text
stringlengths 2
806k
| meta
dict |
|---|---|
The present invention relates to a light emission display panel.
As a self emission type light emission display panel, an organic electroluminescence (hereinafter called organic EL) is noticed because of high efficiency, long life and high fineness.
FIGS. 6a and 6b show a conventional organic EL display panel. The organic EL display panel comprises a transparent glass substrate 1, and a first electrode 2 comprising a plurality of transparent strips of anodes 2 formed on the glass substrate 1 into parallel lines. The first electrode 2 is made of ITO by patterning processes (for example a pitch of 0.3 mm, width of 0.28 mm, thickness of 0.2 mm). On the first electrode 2, a light emission layer 7 comprising an organic hole transporting layer 3, light emission organic layer 4, and organic electron transporting layer 5 is coated by the evaporation method. Furthermore, a second electrode 6 comprising a plurality of strips as metallic cathodes is formed on the light emission layer 7 into parallel lines so as to intersect the first electrode 2. The second electrode 6 is formed on the layer 7 by a method such as evaporation, CVD, PVD, or spattering, using a metal mask of FIG. 7. The display panel is sealed for the prevention of humidity.
The intersection of each first electrode 2 and second electrode 6 is a pixel which emits light by applying a voltage to the electrodes.
Referring to FIG. 7, the metal mask for the evaporation has a plurality of openings 8 and partitions 9 between the openings 8. The openings 8 are formed by the number of the second electrodes and has a shape equal to the shape of the second electrode.
The width of the opening 8 is several hundreds microns, and the width W of the partition 9 is several tens microns.
Because of such an extremely small dimension, the metal mask has a small mechanical strength, and hence it is liable to be broken of bent. Furthermore, there is a problem that adjacent electrodes contacts with each other in the production of the display panel. In order to solve such problems, it is thinkable to increase the thickness of the metal mask. However, there is a limit to produce a high fineness film. Hence, the thickness of about 0.1 mm is a limit. On the other hand, if the width W is increased, the interval between pixels increases, which means the retrogression against the tendency to fineness of the pixel. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to light-emitting diode (LED) semiconductor processing and, more particularly, to a method of producing vertical light-emitting diode (VLED) dies comprising Group III-Group V combinations of elements and a metal substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
To produce blue, green, and ultraviolet vertical light-emitting diodes (VLEDs), various semiconductor materials are utilized, typically comprising combinations of elements from the Group III and Group V areas of the periodic table. Nitrogen being the most prevalent Group V element for such VLEDs, these combinations generally include GaN, AlN, AlGaN, and InGaN. However, layers of Group III-N compound semiconductor materials cannot simply be formed with high crystalline quality on conventional substrates of silicon, germanium, or GaAs, so epitaxial methods were developed using sapphire or silicon carbide (SiC) as a substrate instead.
Even still, the crystallinity and corresponding light emission efficiency of the semiconductor layers produced by these methods leaves room for improvement. Researchers discovered that forming a GaN or AlGaN buffer layer on the substrate before growing additional compound semiconductor layers improved the crystallinity and the light emission as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,393. To improve the thermal conductivity of VLEDs, however, a metal substrate may be coupled to the light-emitting diode (LED) stack, and the growth-supporting substrate of sapphire or SiC may be subsequently removed.
One technique for removing the growth-supporting substrate 102 involves laser lift-off as disclosed in U.S. published patent application 2006/0154389. This laser lift-off technique is illustrated in FIG. 1 where laser pulses 104 are implemented to sever the boundary between the substrate 102 and the buffer layer 106. With laser lift-off, however, shockwaves 108 from the laser pulses may travel throughout the LED stack 110 and may damage the critical light-emitting active layer 112. Damage to the active layer 112 may significantly reduce the brightness of the VLED as more defects could be introduced into the active layer in the form of non-radiative recombination centers.
Furthermore, intentional removal of the GaN or AlGaN buffer layer after removal of the growth-supporting substrate may cause further damage to the device. FIG. 2 is a microscope image 202 and a roughness analysis 204 of the surface of a VLED after removal of a GaN buffer layer. The atomic force microscope (AFM) image 202 appears noticeably rough, and the maximum depth 206 of 115.77 nm indicates the degree of damage to the crystalline structure of the VLED surface. The damage to the surface of the VLED may also be responsible for reduced brightness since shockwaves produced during removal may reach the active layer.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved method of producing VLED dies. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This disclosure relates to an antenna unit for a vehicle. This disclosure is, more particularly, directed to mounting an antenna unit to a vehicle.
Known on-vehicle antenna units are installed on a metal pillar or on a metal roof of a vehicle by making a hole in the metal structure and then holding the antenna unit in place by using a nut screwed down in the interior of the vehicle. When the antenna unit is installed on the metal pillar or metal roof, the metal pillar or roof is in electrical contact with the vehicle frame, which is also metal, such that a ground is established between the vehicle and the antenna.
Where the antenna unit mounts to a dielectric panel, e.g., a glass or plastic panel, a problem occurs in grounding the antenna unit. It is known to mount an antenna unit to a dielectric panel; however, at present the assemblies used to mount the antenna unit to the vehicle fail to minimize or eliminate loads applied to the dielectric panel. Where the dielectric panel is glass, this can be especially problematic. Also, at present the assemblies used to mount the antenna unit to the vehicle also fail to accommodate for clearance variations between the dielectric panel and the vehicle frame. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to plasma arc torches, and more particularly to the design and construction of an improved collimator component of such plasma arc torches.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Plasma arc torches are known in the prior art and comprise a device which can efficiently convert electrical energy into heat energy. Plasma arc torches, as the name implies, generate a plasma plume exhibiting a high specific enthalpy coupled with low gas requirements. As is set out in the Camacho et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,439, there are basically two types of plasma arc torches. The first type is referred to as a non-transferred arc torch and the second is referred to as transferred arc torches. In the non-transferred arc type, there is a rear electrode, a front electrode-and a gas vortex generator that is coaxially placed between the front and rear electrodes. This assembly is contained within a water-cooled housing along with other components necessary for generating an electrical arc. The arc extends from the rear electrode past the gas vortex generator location and to an attachment point on the front electrode.
In the transferred-arc type of plasma generator, a collimating nozzle is mounted in coaxial alignment with the rear electrode and vortex generator. In this type of operation, the electrical arc attaches between the rear electrode and an external work piece that is being worked upon after passing through the collimating nozzle.
Transferred arc generators are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,941 to Baird, and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,174 to Camacho. The present invention is directed to an improved collimator for a transferred arc-type plasma arc torch and is deemed to be an improvement over the prior art, such as the collimator shown in FIGS. 1-3 of the accompanying drawings.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a conventional, prior art plasma torch of the transferred arc-type. It is indicated generally by numeral 10 and includes an outer steel shroud 12 having a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16. The shroud surrounds various internal components of the torch, including a rear electrode 18, a gas vortex generator 20 and other tubular structures that create a cooling water passage leading to a collimator member 22 that is threadedly attached into the distal end 16 of the shroud 12 and a passage for returning the heated cooling water to an outlet port. Tubing (not shown) connects to a water inlet stub 24 and after traversing the water passages in the torch body and the collimator, the heated water exits the torch at a port 26. Details of the water circulation path for a plasma arc torch are more clearly set out and explained in the Hanus et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,939 and, hence, need not be repeated here. The gas for the plasma arc torch is applied under pressure to an inlet port 28 and it passes through annular channel isolated from the incoming and outgoing water channels, ultimately reaching the gas vortex generator 20. A high positive voltage is also applied to the water inlet stub 24 and the negative terminal of the power supply connects to the work piece 30.
The gas injected into port 28 becomes ionized and is rendered plasma by the arc 32 and is injected onto the work piece 30. The collimator 22 includes a longitudinal bore having a frusto-conical taper 34 and serves to concentrate the plasma into a beam, focusing intense heat that speeds up melting of and chemical reaction to the work piece in a furnace in which the plasma torch is installed.
Keeping in mind that the exposed toroidal face 36 of the collimator 22 is exposed to corrosive chemicals given off from the melting/gasification of the work material 30 as well as to secondary arcs, especially in the tapered zone 34 of the collimator, it is imperative that the collimator not be allowed to deteriorate to the point where cooling water can escape the normal channels provided in the torch and flow out onto the work piece that may typically be at a temperature of 2000° F. or more. Resulting superheated steam could create an explosive force within the confines of the plasma arc heated furnace. To avoid such an event, it becomes necessary to shut down the process and replace the collimator at relatively frequent intervals.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a perspective view from the side of the prior art collimator 22 of FIG. 1. It is seen to comprise a holder member 38 having a generally cylindrical outer wall that is machined along a top edge portion with a flat surface, as at 40, forming a hexagonal pattern that allows the holder member to be grasped by jaws of a wrench and screwed into the threaded distal end of the torch shroud 12. The threads on the holder member are identified by numeral 42 in FIG. 2. The holder member 38 is preferably machined out from a generally cylindrical copper alloy billet, the particular copper alloy being a good electrical and thermal conductor.
Located directly below the threaded zone 42 on the holder member is a plurality of bores, as at 44, the bores being regularly spaced circumferentially about the periphery of the holder member. An integrally formed annular collar 46 is provided at the proximal end of the collimator.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal, cross-sectional view taken through the center of the prior art collimator assembly. Here it can be seen that the holder member 38 has a central longitudinal bore 48 and a counterbore 50 that is formed inwardly from a face surface 52 of the holder member. Further, it can be seen that the radial bores 44 are in fluid communication with the central bore 48.
The prior art collimator 22 further includes a tubular insert 54 machined from a copper alloy billet. It has a central lumen 56 and an outer wall 58 whose diameter is dimensioned to fit within the central bore 48 of the holder member with a predetermined clearance space between the wall defining the central bore of the holder member and the outer diameter of the tubular insert. The insert is also formed with a circular plate-like flange 60 at its distal end that surrounds the lumen 56. Further, the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 shows that the lumen 56 has a frusto-conical tapered portion 62 leading to a face surface 64 of the flange 60.
In the prior art collimator assembly shown in FIG. 3, with the tubular insert 54 disposed within the bore 48 of the holder member and with the flange 60 inserted into the counterbore 50, the joint between the periphery of the flange 60 and the wall of the counterbore 50 is suitably welded, preferably e-beam welded. Likewise, the joint between the collar 46 of the holder member and a portion of the exterior wall of the tubular insert are designed to fit together with a close tolerance and this joint is also e-beam welded.
As is explained in the Hanus, et al. '939 patent, supra, cooling water is made to flow through a first annular passageway in the torch housing, through the radial bores 44 of the collimator and through the clearance space between the bore 48 and the outer tubular wall 58 of the insert 54 and from there through radial bores 66 and out through an annular port to another passageway contained within the housing 12 and leading to the water outlet port 26 seen in FIG. 1.
The weld made at the joint between the counterbore 50 and the periphery of the flange 60 have proven to be problematic. Extensive corrosive action from the furnace gases corrodes the material on either side of this weld ring and of the e-beam weld itself The life of the collimator is thereby limited by either the integrity and precision of the e-beam weld itself or by the loss of material due to corrosion. This corrosive loss of material may be a result of both galvanic and non-galvanic corrosion. The galvanic corrosion, of course, is due to the presence of dissimilar materials in contact within an electrically conductive medium, such as the gas given off by the reaction of the arc flame with the work piece. The non-galvanic, standard corrosion is due to chemical reaction between the corrosive gases given off by vaporization of the work piece within the plasma arc heated furnace.
As is apparent from FIG. 3, failure of the e-beam weld, whether due to formation of a poor weld or because of corrosion, can lead to significant leakage of cooling water through the failed joint. To avoid this potentially harmful condition, the collimator component of the plasma arc torch must be replaced at frequent intervals before significant corrosion can occur, forcing a shut-down of the reactor furnace and attendant loss of production.
A need, therefore, exists for a collimator design having an increased working life and safety improvements over the prior art. The present invention satisfies this need. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in an electronic device such as an image forming apparatus, to control actuators such as stepping motors, DC brushless motors, or the like arranged in respective locations, CPUs or ASICs for outputting control signals of motors are arranged by being distributed on a plurality of substrates. In a case of such an arrangement, for connection between a main CPU for outputting an overall control timing instruction for causing rotation of each motor and CPUs or the like arranged on each substrate, 2-line type and 3-line type serial communication modes are commonly used for transmitting with fewer signal lines (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-186231).
Conventionally, as a method for causing driving of CPUs or the like connected by a serial communication signal line arranged on each substrate, a method for connecting each substrate to a quartz oscillator, a method for providing a CLK signal on a communication signal line and driving by the CLK signal, or the like are used.
In a case of a configuration that connects the CPU or the like of each substrate to a quartz oscillator, a cost in proportion to the number of quartz oscillators is incurred. In addition, in the case of a method for transmitting a CLK signal together with a serial communication signal, there are problems such as radiant noise, a CLK signal line cost, and operation instability due to external noise on a transfer path.
Accordingly, a configuration for performing control by using an integrated oscillator that is integrated in a CPU or the like as illustrated in FIG. 1 is can be considered. In this configuration, an integrated oscillator and a CPU are provided in each of a main substrate and a sub substrate, and control of a DC brushless motor or a stepping motor connected to each is performed.
Generally an integrated oscillator has a low cost compared to an external quartz oscillator, and is superior from a cost perspective. However, generally, for an integrated oscillator, there is a significant tendency of a change of a frequency characteristic with respect to temperature in comparison to a quartz oscillator. Therefore, in a case of using integrated oscillators to perform control for which precision is necessary for CPUs or the like arranged dispersed on substrates installed at places where the temperature is different in an image forming apparatus, problems arise due to differences of operation due to environmental temperatures of the plurality of integrated oscillators. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ink cartridge for a jet printer, and particularly to a simple refilling device for ink cartridge of a jet printer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional jet printer, the ink is loaded in a cartridge, and the ink jetted on the printing paper is controlled with a jet nozzle; when ink in the cartridge is used up, the cartridge has to be replaced for further printing operation; however, the ink cartridge supplied by the original manufacturer is considerably expensive, i.e., a user to print a lot of papers will spend a lot of money.
In the conventional ink cartridge of a jet printer, the ink chamber of the ink cartridge is usually loaded with an equalization air-bladder or a piece of sponge for soaking and supplying ink. The ink cartridge supplied by the original manufacturer usually has an equal pressure in the ink chamber during the automatic manufacturing process, and there will be no leak during printing operation.
When refilling ink into a conventional hollow ink cartridge, and if such ink cartridge is furnished with an equalization air-bladder in the ink chamber thereof, a sticky tape should be used to close the air vent of the maze passage on the bottom of the ink cartridge so as to prevent ink from leaking; then, the intake hole of the air-bladder should also be closed with sticky tape so as to maintain equalization of pressure; then, use a sharp point to press the seal bead out of its position so as to provide a refilling hole. Take a suitable amount of ink with a syringe, and then inject the ink into the refilling hole on the ink cartridge slowly until the cartridge is full; use a plastic plug to seal the refilling hole, and then tear off the sticky tapes on the intake hole and on the bottom of the ink cartridge respectively; it is quite often that the opening end of the maze passage or the jet nozzle will have a leakage of ink after the sticky tape on the bottom of the cartridge is removed because the pressure in the ink chamber is not being equalized. To overcome such leakage, the only method is to rub off the ink leaked until the leak is stopped.
In another prior art, the ink cartridge is put in an ink-refilling box; the bottom of the ink-refilling box has a hermetic pad to close the maze passage on the bottom side of the ink cartridge. When the lid of the ink-refilling box is put thereon, the seal bead on the ink-refilling box will be pushed out of its normal position to provide an ink-refilling hole; a pipette connected with a syringe is plugged into the refilling hole on the lid of the ink-refilling box so as to refill ink; then, remove the lid and an air pump is inserted into the intake hole of air-bladder; use one hand to squeeze the air pump, while the other hand seals the ink-refilling hole with a plastic plug, and then the air pump is operated to have the air pressure in the ink cartridge equalized.
Still another prior art includes a hollow ink cartridge, in which the ink chamber is furnished with a sponge; when ink is filled into the cartridge, the sponge would provide a baffling effect to prevent the ink cartridge from being full directly; instead, the refilling operation is to be done slowly; however, such method is subject to causing an overflow out of the refilling hole to result in pollution.
In order to prevent leakage and pollution in the aforesaid ink cartridge, the front end of the syringe is mounted with an injection needle; the injection needle is inserted into the deep sponge so as to inject the ink into the ink chamber of the ink cartridge deeply. Unfortunately, when the ink is injected into the ink chamber, the ink in the sponge will generate bubbles,
which prevents cause the ink cartridge from being filled fully and overflow would result in the event of injecting operation being too fast. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments, devices and/or systems for performing endoscopic surgical procedures and methods of use thereof. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to surgical instruments, devices and/or systems including an end effector that is able to articulate, rotate and have a limited amount of rotation.
Background of Related Art
During laparoscopic or endoscopic surgical procedures, access to a surgical site is typically achieved through a small incision or through a narrow cannula inserted through a small entrance wound in a patient. Because of limited area to access the surgical site, many endoscopic surgical devices include mechanisms for articulating or rotating the tool assembly or the end effector of the device.
