particulate. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to message and therapeutic bodywork tables, especially to bodywork tables for use in physical therapy, massage, or other related bodywork activities.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many, if not most health practitioners in the field of massage and other therapeutic bodywork, prefer to use a massage and therapeutic bodywork table that provides a strong working surface, is lightweight, adjustable, and easy to set up and break down for storage.
Heretofore a wide variety of tables have been proposed and implemented for massage and therapeutic bodywork.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,638 to Gillotti discloses a table with a truss suspension system having legs hinge from the ends of the table and diagonal braces extending from the center of the table to attach onto the table legs. The truss system comprised of a cord member of wire rope or flexible material attached to the lower end of the legs and extending the full length of the table parallel to the table surface. Users regarded this type of table as unsatisfactory because the position of the cable interfered with the movements of the user and required the user to connect and disconnect the diagonal braces on one or both ends on setting up or collapsing the table.
Another type of folding table is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,729 to Krueger, comprised a collapsible table with strap-like brace members having folding legs at each end. This type of table did not have a support cable system attached to the legs, not did it provide a strong working platform, and tended to be noisy when rocking forces were applied thereto. Also, this type of table required some skill or training on the part of its users to set up and collapse, and provided limited means to adjust height dimensions of the working surface.
A still different approach to folding support structures is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,326,461 to Howe. This table considered of a plurality of braces hinged to support legs, and foldable into a carrying case. This support structure relates to tables where the act of folding together the hinged top portions causes collapsing or folding of the support legs. This table was not adjustable, stable, not suitable for bodywork application. Most users, therefore, would find it desirable to have a bodywork table that provides a strong working platform that is quiet even when rocking forces are applied, adjustable, lightweight, easy to set up, collapse, and store. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microetching composition useful for treating surfaces of copper or copper alloys (the copper or copper alloys may be hereinafter collectively called "copper").
2. Description of the Background Art
In the manufacture of printed wiring boards, copper surfaces are polished prior to coating such surfaces with an etching resist or a solder resist to improve adhesion of these resists to the copper surfaces. Mechanical cleaning using a buffing or scrubbing machine, or chemical cleaning, known as microetching, are used for roughening the copper surfaces. Microetching is more popular for treating substrates with fine line patterns. The copper surface is etched as deeply as 1-5 .mu.m by the microetching treatment. This depth of etching is calculated from the weight of copper decreased by etching, the specific gravity, and the surface area of the copper.
The microetching is also applied to remove oxidized films from the surface of copper prior to a solder leveling process or prior to mounting electronic parts in order to improve solderability. An aqueous solution containing sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide as major components or an aqueous solution containing persulfate as a major component is used for the microetching.
As the circuit density of printed wiring boards become higher, conventional heat curable solder resists are being replaced by UV curable solder resists which are superior in forming fine line patterns. The characteristics of the UV curable solder resists in adhering to copper surfaces, however, are weaker than those of conventional solder resists. The copper surfaces obtained by conventional microetching therefore exhibit insufficient adhesion to these UV curable solder resists. Resist films may be peeled or may swell during the subsequent steps of gold plating, solder leveling, or electronic part mounting.
The solderability of copper surfaces obtained by conventional microetching is also insufficient for the solder leveling process for printing wiring boards which has an increasing number of pads for surface mount devices. Soldering failures sometimes occur.
Therefore, development of a microetching agent which can produce roughened surfaces on copper or copper alloy with adequately deep irregularities exhibiting excellent adhesion of solder resists and the like has been desired.
The inventors of the present invention have undertaken extensive studies and found that the addition of an unsaturated carboxylic acid, a salt thereof, or an anhydride thereof to a microetching agent comprising nitric acid or sulfuric acid and ferric nitrate or ferric sulfate, can achieve this object. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Users use search engines to find information of interest, including information associated with media items, such as television (TV) shows, movies, books, video games, etc. A search query that is submitted to a web search engine interface can be related to a particular type of media item. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Illumination is an important component of imaging systems such as, for example, broadband imaging systems with self-contained illumination. In many applications of imaging systems, such as in medical imaging, it may be challenging to achieve even, full field illumination of the imaging field of view, aid also to provide a sufficient intensity of illumination to yield a sufficiently strong imaging signal. Conforming the illumination profile to match the imaging field of view is one method of conserving illumination power, while multiple illumination ports may be used to provide even illumination across the field of view. Conventional illumination projection in imaging systems may feature anamorphic projection to match the imaging field of view, but typically only feature a single illumination port and are not configured for close working distances. Single port illumination systems result in substantial shadowed regions obscuring vision when illuminating complex topography such as, for example, human anatomical structures or other biological materials. Existing designs for field surgical imaging and illumination devices may make use of multiple illumination ports to minimize shadowed regions, such as a ring light surrounding the imaging optics, but these designs waste excess illumination outside of the field of view and fail to achieve even illumination of the field of view over a range of working distances. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Radioactive liquids such as decontamination liquids or other aqueous radioactive waste solutions are often subjected to electrochemical decomposition as described in German Patent No. 2,449,588. The subsequent evaporation of the liquids which is intended to produce a substantial reduction in the quantities of waste which finally have to be stored can then be carried out with the minimum of difficulty. In this connection, reference can be made to European patent publication No. 01 62 356 Al.
Electrochemical decomposition of organic and inorganic materials contained in radioactive aqueous solutions has proved its value with respect to many such solutions. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to a device for use when sitting in order to improve one's seated posture. This invention also relates to an associated exercise method utilizing the device.
Many problems associated with back and hip pain arise from the common posture of sitting with one leg crossed over the other. In this posture, the sitter's pelvis is askew, disposed in a posterior tilt. On the side of the lower leg, the front of the hips compresses the femoral nerve, artery and veins bilaterally reducing or interfering with circulation to the lower extremities. On the side of the upper leg, a lateral bending compresses the lumbar spine and nerves. Stress is placed on the hip at that side, including the sciatic nerve and the piriformis muscle. In addition, the femur is adducted. Pain sometimes appear in the foot of the upper leg. Thus, sitting with crossed legs can lead to back pain, hip pain, and/or sciatica. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new and improved suspension file support system and in particular, to a suspension file support system including corner units with a flexible hinge, support rails, cross braces and legs that can be varied in length to accomodate different size files.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Suspension files are versatile and useful since they are easily held in position in file drawers and may be moved or the contents emptied without removing the file from the drawer. It is desirable to convert existing file drawers to contain suspension files and a collapsible suspension file support system is desirable to allow removal of the system from a drawer for storage or transfer to another location. To meet the demand for suspension files, several systems have been proposed. The typical system requires upper and lower cross pieces to insure rigidity not provided by other components of the system. Examples of such systems are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,049,127; 4,176,753; 3,853,227; 2,336,802; 4,091,933; 3,860,119; and 4,262,810. The extra cross piece increases the cost and complexity of the system.
In an attempt to obtain rigidity in the support system without an extra cross piece, complex and cumbersome corner members have been proposed. Corner members of this type require threading of supports into the corner member or latches to hold supports. An example of such a system is illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,030,610 and 3,885,765. This support system is expensive to manufacture and difficult to assemble requiring the use of tools. Complex packages and packaging techniques are also required increasing the cost to package and store these systems.
Other prior art support systems must be manufactured in two different sizes to accommodate either legal or letter size folders, requiring the seller to stock both sizes. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Hitherto, typical vane compressors have been proposed in each of which a rotor portion included in a rotor shaft (a unit including the rotor portion, which has a columnar shape and undergoes a rotational motion in a cylinder, and a shaft that transmits a rotational force to the rotor portion is referred to as rotor shaft) has one or a plurality of vane grooves in which vanes are fitted, respectively, the tips of the vanes being in contact with and sliding on the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder (see Patent Literature 1, for example).
Another proposed vane compressor includes a rotor shaft having a hollow thereinside. A fixed shaft provided for vanes is provided in the hollow. The vanes are rotatably attached to the fixed shaft. Furthermore, the vanes are each held between a pair of nipping members (a bush) provided closely to the outer circumference of the rotor portion, the vanes being held in such a manner as to be rotatable with respect to a rotor portion, the nipping members each having a semicircular stick-like shape (see Patent Literature 2, for example). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a beam-index color display unit.
2. Description of Background Information
Beam-index type color display units are constructed that a two-dimensional screen consisting of three-color phosphor stripes of R (red), G (green), and B (blue), which are arranged with regularity in the horizontal direction, is scanned by a single beam. For this reason, it is necessary to apply a feedback system to detect the horizontal scanning position of the beam, so that the phosphor stripes are correctly excited.
An example of conventional beam-index color display units is shown in FIG. 1. As shown, a two-dimensional screen 33 is formed by horizontal stripes 31 of R, G, B arranged with regularity in the horizontal direction and black stripes 32 consisting of a black opaque material which is inserted between each horizontal stripe 31. Moreover, a metal back 34 of aluminum is formed on the whole area of the screen 33, and phosphor stripes 35 for indexing purpose are arranged in the horizontal direction so that the pitch of the phosphor stripes 35 is, for example, 2/3 of the interval of R, G, B sets of the phosphor stripes 31. When the phosphor stripes 31 are scanned by the single electron beam, the electron beam is incident on the phosphor stripes 35 to excite them, so that light is emitted from the phosphor stripes 35. The emitted light is detected by a light detector 36 to perform the feedback operation. This structure is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. P61-61315.
Since prior art display units as mentioned above are of the beam-index type that uses an electron beam in an evacuated envelope (or a vacuum system), it has not proven possible to make the whole system lightweight. Moreover, adaptation of the picture size, especially change to a larger picture size, was not possible because of the fixed positional relation between the electron gun and the phosphor screen. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a sheet cutting device that cuts a sheet bundle and relates to an image forming system equipped with the sheet cutting device.
Up to now, there has been put to practical use a sheet finisher equipped with a sheet cutting device that aligns an edge of a sheet bundle by cutting an edge portion of the sheet bundle, for sheet bundles processed in terms of center stapling or of center folding, in the business world of printing.
Further, in recent years, there has been made an for a sheet finisher equipped with a sheet cutting device that conducts center stapling processing or center folding processing after receiving a sheet on which an image has been formed by a main body of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and aligns an edge portion by cutting the edge portion of a sheet bundle with the sheet cutting device, after bookbinding, as in the case of the weekly magazines.
Many of the sheet cutting devices of this kind are those wherein a sheet bundle is fixed on a placing stand, and a cutting blade is moved for cutting operations. In this case, a position for the cutting blade to be stopped is established to be a position where a cutting edge of the cutting blade intrudes slightly into a blade receiving section that is provided on the side of the placing stand.
A stop position of the cutting edge is sometimes varied by influences of operation errors and manufacturing errors, and in this case, there are caused problems such as unfinished cutting and excessive intrusion of a cutting edge of the cutting blade into the blade receiving section.
In Unexamined. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-297535, there is disclosed a sheet cutting device wherein an electric current value of a motor that increases gradually with an increase of loads caused by striking of a blade holder against a stopper in the ca cutting sheets, detected to control the stop position for a blade. Owing to the aforesaid device, excessive force is not applied on a cutting edge, resulting in promotion of a long life.
A surface of the blade receiving section is damaged little by little, each time a bundle of sheets is cut by a cutting blade. When damage on a surface of the blade receiving section grows to be too large, cutting ability is lowered. In the sheet cutting device disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 006-51592, when the number of times of cutting reaches a prescribed number, the blade receiving section is shifted in the direction perpendicular to the cutting edge to renew a surface to be used of the blade receiving section, so that defective cutting that is caused by deterioration of a surface of the blade receiving section may not occur. Then, when the surface to be used of the blade receiving section becomes impossible to be renewed after being used up, the blade receiving section is replaced with a new one.
A blade and a blade receiving section of the sheet cutting device are deteriorated when cutting operations are repeated, and the blade and the blade receiving section need to be replaced for the prescribed number of cutting operations. For extending a replacement cycle of a blade by decreasing damages of the blade, it is better for the blade receiving section to be made of a softer material. However, in that case, the blade receiving section tends to be damaged easily, resulting in a short cycle of replacement of the blade receiving section. It is also possible to make a size of the blade receiving section to be large for the purpose of extending a replacement cycle for the blade receiving section. In that case, however, there is caused a problem that the device grows to be gigantic.
In the sheet cutting device described in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-297535, there is employed construction to detect an elastic current value of a motor and thereby to stop the blade by load fluctuations in the case of striking of a holder against a stopper. However, there is no consideration about an influence on the blade receiving section, and it is feared that accurate cutting of a sheet bundle is disturbed by deterioration of the blade receiving section.
In the sheet cutting device described in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-51592, a replacement cycle is extended by renewing a surface used of the blade receiving section. However, an object of this construction IC not using the blade receiving section effectively, and when the blade receiving section is deteriorated so early by fluctuations of a biting amount of blade receiving section of the blade, it is feared that defective cutting may be caused. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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As is well understood, shade guides presently used by the dentist in matching teeth colors commonly employ 12-13 tooth samples. In use, the dentist holds this guide near a patient's mouth, in order to determine a correct shading for the face of a tooth to be crowned, or for the teeth of a denture, for example. While shade guides have been available for many years, they all generally suffer the same disadvantage in that the tooth samples are made of a porcelain type material which does not strictly conform to the tooth enamel; under different lighting conditions, it has been found that what once may have been a shading match, no longer continues. In addition, adjacent tooth samples oftentimes have no relationship, one to another, and exhibit large differences in shadings between them. When it is further realized that different manufacturers make their own shade guides, without there being any standardizations for shading in the profession, it will be apparent that the present day use of shade guides requires the giving of instructions to the laboratory to make a tooth facing "a little grayer" than sample No. 1, "a little yellower" than sample No. 2, etc. This also follows from the fact that the tooth samples represent what, over the course of years, have come to be accepted as "average" teeth, i.e., shades most often found in a patient's mouth.
It will thus be seen that while shade guides of these natures have found wide use, there still remains a need for improved shade guides and for improved techniques in their employment. However, it will be readily appreciated that before shade guides 50, 75, 100 or more tooth samples can be effectively used, the dentist must be taught to discern shading differences between a tooth sample and the tooth to which a comparison is then being made and, correspondingly, to determine when a shading match occurs. | {
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The present invention relates generally to local area networks of transceiver units interconnected by a data bus, and more specifically to a transformer bus coupler for connecting a transceiver to a data bus line.
Most data bus couplers which are presently in use are a source of discontinuities between the transceiver units and the data bus. These discontinuities occur because the impedance of each data bus coupler is commonly different from the characteristic impedance of the transmission line.
The task of effectively coupling remote equipment together in a local area network is alleviated, to some extent, by the coupling network disclosed in the following U.S. patents, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,148,098 issued to Bowman-Manifold;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,237,796 issued to Smith;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,323 issued to Griffith et al;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,662 issued to Nakhla;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,793 issued to Adams; and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,856 issued to Cohen.
The Nakhla patent shows a coupling network for coupling data signals to and from a telephone subscriber line. The network serves to couple data from a modem at the central office end of a line to the line for transmission to the subscriber end modem and also serves to couple data from the modem via the line to another modem in a full duplex manner.
Bowman-Manifold shows a high frequency transmission line with a receiver or branch line and series impedances both having a value R.sub.1 /2. By in effect forming a resistant T-network at a load tapping point the patent alleges that substantially no reflection is introduced at the tapping point.
Smith is directed to a mixer circuit in which a plurality of devices are connected to a pair of buses by a fixed attenuator having series and shunt impedances. Griffith et al are concerned with a balanced bridge, full duplex system for sending and receiving digital signals. Cohen and Adams both relate to digital signal transmission and reception of a common line.
While the systems described in the above-cited references are instructive, the need for connecting transceivers to data bus lines without impedance discontinuities remains. The present invention is intended to satisfy that need. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a nonvolatile semiconductor memory and, more particularly, an electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).
2. Description of the Related Art
As a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device becomes more highly integrated in order to increase storage capacity and raise the operating speed, new problems appear. A nonvolatile semiconductor memory is constructed with a plurality of storage cells (memory cells), which are each composed of a floating gate transistor. Each floating gate transistor, in turn, consists of a floating gate, a control gate, a source and a drain. The storage cells are arranged in a matrix consisting of rows and columns. The control gates for each row of storage cells are all connected to a single shared word line while the drains for each column of storage cells are connected to a common bit line. A memory cell array will thus consist of a plurality of the storage cells together with a plurality of word and bit lines by which data is stored and read from the cells of the array.
In order to enhance the operating speed of a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, the data stored in the storage cells connected with a selected word line are simultaneously read out through the plurality of corresponding bit lines in what is called a page read. The data read out during the page read are stored into a plurality of data latches called page buffers. In contrast, the write operation (programming) is achieved by sequentially storing data into the page buffers through a data input/output (I/O) pad or terminal, and then simultaneously transferring the data stored in the page buffers into the storage cells connected to a selected word line. This method for writing data into a memory array is called page programming. The page read and programming operation are described in further detail in commonly-assigned Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 94-18870 published on Aug. 19, 1994.
To describe the page read, programming and erasing operations in greater detail, page programming data into memory cells is achieved by applying a high level programming voltage, e.g. 18 V, to a word line connected to the control gates of the memory cells and a ground level voltage to the respective bit lines connected with the channels of the memory cells so that the voltage difference between the control gates of the memory cells and the channels causes electrons to penetrate the thin oxide film, otherwise known as the Fowler Nordheim Tunneling phenomenon, in order to reach the floating gate thereby changing the threshold voltage of the transistor controlled by the control gate. The erasing operation is achieved by reversing the process and applying an erasing voltage, typically 20 V, to a large block of memory cells and the ground level voltage to the word line connected to the control gates so that the voltage difference between the transistor wells of the cells and the control gates of the transistors causes the electrons stored in the floating gates to tunnel away from the floating gates in order to discharge the floating gates and once again change the threshold voltage of the transistors in the block. Since the threshold voltage of each memory cell has a negative or positive value depending on whether it is in a programmed or an erased state, the read operation is achieved by applying zero voltage to the control gate of the memory cell and sensing the voltage difference between the drain and source of the cell. This type of nonvolatile semiconductor memory is called flash memory and is described in the papers entitled "A 3.3 V 32 Mb NAND Flash Memory with Incremental Step Pulse Programming Scheme" and "A 35 ns Cycle Time 3.3 V Only 32 Mb NAND Flash EEPROM", IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol.30, No. 11, Nov., 1995.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional memory cell array with a control circuit, where the array has 8,192 rows and 4,096 columns for 32 megabits (4,096.times.8,192) of memory cells. The memory cell array is divided into blocks B1-B512 of 64K each (4096.times.512), where block B1 is shown in greater detail. The control gates of the storage cells are connected through 8,192 word lines and the drains are connected through 4,096 bit lines. The block B1 includes NAND cell units NU0, NU1, . . . , NU4095 wherein each of the NAND cell units consists of 16 storage cells MO-M15 connected in series between the source of a first selection transistor ST1 and the drain of a second selection transistor ST2. The drain of each first selection transistor ST1 is connected to a corresponding bit line BL0, BL1, . . . , BL4095 through a resistor (not shown). The source of the second selection transistor ST2 is connected with a common source line CSL.
In each of the row blocks B1-B512, the control gates of the first selection transistors ST1 for each of the NAND units NU0-NU4095 are all commonly coupled to a first selection line SSL. Similarly, the control gates of storage cells M0-M15 of each NAND units NU0-NU4095 are all commonly coupled to a corresponding word line WL0-WL15, respectively. And the control gates of second selection transistors ST2 are all coupled in common to a second selective line GSL.
The first selective line SSL is driven by a first row decoder 102A and the second selective line GSL is driven by a second row decoder 102B. Further, the even numbered word lines WL0, WL2, . . . , WL14 are also driven by the first row decoder 102A while the odd numbered word lines WL1, WL3, . . . , WL15 are driven by the second row decoder 102B. Even numbered bit lines BL0, BL2, . . . , BL4094 are coupled to lower page buffer 101B while odd numbered bit lines BL1, BL3, . . . , BL4095 are coupled to upper page buffer 101A. The upper page buffer 10A and lower page buffer 101B each have internal data latches which temporarily store input data signals received through the input/output pins of the semiconductor memory device in order to perform various functions, such as controlling the execution of data programming operations as well as read-out and erase operations.
FIG. 2 illustrates the physical structure of a row of stacked memory cells. In the physical structure, a second conductive n-type well 202 is formed on a first conductive p-type semiconductor substrate 201. A first conductive-type pocket well 203 is placed on the second conductive n-type well 202. Each of the memory cells has a floating gate 206 and a control gate 208 in an active region. The individual stacked memory cells are separated from each other by a field insulator film 204. The reference number 208 also represents a word line because all the control gates in a given row are connected to the same word line. The floating gate 206 and control gate 208 are separated from each other by insulator film 207, such as ONO (Oxide/Nitride/Oxide). An insulator film 209 is formed on the word line 208 and the bit lines BL0-BL4095 are formed on top of insulator film 209. The thin oxide film 205 represents the area where electrons tunnel through to the floating gate 206.
In the nonvolatile semiconductor memory of FIG. 2, the second conductive n-type well 202 and the first conductive-type pocket well 203 are electrically connected to each other and a ground potential voltage is applied to them in order to perform data programming operation. The high level programming voltage is applied to the word line 208 connected to the control gates of the memory cells and the data are input through the bitlines BL0-BL4095 which are connected to the channels of the memory cells.
When some of the memory cells connected to a selected word line are not to be programmed, the VCC or higher voltage is directly or indirectly applied to channels corresponding to the memory cells so as to prevent those cells from being programmed.
Note that as the capacity of nonvolatile semiconductor memories is continuously improved by integrating the memories on a very large scale, that there is necessarily a resulting increase in the number of memory cells connected to a single word line and, accordingly, an increase in the number of memory cells that required to not be programmed during a given programming operation. This increase in the number of cells that are not to be programmed leads, in turn, to an increase in the power consumption of the bitlines which supply the channel voltage that prevents the state of the memory cell from being programmed. In addition, when the channel voltage is dropped, the memory cells that are required not to be programmed can be erroneously programmed by the voltage change causing corruption of the stored data.
For a data erasing operation, the ground voltage is applied to the word line 208 connected to the control gates of the memory cells to be erased. The erasing voltage (20 V) is applied to the second conductive n-type well 202 which is electrically connected to the first conductive-type pocket well 203 thereby erasing the data in all the memory cells connected to the word line. The increased level of integration of the memory device results in a larger number of memory cells connected each word line which causes both greater power consumption and a deterioration of the reliability of the device because a larger number of memory cells must be erased or programmed in order to make a correct in a small amount of data.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,199 is directed to solving the problems described above for nonvolatile semiconductor memory. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,199 has opposing first and second conductive-type wells that are formed on a substrate. The first and second wells each simultaneously form the same number of memory cells which are jointly connected to the corresponding bit and word lines. One of the first and second wells forms an auxiliary memory cell array, where a back bias voltage is applied to the auxiliary memory cell array in order to increase the threshold voltage of the memory cells and prevent the redundant data read-out and operating data of the auxiliary memory cell array that is necessary when changing data of the main memory array. Thus memory faults are avoided and the memory device is more reliable.
However, the above method suffers from the disadvantage that two memory cells must be provided for storing one bit of data which cuts the memory density achieved through large scale integration in half. Also, the breakdown voltage at the bit line junction of the auxiliary array must be raised above the value of the bit line voltage plus the back bias voltage in order to prevent breakdown of the memory cell transistors in the auxiliary array.
Generally, in the memory cell array area, a high level erase voltage of 20 V is applied to a large number of memory cells during an erase operation, and is thus transferred to the peripheral circuits outside of the memory cell array, which results in junction breakdown or destruction of the gate oxide films in the peripheral circuits. The entire area of the cell array is formed by n-type wells, and the pocket wells are p-type wells formed inside of the n-type wells so as to prevent the high voltage applied to the p-type wells from being transferred to the peripheral circuitry during the data erasing operation.
However, as the density of nonvolatile semiconductor memory devices is increased to improve capacity, the number of rows and columns of the cell array also increases, thus increasing the length of the word lines. Typically, the word lines of a nonvolatile memory are made of polysilicon which has a sheet which is on the order of several tens of ohms. When the length of the word line is increased, the resistance of the word line also becomes greater so that the programing or read-out voltage drops when it is applied to the farthest memory cells which malfunction as a result. In addition, the erasing operation is performed on the level of blocks B1-B512, which means that an entire block must be erased and reprogrammed in order to correct a single byte of data.