In surgical instruments that are used to apply tacks or anchors having helical threads, for example, an additional challenge exists when attempting to rotate the end effector, as the tacks are also configured to rotate through the end effector, through a surgical mesh, and into tissue, for instance.
Accordingly, a need exists for tack-applying surgical instruments which include the ability for its end effector to articulate and rotate, while also limiting the overall amount of rotation to prevent the premature ejection of tacks and to prevent timing issues when attempting to eject tacks. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This invention broadly relates to high pressure grease fittings and check valves used in conjunction with pumps, valves, flow actuators, compressors, or similar devices. More particularly the present invention relates to high pressure fittings and check valves in which internal flow control apparatus is employed to reduce or prevent blow-out, plugging or the like.
As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, a wide variety of grease fittings have previously been employed to facilitate the introduction of lubricants and the like into equipment having various moving internal parts. In oil and gas pipeline apparatus such as pumps, valves, flow actuators, and compressors, extremely high pressures may be commonly required to inject lubricants. The dynamic configuration of oil and gas equipment generates significant frictional forces, heat, thermal expansion and contraction, etc., which in time, severely stresses the seals, gaskets, and other internal components, ultimately denigrating the integrity and safety of the equipment. As a remedial maintenance measure viscous sealants, lubricants, grease, or the like, are periodically injected into such equipment. Servicing the equipment in this manner effectively prolongs equipment life and continuity of the system in which the equipment is a part. Those skilled in the art commonly recognize that the viscosity of the sealant, grease, lubricant, or the like, is directly proportional to its sealing and lubricating capability.
"Heavy duty" sealants and lubricants, are quite effective when sealing, high pressure equipment. Typical commercially available lubricating and/or sealing substances, that in addition to being highly viscous, teem with minute solid particles called "bridging agents." These bridging agents aid in sealing the gaps, cracks, leaks, holes, etc., within the equipment being serviced by collectively joining or spanning the opposing sides of the gap, or crack to effectuate sealing. In oil and gas pipeline applications the force feeding of "heavy" grease, sealants, lubricants, or the like, may necessitate input pressures in excess of 15,000 PSI. Typical high pressure grease fittings such as "button-head" fittings are widely used. A button-head fitting allows the grease or injection gun to be securely fastened to the inlet of the fitting during the introduction of the lubricant, or sealant.
However, prior art button head fittings, high pressure check valves, and the like have suffered from a variety of problems. Until now, there has been no button-head styled fitting commercially available which will perform consistently and flawlessly, delivering the injected heavy substance to the equipment being serviced. Hence, because of their design, injection of heavy sealants, or lubricants into the prior art grease fittings has proven quite problematic. Many known prior art fittings in this field of invention employ a "soft seat." This soft seat is formed by a ball, usually of steel construction, forcibly in contact with a non-metallic elastomer ring, washer, or cup. The purpose of the seat is to prevent reverse flow from escaping the fitting through the inlet end, and to prohibit unwanted matter from entering the fitting while not in use. A soft elastomer seat is advantageous because it can facilitate drip tight sealing. However, soft seats wear out quickly when subjected to sustained pressures.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, soft seats can be disadvantageous when the fitting or valve is constantly subjected to high back pressures. At low pressures, a slight leak will cause the seat to "cut-out" (become grooved), often resulting in permanent leaks. At high pressures the whole seat can become distorted, thus limiting the usefulness of the fitting. Considering the nature of heavy sealants, or lubricants, such as they are, a metal-to-metal seal provides adequate sealing for a pressurized highly viscous substance. Because seals wear out so often, it is common to inject fittings with bridging agents, but this tactic results in other problems.
In addition to the unreliability of the seals associated with prior art fittings, the injection of heavy substances has created numerous other problems, such as fitting "plug-off" (clogging). A major cause of this relates to failure of the usual valve element return spring. Spring deformation often results when the check valve element, usually a sphere, depresses the spring into an over compressed state. In addition, spring twisting and bending can occur unless spring movements are rigorously constrained. A severe problem is "cylinderization," wherein the return spring is compressed until its adjacent windings abut one another, and the spring thus forms a cylinder-like or tube. Since the required grease flow path is through the spring interior and through adjacent windings, cylinderization cuts off fitting flow integrity. Hence, flow between successive spring coils is substantially restricted by cylinderization. Further complicating matters, the ball elements common in the vast majority of prior art fittings reposition themselves atop the compressed spring. Consequently, the axial passageway within the spring is also substantially closed off. Hence, the injection pressure may not be dissipated, and blow out of the fitting can occur. When the fitting blows, gas back pressure can result in a calamity. Also, when spring flow is jammed, as when heavy substances clog and obstruct the flow paths, improper lubrication of the serviced device may result. When the grease gun is uncoupled from the fitting, unwanted gas venting may occur. Even if the jammed fitting does provide a seal, when grease input pressure is thereafter relaxed, the accumulated bridging agents may prevent valve closure, resulting in a ruined fitting.
The teachings of the prior art do not suggest an adequate solution to spring cylinderization or fitting plug-off. We have found that all prior art fittings known to us will plug-off at some time, especially when repeatedly injected with the heaviest known sealants, lubricants, and bridging agents. Once a fitting plugs-off, its utility is substantially diminished, and attempts to clear the fitting by increasing the localized pressure within the fitting body will most often result in fitting "blow-out."
"Blowout" occurs when an induced pressure change in a plugged fitting causes the bottom crimp, or retaining ring to fail. Said failure is evidenced by a sudden drop in pressure as indicated by the grease gun pressure gage. When blow-out does occur, the internal parts of the fitting are jettisoned into the equipment being serviced. Now costly and time consuming "blowdown" (evacuation) of the attached pipeline or flow line must be initiated so as to facilitate replacement of the collapsed fitting, and repairs to any damaged equipment. Thus, an object of the present invention is to prevent those events that could possibly lead to fitting blow-out from happening.
It is thus highly desirable for one to develop a fitting which is designed to forbid spring deformations such as cylinderization, and which is immune to fitting plug-off.
The pertinent prior art in this field of invention does not successfully address these problems. United States Pat. No. 4,347,915 employs an offset "leg" of the spring member to cause the ball member to drift to one side when the spring compresses. Theoretically, this ball drift increases the size of the flow channel within the axial hollow portion of the spring, and insures that the flow continues even if the spring is completely cylinderized. However, when very heavy sealants with large bridging agents are injected into the fitting, the ball forces the leg member to bend downward during spring compression and ultimate cylinderization, permitting the ball member to substantially diminish the flow channel. Hence, this fitting has the propensity to plug-off. The latter reference also discloses an internal sleeve member not found in other sources of prior art. The addition of the sleeve is an attempt to prolong the soft seat life, and avoid the soft seat denigration as alluded to earlier. The sleeve does virtually nothing to prevent spring cylinderization and the associated fitting plug-off. U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,441 discloses a stinger assembly employed for ball-to-seat sealing purposes. The spring may still cylinderize within the stinger assembly making plug-off possible.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,918,084 and 3,437,082 disclose a variety of spring, ball, and sleeve configurations. There is no means in any these patents by which the spring members are prevented from cylinderizing. More importantly however, the flow paths or channels in each of the above listed patents can be severely diminished and restricted.
In summation, there is a definite need for a flow fitting to withstand high localized pressures, to accept very heavy sealants and lubricants in order to prolong equipment life, and to provide substantially unrestricted flow channels in which the injected sealants, lubricants, or the like, could travel without plugging-off the fitting. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Machines such as, for example, dozers, loaders, excavators, motor graders, and other types of heavy equipment use hydraulic actuators coupled to a work implement for manipulation of a load. Such machines generally do not include shock absorbers and, thus, may pitch, lope, or bounce upon encountering uneven or rough terrain. The substantial inertia of the work implement and associated load tends to exacerbate these movements, resulting in increased wear of the machine and discomfort for the operator. Methods and systems for reducing the magnitude of the movements attributable to the work implement have been developed and are commonly referred to as “ride control.” One challenge with these systems is developing an efficient protocol for activating and deactivating ride control. Ride control is beneficial when traveling with or transferring a load. It is undesirable, however, to have ride control engaged when a machine is digging in a pile with a bucket because it dampens the force exerted by the bucket and exposes system components to potentially damaging pressure spikes.
One method of determining when to activate and deactivate ride control is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,621,124 (the '124 patent) issued to Mizoguchi et al. on Nov. 24, 2009. The '124 patent describes a method and device for suppressing travel vibration for a working vehicle using a ride control valve that communicates or cuts off a bottom chamber of a boom cylinder from an accumulator. The '124 patent describes a method of activating ride control or controlling the ride control valve based on a pressure sensor and a travel state detecting sensor. The travel state detecting sensor may constitute a variety of sensors including, for example, a speed sensor, a sensor which can detect a speed gear of a transmission and a rotational speed of an engine, a sensor which can detect the speed gear of the transmission and a stroke position of an accelerator pedal, and a GPS sensor.
Although the system and method of the '124 patent may provide a protocol for activating and deactivating ride control, it may be less than optimal. Specifically, the system and method of the '124 patent may prevent ride control activation in certain operating situations where ride control may be desired, for example, when carrying or transferring a load at lower speed in a low gear.
The disclosed hydraulic system is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This invention relates to light emitting devices and assemblies and methods of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and assemblies thereof.
LEDs are widely known solid-state lighting elements that are capable of generating light upon application of voltage thereto. LEDs generally include a diode region having first and second opposing faces, and include therein an n-type layer, a p-type layer and a p-n junction. An anode contact ohmically contacts the p-type layer and a cathode contact ohmically contacts the n-type layer. The diode region may be epitaxially formed on a substrate, such as a sapphire, silicon, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, etc., growth substrate, but the completed device may not include a substrate. The diode region may be fabricated, for example, from silicon carbide, gallium nitride, gallium phosphide, aluminum nitride and/or gallium arsenide-based materials and/or from organic semiconductor-based materials. Finally, the light radiated by the LED may be in the visible or ultraviolet (UV) regions, and the LED may incorporate wavelength conversion material such as phosphor.
LEDs are increasingly being used in lighting/illumination applications, with a goal being to provide a replacement for the ubiquitous incandescent light bulb. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to carbomethoxy methyl norbornanes having the generic formula: ##STR2## wherein the dashed line represents a carbon-carbon single bond or a carbon-carbon double bond; and one of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 is methyl and the other of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 is hydrogen, and to novel compositions using one or more of such norbornane derivatives to alter, modify or enhance the flavor and/or aroma of consumable materials or impart flavor and/or aroma to consumable materials.
There has been considerable work performed relating to substances which can be used to impart (modify, augment or enhance) flavors and fragrances to (or in) various consumable materials. These substances are used to diminish the use of natural materials, some of which may be in short supply, and to provide more uniform properties in the finished product.
Application for U.S. Letters Patent, Ser. No. 133,870 filed on Mar. 25, 1980 relates to compounds generic to the compounds of the instant invention; carboalkoxy alkyl norbornanes having the generic formula: ##STR3## wherein the dashed line represents either a carbon-carbon single or a carbon-carbon double bond; R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 represent hydrogen or methyl; with the proviso that one of R.sub.1 or R.sub.2 is methyl and the other of R.sub.1 or R.sub.2 is hydrogen; and with the further proviso that R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are not both methyl, produced by the novel process of our invention and to novel compositions using one or more of such norbornane derivatives to alter, modify or enhance the flavor and/or aroma of consumable materials or impart flavor and/or aroma to consumable materials.
Mellor and Webb, J. Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans II, 1974 (I) 26-31 discloses production of the compounds having the structures: ##STR4## together with several other methyl substituted isomers thereof in admixture, according to the reaction: ##STR5## The Mellor and Webb article, however, does not disclose the reaction to take place at low temperatures in the presence of an alkyl aluminum halide or dialkyl aluminum halide whereby but two isomers are produced in a controlled fashion in high yields thus yielding an organoleptically acceptable mixture of carboalkoxy norbornane derivatives. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to an antibacterial aqueous solution comprising a phosphate, a citrate, and a silicate. The present invention is also related to a method of controlling bacterial contamination and/or growth in a food substance, a method of prohibiting the formation of, and/or facilitating the removal of, silicate aggregation on a metal substrate, and a method of, for environmental protection purposes, reducing phosphate usage in industrial antibacterial processes.
Bacteria live everywhere in our environment, air, soil, rock, and water. Many bacteria are pathogenic and can cause diseases such as Botulism food poisoning, E-coli food poisoning, Cholera, Whooping Cough, Plague, Scarlet fever, Diphtheria, Tuberculosis, Typhoid fever, Anthrax, and so on and so forth. The extent of food borne infections in the United States was quantitatively documented in the CAST report of 1994 (Foodborne Pathogens: Risks and Consequences. Task Force Report No. 122, Council for agricultural Science and Technology, Washington D.C.), and has been extensively characterized in the past few years (CDC. 1988c. 1997 Final FoodNet Surveillance report. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, October, 1998). Many other bacteria are, although not pathogens, spoilage bacteria and are responsible for reducing the shelf life and freshness of a food substance.
Without appropriate sanitary measures, human food substances such as fruit, vegetable, and animal meat will inevitably be contaminated or degraded by bacteria. For example, the so-called “salad in a bag” products have gained great consumer acceptance as a result of their convenience of use. However, such products are susceptible to bacterial degradation as a result of cross contamination of bacteria at the surface of one or more cut pieces of vegetables contacting other cut pieces. Similarly, animals are killed and their carcasses are processed to produce food products for human consumption. Typically, the processing of such animals includes evisceration, which may contaminate the edible portion of the animal with bacteria. Furthermore, depending upon the sanitary conditions employed in processing, additional sources for contamination exist.
Moreover, poultry carry a large population of microbes on their surface as they pass into a scalder, a typical early stage processing technique. Microbes are displaced into the scald water and can redeposit on the bird as it is removed therefrom. In addition, poultry feces may be ejected into the scald water which further escalates the presence of microbes therein. Scalded birds are then defeathered in mechanical pickers, which are often set so that the skin's epidermal layer is removed. This allows microbes to more easily bind to the naked bird. Beef carcasses similarly carry microbes on their hide into a slaughter room. Because of the violent nature of hide removal, microbe containing debris can be air-born and land on the naked carcass. Unfortunately, removal of microbes from the naked carcass of poultry or beef is difficult. Accordingly, methods of removing these microbes have been investigated.
There has been extensive research conducted in the field of food hygiene to develop compositions which function as food grade anti-bacterial agents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,017 teaches a method of inhibiting bacterial growth in meat in which sodium citrate buffered with citric acid is introduced into the meat to a sodium citrate content of 1 to 7%, and preferably about 1 to 1.3%.
WO 97/23136 teaches a bacterial decontamination method which involves treatment with a solution of low concentration alkali metal orthophosphate combined with either osmotic shock and/or lysozyme in solution and/or nisin in solution. This reference tested the combination of low concentrations of trisodium orthophosphate with lysozyme against certain bacteria on lettuce leaves or chicken skin, and the combination of low concentrations of trisodium orthophosphate with nisin against certain bacteria on chicken skin. U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,073 has disclosed a process for treating poultry carcasses with a solution containing about 4% or greater trialkali metal phosphate, to remove, reduce or retard bacterial contamination and/or growth. However, according to the disclosure, relatively undesirable high amounts of phosphates will be dumped into waste streams and eventually into the environment. Phosphates are a major source of pollution in lakes and streams, and high phosphate levels support over-production of algae and water weeds.
In an attempt to minimize, or hopefully eliminate, the use of phosphates, U.S. Patent Application 2003/0,194,475 teaches an antibacterial method for food substances, in which a phosphate solution is replaced by an aqueous solution of alkali silicate. However, silicate tends to “aggregate” into an insoluble form and binds very tightly on the surface of metal, particularly iron based metals, such as shackles and drip pans. This aggregated silicate may commonly appear as “scale”, white spot, stain, or gummy residue, all of which are difficult to remove. For purposes of this disclosure, each of these is referred to generally as scale. Scale is generally perceived as undesirable as it may provide a surface prone to bacteria/microbe infiltration.
Advantageously, the present invention provides an antibacterial aqueous solution, which can reduce certain of the aforementioned problems. More particularly, the present invention can reduce bacterial contamination and/or retard bacterial growth in a food substance; yield a waste stream containing a limited amount of phosphate compounds; and limit the formation of, and/or facilitate the removal of, silicate aggregation on metal article. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This invention relates to mechanical protective devices, and more particularly to impact resistant face shields for use in protecting the face of an individual.
Today, sports are more popular than ever. This increase in popularity has resulted in an increase in the number of amateur and professional sport participants. Unfortunately, increased participation has resulted in an increase in the number of injuries suffered by individuals, and particularly in the number of facial injuries. Consequently, some sports now recommend and/or require the use of face shields or other facial protective devices when participating in the sport. One such sport is hockey.
Conventional face shields suitable for use in sports, such as those manufactured by Itech Sports Products, Inc. under the trade designation ITECH.RTM. Type IV sports protector, typically consist of a transparent polycarbonate blank that is formed or molded into a convex shield, which is adapted for mounting to existing sport helmets. The shield, when mounted to the helmet, extends generally outwardly and away from the wearer's face. As a result of this mounting configuration, objects located in the external environment appear at least partially distorted. Thus, the molded polycarbonate blank introduces some distortion over a portion of the individual's field of view.
The distorting effects of conventional face shields creates a unique set of problems for the wearer. The shield can cause strain on the wearer's eyes, which over a period of time can have deleterious effects. Additionally, rapidly viewing objects through the face shield and conversely not through the face shield produces further eye strain by requiring the individual to focus differently for each different field of view.
Due to the foregoing and other shortcomings of existing face shields, an object of this invention is to provide a face shield that reduces optical distortion.
Another object of this invention is to provide a protective face shield that has relatively high optical clarity and resolution.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a face shield that reduces the eye strain.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a face shield that is relatively strong and durable and relatively lightweight.
Other general and more specific objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear from the drawings and description which follow. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In a digital communication system, binary information is conveyed from one device to another through a variety of channels and recovered at a receiving end. The electronics which receive the binary information also receive varying amounts of noise and distortion which degrade the quality of the signal. This can be the result of a variety of physical phenomena, such as interference from adjacent similar transmitters or receivers, thermal noise present in the receiving device electronics, meteorological phenomena, or numerous other sources. In most communication systems, provisions are made to minimize the impact of degradations on the received signal.
There are several approaches taken to minimize the effect of noise present in a received signal. A typical approach is to increase the power of the transmitter. This increases the ratio of the received signal strength relative to the noise present at the receiving end. Though effective, this technique increases the resources needed at the transmitting end of the communication system. In some communication systems, an increase in required transmitter power can vastly increase the cost of operating the system.
Another approach toward minimizing the effects noise and distortions present in a received signal is to decrease the rate at which information is conveyed from the transmitter to the receiver. This is effective since it increases the time allotted to the receiver to make a decision as to the state of each binary digit. This technique has the obvious disadvantage of reducing the speed of the information transfer within the communication system.
A better technique of minimizing the effect of noise and distortions present at the receiving end is to encode the binary information at the transmitter using an error control code. Through the use of an error control code, the transmitted information is encoded through the addition of error control information according to various techniques in order to become more resistant to the effects of noise. At the receiver, these error control binary digits are manipulated in order to correct errors in the information binary digits. Generally, the more error control binary digits that are added at the transmitter, the more robust the error correction capability of the error control code and therefore the more resistant the code is to the effects of noise at the receiving end of the communication system. However, as error control binary digits are added, they consume a larger and larger percentage of the available channel bandwidth.
A disadvantage of many error control codes is that although they provide acceptable performance in moderate noise environments, they are incapable of performing in severe noise environments. In these environments, a larger and larger percentage of the available bandwidth is consumed by the error control binary digits. Convolutional error control codes provide satisfactory operation in moderate noise environments without consuming a large amount of channel bandwidth. In more severe noise environments, concatenating more than one convolutional error control code and arranging the encoders along parallel data paths can improve performance. However, these techniques require significant channel bandwidth to be effective due to the additional error control binary digits added by the concatenated convolutional code.
Therefore, what is needed is a method and apparatus for encoding and decoding binary information using a highly noise resistant code that will consume only a small portion of the channel bandwidth. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Air travel is becoming increasingly ubiquitous and accessible due to the availability of low cost flights and increased air routes being served by airlines across the globe.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported in 2014, that U.S. airlines and foreign airlines serving the United States carried an all-time high of 848.1 million system-wide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers, which was 2.5 percent more than in 2013 and 1.2 percent more than the previous record-high of 838.4 million reached in 2007.
Internationally, commercial passenger airlines logged 50.9 million flight hours with nearly twenty-four million departures and over 2.8 billion passengers fly for an average of over 2 hours per departure. At any given moment, there are approximately 690,000 passengers in the air. The trend is only increasing. Global air passenger traffic grew by 6.5% in 2015 as a whole, well above the 10-year average annual growth of 5.5%.
Unfortunately, air travel also comes with increasing health concerns, particularly, regarding back and neck pain associated with airline seating. While seat comfort is a subjective issue, the effect that poorly designed airline seats have on posture is undeniable.
It is well known by those in the industry that undue stress is placed on the human body when subjected to static positioning over long periods of time. People complain about neck pain only second to headaches. Neck pain is most likely due to poor posture. Multiple studies suggest that a substantial number of people experience increased neck pain following a flight. For frequent travelers, or those who have prior neck issues may find that putting their posture under pressure may result in a higher risk of long-term neck problems.
A major factor in travel-related neck discomfort is the seats themselves. The majority of coach seats have no adjustments for lumbar support. As well, the tops of the seats push the head forward, forcing the body into an awkward posture and causing strain on the neck muscles.
Neck problems are particularly acute for those passengers attempting to sleep on flights. Without head and neck support, passengers find themselves lolling to the side or falling forward, putting additional acute strain on the neck and upper vertebrae. However, this acute strain can result in gradual and long-term effects on posture.
For those few airlines that have seats with some type of headrest mechanism, they rarely support the head to the extent necessary to avoid neck strain. Experts suggest that passengers move around the cabin, but that is not always possible due to air conditions such as turbulence or during service times by airline flight attendants. Passengers in center seats have additional concerns due to the inability to lean to the side as can be done in window seats or being able to stretch their legs as with aisle seats. Many international flights have a 5-seat center configuration where middle seat passengers have additional difficulties leaving their seats.
It is suggested that sitting at a 135 degree angle places the least pressure on the vertebral discs and associated structures; however, that level of recline is rarely available on current coach airplanes, although some first-class cabins, particularly trans-continental flights, include seats that recline for sleeping.
To alleviate neck pain, passengers have turned to various neck pillows, which claim to add additional head support alleviating pain and discomfort while traveling. However, the travel pillows currently on the market are missing important functional components and have problems such as having a poor fit that allows too much head movement or not allowing enough head and neck movement, being made form materials that don't have enough strength to support the head, and none include a means of sufficiently supporting the head from falling forward.
For example, the following represent travel pillows on the market today.
The Kuh i Comfort Travel Pillow is made of two soft cylindrical balls, attached by a strap. According to company literature, the advantage of this pillow is that it can be used in multiple ways. In one position, it can be used behind a person's neck or head. A person can straighten the strap and the person can tuck one end over the shoulder for side support, or the pillow can be placed behind the back for lumbar support. Unfortunately, the lack of stiffness across the entire device provides inefficient support, particularly when it comes to forward head support.
The Cab eau Evolution Pillow is a modified version of the traditional ring pillow. It's made of memory foam and has raised side supports to cradle your neck or can be worn backwards to support your chin. However, it does not support the head all around, including the chin, allowing for too much head and neck movement and not enough support. There is also too much space between the chest and the device, and the device allows the head to fall forward to a point where the unit puts pressure on the neck, making it hard to breathe.
The Travelrest Travel Pillow is shaped like a banana and is about the length of a person's head to waist. It is meant to be a side resting pillow. It is larger on the top, to rest your head, and then tapers into a slight curve that is placed across the body, similar to a sling. A long string at the bottom lets a person attach the two ends to secure the pillow around the passenger's waist or to the airplane seat. The pillow, while generally supportive, only supports one side of the head. For those that wish to switch positions, they must untie and readjust the pillow. As well, the device has no chin support, making it difficult to use on airline seats with minimal recline. Furthermore, this pillow is not compact enough to easily stow and carry when traveling.
The generic inflatable neck pillow is one of the most popular and easy-to-find travel pillows on the market. These pillows are shaped like a horseshoe, draped around the neck and tied in the front. The inflatable air pillow relies on air pressure for support. However, the air pressure is often variable, depending upon the aircraft flying altitude. When the aircraft flies in the higher altitude, the air pillow will expand and it will contract in the lower altitude. The change in pressure can be problematic and disturbing to aircraft passengers when the flying altitude changes. As well, one of the main drawbacks of an inflatable pillow is that the air moves in the opposite direction as a result of the pressure applied by someone's head, leaving an uneven pressure gradient throughout the inflatable pillow. Most of the inflatable air pillows are made from vinyl material that will cause the user to feel hot and sticky. These traditional pillows are not breathable and can result in the person breaking out with acne on the chest, neck, and chin. However, the advantage of the inflatable pillow is the ease of storage and its light weight. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a reproducing and recording apparatus which generates/detects an address in/from a recording medium such as an optical disc having recorded addresses and records/reproduces data on/from the recording medium.
2. Description of the Background Art
In FIGS. 6A and 6B in JP-A-2008-41243, there is shown correlation of address information on a Blu-ray Disc. In the paragraph [0010] in JP-A-2008-41243, there is a description “As shown in FIG. 6, each address unit number (AUN) is associated with a physical sector number and associated with a physical ADIP (Address In Pre-groove) address, so that the AUN is used usefully as reference information for seeking a record position.” According to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the physical sector number (PSN) allocated as one address to data in accordance with each sector and the physical ADIP address (PAA) embedded in wobbles have the relation 32*PSN=3*PAA but five bits of bit31 to bit27 of the PSN are not allocated as bits corresponding to the PAA. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to absorbent liners and, more particularly, to disposable absorbent liners for absorbing moisture and assisting to maintain perishable foodstuff at a fresh state within a refrigerated environment.
2. Prior Art
For most people, household chores are a fact of life. Vacuuming debris from carpeting, polishing furniture, waxing floors and cleaning windows are necessary tasks which must be done regularly to ensure a healthy and clean household. In particular, keeping a clean kitchen is of utmost concern for many consumers. Because the kitchen is such a vital component of any home, most consumers take careful steps to make sure this room is clean and sanitary. Specifically, cleaning away spills and food debris from the interior of one's refrigerator is an important chore regularly completed by most household consumers. Most refrigerator shelving is comprised of rubber coated wire racks, as well as solid plastic shelves.
Providing ample space on which to store gallons of milk, condiments, and a host of other goods, shelving is integral to any refrigerator design. A crucial element of any refrigerator is the “crisper” drawers. Typically utilized to store fresh produce including a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, crisper drawers also provide ample storage for items such as luncheon meats, cheese and eggs. Although necessary, because of the very function of these drawers, ensuring they are clean and sanitary at all times can be problematic, especially given the fact that foods stored “out of sight” are often “out of mind” long past the expiration date. Simply stated, foods left within a crisper drawer for too long can quickly decompose, leaving behind a sticky and foul smelling liquid residue.
Let's face it, who hasn't opened a refrigerator crisper drawer when unpacking groceries, only to find the unpleasant reminder of forgotten peaches, lettuce or tomatoes purchased in the weeks before? Further, while the stench of rotten fruits and vegetables can be completely disgusting, those smells are only intensified when combined with the odor of spoiled meats and cheeses. Unfortunately, regardless of how well one maintains their household, it can be easy to forget the many food items which are stored away in a crisper drawer until the unpleasant, odoriferous reminder of their presence has seeped into the rest of the refrigerator, tainting other foods. Cleaning this sloppy residue can be a daunting task, particularly as the liquid matter which results from the food decomposition can become easily trapped within the grooves of the drawer, forming a crusty hard residue that is difficult to remove. Obviously, it would advantageous to provide a means for maintaining a clean and sanitary refrigerator drawer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,417 to Aquino discloses a permanent, reusable, open skeletal-type crate that is permanently erect or collapsible. The crate is constructed to hold an inexpensive tray that is disposable. The tray in turn holds any desired number of individual containers of fluid or otherwise. In the preferred form the crate is collapsible and possesses hinged bottom end pieces that are slidable as allowed by a slot in a bottom strap. The erect crate may receive a tray holding the fluid or other containers with the crate and the tray constituting a system that is delivered to a retail outlet or alternatively the tray with its contents is deposited in the retail outlet. The crate has exceptional stacking strength with special corner posts. However, the crate is weak in the side to side direction and the end to end direction to eliminate uses that are prevalent with present milk crates. Unfortunately, this prior art example is not designed for refrigerator storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,580 to Rosenburg discloses a liner for a refrigerator crisper drawer. The liner comprises a main produce supporting body and provides drawer engaging surfaces. The main body provides a generally upwardly facing produce supporting surface on which items of produce can be placed and has a plurality of openings formed therethrough which enable fluids and air to flow through the main body. The supporting surfaces engage liner supporting surfaces inside the crisper drawer so as to support the items of produce in spaced relation above the floor of the crisper drawer and allow fluids and air to flow along the floor of the drawer beneath the produce supporting body, thereby allowing fluids to drain away from the items of produce through the openings and allowing chilled air within the crisper drawer to flow beneath the items of produce and generally upwardly through the openings to provide circulation to lower portions of the produce. The drawer engaging surfaces are constructed and arranged to enable the liner to be removed from the crisper drawer for cleaning or replacement. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide an odor eliminating mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,567 to Sulpizio discloses a protective insert for a drawer having a plurality of sidewalls which are interconnected by a bottom wall which is comprised of a generally continuous, generally tubular frame. The frame is formed of a plurality of interconnected, generally flat panels, the number of panels corresponding to the number of sidewalls of the drawer. Each of the frame panels is sized and shaped to conform to and to engage and cover at least a portion of an interior surface of the sidewalls of a corresponding one of the drawer. A flexible liner extends between each of the panels of the frame to engage and cover at least a substantial portion of the bottom wall of the drawer. In this manner, the frame retains the liner in place within the drawer such that the combination of the liner and the frame cover and protect at least a substantial portion of the interior surfaces of the drawer. In one embodiment, the frame is adjustable to fit drawers of different sizes and the liner is a sheet of polymeric material. In another embodiment, the frame is a predetermined, fixed size and the liner is a polymeric bag, which is secured to the frame. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide an odor eliminating mechanism.
Accordingly, the present invention is disclosed in order to overcome the above noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an apparatus that is convenient and easy to use, lightweight yet durable in design, and designed for absorbing moisture and assisting to maintain perishable foodstuff at a fresh state within a refrigerated environment. The present invention is simple to use, inexpensive, and designed for many years of repeated use. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
There are a number of applications where it is desirable to be able to identify an unknown location of an object which emits a signal. One example occurs when planning an indoor wireless local area network (LAN) having one or more RF or microwave emitters.
Of course precisely defining an object's location requires specifying coordinates in three dimensions (e.g., longitude, latitude, and altitude). In the discussion to follow, for simplicity of explanation it is assumed that the third coordinate (i.e., altitude) is either known or is otherwise easily determined once the other two coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) are identified. Those skilled in the art will be able to extrapolate the discussion to follow to the case where all three coordinates are to be determined.
There are a few known methods to locate signal emitters using a plurality of distributed sensors, or receivers, which are spaced apart from each other. Among the most common of these methods are: Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), Time of Arrival (TOA), Angle of Arrival (AOA), and Received Signal Strength (RSS).
The TDOA method, also known sometimes as multilateration or hyperbolic positioning, is a process of locating an emitter by accurately computing the time difference of arrival (TDOA) of a signal emitted from the emitter to three or more sensors. In particular, if a signal is emitted from a signal emitter, it will arrive at slightly different times at two spatially separated sensor sites, the TDOA being due to the different distances to each sensor from the emitter. For given locations of the two sensors, there is a set of emitter locations that would give the same measurement of TDOA. Given two known sensor locations and a known TDOA between them, the locus of possible locations of the signal emitter lies on a hyperbola. In practice, the sensors are time synchronized and the difference in the time of arrival of a signal from a signal emitter at a pair of sensors is measured. With three or more sensors, multiple hyperbolas can be constructed from the TDOAs of different pairs of sensors. The location where the hyperbolas generated from the different sensor pairs intersect is the most likely location of the signal emitter.
In the TOA method, a signal emitter transmits a signal at a predetermined or known time. Three or more sensors each measure the arrival time of the signal at that sensor. The known time of arrival leads to circles of constant received time around each sensor. The locations where the circles from the three or more sensors intersect are the most likely location of the signal emitter.
In the AOA method, the angle of arrival of the signal is measured with special antennas at each receiver. This information is combined to help locate the signal emitter.
In the RSS method, the power of the received signal at each sensor is measured, and this information is combined to help locate the signal emitter. There are a few different emitter location procedures that employ RSS. For example, one commonly used method in planning indoor wireless LAN systems in a building of interest is to map the received signal strength at various locations around the building during a setup phase. From this map, a variety of algorithms can be used to locate the signal emitter based on computed received power at three or more sensors.
A more detailed explanation of principles employed in an RSS method of locating a signal emitter will now be provided, particularly illustrating a case involving an RF emitter and RF sensors.
FIG. 1 illustrates a general case of an RF emitter 110 and two RF sensors 122 and 124.
In free space, the received power of a signal transmitted by RF emitter 110 decreases with the square of the distance from RF emitter 110. For indoor or dense urban environments the power fall-off is even steeper, for example r−3 or r−4, where r is the distance from RF emitter 110. In general, given a transmitted power P0 measured at distance r0, the power P1 received at first RF sensor 122 is:
P 1 = P 0 ( r 0 r 1 ) n , ( 1 ) where r1 is the distance between RF emitter 110 and first RF sensor 122, and n is the exponential rate at which the power decreases with distance.
Likewise the received power P2 at second RF sensor 124 is:
P 2 = P 0 ( r 0 r 2 ) n , ( 2 ) where r2 is the distance between RF emitter 110 and second RF sensor 124.