The number of memory cells within the each of NAND units NU0-NU4095 is usually eight or sixteen. In large scale integration, the memory density is increased by using 32 or 64 memory cells in a single NAND unit. The size of a page of memory is usually 512 bytes, whereby the block size is 4K bytes or 8K bytes. Currently, in order to correct one byte of data, the entire memory block of 4K bytes or 8K bytes must be erased and then reprogrammed. This process for data correction is not only complicated and time-consuming, but also shortens the operational life of the memory cells.
Furthermore, the increase in memory density also increases the number of memory cells connected to the same word line which causes the page size to increase. The number of memory cells connected to the unit string also increases resulting in an increase in block size. For example, in the case of a 256 Megabit NAND-type flash memory, the size of a page is 2K bytes, and if the number of memory cells of the unit NAND memory are 32, then the size of a block is 64K bytes.
Also, since the number of cells that must be erased and reprogrammed in order to correct a byte of data is increased, the power consumption to perform an erase is also increased and the cells which are not required to be erased and reprogrammed are considerably deteriorated in terms of the their operational lifetime due to the repeated erasing and reprogramming operations. Furthermore, in the worst case for erasing and reprogramming a block, when only one bit data needs to be reprogrammed and the remaining data are not required to be reprogrammed, the back bias voltage used to prevent cells from being reprogrammed must be applied to all the remaining bit lines, which also leads to power consumption and additional operation time for charging the additional bitlines. | {
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Conventionally, semiconductor memories used in electronic devices such as microcomputers have mainly employed dynamic random access memories (DRAMs) from the viewpoint of operating speed and the degree of device integration. It is difficult, however, for DRAMs to accommodate the recent demands for lower energy consumption and mobility because DRAMs consume energy for memory storage purposes and the stored data is lost once power supply is turned off. In order to address such demands, a novel memory is required that is nonvolatile as well as fast, highly integrated, and energy-saving.
Magnetoresistive random access memories (MRAMs) are now gaining attention as a next-generation memory with the nonvolatile property, in addition to being capable of achieving operating speeds and levels of integration comparable to those of DRAMs. The MRAM stores information in terms of the direction of magnetization of a ferromagnet. The relative magnetization configuration of the information stored in the MRAM is electrically sensed utilizing the giant magnetoresistance effect in a spin valve element, or the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) effect in a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). Since MRAMs utilize a ferromagnet, they can hold information in a nonvolatile manner without consuming energy.
FIG. 17 shows a typical cell configuration of an MRAM utilizing a MTJ. As shown in FIG. 17(A), the MRAM comprises a 1-bit memory cell consisting of one MTJ and one metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor. The gate of the MOS transistor is connected to a wordline for sensing, the source is grounded, and the drain is connected to one end of the MTJ. The other end of the MTJ is connected to a bitline.
As shown in FIG. 17(B), the MTJ has a tunnel junction structure consisting of two ferromagnetic electrodes separated by a thin insulating film. The MTJ provides the TMR effect in which tunnel resistance varies depending on the relative magnetization configuration of the two ferromagnetic electrodes. The rate of change of TMR between the case where the two ferromagnetic electrodes carry parallel magnetization and the case where they carry antiparallel magnetization is referred to as the TMR ratio, which is used for the evaluation of the TMR effect.
In the MRAM, information is stored in terms of the configuration of magnetization of the MTJ. Specifically, the relative magnetization configuration of the two ferromagnetic electrodes is rendered either parallel or antiparallel using a composed magnetic field formed by magnetic fields induced by currents that are caused to flow through the bitline and a wordline for writing (not shown) disposed perpendicular to the bitline.
When sensing information stored in a particular cell, a voltage is applied to a specific wordline for sensing connected to the cell so as to bring the MOS transistor into conduction, so that a current for sensing (to be hereafter referred to as a “drive current”) flows through the MTJ via a specific bitline connected to the cell. A voltage dropped across the MTJ due to the TMR effect is then detected as an output voltage to sense the stored information. | {
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The present invention relates to processes for controlling residual monomers while making copolymers of tertiary amino-monomer and vinyl-functional monomer able to undergo Michael addition.
Copolymers of tertiary amino-containing monomers and vinyl-functional monomers are useful in liquid detergent compositions for machine or hand dishwashing. For example, the copolymers are useful to maintain suds in hand dishwashing compositions. Such copolymers are also useful for products in the laundry field for a product having improved grease and soil removal properties, and in products in the personal care field, particularly hand soaps, body washes, shampoos, shaving creams, shaving gels and dephiliatories, which have improved foam retention. There is also a need for such polymers for improved oil field chemicals, agricultural chemicals, fire-fighting foam, detergents, mining chemicals, flocculants and coagulants.
The present inventors discovered a problem. Namely, they discovered that copolymers of tertiary amino-containing monomers and vinyl-functional monomers formed monomers when heated. The present inventors also discovered the monomers resulted from unstable Michael addition adducts of the copolymers and vinyl-functional monomers which formed during production of the copolymer. The vinyl-functional monomers can be liberated from the adduct under certain conditions to be potentially toxic.
For purposes of this specification and claims, the term copolymer encompasses polymers of two or more different monomers, e.g., bipolymers (two different monomers) or terpolymers (three different monomers).
The present invention solves the aforementioned problem in that it has been surprisingly discovered that these polymeric materials can be made with a negligible amount of undesirable adducts or monomers.
In the present invention, adduct formation is prevented/minimized by performing at least one of the following steps in a process for making copolymers from tertiary amino monomers and vinyl-functional monomers:
1. Avoid formation of adduct by separating the tertiary amino monomer (e.g. dimethylaminoethyl(meth)acrylate) from the vinyl-functional monomer prior to polymerization.
2. Avoid formation of adduct by avoiding contact of water with a mixture of the tertiary amino monomer and the vinyl-functional monomer prior to polymerization.
3. Conduct polymerization at a high temperature (typically about 70 to about 90xc2x0 C., preferably about 80 to about 90xc2x0 C.) and at a suitable pH (typically about 3 to about 10, preferably about 4 to about 8, most preferably about 4 to about 6) to cause the adduct formed to be unstable and revert to monomers. Thus, monomers bound by the adduct will be liberated to copolymerize.
Preferably, acid, e.g., mineral acid or citric acid, which is one of the reactants is fed to the reactor before the monomers.
Thus, the present invention provides methods for making compositions for hand dishwashing, personal care, particularly hand soaps, body washes, shampoos, shaving creams, shaving gels and dephiliatories, which have improved foam retention, improved oil field chemicals, agricultural chemicals, fire-fighting foam, detergents, mining chemicals, flocculants and coagulants.
The present process has many advantages. Conventional processes attempt to reduce monomers by employing high initiator concentration and long reaction times. In contrast, the present invention reduces monomer with less initiator and less reaction time than conventional processes for producing low residual monomer polymers. This saves processing time conventionally needed to react residual monomers and saves energy. Also, the present process has a synergistic benefit because the lower concentration of ingredients causes adducts to dissociate faster in the present process.
These and other objects, features and advantages will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the following detailed description and the appended claims.
All percentages, ratios and proportions herein are by weight, unless otherwise specified. All temperatures are in degrees Celsius (xc2x0 C.) unless otherwise specified. All documents cited are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Additional background on compositions and methods of use is provided by PCT International Application Nos. PCT/US98/24853, PCT/US98/24707, PCT/US98/24699 and PCT/US98/24852, all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Many on-line applications and services store and/or require access to sensitive data such as, for example, medical records and credit card information. In order to keep such sensitive data secure, on-line applications and services often store such sensitive data in an encrypted format.
Cryptographic algorithms may use encryption keys to encrypt data. Specifically, an encryption key may determine the functional output of a cryptographic algorithm. As such, an encryption key may be used to transform a piece of data from an unencrypted format into an encrypted format. Likewise, an encryption key may be used to transform a piece of data from its encrypted format back to its unencrypted format. | {
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1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to down-mixing an audio signal, and more particularly, to efficiently down-mixing multi-channel audio.
2. Description of the Related Art
A related art method of coding multi-channel audio includes waveform audio coding and parametric audio coding. The waveform audio coding includes Moving Picture Expert Group-2 (MPEG-2) multi-channel (MC) audio coding, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) MC audio coding, BSAC/ABS MC audio coding, and the like.
In the parametric audio coding, an audio signal is coded by decomposing the audio signal into components such as frequency, amplitude, and the like, and then by parameterizing information about the frequency, the amplitude, and the like.
In the parametric audio coding, mono-channel audio is generated by down-mixing a left channel and a right channel of stereo-channel audio, and then the generated mono-channel audio is coded. Here, a plurality of pieces of information used to restore the mono-channel audio to the stereo-channel audio are also coded, so that an audio decoding device may restore the stereo-channel audio from the mono-channel audio. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a process for the production of coarse-grained, anhydrous calcium monohydrogen phosphate (dicalcium phosphate anhydride), and a device for carrying out the process.
2. Description of Related Art
Two secondary dicalcium phosphates are known, namely, the anhydrous form CaHPO.sub.4 (DCPA), and the dihydrate CaHPO.sub.4.2H20 (DCPD). Both compounds occur in nature in crystalline form as monetite and brushite. Various processes for the production of the two compounds are known from the literature, the anhydride in particular being produced in aqueous solution at an elevated temperature by a precipitation reaction according to the following equation: EQU H.sub.3 PO.sub.4 +CaO.fwdarw.CaHPO.sub.4 +H20
The dihydrate typically is obtained at temperatures of less than 36.degree. C. and is slowly converted into the anhydride by heating to temperatures above 36.degree. C.
These products have found a certain measure of interest in dental chemistry because of their use with a fine-grained structure as cleaning materials in toothpastes. The anhydride is the product with the greater hardness, and it is therefore used for the adjustment of the abrasive properties, and for smokers' pastes.
In the pharmaceutical industry, coarse-grained dicalcium phosphate dihydrate is used to a large extent as a carrier substance in direct tabletting. For the achievement of a reproducible tablet having a definite breaking strength at the same pressing force, the following requirements are required for the tabletting adjuvant: for uniform dosing in the tabletting press, the product must a) be readily pourable, which means the product must have a coarse grain structure in the range of 45 to 300 .mu.m and a narrow grain distribution within this range, and b) the crystal form should be almost spherical. DCPD fulfills these requirements very well. However, the field of use of DCPD is limited to active material combinations which are not sensitive to water since the dihydrate slowly releases water above 40.degree. C., and thereby changes incongruently.
Therefore, the use of dicalcium phosphate anhydride is of increasing interest for the direct tabletting of pharmaceutical products which is not limited to active material combinations which are not sensitive to water. However, in the case of the direct precipitation of DCPA, a very fine grained material is preponderantly obtained which cannot be tabletted directly. Therefore, there has long been a need for the production of a coarse-grained dicalcium phosphate anhydride for use in direct tabletting.
Numerous processes are known for the production not only of DCPD but also of DCPA: Gmelin, Vol. 28, Part B, II, page 1167; EP 0 210 661 from DCPD granulate by the removal of water; U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,145 by crystallizing out DCPA at 80.degree. C., formation from phosphorus pentoxide and calcium oxide at 40.degree. C. with a grain size greater than 10 .mu.m; GB 1,304,218, production of DCPD and conversion into DCPA by heating the suspension; DE C. 21 53 725, precipitation from excess phosphoric acid with calcium oxide/calcium carbonate.
However, a disadvantage of all precipitation reactions which yield DCPA according to the processes described in the literature is that the DCPA is obtained in very finely-divided form and thus is not directly suitable for tabletting (see the remarks made in EP 0 210 661, page 2, line 11). As is known in the art, products produced by such processes have an average grain diameter of less than 50 .mu.m when underground.
According to the known processes for the production of dicalcium phosphate anhydride, milk of lime is, for example, introduced into dilute phosphoric acid, the phosphoric acid solution thereby being heated to at least 70.degree. C. Subsequently, with vigorous stirring, highly concentrated milk of lime is added thereto as quickly as possible until a pH value of 6.5 is achieved in the resultant suspension, whereafter the reaction is practically finished. In the filtrate obtained after the separation of the solid material, there are generally found about 5 mg/1 of phosphorus pentoxide. The introduction of the milk of lime usually takes place by allowing the suspension to run in from the lid of the reaction vessel.
In the case of such a procedure, there is obtained a finely-divided material which, because of its fineness, can, in part, only be filtered with difficulty. A precipitation at comparatively low temperatures, as well as a slow introduction of the milk of lime, results in a co-precipitation of the dihydrate.
If an attempt is made to increase the average grain diameter by measures such as seeding of the reaction batch, longer residence times during the crystallization, lower precipitation temperatures or higher dilution of the reaction solutions, then only a small effect is obtained in the grain size.
The "coarser" crystals forming in purely statistical distribution can be separated by purely mechanical processes from the product stream by screening and/or sieving but the yield in the case of this procedure is extremely small. For this reason, it has been suggested to produce tablettable DCPA products by the roundabout way of drying DCPD (see EP 0 210 661). In addition to the precipitation, this process requires a compacting step of the DCPD and an energy-intensive drying to yield DCPA. This drying step is rather problematical since the separation of water from DCPD at temperatures of from 40.degree. to 150.degree. C. proceeds very slowly but, on the other hand, the product must not be overheated since, at higher temperatures, a further reaction to dicalcium diphosphate very easily takes place.
Therefore, there exists a need to provide a simple and economic process for the production of coarse crystalline dicalcium phosphate anhydride which, by compression, has a grain size sufficient for direct tabletting. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In general, a first wall (a wall directly facing on plasma) of nuclear fusion apparatus interacts with heat radiation from plasma and plasma constituent particle leaked out from plasma confinement region, and as the result the first wall is eroded to release first wall constituent materials as an impurity in the plasma. Therefore, the first wall is regarded as a main source of plasma impurity. On the other hand, in order to elevate a plasma temperature as higher as possible in a nuclear fusion reaction, it is necessary to lower an energy loss by impurity from plasma to the utmost. It is known that the energy loss by impurity increases with atomic number of impurity element under the same content. Accordingly, it is now planned to use a material of small atomic number such as carbide, boride, etc. as a first wall constituent material of nuclear fusion apparatus, and among them, titanium carbide having a stoichiometric composition, i.e. Ti/C=1 is the most hopeful material proposed. However, from a view of mechanical processability and mechanical strength., etc., it is difficult to constitute a first wall with titanium carbide only.
Thereby, a material excellent in thermal and mechanical properties such as molybdenum material is used as a base and a titanium carbide film of several tens .mu.m in thickness is deposited onto the surface of base, and is used as a titanium carbide deposited first wall. However, since the first wall is eroded during the operation of nuclear fusion apparatus due to the cause as described above, eroded portions have to be repaired with a fresh titanium carbide film on all occasions. In this case, if the first wall of eroded portion is removed from the apparatus and repaired on all occasions, the operation and maintenance of nuclear fusion apparatus is very troublesome and the operation cost becomes high. Therefore, it is very desirable in operation and maintenance of nuclear fusion apparatus using a titanium carbide deposited first wall to develop such a method (i.e. in situ coating method) that the eroded portion can be repaired with a fresh titanium carbide film in vacuo without removing the first wall out of the apparatus. Now then, in a nuclear fusion apparatus which is now under contemplation, when a titanium carbide film is deposited onto the surface of first wall, a distance that a deposition particle (metallic titanium particle) flying out from a titanium vaporizing source has to fly to reach the surface of first wall is about 1 m, and this value increases more and more with a size of nuclear fusion apparatus to grow larger.
In general, the flying distance of deposition particle is decided by a rate of collision and scattering of deposition particle and atmospheric gas particle in space.
The average distance of particle flying from a collision to the next collision (mean free path) can be found by the kinetic theory of gasses. According to the theory, it is necessary to make an atmospheric gas pressure below 5.times.10.sup.-5 Torr in order that the mean free path is above 1 m. Therefore, if it is intended to fly a deposition particle above 1 m for the purpose of depositing a titanium carbide film onto the surface of first wall of the above mentioned nuclear fusion apparatus, it is necessary to maintain an atmospheric gas pressure below 5.times.10.sup.-5 Torr during deposition.
Up to now we have a cathodic sputtering method, a reactive ion plating method, a gas phase reaction method and a reactive vacuum deposition method as a method of depositing out a titanium carbide film on a base. However, in the cathodic sputtering method, the reactive ion plating method and the gas phase reaction method, it is necessary to make the pressure of atmospheric gas such as reaction gas, operation gas, etc. above 10.sup.-3 Torr in time of performing deposition, and so these methods cannot be used as an in situ coating method for the first wall of nuclear fusion apparatus for the above mentioned reason.
On the other hand, the reactive vacuum deposition method which has hitherto been known is a method of using ethylene as a reaction gas but, in practice, is very difficult to be put to practical use since the depositing velocity of titanium carbide film onto a base becomes very low when lowering the ethylene gas pressure below 5.times.10.sup.-5 Torr. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Illumination systems that contain blackbody light sources such as arc lamp sources or incandescent sources are usually designed so that no light is reflected or recycled back to the source. Blackbody light sources are excellent light absorbers and poor light reflectors. Any emitted light that does get back to the source is absorbed and lost, lowering the overall efficiency of the illumination system.
Certain types of light sources, such as some fluorescent light sources and some light emitting diodes (LEDs), can reflect light as well as emit light. Reflecting light sources can be used in illumination systems that recycle light back to the source. Recycled light that is returned to the source and that is subsequently reflected by the source can increase the effective brightness of the source. In addition, light sources that can reflect light instead of absorbing light can reduce absorption losses and increase the overall output efficiency of illumination systems.
The technical term brightness can be defined either in radiometric units or photometric units. In the radiometric system of units, the unit of light flux or radiant flux is expressed in watts and the unit for brightness is called radiance, which is defined as watts per square meter per steradian (where steradian is the unit of solid angle). The human eye, however, is more sensitive to some wavelengths of light (for example, green light) than it is to other wavelengths (for example, blue or red light). The photometric system is designed to take the human eye response into account and therefore brightness in the photometric system is brightness as observed by the human eye. In the photometric system, the unit of light flux as perceived by the human eye is called luminous flux and is expressed in units of lumens. The unit for brightness is called luminance, which is defined as lumens per square meter per steradian. The human eye is only sensitive to light in the wavelength range from approximately 400 nanometers to approximately 700 nanometers. Light having wavelengths less than about 400 nanometers or greater than about 700 nanometers has zero luminance, irrespective of the radiance values.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,206, U.S. Pat. No. 6,960,872 and to U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,774 describe light recycling systems that include light recycling cavities or envelopes that enclose one or more light reflecting LEDs. The light reflecting cavities or envelopes reflect and recycle a portion of the light emitted by the LEDs back to the LEDs. The light recycling cavity or envelope has an output aperture with an area that is smaller than the total emitting area of the enclosed LEDs. In such cases, it is possible for the light exiting the cavity or envelope to be brighter than an equivalent LED measured in the absence of recycling.
The three aforementioned applications disclose light recycling illumination systems that have substantially Lambertian light outputs. The light output distributions of these illumination systems generally extend from approximately −90 degrees to approximately +90 degrees. However, the three aforementioned applications do not disclose optical elements that both recycle light and restrict the angular range of the light output.
In this specification, angular extent is defined by the maximum emitting angles of the source. A planar Lambertian source, for example, emits light of constant brightness from −90 degrees to +90 degrees, where the angle is measured from a line perpendicular to the source. The angular extent of a planar Lambertian source is therefore −90 degrees to +90 degrees.
The angular range is defined in this specification as the angular spread between the points on the light output distribution where the light flux per steradian is one half of the peak flux per steradian. For a Lambertian distribution, the light flux per steradian is one-half of the peak value at −60 degrees and at +60 degrees. For a Lambertian source, the angular range is 120 degrees.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/952,112 entitled “LIGHT EMITTING DIODES EXHIBITING BOTH HIGH REFLECTIVITY AND HIGH LIGHT EXTRACTION,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/977,923 entitled “HIGH BRIGHTNESS LIGHT EMITTING DIODE LIGHT SOURCE” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/952,229 entitled “LIGHT RECYCLING ILLUMINATION SYSTEMS UTILIZING LIGHT EMITTING DIODES,” disclose illuminations systems that include reflective polarizers or wavelength conversion layers that recycle light. However, the reflective polarizers or wavelength conversion layers do not restrict the angular range of the light output of the illumination systems.
In designing complex optical systems such as projection displays, it is important to try to match the angular light output of the source to the maximum acceptance angles of the remainder of the optical system. For example, some imaging light modulators for projection displays have areas ranging from approximately 150 square millimeters to approximately 520 square millimeters. The imaging light modulators can accept light only for angles between −12 degrees and +12 degrees, for example. For such imaging systems, optimizing the quantity called etendue is important.
When measured in air, a simplified equation for etendue is the product of the area of the light beam times the projected solid angle (measured in steradians) of the light beam. Equation 1 expresses the simplified etendue relationship for an imaging system.Etendue=(A)(Ω) [Equation 1]The quantity A is the area of the light beam and Ω is the projected solid angle of the light beam. For planar sources, the quantity Ω can be expressed asΩ=π sin2(half-angle). [Equation 2]The half-angle is one half of the full angle of the light beam. A light beam that has a full angle of 24 degrees (from −12 degrees to +12 degrees) has a half-angle of 12 degrees.
An imaging light modulator that has an area of 250 square millimeters and an acceptance angle of −12 degrees to +12 degrees, for example, has an etendue of approximately 34 mm2-steradians. To effectively utilize the light emitted by the light source, the etendue of the light source for this example should also be approximately 34 mm2-steradians or less. If the output from the light source is Lambertian and extends from −90 degrees to +90 degrees with a range of 120 degrees, the area of the light source should be approximately 11 square millimeters in order for the source to have the same etendue as the imaging light modulator. It is difficult for an LED-based illumination system to have such a small output area and still have sufficient output flux for a large projection display. If the light source output can be restricted to a smaller angular range, however, the source area can be made correspondingly larger.
It would be desirable to design LED light recycling illumination systems that incorporate optical elements that both recycle light and restrict the angular range of the light output. Such systems can have increased output brightness and efficiency compared to systems that do not recycle light. In addition, such systems reduce the etendue of the illumination system output in order to better match the etendue of other optical elements in more complex optical systems such as projection displays. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Technical Field
The embodiments described herein generally relate to automated processing of images captured by a mobile device, and more particularly to processing mobile images of driver's licenses and extracting content therefrom.
2. Related Art
A driver's license (DL) or government-issued identification card is ubiquitous in modern society. The DL is the most widely used form of personal identification and finds most of its uses outside of its original purpose as a license to operate an automobile. The popularity of the DL as an identification card is largely due to the security of the card and the measures taken by the issuing entity to prevent it from being duplicated or faked. A typical DL has a multitude of protections built into the design, layout, material, font and shape of the card which make it difficult to replicate. These security measures become ever more complicated.
A large reason for the popularity of the DL is the information that it contains. A DL usually contains at least the owner's name, picture, address, date of birth, and a license number, with some DLs also containing a phone number, signature and physical description of the owner (eye and hair color, weight, height). This information is invaluable when the identity of the owner needs to be verified.
Verifying a person's identity with the DL is easy to accomplish when the person is physically present, as the DL information can be compared with the actual person to match their physical description and picture, or when verifying whether a method of payment (such as a credit card or check) is authentic. However, when completing an electronic payment transaction, the DL is much less useful, as there are no methods for a vendor accepting an electronic payment to use the DL to verify the identity of the payor. Other circumstances exist where a person may want to use their DL, such as submitting an online application for car insurance, a bank account or a credit card.
Therefore, there is a need for obtaining information from a driver's license for use in an electronic transaction. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Japanese Patent No. 3188507 describes an example of a conventional electric power tool. The electric power tool includes a power supply having a primary battery or a rechargeable secondary battery, a motor, and a control unit for controlling voltage supply from the power supply to the motor.
In the electric power tool, the voltage of the power supply decreases according to use. When the voltage of the power supply decreases, a fastening torque of a working subject component, such as a screw or a bolt, decreases. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In the last decades, epidemiological long term studies have identified numerous factors accelerating formation of atherosclerosis and thereby promoting development of cardiac infarctions. Despite of avoiding risk factors and of behavior increasing the risk of atherosclerosis, the development of pronounced atherosclerotic changes culminating in heart infarction can even be observed in young adults. In such cases, genetic factors play a decisive role. It is for example known that defects of genes playing an important role in cholesterol metabolism require medication with cholesterol lowering drugs. The early detection of a genetic defect allows that counter measures can be taken in time.