This leads to:
P 1 P 2 = ( r 2 r 1 ) n ( 3 )
With a bit of manipulation this yields:
10 ( log ( P 1 P 2 ) n ) = r 2 r 1 = const = α ( 4 )
It can be shown that this leads to a circle of a given radius and centered on the line defined by the two RF sensors. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary circle generated by power measurements of a signal transmitted by RF emitter 110 and received at RF sensors 122 and 124.
With at least three RF sensors, three such circles are generated, and the location of RF emitter 100 can be found where the three circles intercept. With many sensors, it is possible to increase the accuracy by determining the point where most of the generated circles intersect.
However, the addition of measurement uncertainty and noise makes this a difficult problem to solve analytically with a high degree of accuracy.
Moreover, using just the measured signal power, as it typical in most RSS methods, multiple emitters transmitting from different locations at the same time with the signals having the same characteristics (e.g., frequency, bandwidth, etc.) leads to confusing results for the emitter location.
Furthermore, with existing equipment, it is often difficult for a troubleshooter to easily and efficiently view all of the relevant data of interest to allow a clear picture of any coverage and interference issues. More robust data analysis and data presentation capabilities are needed. In particular, methods are needed that are robust when multiple emitters are present that transmit signals at the same time and on the same frequency.
What is needed, therefore, is a method and system for locating signal emitters that addresses one or more of these shortcomings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention generally relates to methods of producing semiconductor-on-insulator structures and semiconductor devices having the semiconductor-on-insulator structure, and more particularly to a method of producing a semiconductor-on-insulator structure such as a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure and a semiconductor device having such a semiconductor-on-insulator structure.
The SOI technology was proposed as a method of forming an insulator layer between two single crystal semiconductor layers for the purpose of producing high-speed elements and semiconductor devices which are uneasily affected by alpha-rays. As methods of producing the SOI structure, there are the silicon on sapphire (SOS) technique, the laser melt technique, the wafer bonding technique and the like. However, according to the SOS technique and the laser melt technique, it is difficult to form a perfect single crystal layer on the insulator layer. For this reason, there is much attention on the wafer bonding technique.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining a conventional bonding technique. As shown in FIG. 1A, the surface of one of a base substrate 40 and an active substrate 41 is covered by a silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2) layer 42. In this example, the SiO.sub.2 layer 42 covers the base substrate 40. The active substrate 41 is bonded on the base substrate 40 having the SiO.sub.2 layer 42 as indicated by an arrow. Thereafter, the active substrate 41 is subjected to lapping and polishing processes so as to remove a portion of the active substrate 41 indicated by a phantom line in FIG. 1B. As a result, the remaining active substrate 41 on the SiO.sub.2 layer 42 of the base substrate 40 has a thickness of approximately 5 microns.
When using the SOI structure shown in FIG. 1B to make a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), a gate electrode g of the MOSFET is formed on the base substrate 40 via an insulator layer 43 as shown in FIG. 2. Then, two n-type regions are formed in the active substrate 41 to form a source s and a drain d of the MOSFET.
But molecules which lack oxygen such as SiO and Si.sub.2 O.sub.3 molecules exist within the SiO.sub.2 layer 42 which is provided between the base substrate 40 and the active substrate 41. For this reason, a positive interface state occurs at the SiO.sub.2 interface, and an inversion and a depletion state easily occur at the interface on the side of the active substrate 41. When such inversion and depletion state occur, an electron transition naturally occurs between the source s and the drain d of the MOSFET and causes an erroneous operation of the MOSFET.
In order to prevent the above described erroneous operation of the MOSFET, it is necessary to prevent the inversion and depletion state from occurring in the SiO.sub.2 layer 42.
FIG. 3 shows one conventional method of preventing the inversion and depletion state from occurring in the SiO.sub.2 layer 42. In FIG. 3, a negative voltage is applied to the base substrate 40 from a voltage source 44.
FIG. 4 shows another conventional method of preventing the inversion and depletion state from occurring in the SiO.sub.2 layer 42. In FIG. 4, a p-type impurity a such as boron (B) is injected into the interface on the side of the active substrate 41, so as to prevent the generation of negative charges in the active substrate 41.
However, according to the method shown in FIG. 3, there is a problem in that a control device for controlling the semiconductor device becomes bulky and complex because of the need to add the voltage source 44 for applying the negative voltage to the base substrate 40. For example, in the case of a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device, there is a need to provide two bias voltages for the p-channel n-channel transistors.
On the other hand, according to the method shown in FIG. 4, there is a problem in that it is difficult to adjust a threshold voltage of the MOSFET due to the injected impurity ions. In addition, there is also a problem in that the p-type impurity a diffuses into the active substrate 41 and varies the threshold voltage of the gate g when a thermal process is carried out to form elements on the active substrate 41. Hence, it is virtually impossible to make an active substrate which is sufficiently thin and does not contain the diffused p-type impurity a.
In order to eliminate the above described problems, a bonding method was proposed in a Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 1-186612. According to this proposed method, the SOI structure is formed as shown in FIGS. 5A through 5E. The surface of an active substrate 51 is covered by a SiO.sub.2 layer 53 as shown in FIG. 5A. On the other hand, the surface of a base substrate 61 is covered by a SiO.sub.2 layer 63 as shown in FIG. 5B. The thickness of the SiO.sub.2 layer 63 is greater than that of the SiO.sub.2 layer 53. A negative fixed charge nfc is formed in the SiO.sub.2 layer 53 by injecting aluminum (Al) ions or the like as shown in FIG. 5C. Then, as shown in FIG. 5D, the active substrate 51 and the base substrate 61 are bonded together so that the SiO.sub.2 layer 63 of the base substrate 61 makes contact with the SiO.sub.2 layer 53 which has the negative fixed charge nfc. As a result, the positive charge within the SiO.sub.2 layer 53 is eliminated. The structure shown in FIG. 5D is then formed into the structure shown in FIG. 5E by polishing the top portion of the active substrate 51.
But according to this proposed method, the SiO.sub.2 layer 53 is formed on the active substrate 51 by a thermal oxidation, and the formed SiO.sub.2 layer 53 only has a thickness in the range of 0.4 micron to 1.0 micron. For this reason, when the Al ions are injected into the SiO.sub.2 layer 53 at a high energy, the Al ions easily penetrate the SiO.sub.2 layer 53 and reach the active substrate 51. When the Al ions are injected into the active substrate 51, there are problems in that the characteristics of elements such as transistors formed on the active substrate 51 change and the performance of the semiconductor device becomes poor. These problems become notable especially when the active substrate 51 is made thin since a large portion of the active substrate 51 is damaged by the Al ions which penetrated the SiO.sub.2 layer 53.
In order to prevent the Al ions from penetrating the SiO.sub.2 layer 53, it is possible to consider reducing the energy at which the Al ions are injected. To prevent the penetration of the Al ions, the energy must be reduced to 10 keV or less, but at such a small energy the injection coefficient becomes greatly reduced and it becomes difficult to adjust the ion injection quantity. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention is generally directed to a method for the rapid screening of chemicals, catalysts, reactants, process conditions and the like. More specifically, the present invention is directed to the use of Incremental Flow Reactor (IFR) methodology on large arrays of miniaturized reactor vessels to identify potential reactants and catalyst systems for the bulk chemical industry.
Combinatorial chemistry is a popular research tool among scientists in many different fields. High throughput and combinatorial screening for biological activity have been prevalent in the pharmaceutical industry for nearly twenty years. More recently, high throughput and combinatorial screening for improved catalysts for the bulk chemical industries have enjoyed increasing popularity. Despite their popularity, development of high throughput and combinatorial screening for production scale reactions has been lagging. This has been due in large part to the difficulty in emulating the production-scale reactions at the micro-scale level, which is necessary for this type of work. In particular, special problems can arise in reactions that are significantly dependent on flow rate or configuration.
To date, most combinatorial work has focused on xe2x80x9csolid phasexe2x80x9d reactions. It is known that a wide variety of organic reactions can be carried out on substrates immobilized on resins. However, a substantial number of production scale reactions are xe2x80x9cliquid phasexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmixed phasexe2x80x9d and are carried out in continuous flow reactor systems.
Early efforts in high throughput screening of solutions have focused on catalyst screening. Before the application of the high throughput and combinatorial approaches, catalyst testing was traditionally accomplished in bench scale or larger pilot plants in which the feed to a continuous flow reactor was contacted with a catalyst under near steady state reaction conditions. However, rapid and combinatorial screening of reactants, catalysts, and associated process conditions requires that a large number of reactions or catalytic systems be tested simultaneously. In certain applications, screening-level data can be generated by using miniaturized batch reactors in conjunction with liquid-handling robots that aliquot the appropriate catalysts and reactants to each vial or reaction well. In other applications, however, batch reactions do not behave in the same fashion as continuous flow reactions, and could provide misleading results if the goal of screening is to identify reactants or catalyst systems that will be implemented in production-scale continuous flow reactors.
As the demand for bulk chemicals continues to grow, new and improved methods of producing more product with existing resources are needed to supply the marketplace. Unfortunately, the identification of additional effective reactants and catalyst systems for these processes continues to elude industry. There, thus, remains a need for new and improved methods for rapidly screening potential reactants, catalysts, and associated process conditions.
The present invention is directed to the use of IFR methodology on large arrays of miniaturized reactor vessels to produce chemical reactions that emulate those carried out in production-scale, continuous flow or continuous stirred tank reactors. With IFR, high throughput combinatorial screening of chemicals, catalysts, reactants, and associated process conditions is achieved. The use of liquid and solid handling robotic equipment to implement the IFR on numerous reactor arrays is also described.
In one embodiment the present invention is a method for producing multiple chemical reactions and catalytic systems in the reaction of at least one monohydroxyaromatic compound and at least one aldehyde or ketone to produce at least one bisphenol in batch reactors emulating the conditions of continuous reactors by incremental flow, comprising the steps of: providing a large array of reactor vessels and reactants; loading each reactor vessel with at least one reactant; and allowing the reactions to proceed for a predetermined time interval. A volume increment is withdrawn from each of the reactor vessels and a volume increment of at least one reactant is added to each reactor vessel in the array. The steps of volume increment withdrawal and addition are repeated after successive time intervals until the reactions reach a substantially steady state.
In alternative embodiments, the volume increment withdrawal can take place before, after, or contemporaneously with the volume increment addition. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to multiple branch peptide constructions (MBPCs) and to their use in the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections.
2. Background of the Invention
The use of radially branched systems in polymers has been known for a long time in classical polymer chemistry. This system has been used by J. P. Tam [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85, 5409-5413 (1988)] to develop antigens without the use of ambiguous carriers, using lysine skeletons. Those antigens were designed to generate vaccines against a variety of diseases. Antigens for generating vaccines against HIV infection are described by Tam in WO93/03766. He called them Multiple Antigenic Peptide Systems (MAPS), consistent with their conceived use.
The present inventors, along with others, found that similar constructions with shorter peptides derived from the V3 loop of the surface envelope glycoprotein gp120 of HIV offered a direct therapeutic approach to the treatment of HIV infections, as described in WO95/07929. The name MAPS was then inappropriate, and the compounds were renamed as MBPCs. The MBPCs of WO95/07929 interfered with the virus envelope—cell membrane fusion step and also the infected cell membrane—uninfected cell membrane fusion step, either step being thought to be indispensable for cell infection, virus multiplication and the spread of virus in the host organism, by blockading the CD4 receptor present in cells such as lymphocytes and macrophages, apparently by attaching to a membrane co-receptor which is distinct from the CD4 binding receptor, without causing the cell to lose its ability to be activated by other antigens or mitogens. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for testing the contents of a sealed container holding a liquid under the pressure of gas in a headspace. The container is typically a can and the liquid may for example be a beverage in which gas is dissolved.
It is the practice in the soft drinks industry to test the contents of a small proportion of cans filled with typically a carbonated beverage during a production run. One of the tests made is to measure the pressure in the headspace of the can to indicate the carbonation of the beverage. Another test is to measure the dissolved oxygen concentration of the beverage. It is necessary for the dissolved oxygen concentration of the beverage to be below a given maximum as oxygen may react with substances in the beverage to cause deterioration of the beverage.
Conventionally, the two tests mentioned above are conducted separately. The can is pierced with a hollow needle having a relatively wide bore. The needle communicates with the pressure gauge. An inner steel tube is inserted through the needle into the liquid in the can and acts as a siphon for withdrawing a sample of the liquid for a measurement of its dissolved oxygen concentration. This arrangement has a disadvantage in that the needle and its associated tubes add appreciably to the volume of the headspace of the can and thus causes inaccuracy in the measurement of the pressure in the headspace.
It is an aim of the invention to provide a method and apparatus that makes it possible to mitigate this problem. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates generally to operating systems and highly available fault tolerant systems. More particularly, this invention relates to application frameworks deploying applications with dataflow graphs on networks containing circuit switches where such switches are controlled by the application framework.
Evolving data workloads, such as stream processing workflows, require new types of interconnects because traditional packet switching is expensive in terms of energy use and is not generally flexible enough to dynamically adapt routing to the data requirements. Electrical packet switches at the center of compute clusters are hard to scale at high data rates, and high port counts require large numbers of parallel switch chips and multi-stage architectures. The need for lower-cost and more flexible interconnects is particularly important in High Performance Computing (HPC) systems. Electrical Circuit Switches (ECS) and Optical Circuit Switches (OCS) have been generally used in reconfigurable networks by the telecommunication industry for statically configured network routes. Both ECS and OCS may provide better power efficiency and allow lower latency through the switch than packet switches. The OCS switch is able to set up a dedicated connection dynamically between any pair of input and output ports. Each port is exclusively used in one connection, and, once configured, the network packets do not have to be inspected by the switch as they pass through. Different connections schemes between input/output pairs creates a unique network topology for the nodes that connect to each switch port, where nodes are typically the network endpoints, normally doing computational tasks on data in the workloads.
Stream processing applications are typically long running. In distributed streaming systems, such as that described in a paper entitled, Adaptive Control of Extreme-scale Stream Processing System, L. Amini, N. Jain, A. Sehgal, J Silber, and O. Verscheure (November 2005), streaming applications are deployed in the system and stream connections are established at runtime. The processing elements (PE) in the applications may, depending on their purpose, become CPU intensive, bandwidth intensive, and/or memory intensive. The streaming system determines the placement of these PEs based on available resources and the requirements of the PEs. The resource availability and requirements, however, can change over time. The node on which a PE is placed may not be suitable or optimal for the PE after a time. The system reacts by moving the PE to another node based on the current resource state. This may not be sufficient in some cases, including when a PE cannot be moved for some reason, or when moving the PE has more associated costs than the system is able to accept.
Circuit switched networks not only provide higher bandwidth between nodes but also the flexibility to reconfigure network resources instead of moving PEs. Traditionally, circuit switching technology has been used in wide area networks to provide a dedicated bandwidth connection between a source and destination.
Optical circuit switch (OCS) networks may offer a more scalable alternative to cluster interconnection networks. Benefits of OCS include transparency to data rates and protocols, low power consumption, compatibility with wavelength division multiplexing, and the fact that no need for optical-to-electrical and electrical-to-optical conversions are required.
The optical switch connects the optical fiber ports on the electronic packet switch of each cluster. Switching fibers connecting to different cluster switch ports form a unique inter-cluster all optical network. Optical switches may also be connected directly onto a node in a cluster for finer granularity.
Recent HPC literature has described network topologies that are amenable to evolving data workloads, such as stream processing (see, for example, a paper entitled, On the Feasibility of Optical Circuit Switching for High Performance Computing Systems, Barker, K. J.; Benner, A.; Hoare, R.; Hoisie, A.; Jones, A. K.; Kerbyson, D. K.; Li, D.; Melhem, R.; Rajamony, R.; Schenfeld, E.; Shao, S.; Stunkel, C.; Walker, P. Supercomputing, 2005). Proceedings of the ACM/IEEE SC 2005 Conference describe a network topology that combines the flexibility and other advantages of Optical Circuit Switches described above, with an aggregation scheme whereby several nodes are connected to one of several Electrical Packet Switches, and each Electrical Packet Switch is connected to the Optical Circuit Switch. The Optical Circuit Switch can be dynamically reconfigured as bandwidth needs evolve to connect one or more ports of each Electrical Packet Switch to one or more ports on other Electrical Packet Switches. In this way, data can be sent from a node, aggregated with traffic from other nodes at their packet switch, routed through the Optical Circuit Switch (which is dynamically configured to connect packets switches together needing the highest bandwidth), routed through the target Electrical Packet Switch, and then demultiplexed to target nodes. However, the technique described in the above-referenced paper for routing through the reconfigurable network to maximize network utilization is dependent on the development of new communication protocols. There is no method for existing network protocols, such as TCP/IP.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,174B1, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALING BETWEEN AN OPTICAL CROSS-CONNECT SWITCH AND ATTACHED NETWORK EQUIPMENT,” describes a method for using and controlling Optical Switches in a network. Another patent application, entitled “DUAL NETWORK TYPES SOLUTION FOR COMPUTER INTERCONNECTS,” U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0025288, filed on Jul. 27, 2006, describes the use of different network types including circuit switches and packet switches together in a system connecting a set of clusters and nodes. To date, however, there is no known solution for controlling circuit switches in a network, by application frameworks (that are running in the network) and utilizing them for running applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,671,254B1, entitled “COMMUNICATION NETWORK AND COMMUNICATION NODE USED IN SUCH NETWORK,” and which issued on Dec. 30, 2003, describes a network comprising nodes with an optical cross connect and a packet switch on each node, together with network management based on traffic monitoring. However, there is no application framework for network management, which is specifically based on hardware packet flow monitoring executed on each node. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a carriage having wheels and a handle and an aperture for engaging and retaining a grass or weed cutting device of the type utilizing a cable rotated by a motor output to cut grass, weeds or the like close to objects that cannot be cut by the conventional power or hand mower.