Therefore, it is desirable both from a diagnostic point of view and from a therapeutical point of view to be able to recognize and to detect crucial genetic alterations (see A. R. Miserez, Die Bedeutung genetischer Faktoren bei der Entstehung des Herzinfarkts, uni nova, April 1998, S. 44-52).
Cholesterol, besides being the precursor of steroid hormones and bile acids, is an essential constituent of the cell membrane decisively enhancing its permeability-barrier properties. Human cells control their intracellular cholesterol concentration tightly by regulating the receptor-mediated uptake of extracellular cholesterol-containing low density lipoproteins (LDL) and the intracellular cholesterol biosynthesis. LDL particles bind to the LDL receptor (LDLR) by their apolipoprotein (apo) B moieties. The binding and subsequent internalization of these lipoprotein-receptor complexes can be partially or completely abolished if one of the proteins involved in this process is defective or missing. Mutations of the genes encoding the apolipoprotein E (causing familial dysbetalipoproteinemia (FDL)), the apo B-100 (causing familial defective apo B (FDB)), and the LDL receptor (causing familial hypercholesterolemia (FH)) lead to an accumulation of cholesterol-containing particles in the plasma, which is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease. In most of the tested populations, said mutations can only explain 4.2 to 7% of cases with hypercholesterolemia (defined as the 10% of persons of a population with LDLC concentrations above the ninetieth percentile). Thus, the casual gene defects for the majority of affected people with increased plasma LDLC are not yet identified.
The promoters of the LDLR gene and of the genes involved in the cholesterol biosynthesis including the hydroxymethylglutaryl (HMG) CoA synthase, farnesyl-pyrophosphate synthase, and squalene synthase genes, contain specific nucleotide sequences, so-called sterol regulatory elements (SREs).
It is already known that two proteins, SRE-binding protein-(SREBP-)1 and SREBP-2, bind the SREs in the promoters of these genes and activate their transcription rates. When cells are deprived of sterols, both proteins are activated by two proteolytic steps, first by a sterol-sensitive, and then by a cholesterol-independent step. These cleavage events release 68 kDa peptides from the NH2-terminal region of the SREBP-1 and -2 precursor proteins in the cytoplasm. The NH2-terminal, mature form of the transcription factors enters the nucleus and binds the SREs in the promoters of cholesterol-regulating genes. As a consequence, these genes are activated, thus leading to an increase in the receptor-mediated uptake of LDL as well as to an enhanced intracellular cholesterol biosynthesis.
When cholesterol accumulates in the cell, the first, cholesterol-sensitive cleavage event is inhibited, the mature forms of the SREBPs disappear and transcription rates decline, thereby preventing excessive accumulation of cholesterol in the cell. SREBP-1 and SREBP-2 regulate numerous SRE-containing genes involved in cholesterol homeostasis. In addition, SREBP-1 activates the HMG CoA reductase and the squalene synthase. SREBP-1 and SREBP-2 are members of the so-called basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper transcription factor family. The genes encoding these factors have been cloned recently, and their genetic structures have been characterized (20,21).
Despite of the available knowledge, the percentage—as mentioned above—of identifiable risk patients for e.g. hypercholesterolemia is below 7%.
Therefore, the present invention had the aim to improve the early diagnosis and therapy of risk patients.
Said aim is achieved by providing diagnostic methods as well as polymorphisms in the SREBP genes which are suitable for the use in said diagnostic methods, in particular polymorphisms which are found in a fraction of patients with altered lipid metabolism, in particular cholesterol metabolism, preferably in a big fraction of such patients. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information storage system, and in particular to an information storage system which stores information in a removable recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a storage capacity of a removable recording medium which is used in information storage systems has become large. Thus, a large amount of information can be easily and quickly taken away by being recorded on the removable recording medium. For this reason, it is desired to improve security for information.
In a large-scale computer, security of the system can be maintained since the places in which the system is installed are relatively limited and only people having permission can enter those places. Additionally, a user is required to enter a password in order to access important data. Thus, it is not easy to access information in the case of the large-scale computer.
On the other hand, a personal computer, which has rapidly become wide spread, can be set in any place and anyone can easily access the system. With the recent spread of the personal computer, important data has become handled by the personal computer. Additionally, a storage capacity of a storage device of a removable recording medium type used in the personal computer has become large. For example, it is possible to record 640 MB of data in a single recording medium in the case of an optical disk apparatus such as a phase-change type optical disk (PD) apparatus and a magneto-optic disk apparatus, or a large capacity floppy disk apparatus.
FIG. 1 shows a system structure diagram of an example of a conventional information processing system. In the conventional system 50, a magneto-optic disk apparatus 52 is connected to a personal computer 51 via a SCSI interface. Information is recorded on and reproduced from a magneto-optic disk 53 which is mounted in the magneto-optic disk apparatus 52. In the conventional information processing system 50, no security is provided for the magneto-optic disk apparatus 52.
Therefore, if no security is provided for the personal computer 51, important data stored in a built-in hard disk of the personal computer 51 can be taken away by copying the data to the magneto-optic disk 53 by means of the magneto-optic disk apparatus 52. In this case, a large amount of data corresponding to an amount of data stored in several hundred floppy disks can be quickly and secretly taken away, because the magneto-optic disk 53 has a maximum capacity as large as 640 MB or even 1.3 GB.
Additionally, data which is stored in the magneto-optic disk 53 can be instantly copied or deleted. The conventional information processing system 50 has no protection against such a situation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an information storage system which can be used by only those users who are previously permitted to access the system.
The above-mentioned object of the present invention can be achieved by an information storage system comprising:
a first information storage device for accessing a first removable recording medium;
a second information storage device for accessing a second removable recording medium; and
an access controller for controlling access to the first removable recording medium by the first information storage device based on a result of access to the second removable recording medium by the second information storage device prior to access to the first removable recording medium by the first information storage device.
According to the invention, since access to the first removable recording medium is permitted in accordance with the result of access to the second removable recording medium, a user who does not have the second removable recording medium cannot access the first removable recording medium. Hence, the security provided for information of the first information storage device can be improved.
In the above information storage system, the second information storage device may comprise a medium detector for detecting the second removable recording medium mounted in a predetermined position where the second removable recording medium can be accessed by the second information storage device.
In this case, the access controller may permit the first information storage device to access the first removable recording medium when the medium detector detects the second removable recording medium mounted in the predetermined position.
According to the invention, since access to the first removable recording medium is permitted when the medium detector detects the second removable recording medium mounted in the second information storage device, a user who does not have the second removable recording medium cannot access the first removable recording medium. Hence, the security provided for information of the first information storage device can be improved.
The access controller may turn on power supply to the first information storage device when the medium detector detects the second removable recording medium mounted in the predetermined position.
According to the invention, when the second removable recording medium is not mounted in the second information storage device, the first information storage device cannot access the first removable recording medium since the first information storage device is not supplied with power. Hence, a user who does not have the second removable recording medium cannot access the first removable recording medium, and as a result, the security provided for information of the first information storage device can be improved.
In the above-mentioned information storage system, the second information storage device may comprise a information reader for reading out information recorded on the second removable recording medium.
In this case, the second removable recording medium may be provided with access permission information recorded thereon; and
the access controller may control access to the first removable recording medium by the first information storage device based on the access permission information read by the information reader.
According to the invention, since access to the first removable recording medium is controlled in accordance with the access permission information recorded on the second removable recording medium, the security provided for information of the first information storage device can be improved.
The access permission information may comprise write permission information for permitting the first information storage device to write information to the first removable recording medium.
In this case, the access controller may permit the first information storage device to write information to the first removable recording medium when the write permission information is valid.
According to the invention, write access to the first removable recording medium by the first information storage device can be restricted based on the write permission information. Hence, it is possible to prevent information from being taken away after having been recorded on the first removable recording medium, and thus, the security provided for information of the first information storage device can be further improved.
The access permission information may comprise read permission information for permitting the first information storage device to read information from the first removable recording medium.
In this case, the access controller may permit the first information storage device to read information from the first removable recording medium when the read permission information is valid.
According to the invention, read access to the first removable recording medium by the first information storage device can be restricted based on the read permission information. Hence, it is possible to prevent information from being easily read out from the first removable recording medium, and thus, the security provided for information of the first information storage device can be improved.
The access permission information may comprise a control program for controlling the access controller; and
the access controller may control access to the first removable recording medium by the first information storage device in accordance with the control program.
According to the invention, since the first removable recording medium cannot be accessed without the second removable recording medium being provided with the control program recorded thereon, the security provided for information of the first information storage device can be improved.
The information storage system may further comprise a control program setting part for validating or invalidating the control program.
In this case, the access controller may control access to the first removable recording medium by the first information storage device in accordance with the control program when the control program is validated by the control program setting part; and
the access controller may control access to the first removable recording medium by the first information storage device irrespective of the control program when the control program is invalidated by the control program setting part.
According to the invention, since the control program can be easily validated or invalidated by the control program setting part, it is possible to change an extent of the security in accordance with various situations.
The above-mentioned object can also be achieved by an information storage system comprising:
a first information storage device for accessing a first removable recording medium;
a second information storage device for accessing a second removable recording medium to read out first access permission information recorded on the second removable recording medium;
an access permission information storage part for storing second access permission information; and
an access controller for permitting the first information storage device to access the first removable recording medium when the first access permission information read out by the second information storage device and the second access permission information stored in the access permission information storage part satisfy a predetermined condition.
According to the present invention, the access to the first removable recording medium by the first information storage device can be controlled in accordance with the first access permission information recorded on the second removable recording medium and the second access permission information stored in the access permission information storage part. Thus, more sophisticated access control can be achieved so that the security provided for information of the first information storage device is further improved.
In the above information storage system, the access controller may permit the first information storage device to access the first removable recording medium when the first access permission information corresponds to the second access permission information.
According to the present invention, the first removable recording medium can be accessed by only those who have the second removable recording medium containing the first access permission information corresponding to the second access permission information stored in the access permission information storage part. Thus, the security provided for information of the first information storage device can be improved.
The first access permission information may comprise write permission information for permitting the first information storage device to write information to the first removable recording medium.
According to the invention, since write access to the first removable recording medium can be restricted based on the write permission information, it is possible to prevent information from being taken away after having been recorded on the first removable recording medium. Thus, the security provided for information of the first information storage device can be further improved.
The first access permission information may comprise read permission information for permitting the first information storage device to read information from the first removable recording medium.
According to the invention, since read access to the first removable recording medium can be restricted based on the read permission information, it is possible to prevent information from being easily read out from the first removable recording medium. Thus, the security provided for information of the first information storage device can be further improved.
The access controller may permit the first information storage device to write information to the first removable recording medium when the write permission information is valid.
According to the invention, security against write access to the first removable recording medium can be easily changed based on the write permission information.
The access controller may permit the first information storage device to read information from the first removable recording medium when the read permission information is valid.
According to the invention, security against read access to the first removable recording medium can be easily changed based on the read permission information.
The first access permission information may comprise a control program for controlling the access controller; and
the access controller may control access to the first removable recording medium by the first information storage device in accordance with the control program.
According to the invention, since the first removable recording medium cannot be accessed without the second removable recording medium provided with the control program recorded thereon, the security provided for information of the first information storage device can be improved.
The information storage system may further comprise a control program setting part for validating or invalidating the control program.
In this case, the access controller controls access to the first removable recording medium by the first information storage device in accordance with the control program when the control program is validated by the control program setting part; and
the access controller controls access to the first removable recording medium by the first information storage device irrespective of the control program when the control program is invalidated by the control program setting part.
According to the invention, the access controller controls access to the first removable recording medium based on the validity of the control program. Thus, it is possible to change an extent of the security against access to the first removable recording medium in accordance with various situations.
Other objects and further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a martensitic stainless steel suitable for use in oil wells and gas wells (hereinafter collectively referred to as "oil wells"). More particularly, the invention pertains to a martensitic stainless steel for use in oil wells having excellent corrosion resistance sufficient to withstand severe corrosive environments which contain corrosive impurities such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and chloride ions while retaining a proper level of strength. The martensitic stainless steel is also useful in linepipe.
Recently, the environments in wells for collecting oil and natural gas have become increasingly severe. Not only are oil wells drilled deeper, but also the number of wells which contain carbon dioxide and/or hydrogen sulfide has increased. As a result, embrittlement of the materials used in oil wells due to corrosion or similar damage has become a serious problem.
Carbon steels and low alloy steels were used for many years to manufacture oil well tubing, which is one of the members generally used in oil wells. However, as the environments in oil wells become severer, the proportion of alloying elements added to steels for use in oil wells has been increased. For example, addition of Cr is known to improve the corrosion resistance of a steel in oil wells which contain carbon dioxide in a relatively high concentration, and Cr-containing steels such as 9%Cr-l%Mo steel and JIS SUS 420 martensitic stainless steel, which contain 9% and 13%, respectively, by weight of Cr, are frequently used in such oil wells.
However, such steels which contain a relatively large amount of Cr do not have good corrosion resistance to hydrogen sulfide. Therefore, the use of these steels in environments which contain hydrogen sulfide along with carbon dioxide is substantially limited since they are susceptible to sulfide stress corrosion cracking in such environments.
In such severe corrosive oil well environments containing both carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, it is necessary at present to use a duplex stainless steel or austenitic stainless steel having a further high content of alloying elements. However, such a steel having an increased content of alloying elements significantly adds to the material costs.
Various attempts have been made to develop a relatively inexpensive steel for use in oil wells which is based on the above-described JIS SUS 420 martensitic stainless steel and which has improved corrosion resistance so as to withstand H.sub.2 S-containing severe corrosive environments.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-2227(1991) discloses a JIS SUS 420-based low-C steel having improved resistance to stress corrosion cracking in H.sub.2 S-containing environments. The steel contains 3.5-6% Ni and 0.5-3% Mo and has a decreased carbon content of 0.02% or less on a weight basis.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Applications Laid-Open Nos. 2-243740(1990) and 3-120337(1991) each disclose a steel JIS SUS 420 having good resistance to sulfide stress corrosion cracking, characterized by decreased Ni and Mo contents, and addition of one or more of Ti, Nb, V, and Zr or decreased Mn and S contents.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Applications Laid-Open Nos. 61-106747(1986) and 62-54063(1987) disclose a low-C, Ca-containing martensitic stainless steel in which Zr and Ti may be added.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-60904(1991) describes a martensitic stainless steel for seamless tubes which may contain one or more of various alloying elements including Ni, Mo, Cu, Nb, V, Ti, and Ca and which have limited S and P contents.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-207550(1986) discloses a boron-containing martensitic stainless steel suitable for use in acidic oil wells.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-243739(1990) discloses a martensitic stainless steel for use in oil wells which contains 15%-19% by weight of Cr.
It is known that a decrease in hardness or softening of a martensitic steel accompanied by a decrease in tensile strength is effective for reducing its susceptibility to sulfide stress corrosion cracking. Nickel-containing martensitic stainless steels as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-2227 (1991) have an Ac.sub.1 point which is much lower than that of the conventional JIS SUS 420 steel. Accordingly, there is a need for a Ni-containing martensitic stainless steel which can be readily softened by tempering at a low temperature which is below the decreased Ac.sub.1 point.
The incorporation of additional alloying elements such as Ti, Nb, V, and/or Zr in a martensitic stainless steel as taught by Japanese Unexamined Patent Applications Laid-Open Nos. 2-43740(1990) and 3-120337(1991) serves to stabilize strength after tempering. However, upon further investigations, it was found that the resulting steel sometimes shows an abnormal fluctuation in strength, which is a problem in production of the steel on a commercial scale. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In a wireless communication system, wireless communication devices may transmit and/or receive information using radio frequency (RF) signals. Since RF spectrum may represent shared media, multiple devices may be transmitting using the same RF spectrum. Consequently, in some systems it may be desirable to detect the presence of other signals within a given set of RF signals. Accordingly, improvement in detection techniques may increase performance of a device or system. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In logging instrumentation or equipment or logging tools used under high pressure and temperature downhole under harsh chemical conditions, electrical cables terminating on the logging tool are usually hermetically sealed by use of elastomeric materials which are molded into or permanently a part of the cable connectors. The seals provide good liquid seals under lower pressures or under less harsh chemical environments. Under repeated use under high pressure and harsh conditions, however, the seals tend to break down under explosive decompression, a form of deterioration of the seal wherein small molecules of gases from the pressurized environment permeate the elastomer of the seal and accumulate in microscopic voids in the elastomer. When the logging tool is removed from a deep well, the pressure on the tool is rapidly released. The accumulated gases cannot escape from the voids quickly enough and expand, thus causing the elastomeric material of the seals to blister and cut. This often will cause the entire electrical cable harness to be scrapped because the sealing material will no longer form a hermetic seal if the elastomeric seal is incorporated into the cable connector as a component of the connector. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Image compression and hybrid video compression consists of partitioning a frame into blocks, predicting each block and transforming the residual error using a block transform. Video compression algorithms generally use motion compensation from previous frames, whereas image compression algorithms may use previously encoded neighboring blocks to generate the prediction or may not use prediction at all. After transformation, the generated coefficients are quantized and then entropy coded.
The DCT has been the transform of choice for a long time for image and video compression due to its successful compaction of the correlations that exist in natural images. Although the DCT is in general successful, it fails when there are singularities (i.e., edges) in the block that is being transformed. Such a block contains a strong edge that is not aligned in the horizontal or vertical direction. As a result, the DCT generates many non-zero coefficients to represent the block, which increases the required bitrate.
There are a number of prior art solutions, but these have drawbacks. Some drawbacks of prior art solutions can be summarized as follows. Some of the prior solutions are based on wavelets, which are not block based and are not suitable for use in state-of-the-art block based video and image codecs. Prior art solutions based on wavelets also do not provide finely granular decompositions in frequency, i.e., their frequency selectivity is limited, which may adversely affect compression performance. Another group of prior solutions use prediction from previously decoded portions of the data. These set of algorithms are not suitable for use in a video compression setting where the residual signal is not correlated beyond motion compensation block boundaries. Another group of related prior solutions also train the transforms. However, these solutions put a constraint on the transform such that directionality is preserved. This may not necessarily be true in a rate distortion optimal sense. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This application claims the priority under 35 U.S.C. 121 to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/337,167, filed on Jan. 20, 2006, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Application Ser. No. 60/668,485 filed Apr. 5, 2005. That application is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments relate generally to wellbore fluids. More specifically, embodiments relate to displacement and chemical breaker fluids.
2. Background Art
During the drilling of a wellbore, various fluids are typically used in the well for a variety of functions. The fluids may be circulated through a drill pipe and drill bit into the wellbore, and then may subsequently flow upward through wellbore to the surface. During this circulation, the drilling fluid may act to remove drill cuttings from the bottom of the hole to the surface, to suspend cuttings and weighting material when circulation is interrupted, to control subsurface pressures, to maintain the integrity of the wellbore until the well section is cased and cemented, to isolate the fluids from the formation by providing sufficient hydrostatic pressure to prevent the ingress of formation fluids into the wellbore, to cool and lubricate the drill string and bit, and/or to maximize penetration rate.
In most rotary drilling procedures the drilling fluid takes the form of a “mud,” i.e., a liquid having solids suspended therein. The solids function to impart desired rheological properties to the drilling fluid and also to increase the density thereof in order to provide a suitable hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the well. The drilling mud may be either a water-based or an oil-based mud.
Drilling muds may consist of polymers, biopolymers, clays and organic colloids added to a water-based fluid to obtain the required viscous and filtration properties. Heavy minerals, such as barite or calcium carbonate, may be added to increase density. Solids from the formation are incorporated into the mud and often become dispersed in the mud as a consequence of drilling. Further, drilling muds may contain one or more natural and/or synthetic polymeric additives, including polymeric additives that increase the rheological properties (e.g., plastic viscosity, yield point value, gel strength) of the drilling mud, and polymeric thinners and flocculents.
Polymeric additives included in the drilling fluid may act as fluid loss control agents. Fluid loss control agents, such as starch, prevent the loss of fluid to the surrounding formation by reducing the permeability of filter cakes formed on the newly exposed rock surface. In addition, polymeric additives are employed to impart sufficient carrying capacity and thixotropy to the mud to enable the mud to transport the cuttings up to the surface and to prevent the cuttings from settling out of the mud when circulation is interrupted.
Many drilling fluids may be designed to form a thin, low-permeability filter cake to seal permeable formations penetrated by the drill bit. The filter cake is essential to prevent or reduce both the loss of fluids into the formation and the influx of fluids present in the formation. Upon completion of drilling, the filter cake may stabilize the wellbore during subsequent completion operations such as placement of a gravel pack in the wellbore. Filter cakes often comprise bridging particles, cuttings created by the drilling process, polymeric additives, and precipitates. One feature of a drilling fluid is to retain these solid and semi-solid particles as a stable suspension, free of significant settling over the time scale of drilling operations.
The selection of the type of drilling fluid to be used in a drilling application involves a careful balance of both the good and bad characteristics of the drilling fluids in the particular application and the type of well to be drilled. The primary benefits of selecting an oil-based drilling fluid, also known as an oil-based mud, include: superior hole stability, especially in shale formations, formation of a thinner filter cake than the filter cake achieved with a water-based mud, excellent lubrication of the drilling string and downhole tools, and penetration of salt beds without sloughing or enlargement of the hole, as well as other benefits that should be known to one of skill in the art.
An especially beneficial property of oil-based muds is their excellent lubrication qualities. These lubrication properties permit the drilling of wells having a significant vertical deviation, as is typical of off-shore or deep water drilling operations or when a horizontal well is desired. In such highly deviated holes, torque and drag on the drill string are a significant problem because the drill pipe lies against the low side of the hole, and the risk of pipe sticking is high when water-based muds are used. In contrast, oil-based muds provide a thin, slick filter cake that helps to prevent pipe sticking, and thus the use of the oil-based mud can be justified.
Despite the many benefits of using oil-based muds, they have disadvantages. In general, the use of oil-based drilling fluids and muds have high initial and operational costs. These costs can be significant depending on the depth of the hole to be drilled. However, the higher costs can often be justified if the oil-based drilling fluid prevents the caving in or hole enlargement that can greatly increase drilling time and costs.
Disposal of oil-coated cuttings is another primary concern, especially for off-shore or deep-water drilling operations. In these latter cases, the cuttings must be either washed clean of the oil with a detergent solution that also must be disposed, or the cuttings must be shipped back to shore for disposal in an environmentally safe manner. Another consideration that must be taken into account is the local governmental regulations that may restrict the use of oil-based drilling fluids and muds for environmental reasons.
Oil-based muds typically contain some water, either from the formulation of the drilling fluid itself, or water may be intentionally added to affect the properties of the drilling fluid or mud. In such water-in-oil type emulsions, also known as invert emulsions, an emulsifier is used to stabilize the emulsion. In general, the invert emulsion may contain both water soluble and oil soluble emulsifying agents. Typical examples of such emulsifiers include polyvalent metal soaps, fatty acids and fatty acid soaps, and other similar suitable compounds that should be known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
After any completion operations have been accomplished, removal of filter cake remaining on the sidewalls of the wellbore may be necessary. Although filter cake formation is essential to drilling operations, the filter cake can be a significant impediment to the production of hydrocarbon or other fluids from the well if, for example, the rock formation is plugged by the filter cake. Because filter cake is compact, it often adheres strongly to the formation and may not be readily or completely flushed out of the formation by fluid action alone.
The removal of filter cake has been conventionally achieved with water-based treatments that include: an aqueous solution with an oxidizer (such as persulfate), a hydrochloric acid solution, organic (acetic, formic) acid, combinations of acids and oxidizers, and aqueous solutions containing enzymes. For example, the use of enzymes to remove filter cake is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,818. Chelating agents (e.g., EDTA) have also been used to promote the dissolution of calcium carbonate. According to traditional teachings, the oxidizer and enzyme attack the polymer fraction of the filter cake and the acids typically attack the carbonate fraction (and other minerals). Generally, oxidizers and enzymes are ineffective in breaking up the carbonate portion, and acid are ineffective on the polymer portions.
One of the most problematic issues facing filter cake removal involves the placement of the clean-up solutions. Because one of the more common components in a filter cake is calcium carbonate, a clean-up solution would ideally include hydrochloric acid, which reacts very quickly with calcium carbonate. However, while effective in targeting calcium carbonate, such a strong acid is also reactive with any calcium carbonate in the formation (e.g., limestone), and can permeate into the formation.