For some years now, trimming devices in the form of rapidly rotated cables of nylon or the like have been employed to manicure lawns and cut weeds around objects that cannot be cut by a conventional lawnmower due to the inability of the mower to closely approach such objects as fences, trees, walls or the like. Such devices have been very popular since they have eliminated the task of operating hand clippers to trim the edges of lawns around objects such as those enumerated above.
However, in a number of circumstances, the weight of such devices has proved to be an impediment to their use and the fact that the devices have been designed to be hand held has also limited their application to a number of trimming jobs such as under large trees and bushes having extensively overhanging foliage, or under fixedly mounted lawn furniture. For long periods of operating time, the devices can be a considerable burden to handle due to their weight and due to the fact that care must be taken to maintain the electric cord in a safe position. Also, where the devices are gas operated, the weight of the motor and fuel can be a critical factor contributing to early fatigue for the user. Thus, where trimming devices of either the electrical or combustion engine driven type have been employed for working on estates, public parks or the like, worker fatigue will be a significant problem which will inevitably reduce efficiency. Additionally, use of these hand held type trimmers on certain landscapes can be dangerous such as where the terrain is very steep and where it is difficult for the operator of such a device to maintain a balanced foothold.
The present invention overcomes the foregoing disadvantages by providing a wheeled carriage for the electrical or gas driven trimming devices wherein such a device can be easily mounted and dismounted from the carriage and yet can be securely held on the carriage to greatly extend the working period by lessening worker fatigue. Further, use of the carriage of the present invention will enable an operator to cut grass and weeds in locations that have previously been inaccessible for hand held operation such as under trees with low hanging boughs, porches or lawn furniture or the like. Additionally, the carriage of the present invention is provided with a telescoping handle so that an operator will be able to cut or trim edge sections located on steep banks while being able to stand at a distance from the cutting site.
In summary, the carriage of the present invention is designed for cooperation with electrically driven or gas driven trimming devices of the type where a section of cord extends from a motor output and which is rotated at high speeds about a central axis of the motor. Conventionally, such devices have a skirt portion extending from the motor housing with the motor located above the skirt portion and the cutting cord located below the skirt. The carriage of the present invention includes a platform having a central aperture into which the skirt portion can be fitted and held be releasable retaining arms so that the trimming device can be easily inserted and removed from the carriage without difficulty as may be frequently required during a grass trimming operation. The releasable retaining arms cooperate with the aperture in a unique manner to securely hold the motor housing in position on the carriage while providing easy removal of the cutting device from the carriage. Also, the present invention provides a fifth wheel for the carriage to permit the platform of the carriage to be tilted to the horizontal to facilitate trimming along the edge of a lawn thereby avoiding the tiresome necessity of holding the cutting device entirely by hand at an angle to the edge to be trimmed.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as consideration is given to the accompanying detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Semiconductor memory is widely used in various electronic devices such as cellular telephones, digital cameras, personal digital assistants, medical electronics, mobile computing devices, servers, solid state drives, non-mobile computing devices and other devices. Semiconductor memory may comprise non-volatile memory or volatile memory. A non-volatile memory allows information to be stored and retained even when the non-volatile memory is not connected to a source of power (e.g., a battery). Examples of non-volatile memory include flash memory (e.g., NAND-type and NOR-type flash memory).
Memory systems can be used to store data provided by a host device, client, user or other entity. It is important that when data stored in the memory system is read back and reported to the host device, client, user or other entity, the data is reported back accurately. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Hybrid vehicles configured such that a rotating electric machine generates a vehicle driving force using electric power from a secondary battery mounted in a vehicle have been attracting attention.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2008-285011 (PTL 1) describes a hybrid vehicle in which selection is made between a mode in which the vehicle travels by operating at least an engine and a mode in which the vehicle travels by stopping the engine and using only an output of a motor generator. PTL 1 describes that, in the hybrid vehicle, replacement timing of consumable parts related to the engine is determined based on an operation result of the engine.
Further, hybrid vehicles require traveling control which can avoid excessive charging/discharging of a vehicle-mounted secondary battery and also ensure driving performance in response to a driver's request. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-109650 (PTL 2) describes a control device for a vehicle and a method for controlling a vehicle. PTL 2 describes that an upper limit value or a lower limit value of the amount of change of a torque generated by a traction motor serving as a rotating electric machine generating a vehicle driving force is set based on a limit value of output power or input power of a secondary battery and a speed of the vehicle. Thereby, it is aimed that the traction motor outputs a torque requested by a driver without causing excessive charging/discharging of the secondary battery.
As described in PTL 2, it is common to set upper limit values of input power and output power of a secondary battery based on a state of charge (SOC) and a temperature of the secondary battery. An output of a traction motor is set in a range where the output power of the secondary battery does not exceed the upper limit value. Thus, if the output power upper limit value is limited due to a reduction in the SOC or an increase in the temperature of the secondary battery, the output of the traction motor is also limited. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The invention relates to the field of client/server (also known as xe2x80x9cdistributedxe2x80x9d) computing, where one computing device (xe2x80x9cthe clientxe2x80x9d) requests another computing device (xe2x80x9cthe serverxe2x80x9d) to perform part of the client""s work.
Client/server computing has become more and more important over the past few years in the information technology world. This type of distributed computing allows one machine to delegate some of its work to another machine that might be, for example, better suited to perform that work.
The benefits of client/server computing have been even further enhanced by the use of a well-known computer programming technology called object-oriented programming (OOP), which allows the client and server to be located on different (heterogeneous) xe2x80x9cplatformsxe2x80x9d. A platform is a combination of the specific hardware/software/operating system/communication protocol which a machine uses to do its work. OOP allows the client application program and server application program to operate on their own platforms without worrying how the client application""s work requests will be communicated and accepted by the server application. Likewise, the server application does not have to worry about how the OOP system will receive, translate and send the server application""s processing results back to the requesting client application.
Details of how OOP techniques have been integrated with heterogeneous client/server systems are explained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,744 and European Patent Published Application No. EP 0 677,943 A2. These latter two publications are hereby incorporated by reference. However, an example, of the basic architecture will be given below for contextual understanding of the invention""s environment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the client computer 10 (which could, for example, be a personal computer having the IBM OS/2 operating system installed thereon) has an application program 40 running on its operating system (xe2x80x9cIBMxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cOS/2xe2x80x9d are trademarks of the International Business Machines corporation). The application program 40 will periodically require work to be performed on the server computer 20 and/or data to be returned from the server 20 for subsequent use by the application program 40. The server computer 20 can be, for example, a high-powered mainframe computer running on IBM""s MVS operating system (xe2x80x9cMVSxe2x80x9d is also a trademark of the IBM corp.). For the purposes of the present invention it is irrelevant whether the requests for communications services to be carried out by the server are instigated by user interaction with the first application program 40, or whether the application program 40 operates independently of user interaction and makes the requests automatically during the running of the program.
When the client computer 10 wishes to make a request for the server computer 20""s services, the first application program 40 informs the first logic means 50 of the service required. It may for example do this by sending the first logic means the name of a remote procedure along with a list of input and output parameters. The first logic means 50 then handles the task of establishing the necessary communications with the second computer 20 with reference to definitions of the available communications services stored in the storage device 60. All the possible services are defined as a cohesive framework of object classes 70, these classes being derived from a single object class. Defining the services in this way gives rise to a great number of advantages in terms of performance and reusability.
To establish the necessary communication with the server 20, the first logic means 50 determines which object class in the framework needs to be used, and then creates an instance of that object, a message being sent to that object so as to cause that object to invoke one of its methods. This gives rise to the establishment of the connection with the server computer 20 via the connection means 80, and the subsequent sending of a request to the second logic means 90.
The second logic means 90 then passes the request on to the second application program 100 (hereafter called the service application) running on the server computer 20 so that the service application 100 can perform the specific task required by that request, such as running a data retrieval procedure. Once this task has been completed the service application may need to send results back to the first computer 10. The server application 100 interacts with the second logic means 90 during the performance of the requested tasks and when results are to be sent back to the first computer 10. The second logic means 90 establishes instances of objects, and invokes appropriate methods of those objects, as and when required by the server application 100, the object instances being created from the cohesive framework of object classes stored in the storage device 110.
Using the above technique, the client application program 40 is not exposed to the communications architecture. Further the service application 100 is invoked through the standard mechanism for its environment; it does not know that it is being invoked remotely.
The Object Management Group (OMG) is an international consortium of organizations involved in various aspects of client/server computing on heterogeneous platforms as is shown in FIG. 1. The OMG has set forth published standards by which client computers (e.g. 10) communicate (in OOP form) with server machines (e.g. 20). As part of these standards, an Object Request Broker has been defined, which provides the object-oriented bridge between the client and the server machines. The ORB decouples the client and server applications from the object oriented implementation details, performing at least part of the work of the first and second logic means 50 and 90 as well as the connection means 80.
FIG. 2 shows a conventional architecture for such a system. Once client requests find their way through the ORB 21 and into the server, the ORB finds a particular server object capable of executing the request and sends the request to that server object""s object adapter 22 (also defined by OMG standard) where it is stored in the object adapter""s buffer to await processing by the server object. The buffer is a First-In-First-Out queue, meaning that the first request received in the buffer at one end thereof is the first to leave out the other end. The server object has a plurality of parallel execution threads (23a, 23b, 23c) upon any of which it can run an instance of itself. In this way, the server object is able to process plural requests at the same time. The object adapter 22 looks to see which of the parallel execution threads is ready to process another request and assigns the request located at the end of the buffer to the next available execution thread. This is explained in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent as a xe2x80x9cdispatchingxe2x80x9d mechanism whereby the server dispatches queued requests to execution threads.
One major problem with this prior architecture is that it is not possible to obtain a predictable response time for the execution of a client request. That is, a particular client request could be sitting in a server object""s object adapter queue 22 behind a large number of other requests, or, at another time, the particular client request could be the only request in the queue. The client that is waiting for an answer cannot predict when a response will be received from the server object. Another problem is that a very important client request may have to wait behind many not so important requests in the object adapter queue.
These predictability problems dissuade the use of heterogeneous client/server systems to perform distributed processing, leaving such distributed processing to be carried out on homogeneous client/server architectures (such as computer terminals accessing host mainframe computers) especially where a guaranteed, predictable and consistent execution environment is required.
According to one aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for scheduling and dispatching client requests for execution by a server object in a heterogeneous object-oriented client/server computing environment, the apparatus comprising: a request-holding buffer having an input connected to a communications channel which channels the client requests to the apparatus, and an output; a plurality of parallel execution threads connected to the output of the buffer; and a scheduling means for distributing client requests stored in the buffer to the plurality of execution threads, characterized in that: the scheduling means places client requests held in the buffer in priority order based on a priority determining rule which takes into account the state of the plurality of execution threads and the nature of each of the held requests.
Preferably, the buffer is included within an object adapter.
Preferably, the scheduling means assigns priority values to each request in the buffer by applying the priority determining rule and places higher priority valued requests ahead of lower priority valued requests in the buffer so that the highest priority valued request is scheduled next for execution by the server object.
According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of scheduling and dispatching client requests for execution by a server object in a heterogeneous object-oriented client/server computing environment, comprising the steps of: determining information about each of a plurality of queued incoming client requests; determining information about each of a plurality of parallel execution threads of the server object; applying a priority determining rule to the information obtained in said determining steps; and scheduling the order of dispatch from the queue of the plurality of queued requests based on the results of said applying step.
According to third aspect, the present invention provides a computer program product for, when run on a computer, carrying out the method of the second aspect of the invention.
Thus, with the present invention, queued client requests can be processed in a much more efficient and controllable manner, greatly enhancing the predictability of processing result which is returned to the client. High priority client requests can be processed before lower priority requests and workload management amongst the execution threads can be effected, to provide highly efficient and predictable processing of the queued requests. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a noise eliminating device for reducing a noise contained in an image signal such as a video signal, and to a program for the noise eliminating device.
2. Description of the Related Art
There exist many devices and methods for eliminating a noise from an image signal. For example, a technique is known in which a difference between a signal obtained from a certain pixel and a signal obtained from a pixel orthogonally adjacent to the certain pixel is obtained, and a value obtained by multiplying the difference by k is subtracted from the signal obtained from the certain pixel (see JP 07-184225 A, page 1, FIG. 1). According to this method, when a small difference is obtained, a probability that each of the two signals is a noise component is high, and hence a value of k is increased, while a large difference is obtained, a probability that each of the two signals is an image component is high, and hence a value of k is decreased.
In addition, a technique is known in which a plurality of noise eliminating filters, and means for detecting a horizontal edge and a vertical edge of an image signal are provided, and horizontal smoothing and vertical smoothing are carried out based on the detected horizontal edge and the detected vertical edge, respectively, thereby reducing a noise contained in an image signal (see JP 09-200579 A, page 1, FIG. 1).
However, the conventional technique involves the following problem. The conventional noise eliminating method depends on a local property of an image. Thus, the noise is reduced by filters having different characteristics. However, since the accuracy of detecting the local property is poor, the noise component is imperfectly separated from the image component due to failure in judgment or mismatching between the judgment result and the characteristics of the filters in some cases. As a result, there is encountered a problem in that the noise elimination causes new disturbance, and so forth. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field
The invention relates to nuclear fuel handling machines and the methods for using such machines. It is particularly suitable for reloading nuclear fuel assemblies in a reactor after they have undergone a first operating cycle which has left a sufficient fissile material content for them to be used again in another location of the core.
2. Prior Art
By way of example, in pressurized water reactors the core is formed by adjacent fuel assemblies of square cross-section disposed vertically and side by side. An advantageous method of operating such a reactor consists in dividing the core into three zones with different enrichment (each having for example 52 fuel assemblies). At the end of an operating cycle of the reactor, the spent fuel assemblies in one of the zones are withdrawn for reprocessing and are replaced with assemblies taken from another zone. The assemblies withdrawn from this second zone are replaced with other assemblies having undergone one operating cycle in the reactor. And, finally, the third zone is loaded with new assemblies. The transfers of irradiated fuel assemblies take place when the reactor is shut down and cold, after the cover of the vessel has been raised and the level of water, containing boric acid, in the pool surrounding the reactor has been brought to a sufficient level for biological protection and removal of the residual heat released by the assemblies.
This method of refuelling optimizes the fuel cycle. Reloading may be carried out with visual monotoring or using immersed TV cameras. Generally, reloading is carried out with a handling machine of the type having a horizontally movable platform and carrying a vertical telescopic mast whose lower part has a gripper for gripping the upper end piece or nozzle of an assembly.
When the fuel assemblies are of great length, which is quite frequent at the present time, inserting an irradiated fuel assembly may be impeded by the deformations which the assembly may have undergone during its first cycle in a reactor. Differential expansion of the sheaths in a typical fuel assembly four meters long having a square cross-section of 214 mm per side under irradiation may lead to axial buckling resulting in a laterial offset of 20 min. The insertion of the lower end piece of the assembly in the centering studs conventionally provided on the core support plate of the reactor then becomes difficult. In practice, the assembly to be inserted is laterally abutted against an assembly already in position and it is lowered, at a slow speed to reduce friction, while visually monitoring that there is no catching between adjacent grids. If it is found that the slope which the assembly takes due to the offset is too great, it is turned about a vertical axis so as to abut the opposite face. Such operations lengthen refueling and are a source of trouble. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Energy consumption has long been an important issue for mobile terminals in cellular systems. Recent trends in green technology make it important to reduce the energy consumption also for the base stations (BS or NodeB, eNodeB) as the base station power consumption is a non-negligible part of the cost for the operator and excessive power consumption has a negative impact on the environment. Furthermore, the energy consumed as part of the base station operation generates heat, and active cooling (air conditioning) is typically required to control the temperature of the equipment. Active cooling will further add to the total energy consumption of a base station site. Unlike terminals, which can go into idle (or sleep) mode when they are not active, base stations need to transmit pilots, synchronization symbols and broadcast messages in order for camping terminals to be in sync with the network.
A prior art solution for reducing the overall energy consumption in the network is to, in case of low load (for instance during the night), let certain base stations go into an idle mode and rely on enlarged neighboring cells to serve the area normally covered by the now idle base station.