The use of traditional emulsifiers and surfactants in the invert drilling fluid systems that formed the filter cake can further complicate the clean-up process in open-hole completion operations. Specifically, fluids using traditional surfactant and emulsifier materials may require the use of solvents and other surfactant washes to penetrate the filter cake and reverse the wettability of the filter cake particles. Invert emulsions drilling fluids that exhibit an acid induced phase change reaction have been previously described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,218,342, 6,790,811, and 6,806,233 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0147404, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. The fluids disclosed in these references all contain one form or another of an ethoxylated tertiary amine compound that stabilizes the invert emulsion when it is not protonated. Upon protonation of the amine compound, the invert emulsion reverses and becomes a regular emulsion. In most cases, deprotonation of the amine compound allows for the reformation of an invert emulsion. The clean-up of wells drilled with this invert emulsion drilling fluid may be simplified by using a wash fluid that contains acid in a concentration sufficient to protonate the amine surfactant in the drilling fluid (and hence the filter cake). Thus, the presence of the amine surfactant in this drilling fluid may control the phase state (i.e., invert versus regular emulsions) of the fluids in the well. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,944 describes the use of an acid sensitive surfactant that stabilizes the invert emulsion of the drilling fluid. Upon the addition of an acid in a wash fluid, for example, the surfactant immediately protonates to break or invert the invert emulsion to an oil-in-water type emulsion.
The problems of efficient well clean-up, stimulation, and completion are a significant issue in all wells, and especially in open-hole horizontal well completions. The productivity of a well is somewhat dependent on effectively and efficiently removing the filter cake while minimizing the potential of water blocking, plugging, or otherwise damaging the natural flow channels of the formation, as well as those of the completion assembly. Thus there exists a continuing need for fluids that effectively clean the well bore and do not inhibit the ability of the formation to produce oil or gas once the well is brought into production.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a displacement and chemical breaker solution that will remove invert emulsion filter cake without damaging the formation while allowing for easy placement of the solution in the wellbore and control of the phase state of the drilling fluids in the well. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Acoustic interrogation of subsurface features tends to be limited by the size and power of practical sources, and in practice, the output of down hole acoustic transducers is limited by the power transmission capabilities of the wireline cable. High frequency signals have a relatively short penetration distance, while low frequency signals generally require large sources, clamped to the borehole wall, to maximize energy transfer to the formation and minimize unwanted signals within the well bore. Currently, acoustic borehole tools are designed with acoustic sources in the borehole to detect returning acoustic waves that are propagating along the borehole walls or scattered by inhomogeneities of linear properties of rock formations surrounding the borehole. U.S. Pat. No. 7,301,852 by Leggett, III et al. discloses a Logging While Drilling tool, designed to detect rock formation boundaries, with two acoustic source arrays emitting from a borehole generating a third wave by assumed non-linear mixing in rocks at the location of intersection of the acoustic signals. The third wave is scattered by heterogeneities in subsurface properties, and the scattered signal is detected by sensors in the logging tool. The source arrays are merely disclosed to be directional without any further description.
Attempts have been made to characterize the non-linear properties of a formation in the area of oil and gas prospecting from boreholes, but each has its own limitations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,882 by D'Angelo et al. discloses an acoustic tool designed to record with pressure receivers the non-linear waves that propagate along the borehole wall with limited penetration into the surrounding rock formation and refract back into the well bore fluid. U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,536 by Khan discloses a method to estimate the degree of non-linearity of earth formations from spectral analysis of seismic signals transmitted into the formation from one borehole and received in a second borehole. In light of these prior attempts, there is a need for an apparatus and method for generating three-dimensional images of non-linear properties in a remote region from a borehole. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical element.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a method for manufacturing an optical element is known, the method including pressurizing an optical element in a heated and softened state and cooling it.
In the above-described method for manufacturing an optical element, a scheme is known that performs one or more pressure changes in a cooling step so as to prevent a problem such as cracking or breaking from occurring or to prevent the surface accuracy from being reduced upon demolding, the pressure change continuously applying and reducing a pressure applied to an optical element (see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2012-201518). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention pertains to self-dispersing pigment dispersions which are modified with a multivalent cation and an anionic polymer.
Inkjet printing is a non-impact printing process in which droplets of ink are deposited on a substrate, such as paper, to form the desired image. Inkjet printers are equipped with an ink set which, for full color printing, typically comprises a cyan, magenta and yellow ink (CMY). An ink set also commonly comprises a black ink (CMYK).
Pigments suitable for aqueous inkjet inks are in general well-known in the art. Typically, pigments are stabilized by dispersing agents, such as polymeric dispersants or surfactants, to produce a stable dispersion of the pigment in the vehicle. The pigment can also be “self-dispersible” or a “self-dispersing” pigments (hereafter “SDP(s)”).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,754 discloses an inkjet ink containing an SDP and a multivalent cation. The multivalent cation is added at the ink formulation stage rather than during the preparation of the SDP dispersion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,919 and EP-A-1086997 disclose a black inkjet ink comprising an SDP and salts of monovalent cations. It is suggested that the presence of these monovalent salts improves optical density at a given pigment loading.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,183 discloses a black inkjet ink comprising an SDP ink and a metal oxide, where optical density of the ink is higher when metal oxide is present than when it is absent.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,153,001 discloses an example of a black inkjet ink containing an SDP (Microjet® CW1) and 9 ppm calcium. No information is provided on the source or physical state of the calcium or on the nature of the SDP. No suggestion is made of any optical density relationship.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,317 discloses an inkjet ink comprising an SDP and calcium hydroxide in an aqueous medium.
A need still exists for stable self-dispersing pigment dispersions that can be readily formulated into an ink. The present disclosure satisfies this need by providing a process for preparing stable self-dispersing pigment dispersions. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally related to laser processing of materials and more specifically to an improved method of welding or sealing together the edges of juxtaposed, spaced apart glass sheets in a vacuum.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In our U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,154, which is incorporated herein by reference, we described a laser sealed vacuum insulation window. The window comprises two juxtaposed sheets of glass held spaced apart in relation to each other by a plurality of spherical glass beads, and the edges of the juxtaposed glass sheets are glass-welded together to provide a sealed, evacuated space between the juxtaposed glass sheets that is completely glass-sealed from the exterior. The edges of the juxtaposed glass sheets are welded together in a vacuum chamber by a laser beam that is focused and steered around the edges of the glass sheets. The laser used to melt and weld the edges together had to be of a wavelength that is absorbed by the glass and of sufficient power to raise the temperature of the glass edges to the melting temperature of the glass, which is about 1,200.degree. C. to 1,300.degree. C. for borosilicate glass.
Unfortunately, the laser welding of the edges of the juxtaposed glass sheets to seal the vacuum space has been hindered by several technical problems that occur when the glass is heated above its annealing temperature in the vacuum chamber. First, dissolved gases in the glass tend to nucleate bubbles in the weld line, which become defects that can produce flaws and failures of the vacuum tight seal. Second, the molten glass at the weld point vaporizes and contaminates the mirror in the vacuum chamber that is used to steer the laser beam around the edges of the glass sheets being welded, which decreases specularity of the mirror and diffuses the laser beam, thus causing a loss of power and frustrating the welding process, and, if allowed to continue, could result in excessive absorption of the laser beam and consequent heat damage to the mirror. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a technique for improving a withstanding voltage of operation of a semiconductor device while the drive capacity of the semiconductor device is being prevented from deteriorating.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a conventional semiconductor device.
In FIG. 10, reference numeral 51 is a first conductive type semiconductor substrate, for example, reference numeral 51 is a P type semiconductor substrate. On the substrate 51, the gate electrode 53 is formed via the gate oxide film 52. Source drain regions of one side LDD (Lightly Doped Drain) structure are formed adjacent to the gate electrode 53. That is, on the source region side, the source region 55 of high concentration (N+ type) is formed adjacent to the gate electrode 53. On the drain region side, the drain region 54 of low concentration (Nxe2x88x92 type) is formed adjacent to the gate electrode 53, and the drain region 56 of high concentration (N+ type) is formed in the drain region 54 of low concentration. The conventional semiconductor device has the source and the drain region of one side LDD structure composed in the manner described above.
In the above semiconductor device of one side LDD structure in which a high voltage is impressed only upon the drain region side, in order to prevent an electric field from concentrating upon the drain region side, it is composed in such a manner that the drain region 56 of high concentration is surrounded by the drain region 54 of low concentration and only the source region 55 of high concentration is formed on the source region side in which a high withstanding voltage is unnecessary.
Even in the semiconductor device of the above structure, no problems are caused with respect to the static withstanding voltage. However, in the case of operation, the following problems are caused in the semiconductor device of the above structure.
The problems are described as follows. In the bipolar structure composed of a source region (emitter region), substrate (base region) and drain region (collector region), since the source region 55 of high concentration is exposed from the emitter region, the injection efficiency of carrier is high, so that the bipolar transistor is easily turned on by a low intensity of substrate electric current (I sub).
That is, since electric current gain xcex2 is high in the bipolar transistor, the withstanding voltage of drain is lowered at the operation time compared with the semiconductor device of both side LDD structure.
In this case, if a commonly used both side LDD structure is adopted, electric current gain xcex2 is lowered and it is sure that the withstanding voltage is enhanced. However, although high withstanding voltage is originally unnecessary on the source side, the common LDD structure is adopted on the source side, too. Therefore, the source side necessarily has the same length (L) of the drift region as that on the drain side. Accordingly, ON-resistance is increased and the drive capacity is lowered.
In order to solve the above problems, the first aspect of the present invention provides a semiconductor device comprising: a gate electrode formed on a first conductive type semiconductor substrate via the first and the second gate oxide film; and second conductive type sourcexe2x80xa2drain regions of low and high concentration formed adjacent to the gate electrode, wherein a diffusion region width of the sourcexe2x80xa2drain regions of low concentration on the source region side is smaller than at least that on the drain region side, and the semiconductor device further comprising a source region of high concentration formed adjacent to one end of the gate electrode; and a drain region of high concentration formed at a position distant from the other end of the gate electrode by a predetermined interval.
The first aspect of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: forming a first photo resist film having a first opening in a source forming region on a first conductive type semiconductor substrate and also having a second opening, the size of which is larger than that of the first opening, in a drain forming region; forming second conductive type sourcexe2x80xa2drain regions of low concentration when a second conductive type first impurity is subjected to ion implantation into the substrate by using the first photo resist film as a mask and then the impurity is diffused; forming a element separation film in a predetermined region by selectively oxidizing while an oxidation-resistant film formed on the substrate is being used as a mask and also forming a second gate oxidation film in regions except for the element separation film and the first gate oxidation film; forming a gate electrode in such a manner that the gate electrode lies across the first and the second gate oxidation film; forming a second photo resist film having a third opening in the source region of low concentration and also having fourth opening in a region separate from the other end portion of the gate electrode in the drain region of low concentration; and forming second conductive type sourcexe2x80xa2drain regions of high concentration when ions of a second conductive type second impurity are implanted into the substrate by using the second photo resist film, gate electrode, element separation film and first gate oxidation film as a mask.
Further, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein the step of forming the source-drain regions of low concentration is composed of implantation and diffusion of ions of the first impurity made of phosphorous ions, and the step of forming the source-drain regions of high concentration is composed of implantation of ions of second impurity made of arsenic ions.
Due to the foregoing, it is possible to form a source region of high concentration in the source region of low concentration so that said source region of high concentration is very close to the outer boundary of said source region of low concentration. Therefore, as compared with a structure in which the region of high concentration is formed in the region of low concentration such as an LDD structure under the condition that the drift region is separate by a distance, it is possible to enhance the withstanding voltage of drain in the case of operation while the drive capacity is being prevented from deteriorating.
The second aspect of the present invention provides a semiconductor device comprising: a gate electrode formed on a first conductive type semiconductor substrate via the first and the second gate oxide film; second conductive type source drain regions of low and high concentration formed adjacent to the gate electrode; and a first conductive type region of low concentration and a first conductive type region of high concentration formed adjacent to the source region of low concentration and the source region of high concentration.
Also, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: forming a first photo resist film having an opening in the sourcexe2x80xa2drain forming regions on the first conductive type semiconductor substrate and also forming a first impurity implantation region by implanting the second conductive type first impurity into the substrate while the photo resist film is being used as a mask; forming a second photo resist film having an opening in the neighborhood of the source forming region on the substrate and also forming a second impurity implantation region by implanting the first conductive type second impurity ions into the substrate while the photo resist film is being used as a mask; forming second conductive type sourcexe2x80xa2drain regions of low concentration by diffusing the first and the second impurity and also forming a first conductive type region of low concentration adjacent to the source region of low concentration; forming a element separation film in a predetermined region by selectively oxidizing while the oxidation resistance film formed on the substrate is being used as a mask and also forming a second gate oxidation film in regions except for the element separation film and the first gate oxidation film after the first gate oxidation film has been formed; forming a gate electrode in such a manner that the gate electrode lies across the first gate oxidation film and the second gate oxidation film; forming a third photo resist film having an opening in the sourcexe2x80xa2drain forming regions of high concentration on the substrate; forming a second conductive type source region of high concentration in the source region of low concentration so that said source region of high concentration is very close to the outer boundary of said source region of low concentration and is adjacent to one end portion of the gate electrode when ions of a second conductive type third impurity are implanted into the substrate by using the third photo resist film, gate electrode, element separation film and first gate oxidation film as a mask and also forming a second conductive type drain region of high concentration in a region separate from the other end portion of the gate electrode; and forming a one-conductive region of high concentration in the region of low concentration when the first conductive type fourth impurity is subjected to ion implantation into the substrate while the fourth photo resist film is being used as a mask after the fourth photo resist film having an opening has been formed on the first conductive type region of low concentration.
Also, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein the step of forming the second conductive type source drain region of low concentration and the step of forming the first conductive type region of low concentration are composed of simultaneous diffusion of the first and the second impurity, the conductive types of which are different, implanted into the substrate in the same diffusion step.
Due to the foregoing, the following effects can be provided. When the first conductive type region of high concentration is formed so that it can be adjacent to the second conductive type source region of high concentration, it becomes possible to more strongly fix the electric potential in the neighborhood of the source region, and it becomes possible to prevent the occurrence of a bipolar operation caused by the substrate electric current. Further, when the second conductive type source region of low concentration and the first conductive type region of low concentration are formed so that the second conductive type source region of high concentration and the first conductive type region of high concentration can be respectively surrounded and also when diffusion depth Xj is made equal to each other, it is possible to suppress an increase in the electric potential in the neighborhood of the source region even in a relatively deep portion of the substrate, and the electric potential can be fixed more stably. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The outer ear serves to gather sound waves. In addition there is also a tube or canal called the meatus that carries the sound waves to the ear drum. The canal which is about an inch and one eighth long, must be kept clean of wax to insure that the sound reaches the drum.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most people have common problems in cleaning their ears, specially cleaning the ears for others, for instance, children. The danger of inserting the cotton swab too deep into the ear canal, can be quiet serious, where people can hurt themselves and cause damage to their hearing. In any cotton swabs box there's a clear caution reminder: DO NOT ENTER EAR CANAL.
Another serious problem caused many times by cleaning with cotton swabs is hearing loss and infection as a result of the wax compressed towards the ear drum. This invention eliminates those problems. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Creating a space between an inner-facing surface of an apparel item and a wearer's body surface may be important to promote evaporative cooling and/or to reduce the perception of cling. Traditional athletic apparel often lacks any type of stand-off. When stand-off is present, current methods of creating stand-off may be labor intensive and expensive. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to data communication networks and more particularly to a method and apparatus for reassembling streaming files from separate connections.
2. Related Art
Replicating an entire file onto multiple file servers is a technique that can be used to speed up the delivery of data. Once the data has been replicated onto multiple servers, and the servers have been geographically dispersed, the data can be delivered to an end user from the closest available server. In addition, the data can be delivered from multiple servers simultaneously, where each server provides a portion of the total file. However, replicating the full file onto a large number of servers uses large amounts of expensive disk storage. For instance, a system consisting of a hundred servers with 100 gigabytes of storage each would have a total of 10,000 gigabytes of storage available if data were not replicated. If all files must be fully replicated onto each server, however, the system would only be able to store 100 gigabytes of unique files.
U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/275,408, entitled “Splitting and Redundant Storage on Multiple Servers”, filed Mar. 12, 2001, describes a method and apparatus for dividing a file into multiple sub-files and storing the sub-files onto one or more servers. The servers may be distributed over different geographical locations. When an end user wants the file to be delivered in a streaming fashion, the sub-files can be transmitted in parallel from one or more servers, which increases the rate at which data can be delivered.
While splitting and distributed storage provides many advantages, it creates a daunting re-assembly task for the end-user's machine.
Accordingly, there is a need in the technology for a method and apparatus for overcoming the aforementioned problems. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In the published German patent application Ser. No. 2,928,117 are described pliers of the scissors type which comprise a pair of hinged-together members having a rear handle portion and a front shank portion, and a pair of hinged-together flat, elongated working jaws, each with a rearward extension beyond the hinge point. The pair of jaws is with one of the rearward extensions mounted on the outer side of one of the shank portions so as to be rotatable about an axis lying in the tool plane, so that the whole pair of jaws may be swung out of the tool plane.
For transferring the movement of the other shank portion to the other jaw, a driving rod is slidably mounted between these two members, passing through holes in the other jaw extension and in the other shank portion.
The purpose of the rotatable mounting of the pair of jaws is, however, not to enable the option between frontal and lateral introduction of the work piece, but to enable adjustment of the angle between the tool plane and the jaws.
A pair of jaws mounted on the outside of one of the shank portions embodies a structure which considerably protrudes beyond the outline of a conventional pair of pliers, i.e., occupies additional space. The jaws, particularly when swung out of the tool plane, cannot affect the work piece with as high a thrust as when the work piece is located between two shank members. High thrust is however needed on occasion, e.g., for crimping certain electrical connectors.
In a sales catalog entitled "Rema Press-Technik" of the German firm of Rema Lipprandt GmbH & Co KG, Bonn, are shown compression tongues of the vice type which have no shank members and in which the die members are mounted in a yoke member so as to be rotatable relative to the handles about an axis extending in the tool plane.
The tool enables application of a high thrust on the work piece, and the work piece may be introduced into the tool from any arbitrary lateral direction, but not frontally. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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A mixture of compounds, or analytes, can be separated by pumping the mixture through a separating device such as a chromatographic column using a process known as liquid chromatography, a variant of which is known as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The separation of the sample is caused by analytes having different affinity for the chromatographic packing material within the column. The separated sample flows out of the chromatographic column continuously, but with the separated analytes emerging from the column at different times. The individual compounds comprising the analyte may then pass through various detection devices such as an ultraviolet light absorbance detector, a mass spectrometer, a fluorescence detector and the like to assist in determining the composition of the sample. The analytes may also be delivered to a receiver where each analyte might be stored in separate containers in a manner known as fraction collection. In some cases, a small amount of the column effluent may be directed to the inlet of another sample analysis device, such as a mass spectrometer to further analyze each individual analyte. The delivery of at least a portion of the column effluent to a further liquid analysis device is referred to as “second dimension” analysis, and is commonly employed in complex liquid analysis.
An example application for two dimensional liquid analyses is in the purification of a synthesized compound during the development of a new drug. Often, the products of the synthesis include the desired synthesized compound (with a known molecular weight), reactants and side products, all of which are analytes in the synthesis sample. In this example, a “first dimension” analysis carries out analytical or preparative scale separation, such as through an HPLC column, with a dedicated detection means such as a high flow rate refractive index detector or an ultraviolet light detector monitoring column effluent. A “second dimension” analysis may preferably utilize a second, separate flow path to capture a portion of the column effluent and direct the flow to a secondary analysis device, such as a mass spectrometer. Such combined instruments in a “two-dimensional” arrangement are becoming increasingly used to extend the understanding of the purity of compounds in a liquid scale.
For a second-dimension analysis device, such as a mass spectrometer, to function optimally, a controlled low mass rate of the eluent from the first dimension HPLC column containing the analyte should be delivered. Such mass or flow rates should be easily adjustable and closely controllable despite variations in the flow rate of the first dimension system. The flow rate should be reproducibly controlled, which facilitates second-dimension identification of the purity of an eluting peak of the desired synthesized compound to allow the collection of pure analyte in individual fractions. An experienced analyst may select a desired carrier fluid to transfer the analyte into the second-dimension detector, which second dimension carrier fluid may be different from the mobile phase used to perform the first-dimension preparative separation of the synthesized compound. Certain mobile phase fluids used to perform chromatographic separations may contain dissolved buffer salts which can cause fouling of a different second dimension analysis device such as a mass spectrometer, and certain organic components of the mobile phase can inhibit optimum ionization of the analytes which is required in a mass spectrometer. Proper selection of the carrier solvent reduces the effect on the mass spectrometer of the first-dimension analyte-mobile phase being transferred into the mass spectrometer. In addition, the analyte mass transfer rate into the mass spectrometer should be small, and generally should be a small fraction of the total analyte flow rate in the first dimension. A large mass rate to a mass spectrometer can result in a lingering or tailing signal that distorts the results of a mass spectrometer, and a large mass rate can change the dielectric properties of the system and cause a momentary loss of signal.
Some forms of secondary analysis devices may be better suited for receiving inlet flow at a rate that is significantly less than the flow rate typically passed through an HPLC separation column. Although modern mass spectrometers are designed with sample introduction systems wherein the flow rate of the inlet mobile phase can be as much as several milliliters per minute, such mass spectrometers utilize expensive high volume turbo molecular pumps and high volume roughing pumps to handle the large solvent loads. Reducing inlet flow rate can reduce or eliminate the need for such expensive equipment, and may also facilitate superior second dimension analysis. A desired approach, therefore, for second dimension liquid analysis is to supply only a representative portion of the first dimension flow to the second dimension analysis device. An example conventional mechanism for diverting a small fractional volume of analytes from a first dimension analysis system is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,890,489, and 7,575,723, assigned to the same assignee as in this application, and incorporated herein by reference.
Conventional “mass rate attenuators” or flow diversion apparatus typically do not permit sustained, continuous flow of a secondary analysis stream to a second dimension analysis device, which may be harmful to sensitive analysis equipment, such as in mass spectrometers. Moreover, conventional devices employ a “back and forth” switching mechanism transferring the analyte from the first dimension analysis to the secondary flow stream for the second dimension analysis, and then returning the carrier fluid flowing in the secondary flow stream back into the first dimension effluent. Returning the second dimension carrier liquid to the first dimension flow can contaminate the first dimension flow, which can frustrate efforts to obtain separated and purified analytes in the first dimension effluent.
It would therefore be of value to provide a device that is capable of separating out a very small closely controlled portion of a larger first dimension stream, and divert that portion along a secondary path without returning any portion of the flow from the second dimension to the first dimension flow stream. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to an apparatus useful for measuring air pressure in the reed groove of an air jet loom. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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With increasing public awareness of the relatively high levels of air pollution which surround many parts of our nation, there has arisen a growing need for devices capable of cleaning the air. Such devices have a wide variety of applications, ranging from the smokestack where pollutants are produced to the homes of people living near sources of pollution. With regard to home applications, the need is particularly acute, inasmuch as many people are seriously affected by industrial pollutants as well as natural environmental particles such as pollen and the like.
One class of devices which is particularly effective in removing particles, such as pollen and soot, from the air generally includes an emitter through which air to be cleaned is passed and which is driven by an extremely high voltage power supply. The emitter usually comprises a mesh of electrically-conductive material. When it is driven with a high voltage, the mesh emits a great quantity of charge which attaches itself to airborne particles thus giving them a charge.
The air to be cleaned is driven through the emitter by a fan or any other suitable apparatus. After being driven through the emitter and having its entrained particles given an electrical charge, the air is then blown into charged conduction collector elements. The voltage on the conducting collector elements is very high and, consequently, the entrained charged particles which are blown near them are attracted to and held by the charged collector element. They accumulate on the collector element which must be periodically washed.
Typical examples of such systems include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,910,779, 2,129,783, 3,988,131, 2,885,026, 2,565,458, 3,950,153, and 3,594,989. While systems of this kind are extremely effective in removing particles from the air (they have efficiencies on the order of 98%), they have a number of distinct disadvantages. The voltages required for both the emitter and the collector itself are extremely high, typically in the order of 40-60 kilovolts. The use of such high voltages necessitates the use of relatively expensive equipment to generate these voltages. Thus, such collectors may be quite expensive. Still another problem is the fact that these collectors must be cleaned frequently. This is a time consuming and clumsy operation.