A drawback of the prior art solution is that when a number of terminals start to require significant amounts of resources, then the network does not have any information on which terminals should be handled by the active base stations and which terminals should be handled by the awakened base stations. Thus, it is not possible to tell whether awakening of one or more of the idle base stations would actually be of any help for the active base stations. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Avatars can be graphical images that represent real persons in virtual or game space. They can be embodiments or personifications of the persons themselves, or of principles, attitudes, or views of life held by such persons. Hitherto, avatars have been static, or at most, they have had limited animation capabilities. However, what is needed is systems, methods, and/or computer readable media that allow for creative animation based on input from users and/or games. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Modern electronic devices typically employ high frequency radio communications, particularly mobile devices. Because human tissue can be negatively impacted (e.g., heated) by strong radiofrequency waves when the tissue is positioned close to a transmitting antenna, various governmental agencies and industry bodies have established standards to limit the radiofrequency (RF) power that is transmitted into human tissue. For example, a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) test measures the RF power emitted into human tissue that is located in proximity to the RF transmitter. One approach for satisfying such SAR standards involves reducing the RF transmission power when a body (e.g., a human body part) is detected in close proximity to the RF transmitter. However, integrating proximity sensors and circuitry with radio communication components and computing components in the limited real estate of a mobile device is increasingly challenging as mobile devices continue to evolve (e.g., shrink, add functionality, change in certain other industrial design characteristics). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to office partition panel systems, and in particular to a flexible light seal for office partitions and the like.
The efficient use of building floor space is an ever growing concern, particularly as building costs continue to escalate. Open office plans have been developed to reduce overall officing costs, and generally incorporate large, open floor spaces in buildings that are equipped with modular furniture systems which are readily reconfigurable to accommodate the ever changing needs of a specific user, as well as the divergent requirements of different tenants. One arrangement commonly used for furnishing open plans includes movable or portable partition panels that are detachably interconnected to partition off the open spaces into individual workstations and/or offices. Such partition panels have sufficient structural strength to receive hang-on furniture units, such as work surfaces, overhead cabinets, shelves, etc., and are generally known in the office furniture industry as "systems furniture." In addition, such partition panels have an acoustical, sound-absorbing configuration to promote a quiet, pleasant work environment.
Numerous partition panel systems have been developed for dividing office workspaces into smaller areas. Partition panel systems, like those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,811, utilize prefabricated rectangular partition panel members that have a unitary rigid perimeter frame formed by top, bottom, and end channels that are welded to one another. Decorative cover panels are fastened to opposite sides of the perimeter frame. Each perimeter frame member has a rectangular shape, and is fabricated and shipped as a single unit, often with the decorative cover panels pre-fastened to the frame. During installation, the prefabricated perimeter frame of each panel member is fastened to the perimeter frame of an adjacent panel member along the vertical edges thereof, either directly, or by a separate fastener post. Each partition panel member includes two height adjustable feet or glides along the bottom edge of each panel member, with one glide being located adjacent each vertical panel edge. Since there are two vertical frame members at each panel joint, this type of panel construction results in structural redundancy. In addition, since each glide must be properly adjusted for height, this configuration requires adjustment of both glides at each panel joint during assembly. Furthermore, although longer panels typically have a lower cost per unit length, longer panels are difficult to handle, which places a practical limit on the size of the partition panel member that can be shipped and installed as a prefabricated unit.
Other partition panel systems, like that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,554, utilize prefabricated rectangular partition panel members having a unitary perimeter frame that attaches to a post member along each vertical panel edge. Although this type of design may have a single glide at each post, each panel-to-post connection has at least two vertical structural members. Since only a single vertical member is needed to provide support and height adjustment, this type of system has redundant structure. In addition, the rectangular partition panel members are manufactured and shipped as a unit, limiting the size of the partition panel members that can be used.
Other office divider systems, like that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,760, utilize vertical posts and horizontal beams wherein each post attaches to an adjacent post along adjacent vertical edges. Since each post is attached directly to an adjacent post, this configuration also has redundant vertical structural members and glides.
Other office panel dividers, like that disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,287,666 and 5,219,406, have multiple posts and beams with connector members that hold a pair of beams to adjacent posts. This arrangement has two horizontal beams in a side-by-side relationship at each height location, and also has two vertical posts attached directly together in either a back-to-back or side-by-side relationship. Thus, there is redundancy in both the post and the beam structures. In addition, connector pieces are required to attach the beams to the posts. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The Internet has become an important social communications medium Technologies including email, Instant Messaging and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), are utilized by hundreds of millions of individuals to communicate and socialize with each other. Yet Web browsing, which is the primary means of displaying and interacting with text, images and other information located on Web pages, has remained a solitary activity. Web users currently do not have an efficient way to browse the Web together and to share their thoughts about the Web pages they are viewing, and the information and images they contain. In contrast, in the offline world, comparable activities and tasks are often performed socially or as a group. For instance, friends can shop together at a clothing store and point out and discuss particular clothes or outfits they are considering purchasing.
Many Internet users attempt to approximate the offline group experience by manually supplementing Web browser coordination with additional technologies, such as voice via telephone or text via email and Instant Message. However, independently coordinating multiple Web browsers and attempting to describe and identify particular items on a particular Web page through voice or text can be difficult and frustrating.
Various co-browse methods have been developed, but they remain unpopular. Besides being difficult to use, they fail to insure that each user's view of the Web content remains the same throughout the co-browse session, causing contusion and uncertainty among users. Existing co-browse methods also fail to enable users to communicate and visually share their thoughts in real time regarding the Web pages and items they are viewing. Co-browse users can feel disconnected because a social face-to-face experience is not simulated.
Other methods have been developed to simulate offline group experiences in an online setting. For example, Web conferencing allows individuals to view presentations and conduct meetings online. Generally, Web conferencing systems broadcast the entire screen of one computer onto the screens of other computers participating in the conference. Examples of existing Web conferencing systems include WebEx (www.webex.com), GoToMeeting (www.gotomeeting.com), and Microsoft LiveMeeting (www.office.microsoft.com/livemeeting). These systems are generally autocratic in nature. A meeting manager controls the session, which may be displayed in a viewer's Web browser via, a separate application or plug-in. However, the available Web conferencing systems are not designed to enable simultaneous two-way communication on Web pages, nor to allow synchronized co-browsing and equal participation via visual communication.
Online collaboration and digital annotation systems have also been developed, which typically allow users to create and store annotations of Web pages and digital documents for later retrieval. Examples include iMarkup (www.imarkup.com) and SharedCopv (www.sharedcopy.com). However, these systems do not allow co-browsing or same time communication.
Additionally, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0289451, to Kashi et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2006/0010368 and 2006/0031755, to Kashi, all disclose digital ink annotations, which are captured and stored for later retrieval. The ink, annotations are made by a user and rendered on a Web browser. However, Kashi fails to disclose simultaneously displaying ink annotations on multiple Web browsers. Ink annotations are correlated at the end of the drawing stroke, and then transmitted to a server, such that simultaneous display on multiple Web browsers of ink annotations as they are progressively created is not possible.
Therefore, there remains a need for an approach that allows two or more individuals to co-browse and visually communicate their thoughts regarding the Web page they are viewing, such that Web browsing is no longer confined to being a solitary activity. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In a data transmission system, signals are carried between end terminals over some medium, such as a hard wire line, fiber optic link, radiated electromagnetic wave, etc. For high density usage, the transmission medium carries a plurality of multiplexed data channels. This is particularly common in telecommunication systems, FIG. 1, where the end terminals include multiplexing and demultiplexing equipment and each path therebetween carries a plurality of time division multiplexed digital channels, typically twenty-four in North America and thirty in Europe.
It may be desirable to listen to and/or substitute channels on the transmission line between the end terminals. This would enable an operator at an intermediate location to listen and/or talk to the ends. Equipment providing this capability is known, and referred to as channel banks in a drop and insert configuration, FIG. 2. These banks enable a channel to be dropped from the line, i.e. listened to. The banks also enable a channel to be inserted on the line to substitute for an existing data channel in that time slot.
The standard approach for dropping and inserting channels between end terminals is to use two completely equipped channel banks cross-connected at the voice frequency (VF) interface. In FIG. 2, each of the end terminals is a channel bank having a VF interface to the various telephone subscribers. Drop and insert operation is performed by an additional pair of channel banks in the middle, which are equipped for each channel and convert the digital transmission data on the line to VF analog signals for each channel. There are thus twenty-four VF analog signals passing between the central pair of channel banks, any of which signals may be dropped or inserted.
A drawback of the above approach is the high cost of two completely equipped channel banks, and the wasteful inefficiency thereof when only a small number of channels are dropped and inserted. For example, to drop and insert only one channel would require that all channels be equipped.
Another drawback of the above approach is the degradation of the signal caused by the digital to analog to digital conversion performed by the channel bank pair. This is particularly objectionable when it is desired to use a number of such pairs between the end terminals. Signal degradation limits the number of such pairs and hence the total number of locations for dropping and inserting channels. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the production of polyolefin, and more particularly, to an improved pressure relief system for a polyolefin loop reactor.
2. Description of the Related Art
This section is intended to introduce the reader to aspects of art that may be related to aspects of the present embodiments, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
As chemical and petrochemical technologies have advanced, the products of these technologies have become increasingly prevalent in society. In particular, as techniques for bonding simple molecular building blocks into longer chains (or polymers) have advanced, the polymer products, typically in the form of various plastics, have been increasingly incorporated into various everyday items. For example, polyolefin polymers, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and their copolymers, are used for retail and pharmaceutical packaging, food and beverage packaging (such as juice and soda bottles), household containers (such as pails and boxes), household items (such as appliances, furniture, carpeting, and toys), automobile components, pipes, conduits, and various industrial products.
Specific types of polyolefins, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), have particular applications in the manufacture of blow-molded and injection-molded goods, such as food and beverage containers, film, and plastic pipe. Other types of polyolefins, such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), isotactic polypropylene (iPP), and syndiotactic polypropylene (sPP) are also suited for similar applications. The mechanical requirements of the application, such as tensile strength and density, and/or the chemical requirements, such thermal stability, molecular weight, and chemical reactivity, typically determine what type of polyolefin is suitable.
One benefit of polyolefin construction, as may be deduced from the list of uses above, is that it is generally non-reactive with goods or products with which it is in contact. This allows polyolefin products to be used in residential, commercial, and industrial contexts, including food and beverage storage and transportation, consumer electronics, agriculture, shipping, and vehicular construction. The wide variety of residential, commercial and industrial uses for polyolefins has translated into a substantial demand for raw polyolefin which can be extruded, injected, blown or otherwise formed into a final consumable product or component.
To satisfy this demand, various processes exist by which olefins may be polymerized to form polyolefins. Typically, these processes are performed at petrochemical facilities, which have ready access to the short-chain olefin molecules (monomers and comonomers) such as ethylene, propylene, butene, pentene, hexene, octene, decene, and other building blocks of the much longer polyolefin polymers. These monomers and comonomers may be polymerized in a liquid-phase polymerization reactor and/or gas-phase polymerization reactor to form a product comprising polymer (polyolefin) solid particulates, typically called fluff or granules. The fluff may possess one or more melt, physical, rheological, and/or mechanical properties of interest, such as density, melt index (MI), melt flow rate (MFR), copolymer content, comonomer content, modulus, and crystallinity. The reaction conditions within the reactor, such as temperature, pressure, chemical concentrations, polymer production rate, and so forth, may be selected to achieve the desired fluff properties.
In addition to the one or more olefin monomers, a catalyst for facilitating the polymerization of the monomers may be added to the reactor. For example, the catalyst may be a particle added via a reactor feed stream and, once added, suspended in the fluid medium within the reactor. An example of such a catalyst is a chromium oxide containing hexavalent chromium on a silica support. Further, a diluent may be introduced into the reactor. The diluent may be an inert hydrocarbon, such as isobutane, propane, n-pentane, i-pentane, neopentane, and n-hexane, which is liquid at reaction conditions. However, some polymerization processes may not employ a separate diluent, such as in the case of selected examples of polypropylene production where the propylene monomer itself acts as the diluent.
The discharge of the reactor typically includes the polymer fluff as well as non-polymer components, such as unreacted olefin monomer (and comonomer), diluent, and so forth. In the case of polyethylene production, the non-polymer components typically comprise primarily diluent, such as isobutane, having a small amount of unreacted ethylene (e.g., 5 wt. %). This discharge stream is generally processed, such as by a diluent/monomer recovery system, to separate the non-polymer components from the polymer fluff. The recovered diluent, unreacted monomer, and other non-polymer components from the recovery system may be treated, such as by treatment beds and/or a fractionation system, and ultimately returned as purified or treated feed to the reactor. Some of the components may be flared or returned to the supplier, such as to an olefin manufacturing plant or petroleum refinery. As for the recovered polymer (solids), the polymer may be treated to deactivate residual catalyst, remove entrained hydrocarbons, dry the polymer, and pelletize the polymer in an extruder, and so forth, before the polymer is sent to customer.
The competitive business of polyolefin production drives manufacturers to continuously improve their processes in order to increase production, lower production costs, and so on. One need that relates to the manufacture of polyethylene is to improve pressure relief features throughout the process at a reasonable cost. Specifically, it is now recognized that it may be desirable to improve pressure relief features of the reactor by enclosing the relief system. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems employ central processing units (CPUs) to perform processing tasks for the system. Some CPUs are configured to operate in a “Turbo Boost” mode during which the CPU is enabled to run at a higher clock rate than its base operating frequency (referred to as dynamic CPU overclocking) during periods of high processing demand as requested by the operating system (OS) of the information handling system. CPU processor performance states are typically defined for a CPU by the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification, and the OS typically requests the highest CPU performance state for the maximum Turbo Boost mode, which is typically limited only by electrical (power, current) and thermal limits of the CPU. Thus, Turbo Boost mode may be allowed upon OS request as long as the CPU remains within its defined electrical and thermal limits, and/or based on other parameters. For example, the OS may request maximum processor frequency (ACPI P0) and the power management unit (PMU) of the CPU may allow or deny the request based upon number of active processor cores, estimated current, estimated power and processor temperature if and how much turbo will be applied.
Turbo boost implementation provides advantage for burst type operations which are typical of client type workloads. During turbo boost, the CPU is allowed to operate significantly higher than the (Thermal Design Power) TDP for short periods of time. When workloads are bursty in nature this results in the processor performance appearing to be that of a processor operating at a much higher frequency. The side effect is the need to design the power delivery system to support these very high peak power demands. When a system is operating on battery power these power peaks must be supplied by the battery, when operating on AC adapter these power peaks must be supplied by AC adapter during low battery conditions.
During system operation, implementation of maximum turbo boost mode can cause very high instantaneous peak supply current (ICC) inrush to the CPU that can temporarily overwhelm the power delivery system for an information handling system, such as the battery pack and/or AC adapter of a battery-powered information handling system such as a notebook computer or tablet computer. This is true even for relatively low power information handling systems. For example, maximum ICC generation for an information handling system with average power draw of 15 Watts can reach 50 Watts during initiation of Turbo Boost mode. Conventional ways of accommodating high power demand for a Turbo Boost mode include over designing the power delivery system including AC adapter and battery power capacity. However, such over-designed (higher capacity) AC adapters and batteries result in increased system weight, system cost, and heat generation during operation. Larger over-designed batteries take up additional space and increase system weight, such that they are often not practical for modern portable information handling system devices. Consequently, smaller batteries are typically used for such portable devices, which compounds the high ICC input power problem during Turbo Boost mode operation.
Large banks of capacitors have been coupled to a supply current node for a processor to help satisfy high processor inrush current in desktop information handing system applications. In such conventional applications, the capacitor banks are continuously coupled to the current supply node for the processor, and therefore require high continuous supply current to be delivered at all times to both the capacitor bank and the processor load. Such capacitor banks are typically too large to be practical for mobile battery-powered applications, and suffer relative high energy leakage due to capacitance equivalent series resistance (ESR), even at relatively low stand by voltage levels, due to large capacitance value required. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the use of cement plugs in a well, particularly an oil or gas well, and particularly to cement plugs to be used to support test tools in an open hole.
2. Background of the Invention
A cement plug is a relatively small volume of cement slurry placed in a wellbore for various purposes. At some time in the life of an oil or gas well, a cement plug may be required, either to correct some problem, or to facilitate some operation.
When a soft or weak formation exists in an open borehole of a well below a zone to he tested and it is impractical or impossible to place a sidewall anchor or a bridge plug, a cement plug may be used to provide the necessary support.
Setting cement plugs has several potential problems particularly where high strength and good adhesion to the borehole wall are needed in order to place an anchor plug. First, contamination of the cement slurry with a drilling fluid generally alters the setting time and compressive strength of the cement formulation. Most water based drilling fluids increase the setting time requiring a longer waiting period for the resumption of drilling operations since compressive strength development is delayed. Oil invert emulsion drilling fluids (oil muds) typically have a high calcium chloride brine internal liquid phase which can significantly reduce the setting time and strength of the Portland cement. Contact with any brine in the drilling fluid or in the well will reduce the strength of Portland cement.
Second, contamination of Portland cement with the drilling fluid is highly probable due to the process used to place the cement plug in the borehole. A successive displacement process is used wherein the cement slurry is pumped down the drill string (or similar work string with an inner diameter substantially smaller than the diameter of the borehole). The slurry is then displaced out the bottom of the drill string into the annulus between the borehole and drill string by pumping a second (displacing) fluid down the drill string. This displacing fluid is typically drilling fluid.
The borehole is filled with drilling fluid and the cement slurry exiting the bottom of the drill string is traveling at a higher velocity than the fluid moving up the much larger annular space. Thus the cement slurry is "jetted" into the drilling fluid as its flow direction changes 180 degrees. Any chemical incompatibility between the drilling fluid and cement slurry may produce a gelled mass that inhibits effective displacement of the drilling fluid by the Portland cement slurry which can result in contamination of the entire cement volume.
Spacers are often used ahead of the Portland cement slurry to prevent contamination of the cement with the drilling fluid. These spacers are similar in composition to the drilling fluid. Clay and/or polymeric thickeners are used to viscosify the base fluid (usually water) in order to suspend weighting agents such as barites, hematites, or ilmenite. Emulsions of oil and water may also be used to provide viscosity for solids suspension. Often, surfactants and/or other solvents may be incorporated into the spacer to improve compatibility with the drilling fluid. Although more chemically compatible with the cement, spacer contamination of the cement slurry can occur and the effect on cement compressive strength is often similar to the effect of drilling fluid contamination.
Third, the cement must adhere to the borehole walls to prevent downward movement of the plug when weight is applied during the drilling operation. This adhesion is typically referred to as the shear bond strength of the cement. Coatings on the surfaces of the formation can reduce the shear bond of the cement. The borehole wall is typically coated with a drilling fluid filter cake which was deposited when the formation was penetrated by the initial drilling operation. This drilling fluid filter cake has low strength and may be sheared off the borehole wall by downward movement of the cement plug during drilling. Drilling may be aggravated by the thickness of the filter cake and any bypassed drilling fluid left in sections of the annulus. Also, any coating of the spacer along the borehole wall may reduce the shear bond strength between the borehole wall and the cement plug.
The density of many materials used for plugs is greater than the drilling fluid density. The primary reason for this is higher compressive strength and greater drilling resistance. For Portland cement plugs, lower water to cement ratios are required to provide greater strength. Greater strength often is used to offset the potential strength reduction due to contamination by the drilling fluid. The disadvantage of high density formulations is the possibility of the plug falling through the drilling fluid below the interval where the plug is desired. The density differential between the drilling fluid and Portland cement increases the probability that an unstable interface will result between the cement and drilling fluid. If the interface between fluids is unstable, cement and drilling fluid can mix causing a poor quality plug.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to overcoming the above noted problems with Portland cement in the art, and in particular to problems experienced with effective placement of anchor plugs for open hole test tools in oil and gas wells. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a communication technique, and particularly to a radio apparatus that receives a signal including predetermined information, a process apparatus, and a process system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inter-vehicle radio communication apparatuses communicate with one another between vehicles on the move to communicate information on the vehicles such as driving conditions. The inter-vehicle radio communication apparatus receives incoming information signals and detects another vehicle which is predicted to be in the vicinity of a position where the vehicle is substantially heading at the same time as the other vehicle on the basis of the information signal, and notifies the presence of the detected other vehicle (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-348299).
Further improvements of the invention of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-348299 are needed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a novel line encoding scheme and communication system for transmission of digital data over a transmission link.
Various line encoding techniques have been proposed in the art of digital communications to minimize the effect of transmission impairments on the transmitted signal. These impairments are typically in the form of interference occurring between symbols, known as intersymbol interference, or in the transmission-induced jitter of a clock signal. Conventional encoding schemes and communication systems convert digitally encoded data, for instance NRZ-type data, into a sequence which requires transmission of a dedicated clock signal. The clock signal is transmitted simultaneously with the data, usually on two separate lines, or it may be embedded in the data signal.
In order to receive or decode such transmissions, complex, expensive electronic schemes and equipment are necessary. For example, where the clock signal is embedded in the data signal, the transmitted data stream undergoes a full-wave rectification or other non-linear operation and is recovered through bandpass filters having a frequency centered around the bit rate. Alternatively, many conventional schemes pass the data stream through phase-locked loops having a fixed level crossing reference, or other similar analog frequency detecting circuits.
These conventional schemes suffer the disadvantages that not only are they complex and costly to implement, but depend directly on the data transmission rate, which must be known either prior to transmission or prior to system design. These restrictions render conventional fixed-rate synchronization line encoding techniques useless in systems where the user's data rate is unknown in advance, or if services with different data rates need to share the same channel.
Moreover, the spectral characteristics of these techniques are not ideally suited for transmission over fiber-optic or other communication links and suffer from transmission-induced signal degradation while requiring precise frequency and clock recovery circuits.
There exists, therefore, a need for a line coding scheme and communication system which is absolutely transparent to the rate of the data being transmitted, both as to transmission and receiving of the data and which provides more favorable spectral characteristics for transmission of digital data over a fiber-optic link. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a synthetic silica glass article used in the process of dopant diffusion in semiconductors. More particularly, the invention relates to an article used in the process of dopant diffusion in semiconductors made from synthetic silica glass having a very high purity and exhibiting outstandingly low creeping deformation even at high temperatures encountered in the process.
Needless to say, it is essential that various articles and tools used in the process of dopant-diffusion in semiconductor processing, such as diffusion process tubes, wafer baskets, wafer boats, cantilevers and the like, referred to as a doping article hereinbelow, have a purity as high as possible and are free from the troubles of deformation by creeping even by prolonged use at a high temperature. Fused silica glass is the most conventional material for such articles although silica glass is subject to creeping deformation or warping at a temperature exeeding, for example, 1200.degree. C. Therefore, it is usual that an article or tool to be used at 1200.degree. C. or higher is made from silicon carbide which is much more heat-resistant than fused silica glass so that the article made therefrom is almost free from thermal deformation or warping.
Silicon carbide, however, is not always quite satisfactory as a material for the fabrication of doping articles in respect of the poor fabricability into complicated forms and relatively high impurity content. Silica glass is traditionally obtained from a pulverized and refined powder of natural quartz crystals by fusion into a melt from which pipes, rods and the like are prepared by drawing. A problem in such natural fused quartz glass is again the relatively high content of impurities even after an elaborate refining process, for example, utilizing an electrolytic method.
In view of the above mentioned problem in the fused silica glass prepared from natural quartz, it is a trend in recent years that silica glass is prepared more and more from synthetically obtained silicon dioxide. Though advantageous in respect of the high purity and availability in any large quantities, synthetic silica glass is defective in the relatively low heat resistance which limits the highest temperature, at which a doping article made therefrom can be used without the troubles of thermal creeping or deformation, to about 1000.degree. C. Several proposals have been made to decrease thermal creeping of synthetic silica glass by admixing the melt of silica with chromium oxide, molybdenum oxide, zirconium oxide, iron oxide and the like (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,124) or with a combination of aluminum oxide and elementary silicon (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,966) to increase the rigidity of fused silica glass at high temperatures. Such a method is not always applicable to the silica glass for doping articles because such additive elements may act as a contaminant of the semiconductor materials under processing by using the doping article. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This invention relates to the field of hardware and more particularly to hanger devices.
A well-known storage accessory comprises a sheet of perforated mounting board, with which a wide variety of hooks, hangers and supports have been adapted to cooperate. The board is of known thickness and has a regular field of perforations or at least one hooked or offset end arranged to pass through a hole in the mounting board and then bear against its outer or inner surfaces as well as the bottom of the hole or holes in question.
It is frequenty desirable to mount a single one of some kind of hook, hanger or support device, or a single vertical row of such devices, on a wall stud for example. The range of such devices designed for direct wall mounting is much more limited, however, than the range thereof designed for "pegboard" mounting. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This application claims the benefit of a priority under 35 USC 119 to French Patent Application No. 0104771 filed Apr. 9, 2001, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference.
This invention is directed to the reconstruction of a three-dimensional image of an object from a set of two-dimensional projected images of the object, obtained for different positions of a means for acquiring an image, for example, by a camera, around the object.
The invention is of interest to the field of medical diagnostic imaging, in which reconstruction of the internal structures of an object, such as a patient, under examination is undertaken. In particular, the invention is applicable to the reconstruction of angiographic images, that is, obtaining images of vascular systems opacified by injection of a contrast medium.
In the field of medical diagnostic imaging, two-dimensional projected images of the object, for example, a patient""s abdomen, are generally obtained by rotation of an X-ray camera around the object. In an abdominal imaging application, peristalsis is known to cause defects in the reconstructed three-dimensional images. Those defects are due to the displacement of gas bubbles between the acquisition of so-called mask images, that is, in which no contrast medium has been injected, and the acquisition of opacified images. In other words, this produces white and black regions in the subtracted images. This phenomenon is particularly disturbing for three-dimensional reconstructions from subtracted projected images, because six to ten seconds can elapse between acquisition of the series of mask images and acquisition of the corresponding series of opacified images. The first negative effect of those defects is to disturb display of the reconstructed image by reason of their superposition on the vessels in three-dimensional images. As a result, the user removes the superposition manually by using, for example, an electronic scalpel. Another undesirable effect is produced when a multiresolution approach is used for reconstruction of the three-dimensional image. In that case, the signal comprises a large quantity of voxels and can lead to the suppression of some small vessels of the region which is reconstructed at high resolution.
The invention is directed to a reduction, preferably automatically, and even a total suppression of such defects in three-dimensional image reconstruction, particularly in abdominal angiographic images.
An embodiment of the invention is a method reconstruction of a three-dimensional radiographic image of an object, comprising:
(a) acquisition of a first series of projected two-dimensional mask images of the object obtained for different positions of a means for image acquisition, e.g. a camera, around the object;
(b) acquisition of a second series of opacified projected two-dimensional images of the object obtained at the same positions of the camera around the object;
(c) elaborating a third series of subtracted projected two-dimensional images respectively obtained from the first and second series of images;
(d) reconstruction of a subtracted three-dimensional image from the third series of images and from an analytical algorithm of image reconstruction;
(e) reconstruction of a three-dimensional mask image from a first series of images and from an analytical algorithm of image reconstruction;
(f) identification of defects in the three-dimensional mask image; and
(g) elimination of the corresponding voxels in the three-dimensional subtracted image.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the elimination of voxels entails resetting the intensity value.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the two three-dimensional image reconstructions are carried out at a first resolution, for example, a low resolution. A region of interest is then selected in the three-dimensional subtracted image and a new three-dimensional reconstruction is made of the region of interest alone, with a second resolution higher than the first resolution.
The invention is also directed to a radiographic apparatus for reconstructing a three-dimensional radiographic image of an object, comprising:
(a) means for acquiring images, such as a camera capable of rotating around the object;
(b) means for acquiring a first series of projected two-dimensional mask images of the object obtained for different positions of the camera rotating around the object;
(c) means for acquiring a second series of opacified projected two-dimensional images of the object obtained at the same positions of the camera around the object;
(d) means for elaborating a third series of subtracted projected two-dimensional images respectively obtained from the first and second series of images;
(e) means for reconstructing a subtracted three-dimensional image from the third series of images and from an analytical algorithm of image reconstruction;
(f) means for reconstruction of a three-dimensional mask image from the first series of images and from an analytical algorithm of image reconstruction;
(g) means for identifying defects in the three-dimensional mask image; and
(h) means for post-treatment for eliminating the corresponding voxels in the subtracted three-dimensional image. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to active clamp circuits useful for reducing electrical overshoot and undershoot, for minimizing ringing and similar noise problems and for providing electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection, particularly in high speed metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit applications.
2. Description of Related Art
Clamping circuits are used to control electrical overshoot and undershoot at the signal input of a digital circuit to provide a reliable logic signal under adverse and noisy conditions. Ideally the input voltage to each element in a digital circuit will be in only one of two distinct logic states, either an upper digital voltage or a lower digital voltage, corresponding to the digital ones and zeros of the circuit. In such an ideal system, the input voltage will switch instantly between the up state and the down state, never going above the upper voltage nor below the lower voltage, and spending substantially no time at any intervening voltage between the two states.
In real circuits, however, the input voltage takes a finite amount of time to switch between the two states. Further, when switching between the two states, the input voltage will often overshoot the voltage corresponding to the new state, then oscillate (ring) around the new voltage before settling down.
Clamping circuits (which may also be referred to as termination networks) are designed to minimize the ringing which can seriously degrade circuit performance. A good clamping circuit should dampen ringing and reduce noise so that the signal at the input remains at or near one of the two desired voltage states and switches between those states quickly and cleanly.
Improved clamping performance comes about by supplying or draining current as quickly as possible to/from the network at the input to the circuit being clamped whenever the voltage at the input exceeds or falls below the desired voltage. In order to supply sufficient current, the clamping circuit should have low impedance and a low reflection coefficient in the vicinity of the upper and lower voltages corresponding to the two digital logic states.
On the other hand, in order to maximize switching speed between the two logic states, the impedance of the clamping circuit and the reflection coefficient should be very high during switching for the brief time when the input voltage is between the upper and lower digital voltages. Passive clamping circuits which are still widely used, are unable to effectively meet these opposing requirements for the highest performance applications.
Another requirement for digital circuits is some form of electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. Generally, separate ESD protection circuits are provided at the input of the circuit to limit the voltage that can be imposed on the circuit at the input terminal even when the circuit is unpowered. It would be desirable if the ESD protection could be incorporated into the clamping circuit. The ability to rapidly drain or source current is important for both clamping and ESD protection. Older designs for clamping circuits that use current limiting resistors do not provide good ESD protection.
As metal oxide semiconductor technology has improved, MOS devices have been constructed with shorter gate lengths, thinner gate oxides and faster response times. As the gate oxide becomes thinner, the device must be powered with a lower voltage power supply to avoid breakdowns and leakage. Lower power supply voltages are also advantageous in reducing power consumption, decreasing heating, and increasing speed through smaller voltage swings.
Such lower voltage designs, however, need even more careful control over the input signal to prevent erratic operation due to ringing or other noise at the input. Good ESD protection for such designs is also critical.
In the following discussion, the positive terminal of the power supply will be referred to as Vdd. In older designs, this voltage is typically +5 volts, however, in newer designs, it may be 3.3, 2.5 or 1.8 volts. The lower voltage terminal of the power supply is referred to as Vss, and this voltage is usually at ground potential (zero volts).
A typical prior art five volt system has used a passive clamping circuit in which one diode is placed between the input terminal and Vss and one is placed between the input and Vdd. The diode between the input terminal and Vdd will conduct when the voltage at the input terminal rises sufficiently above the upper digital voltage to turn on the diode. Thus, this diode limits the input voltage to about 0.7 volts above the desired maximum input voltage, but permits 0.7 volt ringing around the upper digital voltage.
The second diode is positioned between the input terminal and Vss and conducts when the voltage at the input terminal falls one diode drop below the lower digital voltage (usually zero volts). This prevents ringing in excess of about 0.7 volts, but still permits ringing having a magnitude less than the value needed to turn on the passive diode clamp.
Passive clamp circuits of this type work in 5 volt systems because the amplitude of the ringing is relatively small compared to the difference between the upper and lower digital voltages. In lower voltage systems, such as a 3.3 volt system, this 0.7 volt ringing eats into the noise tolerance. In 2.5 and 1.8 volt systems, such ringing becomes an unacceptably large part of the signal swing, producing erratic operation in noisy environments.
During clamping by a passive diode clamp of this type, the excess signal voltage on the input is pulled towards (or clamped to) the positive Vdd supply voltage and the lower signal voltage state is pulled towards (or clamped to) the lower voltage supply (Vss or ground). In the active clamping circuit of the present invention, improved performance is achieved by activating the clamp as soon as or slightly before the input terminal voltage swings above or below the bounds set by the upper and lower digital voltages.
Performance is also improved by driving the input terminal voltage to the upper digital voltage via a connection to Vss when the input voltage is too high (above the upper voltage which is usually Vdd) and by driving the input terminal voltage to the lower digital voltage via a connection to Vdd when the input terminal voltage is too low (below the lower digital voltage which is usually Vss). This increases the speed at which the clamping circuit operates as compared to prior art designs which drive excessively low voltages through a connection to the low voltage supply (Vss) and excessively high voltages through a connection to the high voltage supply (Vdd).
To avoid some of the problems with older designs, source terminated drivers have been used in MOS circuits to lower the drive current of the driver into the net. Unfortunately, this increases delay and slows circuit response. Another problem with this solution is due to complex process tolerance requirements during construction of MOS devices. This results in poor control of the driver output impedance which also causes ringing.
For low voltage MOS designs, an active clamping circuit is needed, particularly in high performance low voltage designs where the clamp must hold the ringing to much less than the 0.7 volt limit of a passive diode clamp. Active clamp circuits employing transistors instead of diodes are known, but heretofore they have been bipolar in design, and thus are not suited for construction with the remainder of the MOS circuitry.
Another difficulty with prior art designs is that they have been similar to the passive diode clamp circuit described above. They have clamped the high logic signal to the higher Vdd power supply and the lower voltage logic signal to the lower voltage supply Vss. While this is functional, it cannot supply current as quickly to damp out ringing and noise as can a circuit designed according to the present invention. A further problem with prior art clamping circuit designs is the use of current limiting resistors which slow the clamping circuit response time and make them unsuitable for modern high speed MOS field effect transistor (MOSFET) circuits.
There is also a need for low power consumption designs for active clamping circuits and for circuits that may be turned off remotely, particularly during testing operations. These features are not available in prior art designs.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a clamping circuit specifically adapted for MOS circuits that turns on immediately at the desired clamping voltage, instead of at a diode voltage drop away from the desired voltage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a clamping circuit that has high impedance during switching, for high switching speed, but low impedance when clamping (for rapid reduction of any ringing).