Accordingly, a great deal of work has been expended in seeking alternatives to this type of collector. Perhaps the most common solution is simply to use a fiberglass or other mechanical air filter which is very inexpensive and hence can be disposed of. The use of a fiberglass filter also obviates the need for high voltage generating equipment. Such devices thus only have need of a blower and a filter and are relatively inexpensive. However, their efficiency is very low, typically on the order of about 2%.
Another approach is simply to eliminate the electrostatic collector's emitter. While the device does lose a good part of its efficiency, it has been noted that the presence of natural charges on airborne particles is sufficient to cause the collection of about 85% of such particles when they are passed between a pair of oppositely charged conductive collector elements. However, the elimination of the emitter does little to reduce the cost of the device which still requires high voltage generating equipment. Again, the relatively expensive nature of the collector elements necessitates periodic cleaning.
Perhaps one of the major problems with all of these devices is that of arcing due to the very high voltages involved. While bringing the elements closer together reduces the voltages required, the smaller gap between elements also reduces the arcing voltage. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to Bluetooth (BT) speech improvement, and more particularly, to a data processing method for performing data processing on wireless received data, and to an associated data processing apparatus.
A conventional portable electronic device such as a multifunctional mobile phone equipped with personal digital assistant (PDA) functionalities or a PDA equipped with mobile phone functionalities can be very helpful to the user. In a situation where the conventional portable electronic device is utilized for making a phone call and the user talks with somebody through a BT headset, rather than using the microphone or the speaker on the conventional portable electronic device, some problems may occur. For example, the BT speech quality may be very poor due to a long distance between the BT headset and the conventional portable electronic device, such as a distance of ten or more meters. In another example, the BT speech quality may be very poor due to cross-body interference.
According to the related art, some conventional methods are proposed, in order to solve these problems. However, further problems such as some side effects may be introduced. For example, the BT Special Interest Group (SIG) specification allows more re-transmission to increase the speech data delivery successful rate, where the more often BT re-transmission is used, the less time is available for Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) functions or other BT functions such as some Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) functions. In another example, some of the conventional methods cannot guarantee the correctness of speech data, and therefore may waste the precious time of the user in a situation where the output voice is incorrect. Thus, a novel method is required for providing data processing control of an electronic device. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electrophotographic apparatus for producing one or more copied images of an original on one or more sheets of recording paper, by repeating development and transferring of an electrostatic latent image of the original once formed on a photosensitive member.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various electrophotographic apparatus for producing copies of an original are known, and an example of such apparatus generally uses a photosensitive member whose width is narrower than that of a recording paper, and an electrostatic latent image once formed on the photosensitive member is repeatedly developed and transferred onto one or more sheets of the recording paper. The electrophotographic apparatus using the aforesaid photosensitive member has shortcoming in that, as the member of the transferrings increases, undesired stains are formed on the edge portions of the recording paper. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Area surveillance is important in a variety of applications in both military and civilian settings. A key challenge stems from the typical situation in which the number of locations needing surveillance is larger than the number of sensors available for collecting information. The complexity of the resulting surveillance environment makes execution of manual coordination and control extremely difficult, particularly as the number of cameras and targets increases, or when a limited number of cameras must surveil a significantly greater number of targets. In these situations, automatic control of available cameras is generally used to distribute available system-wide surveillance over the points-of-interest (POIs) where surveillance is desired. However, the methods employed often fail to fully optimize the assignment of a limited number of camera towers to a larger number of potential (secure) tower sites, and the capability of the system to provide appropriate surveillance periods for specific POIs is not fully exploited. Further, the methods currently employed may be overly scripted, so that an adversary seeking to impact (e.g., attack, plant a bomb, steal from) a certain POI may be able to predict when the surveillance system will be engaged in postures that render the adversary's actions detectable or undetectable.
It would be advantageous to provide a surveillance system that employs automatic control in a manner that optimizes and fully exploits the system's capability to provide, exactly or approximately, user-supplied or user-implied surveillance requirements for a large group of POIs. It would provide additional advantage if such a system could employ the automatic control in a manner relatively unpredictable to adversaries, such that aggregate long-term coverage satisfies surveillance requirements. It would provide further advantage if such a system provided, over a long term, the most efficient set of locations for a limited set of towers, with their associated cameras, and provided a scheduling process for surveillance that optimizes the use of those cameras.
These and other objects, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure are further discussed in the following description. | {
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This invention relates to improved halogenated bis-imide flame retardants, to their manufacture and to compositions containing a flammable material and such halogenated bis-imides.
As is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,220, there are a multitude of halogenated bis-imides which are effective as flame retardants in composition with macromolecular flammable materials, e.g. polymers. These compositions are useful in making articles such as wire insulation coverings and electronic housings. Of these halogenated bis-imides, the alkylene(C.sub.1 -C.sub.6.sub.6)-(tetrabromophthalimide)s are especially commercially significant.
A presently used commercial route for producing alkylene (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6)-bis-(tetrabromophthalimide)s comprises reacting tetrabromophthalic anhydride with a diaminoalkane in the presence of water and an alkanoic acid to yield an alkylene-diammonium-bis-tetrabromophthalate). The reaction mass is then heated to about 210.degree. C. for a period of about 8 hours and the resultant desired alkylene(C.sub.1 -C.sub.6)-bis-(tetrabromophthalimide) product is recovered therefrom. This product is particularly useful as it has good thermal stability and resistance to UV degradation. However, the product has a yellow color which argues against its presence in compositions used for forming white articles. Also, the intensity of the yellow color can vary between product batches, which color variance makes it difficult for the article manufacturer to maintain consistency in the color of the articles produced. To overcome the yellow color problem, the art has provided processes which produce a white alkylene(C.sub.1 -C.sub.6)-bis-(tetrabromophthalimide).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,535 discloses a process for producing white alkylene(C.sub.1 -C.sub.6)-bis-(tetrabromophthalimide) by reacting tetrabromophthalic anhydride with diaminoalkane in a solvent system comprised of a liquid aromatic hydrocarbon and an alkanoic or aralkanoic acid.
Another process for producing this white bis-imide is disclosed in European Patent No. 0 023 420. This process comprises the bromination of alkylene(C.sub.1 -C.sub.6)-bis-(phthalimide) with a brominating agent, e.g. bromine, in 40-80% oleum. The product is white, however, it is not as thermally stable or as resistent to UV degradation as is the case for the before-described yellow alkylene(C.sub.1 -C.sub.6)-bis-(tetrabromophthalimide). Also it has now been demonstrated, that when compositions containing this white bis-imide are compression molded to form articles, the resultant article can be discolored by a yellow color or tint. This discoloration is believed to be due to a yellowing of this bis-imide as a result of its being exposed to the compression molding process conditions. Since injection molding processes are usually run under process conditions which are more harsh than those used in compression molding, it is expected, for this bis-imide, that the yellowing problem which would be encountered in injection molding would be at least as severe as that encountered in compression molding.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a white bis-imide, i.e. alkylene(C.sub.1 -C.sub.6)-bis-(tetrabromophthalimide) or bis-(tetrabromophthalimide), which has high thermal stability, resistance to UV degradation and which does not significantly contribute a yellow color to an article made from a composition containing such bis-imide.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a process for producing such a white bis-imide.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a composition which contains a macromolecular flammable constituent and a white bis-imide of the invention wherein the color of the composition is not significantly affected by a yellow color contribution from the bis-imide during the processing of the composition to form an article.
These and other objects are attained by oven curing alkylene(C.sub.1 -C.sub.6)-bis-(tetrabromophthalimide) or bis-(tetrabromophthalimide) which have been produced, respectively, by the bromination of alkylene(C.sub.1 -C.sub.6)-bis-(phthalimide) or bis-(phthalimide) with a brominating agent in the presence of oleum. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to patient transport systems, and more particularly, to a patient transport system for transferring an immobile patient from a bed to a gurney or vice versa.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It appears to be widely accepted that a major, if not the major, work-related complaint among nurses and hospital nursing staff is back injuries caused by lifting patients and getting them in and out of a bed and to and from a gurney or a stretcher as it is commonly referred to. A survey of existing practices and techniques suggests that there is no widely adopted simple and safe method of transferring patients from a bed to a gurney, or vice versa, without lifting them. There are hoist-type lifts where the patient is suspended in a sling. The sling must be first manipulated under the patient and then the patient must be physically lifted, changing the shape of the body and applying pressures different from those existing on the patient when lying prone in bed. There are also roller boards which are inserted partially under the patient and then the patient is pulled onto the roller board. Again, the patient must be manipulated to allow the board to be inserted and then the body is pulled onto the board. In the end, the patient ends up on the board, not on the gurney or the bed. An additional disadvantage of the roller board is that either the patient must cooperate with the transferrer or more than one transferrer is required to effect the transfer. Patients have also been known to drop off the roller boards and to land on the floor between the bed and the gurney.
An earlier patent application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/330,808, which is hereby incorporated by reference, solves this age-old problem of transferring patients from a bed or a gurney and vice versa. That patent application discloses an apparatus for transporting a patient and includes a base, a patient supporting member attached to the base, a conveyor attached to the base and a removable sheet. The sheet has a first end and a second end where the sheet first end is removably attached to the conveyor and the sheet second end is free. The sheet is adapted to be positioned on the patient supporting member, such as a mattress. In operation, an end of the sheet, which is attached to the conveyor, is rotated around a roller thereby moving the patient from the bed to a gurney or vice versa.
However, the conveyor disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/330,808 requires that the roller remain affixed to the bed or gurney, or the complete conveyor be removed from the bed or gurney. This results in a problem of storing the conveyor in a hospital room and transporting the conveyor when it is not attached to the bed or gurney.
Further, typically hospital beds vary in length and in many cases can be adjusted so that their lengths vary. In this case, a conveyor, such as that disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/330,808, may be inoperative if the length of the roller is different from that of the length of the bed. Further, if the length of the bed is varied during operation, then such a fixed length roller could affect the operation of the bed.
Therefore, it is an object of my invention to allow a patient, while lying in a prone position and completely immobile, to be moved, by one person of relatively low strength, safely from the bed to the gurney and vice versa, and to accommodate various bed lengths with one conveying apparatus.
It is also an object of my invention to provide a patient transport system for a bed or a gurney which can be easily engaged with the bed or gurney and removed.
My invention is an apparatus for transporting a patient that includes a base, a patient supporting member attached to the base, a conveyor removably secured to the base, and a sheet. The sheet has a first end and a second end, where the first end is attached to the conveyor. The sheet is adapted to be positioned onto the patient supporting member. The base and the patient supporting member can form a bed, a gurney or an apparatus that converts from a gurney to a wheelchair or vice versa.
The conveyor includes a roller rotatably secured to the base, where the roller can be made of graphite fibers, aluminum, fiberglass or steel. The roller includes a first end and a second end. The sheet first end is attached to the roller and two bearings which are removably and rotatably secured to respective first and second ends of the roller.
Each bearing includes a first leg and a second leg attached to the first leg. The first and second legs define an open ended roller receiving recess that receives an end of the roller. A tip extends from one of the legs into the roller recess. Preferably, the tip extends from the first leg, which includes an inner surface having a first section and a second section, where the tip extends at an interface of the two sections. The second leg includes a first segment and a depending second segment. The second segment is secured to the first leg. Inner surfaces of the first segment, second segment and second section define a roller engaging recess. The second section inner surface is concave shaped.
A pair of collars are provided on both ends of the roller, wherein the bearings are received between the collars.
The sheet is removably attached to the conveyor by a flexible strap having one end releasably attached to the roller and the other end releasably attached to the sheet. Preferably, a clip is releasably secured at one end of the strap for attaching to the sheet. The length of the strap can be adjusted. Preferably, Velcro(copyright) fasteners are provided on an end of the strap and along the length of the roller so the strap can be releasably secured to the roller.
The roller can be provided with a telescopic arrangement so that its length can be adjusted, wherein the roller includes a first longitudinally extending member that slidably receives a second longitudinally extending member with a recess defined in the first longitudinally extending member. Preferably, the recess has the same geometric shape as a cross-sectional shape of the second longitudinal member. A segmented handle can be attached to the roller. An annular member is slidably received by the second longitudinally extending member and a flexible strip is secured to the annular member.
A tube can be attached to the base and a post can be attached to the bearing, or vice versa. The post is slidably received by the tube so that the bearing is removably secured to the base. A pawl and ratchet arrangement can be secured to the roller and bearing to prevent the roller from rotating in a defined direction.
My invention can be used on a bed, a gurney or a convertible gurney that converts from a gurney to a wheelchair.
My invention is also a method for transporting a patient from a bed to a gurney or vice versa using the above-described conveyor including the steps of: placing a sheet on one of the mattress of the bed and the patient supporting surface of the gurney, Positioning the patient on the sheet, attaching the conveyor to the other of the bed and the gurney having the sheet, positioning the gurney adjacent to the bed so that the conveyor is along a side of the other of the gurney and the bed, the side being furthest away from the one of the bed and the gurney having the sheet, removably attaching the sheet to the roller, rotating the roller and thereby winding the sheet around the roller, moving the patient on the sheet from the one of the bed and gurney toward the roller onto the other of the bed and the roller, and removing the roller from the one of the bed and the gurney.
The method can also include the steps of attaching the sheet to straps secured to the roller and adjusting the length of the straps after the patient begins to be moved on the sheet so that all of the straps are taut. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The deposition of latex polymer coatings on solid substrates has long been utilized to impart certain end-use performance properties to those substrates, such as hydrophobicity, strength, adhesive properties, compatibility, and the like. Depending upon the selection of the starting monomers, surfactants, emulsion polymerization conditions, and other parameters, the deposited polymers can be designed to carry an anionic, a cationic, or an amphoteric charge, a feature which directly influences coating performance. Further, the resulting latex polymer can be blended with a range of other functional materials to impart additional or enhanced features to the final coating material.
One particularly useful feature exhibited by cationic latex polymers disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0003163 is their inherent antimicrobial characteristics. Cationic polymers can also be blended with compositions containing small molecule bioactive compounds, species more typically associated with antimicrobial activity, in order to enhance these properties. These antimicrobial components are usually employed in relatively small amounts as formulating ingredients that are added after the polymer has been made. While such blends are useful, many practical issues remain in attempts to enhance or control the extent of antimicrobial protection these compositions might afford. For example, such compositions and methods and are often inadequate for providing long-term protection of materials, especially in their antifungal properties. Methods to augment or to more finely control the antimicrobial properties are also needed. Regulatory issues associated with introducing a new antimicrobial material, namely the polymer, may be significant. Moreover, approaches to prolong or extend the effectiveness of the antimicrobial properties remain elusive.
Therefore, what are needed are new methods and approaches to impart and to enhance antimicrobial activity of latex polymers, as well as the coatings and articles prepared therefrom. What are also needed are methods to more closely manage the antimicrobial activity of such materials, including approaches to extend the effectiveness of their bioactivity. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates in general to bleed elements in evaporative emission canisters for vehicle fuel systems, and, more specifically, to a deflector for retaining a carbon scrubber element.
Evaporative emissions systems are used in conjunction with the fuel systems of gasoline-powered vehicles to prevent release of hydrocarbon fuel vapors into the atmosphere. A typical carbon canister design uses a bleed emission treatment section to provide reduced emissions occurring during the diurnal (i.e., inactive) state of the vehicle. A large primary carbon bed handles the majority of fuel vapor during vehicle use and refueling. A bleed emission region close to the atmospheric vent uses an activated carbon scrubber element to capture low concentration hydrocarbon vapor from being expelled into the environment. Typically, the activated carbon element is held by a plastic molded tube generally open at both ends. This tube provides structure protecting the relatively fragile carbon element. An O-ring seal between this tube and the venting access of the mating shell has been used to assure a tight seal. Another separate molded piece is placed around the bleed tube to act as a bleed deflector or flow diverter so that vapors are routed through a zig-zag path to double back for entry into the bleed tube.
Very limited packaging space is available within the carbon canister. Therefore, it would be desirable to eliminate the separate bleed tube, o-ring seal, and any compliance media packed around the carbon element that is often used to protect the fragile element. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In diabetes management, devices are available for diabetic patients to measure their blood glucose levels. One such type of devices includes blood glucose meters that analyze blood samples via enzyme-based test strips. Typically, the patient lances a finger or alternate body site to obtain a blood sample and applies the drawn blood sample to the test strip in the blood glucose meter housing for analysis and determination of the corresponding blood glucose value which is displayed, stored or otherwise provided to the patient to show the level of glucose at the time of testing. Other commercially available devices include continuous glucose monitoring devices that periodically receive and process analyte related data from a transcutaneous sensor. The received and processed data may then be displayed or otherwise provided to the patient to enable the patient to continuously track measured glucose levels.
With the decreasing cost of electronic components and a corresponding increase in data processing capabilities of microprocessors, computational capability of electronic devices have been rapidly increasing. However, currently available glucose meters are generally configured with limited functionalities related to glucose testing and monitoring. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Generally, two parameters are mentioned when pulse-code modulation (PCM) is used for generating a digital audio data. The first parameter is the sample rate. As the sample rate gets higher, audio quality becomes better. Good audio quality is achieved when the sample rate is 8000 Hz. However, a sample rate of at least 44100 Hz is needed to generate CD-like audio quality. The second parameter is the sample size, which is a number of a unit of bits for representing an audio data. Data stored in the PCM represents amplitude of the audio waveform. When the sample size is 8 bits, the difference between the minimum and maximum values of the amplitude is 255. When the sample size is two bytes of 16 bits, the difference between the minimum and maximum values of the amplitude is 65535, which certainly yields a much better audio quality. However, when more bits are used for representing the data of the audio, the system not only requires more memory, but also needs a better digital signal processor (DSP). Furthermore, when the audio digital data is transmitted via a network, a rather wide bandwidth is occupied and serious overload of the network resource is incurred.
Therefore, a concept of differential pulse-code modulation (DPCM) is introduced. The DPCM records a difference between a current value and a previous value. Compared with the single pulse-code modulation, a data volume generated by using the DPCM method is averagely reduced to 25% of an original data volume. Adaptive differential pulse-code modulation (ADPCM) is a variant of the DPCM. The ADPCM can further reduce the data volume, thereby increasing transmission efficiency. The technology is described in detail in the ITU-T G.726 standard, which shall not be described for brevity. However, in the ITU-T G.726 standard, an audio data having been compressed can only be successfully decompressed and reconstructed by implementing highly sophisticated hardware design to a receiving end applying the ADPCM. Thus, cost of the hardware is rather high to result in a loss of competitiveness. Therefore, one object of the present disclosure is to develop a new technology to solve the foregoing problem effectively. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The prior art discloses many ashless dispersants useful as additives in fuels and lubricant compositions. A large number of such ashless dispersants are derivatives of high molecular weight carboxylic acid acylating agents. Typically, the acylating agents are prepared by reacting an olefin (e.g., a polyalkene such as polybutene) or a derivative thereof, containing for example at least 30 to 50 aliphatic carbon atoms, with an unsaturated carboxylic acid or derivative thereof such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid and maleic anhydride. Dispersants are prepared from the high molecular weight carboxylic acid acylating agents by reaction with, for example, amines characterized by the presence within their structure of at least one N--H group, alcohols, reactive metal or reactive metal compounds, and combinations of the above. U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,435 summarizes some of the prior art relative to the preparation of such carboxylic acid derivatives.
It also has been suggested that the carboxylic acid derivative compositions such as those described above can be post-treated with various reagents to modify and improve the properties of the compositions. Acylated nitrogen compositions prepared by reacting the acylating reagents described above with an amine can be post-treated, for example, by contacting the acylated nitrogen compositions thus formed with one or more post-treated reagents selected from the group consisting of boron oxide, boron oxide hydrate, boron halides, boron acids, esters of boron acids, carbon disulfide, sulfur, sulfur chlorides, alkenyl cyanides, carboxylic acid acylating agents, aldehydes, ketones, phosphoric acid, epoxides, etc. Lists of the prior art relating to post-treatment of carboxylic ester and amine dispersants with reagents such as those described above are contained in a variety of patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,855 (Col. 19, lines 16-34) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,435 (Col. 42, lines 33-46).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,936 describes lubricant additives which are compositions derived from the acylating of alkylene polyamines. More specifically, the compositions are obtained by reaction of an alkylene amine with an acidic mixture consisting of a hydrocarbon-substituted succinic acid having at least about 50 aliphatic carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon group and an aliphatic monocarboxylic acid, and thereafter removing the water formed by the reaction. The ratio of equivalents of said succinic acid to the mono-carboxylic acid in the acidic mixture is from about 1:0.1 to about 1:1. The aliphatic mono-carboxylic acids contemplated for use include saturated and unsaturated acids such as acetic acid, dodecanoic acid, oleic acid, naphthenic acid, formic acid, etc. Acids having 12 or more aliphatic carbon atoms, particularly stearic acid and oleic acid, are especially useful. The products described in the '936 patent also are useful in oil-fuel mixtures for two-cycle internal combustion engines.
British Pat. No. 1,162,436 describes ashless dispersants useful in lubricating compositions and fuels. The compositions are prepared by reacting certain specified alkenyl substituted succinimides or succinic amides with a hydrocarbon-substituted succinic acid or anhydride. The arithmetic mean of the chain lengths of the two hydrocarbon substituents is greater than 50 carbon atoms. Formamides of monoalkenyl succinimides are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,704. The formamides are reported to be useful as additives in lubricating oils and fuels.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,639,242 and 3,708,522 describe compositions prepared by post-treating mono-and polycarboxylic acid esters with mono- or polycarboxylic acid acylating agents. The compositions thus obtained are reported to be useful as dispersants in lubricants and fuels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,111 describes fuel compositions containing a hydrocarbon-soluble dispersant prepared generally by the post-treatment of a nitrogen-containing composition with mono- and polycarboxylic acids which may be aliphatic or aromatic carboxylic acids, preferably the latter. The nitrogen-containing compositions which are post-treated in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,111 are obtained by reacting an acylating agent with alkylene polyamines or alkanol amines. The patent reports that when such fuel compositions are utilized in internal combustion engines, and in particular, fuel-injected internal combustion engines, the amount of solid deposits of the various parts of the internal combustion engines are reduced.
PCT International Publication No. WO 87/02663 published May 7, 1987 describes succinimide derivatives of various structures including those of the formula ##STR1## where R is a hydrocarbon group containing from about 8 to about 35 carbon atoms, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are each independently hydrogen or an alkyl group containing up to 8 carbon atoms, and R.sub.3 is a hydrocarbon group containing up to about 28 carbon atoms. These compounds, which are reported to reduce the amount of fuel consumed during the operation of internal combustion engines, are made by reacting a succinimide of the formula ##STR2## with an aldehyde or ketone (R.sub.1 COR.sub.2) and an alcohol (R.sub.3 --OH). | {
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Internal medical devices for delivery of therapeutic agents in conjunction with a source of electrical power is the subject of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/077,603 (published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0262412) to Atanasoska et al. (hereinafter “the '603 application”), filed Mar. 20, 2008, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/055,930 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,850,645). These applications describe processes for delivering a therapeutic agent to a location within a blood vessel. The disclosures of these applications are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
The '603 application describes devices for delivery of therapeutic agents to a diseased location based on electric field effects (i.e., delivery is electrically assisted), such as iontophoresis, electroporation, or both. The '603 application generally relates to internal drug delivery devices which contain a source of therapeutic agents, electrodes and power sources for applying voltages across the first and second electrodes. The power sources may be adapted, for example, to promote electrically assisted therapeutic agent delivery within a subject, including electroporation and/or iontophoresis. The therapeutic agent sources are polymeric regions that contain one or more types of electrically conductive polymers and one or more types of charged therapeutic agents or are polymeric regions that contain one or more types of ion-conductive polymers and one or more types of charged therapeutic agents. By placing the therapeutic agent within a polymer region, movement of the therapeutic agent is restricted and thus more precise local dosing of the therapeutic agent is possible. This design is also advantageous in that it allows one to provide different therapeutic agents or different therapeutic agent dosages for different sections of the device, which can be beneficial in various instances (e.g., where vulnerable plaque is located on one side of a vessel).
Iontophoresis is an electrochemical process by which an electric field is used as a driving force to move a drug into a subject. This technique typically requires two or more electrodes for creating an electric field as well as a drug that carries a net electrical charge at the local physiological pH.
Electroporation methods use short, high-voltage pulses to create transient pores in the cell membranes or in organelles within the cells. This transient, permeabilized state can be used to load cells and organelles with a wide variety of therapeutic agents, for example, genes, proteins, small molecule drugs, dyes, tracers, and so forth.
Voltage may be applied to at least temporarily retain the therapeutic agent within the device (e.g., via iontophoresis of a charged therapeutic agent in the direction of an internal electrode). Voltage may be applied to release the therapeutic agent (e.g., via iontophoresis of a charged therapeutic agent in the direction of an electrode that is external to the therapeutic agent source, or via neutralization of a conductive polymer which leads to expulsion of a charged therapeutic agent from the device). The voltage also may be applied to promote electroporation.
Iontophoretic retention and release can be induced by application of a variety of electrical stimuli including: (a) constant current, (b) constant voltage, (c) current scan/sweep, e.g., via a single sweep or multiple sweeps, (d) voltage scan/sweep, e.g., via a single sweep or multiple sweeps, (e) current square waves or other current pulse wave forms, (f) voltage square waves or other voltage pulse wave forms including exponential voltage output pulses, and (g) a combination of different current and voltage parameters.
For electroporation, high voltage pulses are generally used to create the transient pores within cells exposed to the electric field, allowing the cells to be loaded with therapeutic agent (e.g., due to diffusion, migration or both). The density and size of the transient open pores of the cell membrane depend, for example, on the electric field parameters and polarity. This can be used to tailor the entry of various therapeutic agents of various sizes into the cell membranes or into organelles within the cells.
The '603 application describes electrodes adapted to have tissues of a subject positioned between them upon deployment of the medical device within the subject, such that an electric field may be generated, which has a vector that is directed into the tissue. Furthermore, the therapeutic agent sources are adapted to introduce the one or more therapeutic agents into the as-generated electric field. This may result, for example, in increased electroporation efficiency, increased iontophoresis efficiency (e.g., where one or more charged therapeutic agents are employed), or both.
The '603 application also describes ion-conductive polymeric regions, which are polymeric regions that permit movement of ions and the movement of charged therapeutic agents. Like other ionic species, charged therapeutic agents move in response to concentration gradients and in response to electric fields. In addition to allowing ion movement, ion-conductive polymeric regions are also capable of maintaining therapeutic agents in an ionized form, as opposed to a charge-neutral form. Charge-neutral species are generally not transported in response to an electric field. Polymers suitable for maintaining therapeutic agents in ionized form commonly have cation and/or anion coordinating sites, which are capable of forming complexes with ions, or they are themselves ionized. Polyelectrolytes may be employed as ion conductive polymers. Polyelectrolytes are polymers having multiple (e.g., 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, or more) charged sites (e.g., ionically dissociable groups).
The '603 application also describes conductive polymers, such as polypyrrole. Conductive polymers commonly feature a conjugated backbone (e.g., a backbone containing an alternating series of single and double carbon-carbon bonds). Conductive polymers are typically semi-conductors in their neutral state. However, upon oxidation or reduction of the polymer to a charged state (e.g., polypyrrole is positively charged when oxidized and is neutral when reduced), the electrical conductivity is understood to be changed from a semi-conductive regime to a semi-metallic regime. Oxidation and reduction are believed to lead to charge imbalances that, in turn, can result in a flow of ions into or out of the material. These ions typically enter/exit the material from/into an ionically conductive medium associated with the polymer. For example, it is well known that dimensional changes are effectuated in electroactive polymers, including conductive polymers, by the mass transfer of the ions (which are surrounded by a shell of water molecules) into or out of the polymers. The mass transfer of ions into and out of the material leads to an expansion or contraction of the polymer, delivering significant stresses (e.g., on the order of 1 MPa) and strains (e.g., on the order of 30%).
The fact that oxidation and reduction of conductive polymers is associated with the flow of ions into or out of the material makes these materials useful for retention and/or delivery of charged therapeutic agents. The properties of polypyrroles and other conductive polymers allow them to provide a mechanical component to the therapy, making them particularly desirable for delivery of charged therapeutic agents, for example, in conjunction with electroporation procedures. | {
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There has been a continuing need for improving the oil/water ratio during hydrocarbon production. One way to improve hydrocarbon production is by using chemical gel systems to resist the flow of injected or natural aqueous drive fluid through high permeability channels and fractures, sometimes referred to in the art as “conformance control.” The general approach has been to inject a mixture of reagents, initially low in viscosity, into a zone of the formation that has high permeability. After a sufficient time to allow the mixture to be pumped into the subterranean formation or when exposed to the elevated temperature of the formation, the mixture of reagents then forms a gel to block the flow of water. Several mixtures of reagents have been used in this way.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,392 entitled “Oil And Gas Field Chemicals” and issued on Nov. 17, 1998, having named inventor Phillip Lance Urlwin-Smith, discloses a method for conformance control of a reservoir comprising injecting into a zone of the reservoir an aqueous solution of a copolymer comprising at least one ethylenically unsaturated polar monomer and at least one copolymerizable ethylenically unsaturated ester formed from a hydroxy compound of the formula ROH wherein R is a selected alkyl group, alkenyl group, cycloalkyl group, aryl group or such groups substituted with from 1 to 3 hydroxyl, ether or thio ether groups or a heterocyclic or selected heterocyclic alkylene group and at least one heteroatom selected from oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur and a selected alkenoic or aralkenoic carboxylic acid or sulfonic or phosphoric acid together with a crosslinking agent comprising a multivalent metal ion capable of crosslinking an acrylic acid polymer to form a viscous gel. The injected fluid is flowed through at least a portion of a high permeability region within said zone wherein it is heated to an elevated temperature whereupon crosslinking of the polymers occurs to form a substantially non-flowable gel within said high permeability region. The crosslinking of the injected fluid to form the non-flowable gel within the formation reduces the permeability of said region in said zone. See Abstract. U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,392 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,986 entitled “Blocking Composition For Use In Subterranean Formation,” issued Feb. 27, 2001, and having named inventors Phillip. Lance Urlwin-Smith, discloses a polymer composition for pumping downhole to gel in a subterranean formation comprising a water-soluble copolymer of (i) at least one non-acidic ethylenically unsaturated polar monomer and (ii) at least one copolymerisable ethylenically unsaturated ester; and an organic gelling agent therefore. Another water-based gel system for conformance control is based on a polyethyleneimine (PEI) crosslinker and a copolymer of acrylamide and t-butyl acrylate. See Abstract. U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,986 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
While the use of aqueous polymer fluids to reduce undesired water production has achieved varying degrees of success, these fluids are undesirable in that they either have short gel times or low gel stabilities at high temperatures, high toxicity, and/or bio-accumulate in the environment. Short gel times for aqueous polymer fluids do not allow for adequate placement time in the zone of interest because they prematurely gel due to the elevated temperatures in the well bore and in the formation. Hence, these aqueous polymer fluids require pre-cooling the formation by injecting copious amounts of aqueous fluids prior to injecting gelling composition. | {
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The invention concerns a means for and methods of sealing constructions, in particular earthwork constructions.
Means for and methods of sealing constructions, for example dams and dikes, which use concrete, for example water-impermeable concrete, as a sealing means, are known from the state of the art. The water-impermeable concrete can be introduced into already existing dikes through slot walls or bung bores. That procedure is disadvantageous however precisely in relation to dikes as a rigid body is formed within the dike, which cannot compensate for shifts in the foundation soil so that breaks and cracks can occur in the concrete sealing means. Cracks in the sealing means however mean that the dike or generally the construction becomes water-permeable again and there is the risk of underscouring.
In comparison the use of argillaceous mixtures for sealing constructions, earlier known as ‘puddle’, affords the advantage that this kind of sealing does not form a rigid sealing body so that shifts in foundation soil are compensated and no leaks can occur. Sealing arrangements for constructions comprising argillaceous mixtures involve water-impermeability of approximately the same level as sealing arrangements using concrete. Puddles on the dam outside are also relatively complicated and expensive, require a great deal of construction material, destroy the biotop on the dam surface and do not have particularly long service lives. They are also limited to use in relation to dams or dikes which can be dry at least during the building phase. | {
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Communications networks employ satellites operating in geosynchronous orbits in combination with terrestrial facilities such as land lines, microwave repeaters, and undersea cables to provide communications over vast areas of the earth. Geosynchronous satellites and terrestrial facilities are both expensive to install and to maintain and thus are not a cost effective means of increasing network capacity. In addition, geosynchronous satellites which operate at an altitude of 22,300 miles above the earth are unsuitable for supporting cellular service because of the extremely high power levels that would be required to communicate with satellites at that altitude.
More recently, constellations of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites have been proposed and are being developed as a cost effective means for providing increased capacity and supporting cellular and broadband data service for communications networks. In such a constellation, the satellites are divided into a number of orbital planes. Because low earth orbit satellites move rapidly with respect to the earth, each orbital plane includes a number of satellites that maintain continuous coverage for underlying cells defined on the surface of the earth. The cells represent coverage regions for the satellites.
Low earth orbit satellites utilize antennas which form a cluster of beams matching the ground-based cells. In each satellite, the beams must be steered to maintain alignment with the cells during the time the satellite moves one cell width along its orbit. After the satellite has moved one cell width, all the beams are ratcheted forward one cell width in the direction of flight and the beams are reassigned to the next set of cells in the flight direction.
Existing beam steering systems are inadequate due to their size, complexity, and cost. Mechanical steering apparatuses, for example, are too bulky, heavy and/or consume too much power for use in satellites. Electronic steering systems typically use multiple phase shifters per antenna array element or a hybrid divider network with distributed phase shifters as a variable power divider network. The use of phase shifters greatly increases complexity of the antenna system and thus cost. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vertical junction field effect transistor having epitaxial gate layers in a trench surrounding a vertical channel region, and methods of making such devices.
2. Background
MOSFET based power switches generally have low reliability due to gate oxide failure, and also possess high forward voltage drop. Vertical junction field effect transistors (VJFETs) typically provide more efficient power control without the problems associated with MOSFETs. However, VJFETs have high on-state resistance. Short-channel VJFETs are known to provide lower on-state resistance, but typically require high turn-off voltage. There is thus a need to provide an improved VJFET that can be more easily turned off and that has lower on-state resistance. | {
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The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Some tools in assembly plants are mounted on rails or tracks that allow an operator to move the tool along that rail. Other tools are similarly attached to the rail by a lead line (e.g., an electric supply cable, a pneumatic supply cable, or a leash) that allows limited movement of the tool within a predetermined distance from the rail while being generally movable along the length of the rail. One such example is an electric torque driver used on a moving production line. The torque driver can have an electrical power lead that is coupled to a trolley that rolls along the rail within a preset length of the assembly line. The operator may need to use the tool at different locations within that preset length of the assembly line and may need to let go of the tool to perform other tasks. However, operators can have difficulty with the tool drifting out of position when the tool is not held by the operator. The tool can drift out of position due to tension in festooning, gravity, friction, wind, the operator bumping the tool, contact with the moving assembly line, or any number of events.
The issue of rail supported tooling drifting out of place in assembly lines has been ongoing. Some efforts have been made to address this problem, but these efforts typically involve a complex and costly mechanism that rigidly locks the tool in a single location until the operator deactivates the lock. Such locks suffer from a number of drawbacks including being complex and costly, having parts that wear down, or lacking adjustability of positioning and/or hold characteristics. These issues with tool positioning are addressed by the device present teachings. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate structure in which a mounted component is disposed between substrates arranged side by side.
2. Description of the Related Art
Endoscopes are used in, e.g., medical fields and industrial fields. Examples of the endoscopes include what are called electronic endoscopes with an image pickup apparatus incorporated in a distal end portion of an insertion portion thereof. For the electronic endoscopes, there is a demand for image quality enhancement, and thus, e.g., an increase in number of pixels in image pickup devices is being pursued.
In the endoscopes, there is a long transmission passage connecting the image pickup apparatus incorporated in the distal end portion of the insertion portion and, for example, a video processor, which is an external apparatus. Therefore, a relay substrate that amplifies a drive signal for an image pickup device is provided inside the endoscope operation portion to enhance the image quality and reduce diameters of signal cables inserted inside the insertion portion.
Inside the endoscope operation portion, many incorporated endoscope components are inserted in addition to the signal cables. Examples of the incorporated endoscope components include, e.g., a light guide fiber bundle for supplying illuminating light, an air feeding tube included in an air feeding conduit, a water feeding tube included in a water feeding conduit, a dual-purpose tube that serves as a suction conduit and a treatment instrument conduit, and bending wires that make a bending portion perform a bending operation.
Thus, the relay substrate is configured to have a small size. As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a spacing between a first substrate 101 and a second substrate 102 included in a relay substrate is reduced. Then, it is necessary that a plurality of signal wires 103 be disposed in the reduced space S in such a manner that the plurality of signal wires 103 are prevented from electrical contact. However, a technique for disposing the plurality of signal wires 103 in the reduced space S requires a lot of skills.
Note that reference numeral 104 denotes a first connector mounted on the first substrate 101, reference numeral 105 denotes a second connector mounted on the second substrate 102, reference numeral 106 denotes a first signal cable, reference numeral 107 denotes a second signal cable, and reference numeral 108 denote a cable retainer member. The first signal cable 106 includes a plurality of signal wires 109 connected to connection portions (not illustrated) provided on the first substrate 101. The second signal cable 107 includes a plurality of signal wires 103 connected to connection portions (not illustrated) provided on the second substrate 102. The cable retainer member 108 is a member for attaching the second signal cable 107 to the second substrate 102.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-158606 discloses a technique for forming an electronic device so that the electronic device can conform to high-density mounting and ensure an electromagnetic shielding effect. | {
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In an enterprise or Internet e-commerce environment, an internal business process or business-to-business (“B2B”) transaction often involves integration of services that are provided by multiple applications. Some of the service tasks involved in a workflow may require expensive resources. As is typical in a B2B environment, such resources may not always be reliable when provided remotely via the Internet. As a result, often an entire business transaction or B2B transaction is aborted due to the failure of a single task. This results in a costly loss of time and resources.
It is known, regarding complex and expensive computer workflow products, to provide for the insertion of recoverable checkpoints in a business flow to mitigate the impact of a failed step. Thus, a workflow engine in this type of expensive workflow product would restart a failed flow from the last recoverable checkpoint instead of from the beginning of the overall process flow. This “persistent checkpoint” capability is typically built into this type of workflow product; however, this approach significantly increases the complexity of the associated workflow engines. Accordingly, it typically leads to bulky and high-priced software, as well as expensive hardware platforms to run the software. In addition to their cost, these types of products do not usually perform well in certain environments that require a small footprint and lightweight workflow engines, such as in a client-side or browser-based computing model.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a significant need in the art for workflow recovery systems and methods that are light-weight, inexpensive, adaptable to a wide range of low-end and medium-end platforms, and capable of handling sophisticated business workflows. | {
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Poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) and its use as material for medical applications has been studied extensively in the past. Grijpma et al. described the use of a semi-crystalline copolymer of L-lactide and ε-caprolactone (50/50) for bridging of peripheral nerve defects (Polymer Bulletin 25 (1991) 327). Den Dunnen et al. (J. Mat. Sci.: Mat. in Med. 4 (1993) 521-525), Aldini et al. (Biomaterials 17 (1996) 959-962) and Rodriquez et al. (Biomaterials 20 (1999) 1489-1500) reported that poly(L-lactide-ε-caprolactone) was highly biocompatible and that the use of poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) nerve guides resulted in good functional nerve recovery. However, it was concluded that the low degradation rate of the polymer (after two years a significant amount of biomaterial fragments was still present) made this material unsuitable for application in biodegradable nerve guides for clinical purposes (Den Dunnen et al. (Microsurgery, 14 (1993) 508-515)). The long-lasting presence of slow-degrading biomaterial fragments could negatively affect the nerve function.
In order to increase the degradation rate and lower the risk of the formation of long-lasting biomaterial fragments, Den Dunnen et al. decided to use poly(DL-lactide-ε-caprolactone) as the material of choice (J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 29 (1995) 757-766 and Microsurgery 17 (1997) 348-357). In these publications, nerve guides are disclosed, which are based on a copolymer having a 50:50 DL-lactide:ε-caprolactone ratio. Although significant improvement was obtained with regard to the degradation rate (Den Dunnen et al. reported that the material was completely resorbed after 12 months (J. Biomed. Mater. Sci. 36 (1997) 337-346)), the material is reported to suffer from some drawbacks, such as swelling during the degradation, which may hamper the nerve regeneration, in combination with a relatively fast decrease in mechanical strength (J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 51 (2000) 575-585).
It is an object of the present invention to provide a poly(DL-lactide-ε-caprolactone) material which shows improved behavior for biodegradable medical purposes for which both flexibility and mechanical strength are prerequisites. It was found that this object can be met by providing a poly(DL-lactide-ε-caprolactone) copolymer having a specific lactide content. Therefore, in the first aspect, the present invention relates to a polymeric material comprising poly(DL-lactide-ε-caprolactone) obtained by the copolymerization of DL-lactide and ε-caprolactone, having a lactide content of 51-75 mol %, preferably of 55-70 mol %, most preferably of 62-69 mol %.
The materials of the invention show excellent mechanical properties including stress-strain behavior, modulus and tensile strength, and excellent swelling behavior, when compared to the prior art poly(DL-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) materials. Furthermore, the materials of the invention are completely amorphous. These properties make the materials of the invention very suitable for use as degradable device for medical purposes where both flexibility and mechanical strength are important characteristics, such as nerve guides, porous scaffolds, implants, artificial skin, artificial blood vessels, films and sheets for (tissue) adhesion prevention during and after surgical operations, but also for application in implantable or injectable long-term drug delivery systems.
The lactide (cyclic ester of two lactic acid molecules) is present in the copolymer as two lactic acid units.
The materials of the present invention combine flexibility with mechanical strength up to several weeks or months after implantation. Flexibility for example, is an important pre-requisite for handling and shaping, whereas mechanical strength is important from a protective point of view. Scaffolds, for example, should provide sufficient mechanical support to allow tissue regeneration and maturation.
According to the present invention the lactide content in the copolymer is at least 51 mol %. Although copolymers with lactide contents below 51% are highly flexible, these materials have a modulus and glass transition temperature (Tg) that is too low to give the devices composed thereof sufficient mechanical strength. Moreover, the extent of swelling of these materials is too high for most biomedical applications, except possibly for sheets or wound dressings. For tubular implants or porous scaffolds for example, a low modulus and extensive swelling will lead to easier and undesired compression, deformation or total collapse and may consequently lead to insufficient protection of the newly formed tissue inside the tube.
Copolymers with a lactide content higher than 75% exhibit generally insufficient flexibility to be applied for the intended medical applications. In particular, nerve guides composed of copolymers with lactide contents higher than 75% cannot be sutured easily to the nerve stumps using an 8-0, 9-0 or 10-0 stitch, because of too high rigidity.
Therefore, the copolymers of the present invention have a lactide content of 51 to 75 mol %, preferably from 55-70 mol % and most preferably from 62-69 mol %. For example, nerve guides of 65:35 (85/15 L/D)lactide-ε-caprolactone that are used for peripheral nerve reconstruction have better mechanical properties (modulus and tensile strength) than nerve guides produced using the same monomers, but in a 50:50 monomer ratio (e.g. initial tensile strength of 40-50 MPa vs 2.5 MPa).
The known copolymers (with a low lactide content) were found to have a relatively low glass transition temperature (−12° C. vs 14° C. of the polymers according to the present invention). This low glass transition temperature affects the mechanical properties (easier compression) and swelling properties. Furthermore, polymerization conditions affect the polymer properties, as will be shown later.
Nerve guides with the indicated preferred lactide contents will retain better mechanical properties during nerve growth. The degree of swelling of these nerve guides can be very low, which prevents the risk of compression of the newly formed nerve tissue. Moreover, the flexibility of these polymers is favorable with respect to interaction with and response of the surrounding tissue
The mechanical properties and the degradation behavior, in particular swelling, of the copolymer of the present invention may further be adjusted by choosing the ratio of the L-enantiomer to D-enantiomer of the lactide in the copolymer (L/D-ratio). Preferred copolymers, having excellent mechanical properties (particularly swelling behavior), are those having a lactide L/D-ratio (mol/mol) of 65/35 to 95/5, preferably 70/30 to 90/10, most preferably about 85/15. The swelling behavior of these preferred copolymers makes them particularly suitable for use as nerve guides. Copolymers having a L/D ratio of more than 95/5 may give rise to formation of crystalline material.
Conversely, a copolymer having a lactide ratio of the D-enantiomer to L-enantiomer of the lactide (D/L-ratio) in the above-mentioned preferred ranges may be used with similar advantage. For practical reasons, however, it is preferred to prepare the polymers having the indicated L/D-ratios rather than the D/L-ratios, since the L-enantiomer is less expensive.
In particular the stress-strain characteristics are considerably improved in the above-mentioned preferred ranges, as is illustrated in FIG. 1, showing, as an example, the mechanical properties of five nerve guides prepared in accordance with the present invention at synthesis temperatures of 110° C., 120° C. and 130° C., respectively. For comparison, the stress-strain behavior of a nerve guide of a copolymer with a 50:50 monomer ratio is shown (curve G), illustrating its inferior mechanical properties compared to those with a higher lactide content.
Furthermore, the L/D ratio has a pronounced effect on the swelling behavior, which is illustrated in FIG. 4. This figure clearly shows that swelling is reduced in nerve guides of a copolymer with a L/D ratio in the preferred range, compared to those of a copolymer with a L/D ratio equal to unity, while having the same lactide/caprolactone ratio.
The polymeric material according to the present invention may be produced by a conventional copolymerization reaction, as will be further illustrated hereinbelow. One of the synthesis conditions is the co-polymerization temperature. It was found that copolymers produced at 110° C. show somewhat better initial mechanical properties than copolymers with a similar composition and produced at 120° C.
A polymerization temperature lower than 110° C. will result in a lower conversion and a considerable longer polymerization time to obtain high conversions. Also, homogeneous mixing of the monomers is more difficult at lower temperatures (lactide melts at about 125° C.).
Although a high conversion generally will give a copolymer of a higher purity, the required purity can also be obtained easily by extraction of unreacted monomers using organic solvents.
The composition of the prepared copolymer may be determined using 1H-NMR at 300 MHz of solutions of the copolymer in deuterated chloroform. It is noted that the relative starting amounts of lactide and ε-caprolactone monomers used to synthesize the copolymer may differ significantly from the amount that is actually incorporated into the copolymer, as a result of incomplete conversion. The actual amount of monomers in the copolymers of the present invention (e.g. expressed as lactide content in the polymer, rather than relative amount of starting materials) can always be assessed by 1H-NMR at 300 MHz of solutions of the copolymer in deuterated chloroform.
The intrinsic viscosity may be used as a parameter which reflects the molecular weight, as will be explained in more detail below.
Preferred temperature ranges for the copolymerization reaction are from 100° C.-130° C., more preferably from 110-120° C. A higher polymerization temperature, generally results in a higher conversion but a lower molecular weight and shorter sequences of monomers in the copolymer.
The distribution of monomers in the copolymer may have a large effect on its properties. Since lactide and ε-caprolactone have different reactivities, the copolymer will have a more or less blocky structure. The length of the copolymer units consisting of one type of monomer (average sequence length, L; Lac and L; Cap) is determined by the polymerisation conditions and monomer composition: higher polymerisation temperature, longer polymerization time and higher catalyst concentration result in smaller average sequence lengths (more transesterification takes place). A larger content of one of both monomers in the polymer will result in a larger average sequence length of this monomer.
Also, the L/D ratio of the lactide effects the average sequence lengths and therefore the other polymer properties (see results presented in Table 2).
The average lactide sequence length is generally higher in copolymers with a L/D ratio away from unity, such as L/D=85/15 (see e.g. Examples C and D below) than in similar copolymers with a L/D ratio equal or close to unity, such as L/D=50/50 (see e.g. Examples E and F below), when prepared under the same polymerisation conditions. Since the reactivity of L- and D-Lactide is the same, the average sequence length must be determined by the transesterification rate, which is lower in copolymers with L/D=85/15 than in copolymers with L/D=50/50, under the same conditions.
A suitable polymerization time is co-determined by the other polymerization conditions, in particular by the polymerization temperature and amount of catalyst used. Generally, the polymerization time ranges from 3-40 days, preferably from 5-13 days. Also, a longer polymerization time generally results in a higher conversion but a lower molecular weight and smaller sequences of monomers in the polymer. With a catalyst concentration of M/I=9000-12000 the preferred polymerisation time and temperature vary from a minimum of 3 days at 130° C. to a maximum of 40 days at 100° C. With lower catalyst concentration, the polymerisation time must be longer at the same temperature.
As mentioned before, as an example, nerve guides of 65:35 (85/15 L/D)lactide-ε-caprolactone that are used for peripheral nerve reconstruction have better mechanical properties than nerve guides with a 50:50 monomer ratio. Both the polymer composition and the method of preparation of the copolymer determine the mechanical properties of the nerve guides: a low lactide content (50%) and a very long polymerisation time of 22 days at 130° C. will result in a complete transesterification of the monomers, giving smaller average monomer sequence lengths. In an ideal random 50:50 copolymer the average lactide and caprolacton sequence length, L; Lac and L; Cap, will be 4 and 2, respectively (H. R. Kricheldorf and I. Kreiser, J. Macromol. Sci. Chem., A24 (11), 1345, (1987)). The monomer distribution in the prior art copolymer is completely random. Therefore, the small average lactide sequence length will result in poorer mechanical properties (e.g. modulus, tensile strength or toughness) of the 50:50 copolymer compared to those of the copolymers with a larger lactide content (and thus with a longer average lactide sequence length).
Ultimately, after prolonged polymerisation time and/or high polymerisation temperature, the monomer distribution will be completely random in all cases (all L/D ratios). However, of two copolymers with a similar average lactide sequence length, the one with a L/D ratio away from unity (e.g. 85/15) shows better mechanical properties than the one with a L/D ratio equal to unity. This proves that not only the size of the average monomer sequence lengths, but also the L-lactide content of the lactide sequence determines the mechanical properties. These results are confirmed by the data shown in Table 2.
Another important property of the copolymers of the present invention is the molecular weight and in particular the molecular weight distribution. The molecular weight (distribution) may e.g. be determined using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). More conveniently, however, the molecular weight is determined using a standardized intrinsic viscosity assay (ISO 1628-1). The value for the intrinsic viscosity ([ ]) thus obtained (expressed in dl/g) may be converted into the weight average molecular weight (Mw) by using the well-known Mark-Houwink expression: [ ]=KMwa, wherein K and a are polymer specific parameters. For lactide-ε-caprolactone copolymers having a lactide content of 45-55% the Mark-Houwink constants were determined experimentally using GPC: K=3.303 10−3 and a=0.548. Similarly, the number-average molecular weight (Mn) may be correlated to the intrinsic viscosity: [ ]=1.019 10−3·Mn0.659, wherein the parameters were also determined using GPC. These values can also be applied to the copolymers of this invention with a higher lactide content.
Preferred polymeric materials of the present invention are those having a molecular weight that corresponds to an intrinsic viscosity, as assessed as described above, of more than 4 dl/g, preferably of more than 5 dl/g, more preferably of more than 5.5 dl/g. The molecular weight distribution or polydispersity (Mw/Mn), as determined using GPC) is preferably less than 1.8, more preferably less than 1.5.
The properties of the polymeric material, in particular the molecular weight (distribution), may be controlled by varying the amount of catalyst used in the polymerization reaction. Particularly good results are obtained by employing the catalyst in an amount such that the molar ratio of lactide and ε-caprolactone monomers to the catalyst (M/I) is from 1000-100000, preferably from 9000-12000. Lower M/I ratios (corresponding to a high catalyst concentration) generally result in faster polymerization and higher conversion, resulting in lower molecular weight and shorter sequences of monomers in the polymer. Higher M/I ratios generally give a higher molecular weight and longer sequences of monomers in the polymer. Suitable catalysts for this purpose are known to the skilled person. Particularly suitable are Sn(oct)2 catalysts.
Of course, since the above-mentioned parameters (including polymerization time, polymerization temperature, initial monomer ratio and catalyst concentration) are correlated, optimal values for each of these parameters will differ per case. These optimal values can, however, easily be found in carrying out the invention, optionally by carrying out some routine experiments.
The copolymers of the present invention may be used in a variety of applications, in particular to provide the above-mentioned degradable devices for medical purposes, particularly to provide nerve guides. The polymers of the present invention can e.g. be processed into films, sheets, tubes, rods, plugs, microspheres or meshes, either solid or porous. Pores may vary from small and non-interconnected to large and interconnected. Microporous films (membranes) may also be produced of this material (e.g. having pore sizes as small as 5 μm).
Examples of other products that can be made of the materials of this invention are, biomedical drains; biomedical tubes for stenting purposes; biomedical sheets for intra-corporeal application such as an anti-adhesive sheet; biomedical sheets for topical use such as temporary wound care coverage or to prevent scarring; wound care foams; protective sheaths for needles and tubes which are introduced into the body; (micro)spheres for drug delivery; (micro)spheres, particles and plugs for embolization purposes; (micro)spheres for cosmetic surgical purposes, such as dermal augmentation, treatment of wrinkles and skin contour deficiencies; vascular prostheses; tissue engineering scaffolds, such as artificial skin or scaffolding plug for meniscus repair.
As will be illustrated in the examples below, the materials of the present invention have excellent properties, which include mechanical strength (tensile strength, modulus, strain at break, suture strength), thermal properties (glass transition temperature, crystallisation) and swelling (water uptake, increase of volume). Important for application as a nerve guide is the retention of its mechanical strength and compressibility during the time the new nerve has matured and retention of its dimensions (some swelling may be desirable for obtaining a permeable product, however, too much swelling results in obstruction of the lumen which will negatively affect nerve fiber regeneration). | {
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A mechanical seal device seals fluids by a pair of sliding elements sliding in close contact through their sliding surfaces. Therefore, as the sliding elements of this mechanical seal device, a material with a low friction and superior wear resistance is selected. In particular, sliding elements sliding in a non-lubricated state with no fluid lubrication film supplied between the sliding surfaces are required to have superior self-lubricating ability and wear resistance. For sliding elements sliding in the non-lubricated state, there has been used, for example, a carbon material or a polytetrafluoroethylene resin material containing various materials (for example, graphite, glass fiber, carbon fiber, metal powder, etc.) as an aggregate.
On the other hand, when using a carbon material as the material forming the above sliding elements, the carbon ends up losing its lubricating ability in an atmosphere such as a vacuum, a reducing gas or dry air with a low dew point, so that it is sometimes remarkably worn.
Further, even when using a polytetrafluoroethylene resin material containing an aggregate as the material forming the above sliding elements, the effect of the above atmospheres is relatively low compared with a carbon material, but still wear ends up occurring.
In particular, in stirring machines etc. used in the process of production of food or pharmaceuticals, from the viewpoint of the influence on sanitation or the properties of the product, it is necessary to prevent the entry of impurities. Therefore, in a mechanical seal device used in this stirring machine etc., to prevent the entry of wearing powder (impurities) into the product as much as possible, it is required to reduce wear of the sliding elements as much as possible even in the non-lubricated state.
For this reason, to reduce the wearing of the sliding elements, in sliding elements comprised of polytetrafluoroethylene resin including this aggregate, the types and ratios of the aggregates contained have been studied to improve the wear resistance (for example, Patent Article 1).
However, in a polytetrafluoroethylene resin sliding material containing an aggregate, to maintain the lubricating ability, it is difficult to make the content of the polytetrafluoroethylene resin having low wear resistance less than 70%, so that there were limits to improvement of the wear resistance. Therefore, it was impossible to use this for sliding elements for the various equipments used in the process of production of food and pharmaceuticals.
On the other hand, in recent years, a ceramic or metal material containing a self-lubricating material such as carbon has been sometimes used for non-lubricated sliding elements, but when conditions such as a vacuum state and pressurized state are repeated, the sliding surfaces get galling or ringing due to poor lubrication etc. occurs well as generating wearing powders. Therefore, it has been attempted to provide grooves in the sliding surfaces so as to form a film of gas between the sliding surfaces at the time of sliding and thereby lightening the load of the sliding elements (for example, Patent Article 2). However, even when providing the sliding surfaces with grooves in this way, a sufficient effect could not be obtained under low rotational speed conditions or conditions where the above-mentioned vacuum state or pressurized state are repeated. [Patent Article 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (A) No. 2001-26792 [Patent Article 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (A) No. 5-60247 | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital terrestrial broadcasting, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for transmitting additional data in a digital terrestrial broadcasting system.
2. Related Art
In accordance with the development of a digital broadcasting service, there is a need to additionally transmit various data as well as simply transmitting video and audio. That is, in order to additionally provide a supplementary service in addition to a basic service, additional data may be defined and transmitted. As application services utilizing the additional data, a three-dimensional (3D) video service in which a left video is defined as a basic service and a right video or depth data is defined as a supplementary service, an ultra high definition (UHD) service in which high definition (HD) video quality is defined as a basic service and a UHD video quality is defined as a supplementary service, a data service connected with a video service, an electronic program guide (EPG), and the like, may be provided. In additionally providing the supplementary service, it is necessary to have backward compatibility with the terrestrial broadcasting system according to the related art. That is, a new terrestrial broadcasting system providing the supplementary service and the terrestrial broadcasting system according to the related art needs to be compatible with each other.
Meanwhile, in the case of the digital broadcasting system according to the related art, broadcasting stations unilaterally broadcast broadcasting programs to all users, and a user views a desired broadcasting program among the broadcasting programs broadcasted by the broadcasting stations by selecting a desired channel. In addition, a digital cable broadcasting system provides a return channel. The broadcasting station may provide a broadcasting program, data, or the like, requested by a specific user to the specific user through the return channel. However, since a digital terrestrial broadcasting system does not have the return channel, it is difficult to provide a broadcasting program, data, or the like, requested by a specific user to the specific user. Therefore, a current digital terrestrial broadcasting system has used a separate communication network, Internet network, or the like, as a return channel.
In the case of transmitting additional data while having backward compatibility with the digital broadcasting system according to the related art, at least two transmitters transmit the same present broadcasting program and the same additional data. When a specific user requests a broadcasting station server for additional data through a separate communication network, Internet network, or the like, and a plurality of transmitters transmit the additional data, the same present broadcasting program and the same additional data are included even in broadcasting signals corresponding to different broadcasting areas. That is, even a transmitter within a broadcasting area in which the specific user is not included transmits the same additional data, such that efficiency is deteriorated.
Therefore, a need exists for a method for efficiently transmitting additional data requested by a user. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image display method and device, an image display system, a server, a program, and a recording medium, all of which are suited to extract, for viewing, any specific image data from a large amount of image data.
2. Related Art
For display of a large number of images on a display, there is a previous method of displaying size-reduced images, i.e., icon images, in line on a screen of a display. Such display is so-called thumbnail display, and if with a large number of images for thumbnail display, the thumbnail display is not considered effective enough as a display method. This is because simply displaying size-reduced images in line causes a difficulty in correctly grasping the image placement.
Due to such a problem, there is another method for image display, i.e., after extracting a feature level for any specific keyword, disposing an image at a position in a virtual three-dimensional (3D) space on a display corresponding to the feature level. As an example, refer to Patent Document 1 (JP-A-11-1775534) and Patent Document 2 (JP-A-2004-164331). This method enables effective display of a large number of images by image grouping. That is, images defined to have about the same feature level are put in the same group, and images are collectively disposed on the virtual 3D space on a group basis.
The issue with such methods as above for image display is that, if detail viewing is desired for the images, there needs to enlarge the images piece by piece for viewing, i.e., viewing display. That is, the thumbnail display made on the virtual 3D space functionally serves merely as a tool to select any desired image for viewing, and viewing display for any one image data is completely independent from viewing display for the remaining image data. In other words, by a viewer remembering the positional relationship, i.e., grouping relationship, between viewing display and thumbnail display, the relationship among viewing displays is merely grasped. In this sense, the above-described methods are not suitable enough for image viewing by selecting some image data out of many others. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing resin particles.
2. Related Art
Minute elements and apparatuses, represented by a microreactor and generally defined as “an apparatus, made by employment of microfabrication and in which a reaction is carried out in a microscopic flow channel having an equivalent diameter of no more than 500 μm,” are recently being anticipated for application in various fields due to providing several merits such as high variety and low volume, high efficiency, low environmental load, etc., when applied, for example, to arts for performing analysis, synthesis, extraction, and separation of substances. | {
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In the United States alone, over 100 million people have chronic health conditions, accounting for an estimated $700 billion in annual medical costs. In an effort to control these medical costs, many healthcare providers have initiated outpatient or home healthcare programs for their patients. The potential benefits of these programs are particularly great for chronically ill patients who must treat their diseases on a daily basis. However, the success of these programs is dependent upon the ability of the healthcare providers to monitor the patients remotely to avert medical problems before they become complicated and costly. Further, success requires compliance with the program, which is often dependent on providing messages or other reminders to patients so that they will stay with the program. Unfortunately, no convenient and cost effective monitoring system exists to accomplish these objectives. While these problems are particularly acute for the poor and the elderly, all demographic groups could significantly benefit from remote communication and monitoring systems.
Prior attempts to monitor patients remotely have included the use of personal computers and modems to establish communication between patients and healthcare providers, either directly or via an Internet site. However, computers are too expensive to give away and the patients who already own computers are only a fraction of the total population.
Other attempts to monitor patients remotely have included the use of medical monitoring devices with built-in modems. Examples of such monitoring devices include blood glucose meters, respiratory flow meters, and heart rate monitors. While these devices can be quite successful, their multimedia capabilities are often limited. In addition, many patients simply may prefer to interact with a device they are more familiar with, such as a television.
Prior attempts to monitor patients remotely have also included the use of interactive telephone or video response systems. Such interactive systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,238 issued to Kirk et al. on Feb. 14, 1995, U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,611 issued to Tamura on Jul. 18, 1995, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,047 issued to David et al. on Aug. 15, 1995. One disadvantage of these systems is that they either require a patient to call in to a central facility to be monitored or require the central facility to call the patient according to a rigid monitoring schedule.
If the patients are required to call the central facility, only the compliant patients will actually call regularly to be monitored. Non-compliant patients will typically wait until an emergency situation develops before contacting their healthcare provider, thus defeating the purpose of the monitoring system. If the central facility calls each patient according to a monitoring schedule, it is intrusive to the patient's life and resistance to the monitoring grows over time. Further, it is difficult to identify each patient uniquely using these systems. Moreover, these systems are generally incapable of collecting medical data from monitoring devices, such as blood glucose meters, respiratory flow meters, or heart rate monitors.
As such, there exists a need for a simple and inexpensive system for remotely monitoring patients and for easily communicating information to the patients. There is also a need to encourage patient's compliance with a prescribed treatment plan. | {
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Today's incandescent lighting is only about 5% efficient, yet enjoys a dominant market share due to a very low cost. A need has arisen for a high efficacy, low cost, non-toxic, fixture compatible, high quality light source. Various technologies have attempted to fill this need, but all have failed in at least one way or another. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,768,256 “Photonic crystal light source” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,611,085 “Photonically engineered incandescent emitter” disclose a woodpile PBG, which is a 3D layer by layer structure. The thermally stimulated PBG emitter has a significant increase efficiency over a black-body emitter. But, this woodpile approach requires an expensive enhanced state-of-the-art semiconductor fab for manufacture, hardly suited to commodity lighting. U.S. Pat. No. 7,085,038 “Apparatus having a photonic crystal” disclosed an inverse opal PBG, which is a 3D colloidal structure. Although the colloidal method reduces the cost, it is still costly to manufacture and the quality of the opal is difficult to maintain using the methods disclosed.
Another PBG structure has been disclosed in Ivan Celanovic, David Perreault, and John Kasskian, “Resonant-cavity enhanced thermal emission”, Physical Review B 72,075 (2005), DOI: 10,1103/PhysRevB, 72,075127, Notably, this structure incorporates a 1D PBG structure, a thermal cavity, and a mirror. The PBG structure is composed of alternating layers of 0.17 μm thick silicon and 0.39 μm thick silicon dioxide. The thermal cavity, composed of a 0.78 μm thick silicon dioxide, is a defect in the PBG and increases the emissivity of the device. The mirror is composed of tungsten or silver. Results show quasi-monochromatic thermal emission in the IR and 2.4 μm and good directivity. Only planar structures are disclosed.
ThermoPhotoVoltaic (TPV) electric generation offers the potential to recover vast amounts of waste heat, yet has failed to operate at reasonable efficiency or have a reasonable cost. PBG emitters have been proposed to increase the spectral efficiency of the thermal emitter in the TPV system. Also, photonic heat pumps have not yet been commercially realized due to cost/performance issues. A need has arisen for a narrow band thermally driven focused light source.
Electronic displays suffer from high cost, low brightness, poor contrast, perceptive color aberrations due to edge effects color combining of red, green, and blue pixels, various effects of backlighting, and failure of a main light source. A need has arisen for low cost, emissive displays.
Temperature and strain sensors are frequently limited due to; size, operating environment, resolution due to few measuring points and sensor size, multiplexing a larger number of measurement points, or connectivity issues due to movement of the point to be measured, electrical noise, and number of connections. Thus a need has arisen for tiny, remotely readable, rugged sensors.
Although Photonic Band Gap (PBG) technologies hold promise in all of these applications, they have been severely limited due to the choice of the desired structure, the manufacturability of the structure, and the cost of making the structure.
Traditional black body emitters are essentially isotropic. The light pattern is essentially determined by the shape of the fixture or bulb. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to encryption of data stored in a storage subsystem.
For example, in companies or other organizations, a storage subsystem, configured separately from a host computer (hereafter “host”), is used to manage large amounts of data. Such a storage subsystem incorporates for example numerous hard disk drives (HDDs) or other storage devices and a controller, and by means of the controller provides large amounts of storage to the host.
Various important information, such as for example the names and addresses of individuals or other private information, or information relating to trust or reliability, is stored in storage subsystems. Hence technology is required to manage important information in secrecy, and to prevent illicit access and similar.
In order to protect data, encryption technology may be used. As one of the method, Data is encrypted within the host, and this encrypted data is transmitted to the storage subsystem and stored, so that illicit use by a third party of the encrypted data can be prevented.
However, because data is encrypted within the host, the data processing workload on the host is increased, adversely affecting the performance of the application programs and the like running on the host.
In Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-322201, technology is proposed enabling encryption of data within a storage subsystem.
Also, with increases in the quantity of data handled by companies and other organizations, there are an increasing number of organizations in which storage systems, configured as a plurality of storage subsystems, are managed and operated. The resulting increases in the cost of management of such storage subsystems are viewed as a problem. In order to hold down increases in management costs, there exists technology in which one or more storage subsystems (hereafter, such storage subsystems are called “external storage subsystems”) are connected to a storage virtualization apparatus, and the storage virtualization apparatus provides the storage resources of one or more external storage subsystems, virtually, to a host, as the storage resources of a storage subsystem. The functions provided by such technology are called storage virtualization functions (or external storage connection functions), and are for example disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-107645.
In an environment in which one or more external storage subsystems are connected to a storage virtualization apparatus, when the encryption function of Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-322201 is applied, it is thought natural to apply the encryption function to the storage virtualization apparatus. However, if the storage virtualization apparatus always executes encryption and decryption, the storage virtualization apparatus may become a performance bottleneck in the system. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates generally to a door hinge assembly and, more particularly, to a door hinge assembly for use in an electrical appliance enclosure.
Electrical appliance cabinets, such as motor control centers, are enclosures which typically feature removable doors. The doors are oftentimes shipped apart from the main enclosure. Thereafter, the door is installed on the housing by means of a hinge assembly, which typically includes a hinge and a hinge pin. In most instances, the hinge assembly is included with the door itself.
During shipping, it is desirable to prevent the hinge pin coming out of the hinge and becoming lost. One method of accomplishing this is to simply apply a length of adhesive taping to the hinge pin, thereby keeping it secured directly within the hinge itself or secured to some other area within the door assembly. Alternatively, some manufacturers will opt to attach a temporary xe2x80x9csecuring memberxe2x80x9d to the hinge pin, such as a gasket, to keep the pin positioned within the hinge. A third method is to provide a hinge pin having a pair of flexible legs, the ends of which are outwardly bent after insertion into the hinge, thereby locking the pin in place.
In any case, however, it becomes necessary at some point to remove the taping or gasket such that the hinge pin can be temporarily removed from the hinge during installation of the door onto the housing. Once the securing means is disposed of, it may then be difficult to secure or keep track of the hinge pin should the door need to be removed subsequent to its initial installation. This is often the case where it is desired to make repairs within the motor control center, or when it is desired to relocate unit doors within a motor control section. A need, therefore, exists for a hinge assembly which allows for relatively easy insertion and removal of a hinge pin within a hinge, as well as the ability to securely store the hinge pin in a xe2x80x9cdisengagedxe2x80x9d position without the need for an external securing means.
The above discussed and other drawbacks and deficiencies of the prior art are overcome or alleviated by a door hinge assembly for use in an electrical appliance cabinet. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a door hinge assembly for use in an electrical appliance cabinet includes a door hinge member having a door plate attached to one side of an elbow, a hinge pin sleeve attached to the opposite side of the elbow, and a flange extending upwardly from the elbow. A hinge pin is removably engageable with the hinge pin sleeve, which is further removably engageable with a top edge on the flange.
In a preferred embodiment, the flange has a ledge surface formed within the top edge thereof, with the hinge pin being removably engageable with the ledge surface. The flange also includes a notched portion formed within a bottom edge thereof, with the hinge pin being pivotally engageable with the notched portion. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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There have been airborne microbe/virus removal apparatuses for removing microbes and viruses suspended in a space. Such an airborne microbe/virus removal apparatus is disclosed which includes a corona charging unit, a high-voltage electrode, a filter, and an electrode in contact with the filter arranged in that order from a windward side to cancel out the effect of charge accumulation during operation so that high removal performance can be provided throughout the entire apparatus with a long life duration (refer to Patent Literature 1, for example).
Another airborne microbe/virus removal apparatus is disclosed which includes a pre-filter, a charging unit, a photocatalytic filter, an ultraviolet lamp, a virus capture filter, and an electrostatic filter arranged in that order from a windward side to enable functions of capturing and inactivating pathogenic viruses, such as an influenza virus, to be maintained for a long time (refer to Patent Literature 2, for example). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communications system for distributing information to and from local and regional distribution centers as well as individual dial-up servers. The communications system contains an interactive, configurable interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
The digital networks that are currently in operation allow end-user's computers, such as personal computers (PC's), laptops, palm PC's and digital assistants, to communicate with servers of information by transmitting signals through a number of mediums including twisted-pair, broadband cable, satellite communications, and infrared and cellular technologies. In the last decade there has been a convergence of all types of communication signals into the digital format. In addition, new technologies have vastly improved the effective transmission rates of analog and digital communications. Great strides in efficiency and interoperability have been made in the telephone, television, satellite, optical transmission and cellular communications.
Computer networks have communicated by digital transmissions for many years. The efficiencies gained by the use of digital transmission technologies, such as encoding and compression, in computer networks has led to a digital revolution in all communications fields. The communications advance has produced the means for transmitting a wealth of information to an end-user or consumer of information. Every day content providers are creating new formats for existing information and otherwise creating content to sell or transmit to end-users. In addition, personal communication technology has diversified to include telephones, pagers and personal assistants, including voice messaging systems and E-mail capability. Personal communications may be in digital and analog format and communicated through a plethora of media, including twisted pair, broadband cable, fiber-optic, cellular, and satellite (including geosynchronous and low orbit systems).
Currently, the end user sends and receives personal communications and information by a number of sources including telephone, pager, radio, television, internet access, each having a number of modes of delivery (i.e. telephony, RF and microwave broadcast, cellular technology, broadband and fiber-optic cable and satellite transmissions). A telephone communications system alone may use all of the aforementioned communication medium. It is anticipated that many types of information systems will continue the current trend of expanding their distribution channels to include more communications mediums and formats. For example, the expansion of television content distribution from analog RF broadcast to the cable and satellite technologies and to the digital format.
As each type of information is manipulated to conform to the requirements of efficient distribution and communication across the various media, there is a growing recognition that there are advantages to be gained in the convergence of information sources and distribution media.
Current convergent systems, however, fail to provide the integration to take advantage of the synergies that may be achieved between the various types of communications available, namely the operation by non-computer literate, handicapped or physically challenged individuals. Set-top boxes, allowing cable television operators to provide internet access and modems' digitalization of the signals across telephone lines to provide inter-computer communication, fail to provide an integrated solution taking advantage of the directed use of the personal communications and the broadcast nature intended by many of the content providers. Current integration devices merely build upon existing technology, such as television or the personal computer. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger for heating a passenger compartment of a vehicle by carrying out heat exchange between air and hot water (engine coolant), to which an electric heat emitter is attached.
2. Description of Related Art
A heating heat exchanger to which an electric heat emitter is attached is disclosed in JP-A-63-203411 and JP-U-6-75819. According to this heating heat exchanger, the electric heat emitter is integrated with the heat exchanger to heat air by carrying out heat exchange between the air and hot water (engine coolant). In the heating heat exchanger, when the hot water temperature is low as in right after a vehicle engine starts, an electric current is supplied to the electric heat emitter. Then, the heat generated by the electric heat emitter radiates to the air through corrugated fins of the heat exchanger, and the air is heated.
However, according to the heating heat exchanger disclosed in JP-A-5-69732, because the electric heat emitter including a heat emitting element and electrode plates is brazed with a core portion of the heat exchanger, the electric heat emitter is exposed to a high temperature condition (about 600.degree. C., in case an aluminum brazing process is carried out). As a result, the electric characteristic of the heat emitter is deteriorated.
Further, according to JP-U-6-75819, the electric heat emitter is installed in a concave portion formed on an air downstream side surface of the plate fin, in a plate fin type heating heat exchanger. In this plate fin type heat exchanger, a cylindrical tube is mechanically expanded to connect to the plate fin. Therefore, a heat resistance at the connecting portion becomes large, thereby decreasing the heat conductive efficiency of the heat exchanger.
Further, the concave portion is additionally formed on the plate fin for installing the electric heat emitter, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost of the heat exchanger. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Microelectronic devices generally comprise a thin slab of a semiconductor material, such as silicon or gallium arsenide, commonly called a die or a semiconductor chip. In one face of the die is fabricated the active circuitry. To facilitate electrical connection to the active circuitry, the die is provided with bond pads on the same face. The bond pads are typically placed in a regular array either around the edges of the die or, for many memory devices, in the die center. The bond pads are generally made of a conductive metal, such as gold or aluminium, around 0.5 μm thick. The size of the bond pads will vary with the device type but will typically measure tens to hundreds of microns on a side.
Wire bonding and flip-chip interconnection are two schemes used for making contact to the die bond pads. In wire bonding, the die is attached to a substrate in a face-upwards orientation and fine wire is connected to each bond pad by a solid state joining method such as ultrasonic welding or thermo-compression diffusion bonding. In flip-chip interconnection, lumps of metal are placed on each bond pad. The die is then inverted so the metal lumps provide both the electrical pathway between the bond pads and the substrate as well as the mechanical attachment of the die to the substrate. There are many variations of the flip-chip process, but one common configuration is to use solder for the lumps of metal and fusion of the solder as the method of fastening it to the bond pads and the substrate. When it melts the solder flows to form truncated spheres. Depending on the dimensions of the solder sphere this is referred to as a ball grid array (BGA) interface or a micro ball grid array (μBGA) interface.
Semiconductor devices used as image sensors usually require a face-up orientation such that the scene of interest can be focused (or projected) on the active circuitry. For commercial reasons, it is often desirable that the die are connected to the substrate using a BGA or μBGA interface.
One approach to connect the die bond pads on the front face of the die to a BGA interface on the rear face of the die is to provide wiring traces that extends from the die bond pads over the front face of the die, down the sides of the die and onto the rear face of the die. This type of lead contact is often referred to as a “T-style contact” because the wiring trace on the edge of the die and the wiring trace on the front face of the die appears to form a “T” where they join. FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate an example of a T-style contact.
FIG. 2a shows a schematic frontal 200 view and FIG. 2b a cross-sectional view 250 of a single T-style contact of a semiconductor package. The die is drawn upside down so the front face 201/251 is towards the bottom of the page and the rear face 202/252 towards the top of the page. A bond pad 203/253 on the front face connects to the wiring trace 204/254 on the edge of the die. The wiring trace continues to a land 205/255 on the rear face, where it joins to a solder sphere 206/256. The shape of the T-style contact 257 is evident in the cross-sectional view, while the sidewall angle 207 is indicated in the frontal view. The drawing is not to scale.
An alternative approach for an image sensor package is to use through silicon vias (TSV) to connect the bond pads to the BGA interface. FIG. 3 is a cross-section view 300 of a typical TSV. The TSV is a hole (or blind via) extending through the thickness of the semiconductor that terminates on the underside of a bond pad 304. The sides or wall of the through hole are coated with metal to form an electrically conductive pathway between the front and rear surfaces of the die. A deep reactive ion etching process known in the engineering community as the ‘Bosch process’ may be used to form the TSV shown in FIG. 3. The contact to the bond pad 304 shown in FIG. 3 is often described as U-style. To complete the electrical circuit between the underside of the die bond pads and the conductive coating applied to the walls of TSVs requires a solid state bond between the two metals.
FIG. 3 shows the semiconductor die inverted with a front face 301 and a rear face 302. A hole 310 extends through the thickness of the die and the dielectric film 303 underneath the bond pad 304 to terminate on the bond pad 304. A dielectric material 311 and a conductive coating 312 line the walls of the hole. Both the dielectric material lining the through hole 310 and the conductive coating 312 extend on to an area of the rear face 302 of the die. Hole 310 extending through the silicon is parallel-sided and perpendicular to the die faces 301 and 302. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Software programs may contain errors because the developers who write the underlying software code for the programs, make errors while writing the code. Thus, several rounds of writing, testing and modification may be required before a high-quality software product can be released. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Fuchsia plant, botanically known as Fuchsiaxc3x97hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Kiewilidivxe2x80x99.
The new Fuchsia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Venhuizen, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program was to create new Fuchsia cultivars with compact plant habit and numerous attractive flowers.
The new Fuchsia originated from a cross made by the Inventor of two proprietary selections of Fuchsiaxc3x97hybrida, not patented. The cultivar xe2x80x98Kiewilidivxe2x80x99 was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Venhuizen, The Netherlands. Plants of the new Fuchsia differ from plants of the parent selections primarily in flower color.
Asexual reproduction of the new Fuchsia by terminal cuttings taken at Venhuizen, The Netherlands, since 1997 has shown that the unique features of this new Fuchsia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar xe2x80x98Kiewilidivxe2x80x99 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Kiewilidivxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Kiewilidivxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Numerous white and purple bi-colored flowers.
2. Upright plant habit.
3. Freely branching growth habit. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Aspects of the invention relate to an open roof construction for a vehicle, comprising a roof opening in a stationary roof part of the vehicle, said roof opening comprising forward and rearward roof opening edges which each extend transversely and two opposite, longitudinally extending roof opening side edges, wherein at least at some of said roof opening side edges and forward and rearward roof opening edges roof opening flanges are provided extending substantially downwardly from the respective roof opening side edges and forward and rearward roof opening edges, the open roof construction further comprising a stationary roof panel adjacent said roof opening side edges and adjacent one of said forward and rearward roof opening edges and permanently closing part of the roof opening, and a movable panel for closing and opening the remainder of the roof opening, wherein further in regions near to and below the roof opening side edges longitudinally extending guides are provided and wherein moving mechanisms are provided configured to cooperate with said guides and with the movable panel for moving the movable panel between a closed position closing the remainder of the roof opening and an open position substantially below the stationary roof panel.
In such an open roof construction the stationary roof panel for example may comprise a glass panel which in a stationary manner is affixed to and (with an upper surface) extends in a coplanar manner with (an upper surface of) the stationary roof part. In its closed position the (upper surface of the) movable panel also generally will extend in a coplanar manner with the (upper surface of the) stationary roof part. The guides may be attached to the flanges or to another stationary part of the vehicle. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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High strain point alkali free alumino-silicate glasses, such as, glasses for ultra high resolution Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) substrates using amorphous silicon or oxide thin film transistors (TFTs), or glasses for organic light emitting diode (OLED) substrates using low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) TFT deposition have been designed to allow high temperature processing of the TFT (up to 700° C.) while not suffering from deformation. These glasses can be formed using a fusion draw process where liquid glass flows over the lips of a glass overflow forming block made of zircon (ZrSiO4) material and fuses at the bottom of the glass overflow forming block to form a sheet. Zircon forming blocks that come in contact with alkali free alumino-boro-silicate glasses offer good corrosion resistance and mechanical properties at the forming temperature of glass. However, the forming of these higher strain point alkali free alumino-silicate glasses is more demanding on the forming blocks because of the higher forming temperature (between +30 and 120° C.). The higher forming temperature can increase the rate of reaction between the glass and the zircon materials leading to higher formation of bubbles in the glass with current zircon materials which is not acceptable for the ultra high resolution TFT substrate applications. Secondly, the higher forming temperature activates the creep deformation rate of the zircon material leading to higher sag of the forming blocks (up to 10 times more deformation) that is not acceptable for the forming of these glasses. There's therefore a need for a new range of zircon materials with improved properties at high temperatures. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Embodiments of the inventive subject matter generally relate to the field of population-based optimization, and, more particularly, to generating or modifying constraint compliant populations in population-based optimization simulations.
Population-based optimization algorithms are used to find solutions to optimization problems by starting with an initial set of random candidate solutions (e.g., provided by a user, randomly generated, etc.) and iteratively analyzing and modifying the candidate solutions, according to an objective function, until reaching a satisfactory solution. Population-based optimization algorithms may also be referred to as metahueristic optimization algorithms, combinatorial optimization algorithms, soft-computing algorithms, etc. For instance, one type of population-based optimization algorithm is an evolutionary algorithm. An evolutionary algorithm uses biological techniques loosely based on biological evolution, reproduction, mutation, recombination, and natural selection to find solutions to optimization problems. Simulations that implement evolutionary algorithms act upon populations, such that individuals in a population represent candidate solutions to an optimization problem. The candidate solutions are evaluated for fitness (i.e., evaluated according to a fitness function) and the population “evolves” as successive generations of the population are selected/generated and modified loosely based on the biological techniques. As the population evolves, overall fitness of the population tends to increase. A solution to the optimization problem is found when the overall fitness of the population has reached a satisfactory level, or in other words, when the fitness function, or other objective function, evaluates to an optimal solution. Simulations based on population-based optimization algorithms, such as evolutionary algorithms, can perform well for finding solutions to problems in engineering, biology, economics, robotics, etc. because objective functions can be tailored to fit the problems. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to an atomizer spray plate of a fuel oil atomizer for pressure-type atomization systems, including spill return systems, and simplex, or xe2x80x9conce-throughxe2x80x9d systems.
For environmental and economical reasons, there is an ongoing need to improve the efficiency of fuel oil atomizers which supply fuel oil to a furnace. It is known that the formation of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) can be slowed by providing fuel-rich and fuel-lean zones in the atomizing spray pattern. Such a fuel spray pattern can be achieved by imparting a rotational momentum, or swirl, to the fuel as it exits the atomizer, and by shaping the fuel spray in a specific manner.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,489 to Monro discloses a fuel atomizer with an oblong discharge slot that is shaped to achieve a spray pattern with fuel-rich zones that are spaced apart from one another and separated by a central fuel-lean zone. However, the shaping of the oblong slot is rather complex as the width and angle of the walls of the slot must be precisely set.
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,301 to Hurley (the xe2x80x9cHurley patentxe2x80x9d) provides an improvement over the design of U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,489 to Monro. The Hurley patent provides a low NOx fuel oil atomizer with an atomizer spray plate having an oblong transverse discharge slot that provides a spray pattern with fuel-rich and fuel-lean zones, yet does not require complex machining of the discharge slot. The Hurley patent also provides a method for fabricating such an atomizer spray plate. Furthermore, the fuel oil atomizer of the Hurley patent is compatible with pressure-type atomization systems, including spill return systems and simplex systems. While the atomizer of the Hurley patent provides improvements over prior art atomizers, the transverse discharge slot results in a flame length which may be too long for use in some restrictive furnace designs.
It would be advantageous to improve upon the atomizer design provided by the commonly owned Hurley patent. It would be further advantageous if such a design provides for similar or improved reductions in NOx emissions, while providing flexibility for a variety of applications. It would be further advantageous to provide an atomizer design having shorter flame lengths for use in applications where the furnace geometry is restrictive.
The present invention provides apparatus and methods having the above and other advantages.
The present invention relates to an atomizer spray plate of a fuel oil atomizer for pressure-type atomization systems, including spill return systems, and simplex, or xe2x80x9conce-throughxe2x80x9d systems.
An atomizer spray plate for discharging fuel oil in accordance with the present invention includes a generally cylindrical rear portion and a generally conical front portion. A frusto-conical whirl chamber extends from the rear portion to the front portion with a decreasing radius. A central longitudinal axis extends through the whirl chamber. Preferably, the rear portion includes a number of whirl slots extending radially inward from an outboard region of the rear portion to the whirl chamber. The whirl slots receive fuel oil at the outboard region and supply the fuel oil to the whirl chamber with a rotational energy.
A discharge slot is provided in the front portion of the atomizer spray plate for receiving the fuel oil from the whirl chamber with the rotational energy.
In particular, the discharge slot includes a cylindrical through-hole with a diameter d. A central longitudinal axis of the through-hole is co-linear with the central longitudinal axis of the whirl chamber. That is, the through-hole is aligned with the whirl chamber.
The discharge slot also includes at least three lobes (i.e. slots) equally spaced about the through-hole and oriented in a radial direction, each lobe having a semi-circular cross-section with radius r. The lobes extend approximately perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of the cylindrical through-hole.
Advantageously, the discharge slot can be easily and economically fabricated with two shaping steps. Furthermore, there is no need to precisely set any particular non-right angle for walls of the discharge slot. Yet, the discharge slot provides a spray pattern with lateral fuel-rich zones separated by a central fuel-lean zone. This spray pattern has been demonstrated by testing to reduce the peak combustion flame temperature, thereby inhibiting the formation of harmful NOx combustion byproducts.
The front portion of the atomizer spray plate preferably has a generally conical front surface surrounding the discharge slot and sloping at a particular angle, for example between 75 and 85 degrees, relative to the central longitudinal axis of the cylindrical through-hole.
Furthermore, the radius r is selected to be slightly greater than d/2. The lobes are provided at a depth in the front portion to form a desired primary spray angle xcex1 that is defined by a tangent line to the lobes at a forward-most point of the front portion of the spray plate. A secondary spray angle is achieved along a length-wise direction of each lobe.
Preferably, the depth of the lobes is approximately r(1xe2x88x92sin(xcex1/2)), the desired primary spray angle xcex1 is approximately 20xc2x0 to 40xc2x0, and r=d/(2*cos(xcex1/2)).
In a particular embodiment of the invention, three lobes are equally spaced about the through-hole and oriented in the radial direction. In such an embodiment, a developed secondary spray angle of approximately 35xc2x0 to 45xc2x0 may be achieved along a length-wise direction of each of the three lobes.
In an alternate embodiment, four lobes are provided, which are equally spaced about the through-hole and oriented in a radial direction to form two pairs of diametrically opposed lobes. In a four lobe embodiment, a developed secondary spray angle of approximately 70xc2x0-90xc2x0 may be achieved along a length-wise direction of each pair of lobes.
Optionally, a portion of the fuel oil in the whirl chamber is returned to a fuel oil supply instead of being supplied to the discharge slot.
Preferably, a ratio xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d/(d*D2) is in a range from approximately 0.4 to approximately 0.6, xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d is a total flow area of the whirl slots, and D2 is a diameter of the whirl chamber at a point where the fuel oil is supplied to the whirl chamber from the whirl slots.
Furthermore, a method is presented for fabricating an atomizer spray plate for discharging fuel oil. The method includes the steps of: providing an atomizer spray plate having a rear portion and a front portion, providing a whirl chamber extending from the rear portion to the front portion, where the whirl chamber has a central longitudinal axis extending therethrough, and providing a discharge slot in the front portion for receiving fuel oil from the whirl chamber.
The discharge slot is obtained by providing (a) a cylindrical through-hole with a diameter d having a central longitudinal axis that is co-linear with the central longitudinal axis of the whirl chamber, and (b) at least three lobes equally spaced about the through-hole and oriented in a radial direction, each lobe having a semi-circular cross-section with radius r and extending approximately perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of the cylindrical through-hole.
The rear portion of the atomizer spray plate is provided with a plurality of whirl slots extending radially inward from an outboard region of the rear portion to the whirl chamber to receive fuel oil and provide it to the whirl chamber with a rotational energy. The fuel oil is then provided to the discharge slot via the whirl chamber.
Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the particular dimensions of the atomizer provided herein are exemplary only. The dimensions and spray angles may be dependent on the furnace application (e.g., constraints of the furnace geometry) and/or the results desired, for example, there may be tradeoffs between NOx emissions, flame length requirements, fuel efficiency, and the like. These variables may be controlled by varying the number of lobes, the spray angles, and other atomizer dimensions. For example, the transverse slot of the Hurley patent may be viewed as a single pair of two diametrically opposed lobes. A three lobe embodiment of the present invention will provide a shorter flame length as compared with the two lobe design of the Hurley patent. Similarly, a four lobe embodiment of the present invention (e.g., two pairs of diametrically opposed lobes) will provide an even shorter flame length than that provided by the three lobe embodiment. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a tilting steering apparatus having a memory mechanism for tilting the steering wheel of a motorized vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
A tilting steering apparatus having a memory mechanism is disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent application Laid-Open (KOKAI), No. 57-155156. This prior-art apparatus is basically designated so that a movable bracket is rotatably supported on a fixed bracket by a pin carrying a pawl and a memory lever each having teeth, with a latch being provided on the fixed bracket. When the steering wheel is lifted or tilted away from the driver, the teeth of the pawl are disengaged from the latch teeth at the same time that the memory lever is engaged with the latch. Thus, during normal operation, the steering wheel position is controlled by the engagement between the pawl and the latch. When the steering wheel is lifted, the pawl and the latch are unmeshed, while the movable bracket rotatably retaining the steering wheel and the shaft is turned about the pin to its lifted position. To return the movable bracket from the lifted position to the original position, the memory lever and the latch are disengaged at the same time that the pawl is meshed in situ with the latch.
In the above-described prior art tilting steering apparatus, the pawl and the latch are not meshing in the lifted position and the steering wheel is held in position only under the biasing force of a spring the ends of which are connected to the movable bracket and fixed bracket. Therefore, when the driver rests his hand on the steering wheel when climbing into or alighting from the vehicle, the steering wheel moves downwards, throwing the driver off balance, or the steering wheel returns to the memorized position. This is a first problem of the prior art.
Further, in the prior art tilting steering apparatus, shifting the steering wheel to its lifted position and then back to the driving position is performed by operating a lever. Therefore, if the lever is inadvertently shifted during driving or parking, the steering wheel may suddenly shift to its lifted position. This is a second problem encountered in the prior art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Thermostats typically have multiple functions that require user input, such as setting time of day, day of week, programming temperature set points or programming user settings. Control panels typically include an assortment of buttons for operating the thermostat and adjusting the settings. Adjustment of the thermostat settings using the assortment of buttons can often times be confusing to the user, require detailed review of user manual and consume much time in order to properly operate the thermostat and adjust the settings to the user's liking.
In some cases a liquid crystal display (LCD) may be provided that includes touch sensitive areas populated on the display screen. The touch sensitive area may include numerals, word phrases or graphics (collectively, “icons”) that appear on the display screen. By touching the appropriate icon, the user can make adjustments to the functioning of the thermostat and activate specific modes of operation or make setting adjustments. Some thermostats are known to have mechanical buttons or switches (“hard buttons”). Such hard buttons are commonly used in combination with touch sensitive areas (“soft buttons”) on a LCD. Some thermostats have multiple hard buttons on different portions of the thermostat housing. Typically the user must program the thermostat by using the soft or hard buttons to adjust set-points (e.g. time and corresponding temperature) for each day of the week. The process of programming is typically repeated seven times so that the proper set-points are programmed for each weekday and weekend day. When programming includes setting hour, minute, temperature and fan settings; the total number steps and inputs required to complete the programming for seven days may exceed 100 steps. The present invention overcomes many of the above mentioned disadvantages of previously known thermostats and allows for more rapid programming of the thermostat. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Modeling of material constitutive behavior in a variety of applications is important. The conventional tension or compression tests are only applicable under low strain-rates (10−3-10−1/s) and low temperatures. The accuracy of this method strongly depends on the models of chip formation and tool-chip friction. In the machining processes, chip deformation, material constitutive relationships, and tool-chip friction are coupled together and affect each other. In most of analytical models of chip formation, it is customary to calculate the strain-rate in the primary shear zone by assuming the thickness ΔS of this zone to be one-tenth of the undeformed chip thickness. ΔS and strain-rates also highly depend on the tool edge roundness, i.e., the tool edge radius, the position of stagnation point on the rounded cutting edge, and tool-chip friction. The effect of tool edge roundness is neglected in the parallel-sided shear zone model.
Thus, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a new slip-line model of chip formation for machining, taking into account the effects of tool edge roundness on ΔS and strain-rates. Discussed herein is a methodology for modeling material constitutive behavior at large strains, high strain-rates, and elevated temperatures through an orthogonal machining test. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Digital video streams may represent video using a sequence of frames or still images. Digital video can be used for various applications including, for example, video conferencing, high definition video entertainment, video advertisements, or sharing of user-generated videos. A digital video stream can contain a large amount of data and consume a significant amount of computing or communication resources of a computing device for processing, transmission, or storage of the video data. Various approaches have been proposed to reduce the amount of data in video streams, including compression and other encoding techniques. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates generally to distress signalling or help summoning devices for use on a disabled motor vehicle and, more particularly, to a help summoning device which can be compactly stored within the vehicle for quick assembly and deployment by an occupant of the vehicle from the security of the occupants' compartment. In this way, the occupant of a vehicle, typically a passenger automobile, may remain safely within the occupants' compartment while deploying the help summoning device. In addition to passenger automobiles, the help summoning device of the present invention is contemplated for use on trucks, boats and any other form of vehicle which may become disabled such that there may be a need for summoning help.
On modern highways, and particularly, along the extensive network of freeways extending across the United States, a disabled vehicle presents a serious hazard, both to the occupants of the vehicle and also to the occupants of other vehicles which must pass the disabled vehicle as well as negotiate poor traffic conditions which may be generated thereby. While most modern vehicles include emergency flasher systems which simultaneously flash all turn signals of the vehicle, such emergency flashers are utilized to warn of a wide variety of hazards ranging from traffic congestion to a vehicle parked, for example, to permit a motorist to review a map.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a specialized help summoning device in the event a vehicle becomes disabled. It is also desirable to be able to deploy such a help summoning device from within the occupants' compartment without having to step outside the vehicle or open an otherwise locked vehicle door. The added safety of such deployment is clear when one considers the dangers presented by high speed traffic passing at close range to a disabled vehicle and also an undesirable element which appears to have increased in numbers in recent years and may be all too apt to take advantage of the situation of a disabled vehicle. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a portable terminal including a portable telephone and a Personal Handyphone System (PHS)(including a telephone provided only with character data communication functions) and a personal data assistance (PDA) terminal provided with portable telephone or PHS data communication functions. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable terminal provided with the function of walking navigation, which can supply location-related information to the walking user.
Conventionally, there have been many map information services for supplying maps and other map-related contents through the Internet and facsimile machines. In the case of those services, it is premised that information is supplied so as to be output onto such wide monitor screens of computers and printed out onto papers through facsimile machines. However, the use of PDA terminals and data communication functions of portable telephones or PHS's that are easy to carry about would make it easier for the users to obtain desired maps on sightseeing and business trips more favorably through the above services.
There are also many systems under development to be used for supplying the location information around the user's present place through the GPS (Global Positioning System). For example, a car navigation system to be mounted on a car is too large for a walker to carry around. In addition, because the navigation system premises that the system is used while the object car is running on a road, it cannot be used as a walker's navigation system as is. On the other hand, in the case of such a location information system as a PDA with GPS and a handy GPS intended to walkers, it is possible to show the user's present place on a map stored beforehand in its local memory or down-loaded from the above services. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In the related art, in medical treatment using an endoscope, medical treatment is performed while exchanging a plurality of treatment tools with respect to the endoscope. For example, a medical system including a plurality of treatment tools is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2008-188109. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
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