A further object of the invention is to provide a clamping circuit that may be switched on and off.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a clamping circuit which has low power consumption.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a clamping circuit that provides ESD protection at the input of an attached circuit.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a clamping circuit suitable for use with low voltage power supply systems, including 2.5 volt, 1.8 volt and lower voltage technologies.
A further object of the invention is to provide a clamping circuit that is compatible with and useful for silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and triple well technologies.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a an active clamping circuit which also operates when unpowered to provide ESD protection.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of folded sheets, such as non-woven sheets used for such applications as baby wipes and fabric softener sheets. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for facilitating removal of individual sheets from a stack of folded sheets held within a container, such as a tub. Still more specifically, the present invention relates to the placement of a visual indicator on folded sheets, the indicator directing the user to a specific location of the stack for grasping and removing a single sheet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of fabric products are currently being sold which include a stock of individually folded sheets. Several well-known examples are folded, moistened baby wipe sheets and folded fabric softener sheets. In both of these examples, the sheets are made from non-woven fabric, but in the context of this review of the prior art and for purposes of this specification, the term "fabric sheet" should be taken to include woven and non-woven sheets made from materials such as cellulosic materials.
Typical baby wipe sheets are stacked in a tub or other container having a removable and replaceable top, giving access to the contents. The plurality of sheets are moistened and include a generally rectangular base portion and a pair of flaps which are folded on opposite sides of the base portion. Such products have a uniform color, and it is difficult for the user of the product to readily pick up an edge of one of the folds to remove a single moistened wipe from the container.
Typically, the person using such a product has one hand occupied and it becomes frustrating to fumble with the stack of sheets in attempting to pick up one wipe at a time. It is common for a user to pick up more than a single sheet because of the tendency to grasp any portion of the upper sheet between thumb and finger. Unless the user grasps only the edge of one flap, there will be a tendency to grasp more than the thickness of one sheet and to lift a plurality of sheets. Similar problems are encountered when using folded sheets of fabric softener, or in other products such as hand wipes and the like.
Indicators of various types have been used with fabric products in the past. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,820,259, issued Aug. 25, 1931 to Wandel for "Tissue Pad," rounded corners of a pad of folded tissue are compressed together for the dual purpose of causing the sheets to adhere to one another and to give a certain amount of stiffness to the pad where it is to be gripped by the user. In Wandel's Jul. 6, 1937 U.S. Pat. No. 2,085,882 for "Dispensing Package for Cellulose Tissue Sheets," a different approach is used, i.e. hemming together two superimposed sheets of tissue and separately folding the sheets along longitudinal lines in such a way that the hem will lie intermediate the folds. In this manner, the hem can be readily seen and instinctively grasped by the user.
Visual indicators have been used in other fabric applications. In one instance, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,572, issued Sep. 22, 1992 to Wells et al. for "Video Game Console and Cartridge Cleaning Kit," the cleaning card is marked with the words "CLEAN" and "DRY" at opposite ends to indicate the wet and dry ends of the wand.
Several patents describe the use of indicators on rolls, such as rolled towels or rolled toilet tissue, to signify that the roll is almost depleted. See, for example, the roll depletion visual indicators of U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,663, issued Feb. 20, 1990 to De Luca for "Method of Indicating Towel Roll Depletion"; U.S. Pat. No. 1,935,970, issued Nov. 21, 1933 to Wooster et al. for "Indicating Means"; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,249, issued Jul. 17, 1979 to Dashow for "Web Product With Marker and Method of Manufacture."
While roll depletion indicators have been described in the aforementioned prior art and whereas certain tissue products have been joined together in such a way as to provide an indication of the area to be grasped, no teaching of the prior art has indicated a cure for the fabric dispensing problems described above. Accordingly, a solution to that problem would represent a substantial advance in the art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Lithium-ion secondary batteries with high energy densities have been used as power sources for portable electronics such as a mobile phone and a notebook computer.
An electrode member of a lithium-ion secondary battery includes a positive electrode material, a separator, and a negative electrode material. Regarding a positive electrode material, an aluminum alloy foil, having excellent electrical conductivity and less heat generation without affecting electrical efficiency of a secondary battery, has been used. Here, aluminum alloy of JIS1085 and JIS3003 have been generally used. The positive electrode material can be obtained by applying an active material having a lithium-containing metal oxide such as LiCoO2 as a chief component on both sides of the surface of the aluminum alloy foil, followed by drying, and then subjecting to compression forming using a press machine (this step is hereinafter referred to as press working). The positive electrode material as so prepared, a separator, and a negative electrode are stacked, and then the resulting stack is wound. After a shaping process is performed, it is encased.
An aluminum alloy foil used for a positive electrode material of a lithium-ion secondary battery has several problems that cuts occur during application of an active material and that ruptures occur at a bending portion during winding. Thus, a higher strength is required. At a drying step after the application of the active material, heat treatment is carried out at about 100 to 160° C. Accordingly, such heat treatment lowers the strength of the aluminum, and thus it is likely to generate middle waviness during press working. This induces wrinkles during winding, which reduces adhesion between the active material and the aluminum alloy foil. Besides, a rupture is likely to occur during a later slitting process. In particular, when the adhesion between the active material and a surface of the aluminum alloy foil decreases, their peeling is facilitated during repeated operation of discharge and charge. Unfortunately, this causes battery capacity to decrease.
Recently, a high electrical conductivity has been required for an aluminum alloy foil used for a positive electrode material of a lithium-ion secondary battery. What is meant by the electrical conductivity is a physical property indicating how easily electricity is conducted in a substance. The higher the electrical conductivity is, the more easily the electricity is conducted. Lithium-ion secondary batteries used for automobiles and/or electric tools necessitate a higher output characteristic than lithium-ion secondary batteries used for consumer-use mobile phones and/or laptop computers. When a large current flows, a lower electrical conductivity causes increase in the internal resistance of a battery. Consequently, this reduces output voltage of the battery.
An aluminum alloy foil with the Al purity of 99% or more has been used as an alloy foil for a lithium-ion secondary battery, which requires a high electrical conductivity. However, the aluminum alloy foil with the Al purity of 99% or more makes it difficult to improve its strength because the foil contains a fewer amounts of elements which contribute to the improvement in strength. That is, since there are fewer solid-solution elements or fine precipitates that can suppress the dislocation movement during heat treatment, the strength is largely decreased by the heat treatment conducted when the active material is applied.
For example, when the JIS 1000 series aluminum alloy is cast by semi-continuous casting of the molten metal alloy, a specific cast structure referred to as the “feather-like structure” is frequently found in the ingot thus obtained. This feather-like structure is a thin sheet-like growth twin, and is a cause for cracks during casting or sheet cracks during rolling. It has been known that generation of the feather-like structure can be suppressed by the addition of a refiner. However, when the refiner is added by a large amount, the solid solution content in the aluminum matrix would increase, which is considered to decrease the electrical conductivity at a large extent.
Therefore, concerning an aluminum alloy foil with high purity, it is extremely difficult to suppress the generation of the feather-like structure and to prevent the sheet crack during rolling, while maintaining high conductivity.
That is, as for materials for electrode current collectors, in particular, as for electrode materials for lithium-ion secondary batteries, an aluminum alloy foil having a high strength after the heat treatment during the drying step after the preparation of the aluminum alloy foil for electrode current collectors, and having superior foil rolling property for the improvement in productivity while maintaining the high electrical conductivity, has been desired.
Patent Literature 1 discloses an aluminum alloy foil with a tensile strength of 98 MPa or more, which is used for a battery collector. Patent Literature 1, however, is silent on its strength after a drying step in a manufacturing process of a positive electrode material for a lithium-ion secondary battery.
Patent Literature 2 discloses an aluminum alloy foil with a tensile strength of 160 MPa or more, which foil is used for an electrode current collector of a lithium-ion secondary battery. However, the strength after heat treatment, which simulates a drying step, is low. This strength is insufficient for preventing wrinkles during winding and ruptures during a slitting process because middle waviness occurs during press working.
Patent Literature 3 sets forth a method for preventing peeling from an active material without inducing plastic deformation during press working by increasing the strength. However, the alloy used contains Mn, Cu, and Mg as principal elements. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve a high electrical conductivity. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides novel radiolabeled lipophilic salts, particularly radiolabeled lipophilic phosphonium and ammonium salts, which are capable of measuring mitochondrial surface potential (ΔΨm). This invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising such radiolabeled lipophilic salts. Additionally this invention provides imaging methods for identifying tissues or cells having aberrant levels of mitochondrial activity by selectively localizing radiolabeled lipophilic salts of the invention into dysfunctional mitochondria. The invention also provides on-invasive methods for an early and sensitive detection of tumor response to chemotherapy agents. The invention further provides treatment methods comprising administration of a high energy radiolabeled lipophilic salts to a patient, particularly patients suffering from diseases or disorders associated with mitochondrial dysfunction.
2. Background
Measurement of the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) provides the single most comprehensive reflection of mitochondrial bio-energetic function primarily because it directly depends on the proper integration of diverse metabolic pathways that converge at the mitochondria. Numerous diseases are associated with mitochondria dysfunction, including cancer, cardiovascular and liver diseases, degenerative and autoimmune disorders as well as aging and new pathologies related to mitochondria are identified each year.
Alterations in ΔΨm is an important characteristic of a vast array of pathologies that either involve suppressed (e.g., cancer) or enhanced apoptosis (e.g., HIV, degenerative disease) as well as >100 diseases directly caused by mitochondrial dysfunction such as DNA mutations and oxidative stress (e.g., various types of myopaties).
There are SPECT imaging probes labeled with a technetium center which are capable of accumulation in the mitochondria and the technetium labeled probes have been used for mitochondria based imaging techniques. There are a number of commercially available imaging probes that detect a given pathology using imaging agents such as [99mTc]MIBI, FDG.
[18F]FDG detects malignant lesion due to enhanced glucose metabolism. Further, as mentioned above, [18F]FDG is not able to differentiate neoplasm from inflammation. [18F]FDG is most effective imaging probe for tumor detection but poorly distinguishes neoplasm from inflammation, posing a frequent diagnostic challenge. In certain organs inflammation (e.g., tuberculosis) is a frequent pathologies among patients with suspected malignant lesion. For example, >10% of pulmonary hot spots indicated by [18F]FDG PET are inflammatory process rather than neoplasm, as proven by surgery. In other words, about 10% of lung patients with [18F]FDG PET indications may undergo unnecessary chest surgery, for a disease (inflammation) that otherwise can be treated in non-surgical and less costly and morbid approaches.
Current approaches for evaluation of efficacy of chemotherapy relies on alterations in tumor growth rate, a costly approach of limited sensitivity which involves months of follow up, repeated visits in clinic, multiple radiographic scans and frequently a number of treatment cycles.
Technetium labeled mitochondria imaging agents are hampered by several limitations. More particularly, labeling a molecule with 99mTc requires a conjugating moiety to complex the technetium ion such that Tc-based imaging agents have a high molecular weight which reduces the permeability of the imaging agent in target areas. Further, technetium imaging agents are imaged with SPECT which has relatively low spatial resolution and sensitivity when compared to comperable PET images.
There are technetium complexes, derivatives of [99mTc]annexin V, for apoptosis imaging by using SPECT. The novelty of the proposed [18F]phosphonium cations (PhCs) is that they detect the apoptotic process via a change in ΔΨm, whereas annexin V derivatives do so due to overexpression of specific membrane proteins.
[99mTc]annexin V detects apoptosis due to externalization of phosphatidylserine on the outer cytoplasm membrane. This event occurs at the end of the apoptosis process when the fragmented cell is transformed into clusters of molecules (apoptotic bodies). Shortly after the externalization of phosphatidylserine (termed “eat me” phospholipids) the apoptotic bodies are phagocytized by neighboring cells. Therefore, detection of overexpression of phosphatidylserine is limitted to a narrow time window which may last a few days only. Furthermore, the time of appearance and the duraion of this window may vary among different chemotherapy agents and subjects.
The collapse of ΔΨm is the point of no return of the apoptotic process. Therefore, the collapse of ΔΨm affords the earliest time point to detect apoptosis, rather the last event as in the case of annexin V, and the collapse persists independent of time.
Current approached for the evaluation of myocardial perfusion and viability have several limitations, including masking of myocardial activity by high accumulation in the organs adjacent to the heart (Th-201, [99mTc]MIBI) and short half-life of the isotope ([13N]-ammonia and 82Rubidum), thus limited to PET centers with an on-site cyclotron.
It would be desirable to have a family of lipophilic salts which have an affinity for mitochondria, particularly mitochondria undergoing aberrant activity. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The Internet, local area networks, and other networks provide users with a means for experiencing and sharing various types of media content. The media content can often include audio content, video content, text content, still image content, and/or combinations thereof. Media content providing sources can include Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), cable TV, and satellite TV. Additionally, media content can be generated locally at a user's home through devices such as video/audio players, personal computers, video conferencing equipment, cameras, and other devices. In order to access and experience the content, users typically have to utilize the device and/or application that generated the content. However, users often seek to integrate content generated by various devices and/or applications so as to make the content readily accessible. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to the liquefaction of coal to produce a normally liquid product which is low in sulfur and nitrogen and has a particularly high API gravity.
As a consequence of the increasing costs and diminishing supplies of petroleum much research is being conducted into better ways of obtaining synthetic fuels from solids such as coal. Furthermore, as a consequence of increased emphasis on the reduction of air pollution, fuels with low sulfur and low nitrogen contents are in great demand. Unfortunately, however, most coals contain large amounts of sulfur and nitrogen which end up in the synthetic liquids produced from the coal which necessitates additional costly sulfur and nitrogen removal steps, further increasing the costs of the synthetic fuels.
Numerous processes are well known in the art for the production of liquid products from coal.
In many processes for coal liquefaction, hydrogen is supplied by a liquid donor solvent. In such processes, the function of any catalyst is to rehydrogenate the solvent by adding molecular hydrogen to it. Thus the solvent acts as a medium to carry hydrogen from the catalyst to the solid coal. However, in such processes the catalyst is typically rapidly deactivated with the result that the process is highly inefficient and not conducive to a commercial coal hydrogenation process.
Another problem with prior art processes results from the insoluble solids which are contained in the liquid product. Typically, the liquid product from a coal liquefaction process has a high molecular weight. The high molecular weight of the product makes it very difficult to separate the very fine insoluble solids (coal residue). Furthermore, it has generally been taught that these insoluble solids must be separated prior to further processing in order to prevent downstream catalyst deactivation.
A further problem of prior art coal liquefaction processes is that the normally liquid product typically contains 0.2 to 1.0 or more weight percent sulfur and nitrogen. These potential pollutants must be removed in order to produce a valuable clean fuel and the removal of these contaminants requires costly additional hydroprocessing steps which further increase the cost of the product.
Typical of the prior art processes is the Gulf catalytic coal liquefaction process, disclosed in Coal Conversion Technology, Smith et al., Noyes Data Corporation (1976), where a slurry of coal and a process-derived solvent is forced up through a bed of catalyst at 900.degree. F. and 2000 psig. The product, as taught in Sun W. Chun, National Science Foundation, Ohio State University Workshop, "Materials Problems and Research", Apr. 16, 1974, has a gravity of 1.2.degree. API, a sulfur content of 0.11 weight percent, and a nitrogen content of 0.63 weight percent.
Another typical and well-known prior art process is the Synthoil process wherein a coal solvent slurry is pumped into a catalytic fixed bed reactor with hydrogen at a high velocity. Similar to the Gulf process, the Synthoil process also produces a liquid product, as taught in "Coal Liquefaction", Sam Friedman et al., presented at NPRA National Fuels & Lubricants Meeting, Nov. 6-8, 1974, Houston Tex., which has a gravity of -0.72.degree. API and a sulfur content of 0.2 weight percent. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to staining techniques for biological specimens which provide for excellent visual clarity and contrast in the stained specimen.
While a variety of stains are available for either light or electron microscopy of glycomacromolecules, such as glycogen, glycoproteins, reticular fibers basement membranes, and nuclear DNA there is a need for a stain that works well for both of the various modes of microscopy.
The use of periodic acid or hydrochloric acid in conjunction with a Schiff reagent are known staining procedure, but does not provide as high a degree of contrast and clarity as one would desire.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a procedure for the staining of biological specimens which result in a high degree of visual clarity and contrast in the stained specimen.
This and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the discussion which follows.
Generally speaking, the present invention provides a procedure for the staining of a biological or other specimen by contacting the specimen sequentially with periodic or hydrochloric acid, thiocarbohydrazide or thiosemicarbazide, and silver methenamine. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Asphalt pavements basically consist of two main components; bitumen and aggregate. The function of bitumen is to act as a binder in between the aggregate skeleton, giving the asphalt sufficient internal cohesion. It is therefore of vital importance that the bitumen has a strong bond (adhesion) to the aggregate surface.
The fact that roadways can suffer water damage is well established. The visible symptoms of water damage are various and include rutting and shoving, deformation, loss of chippings from surface dressings (chip seals), and raveling of surface layers. This leads to rough surfaces and eventually potholes, loss of structural strength, susceptibility to freeze-thaw damage and cracking. The underlying problem on a micro scale is loss of adhesion between the bitumen and the aggregate surface. Even though the aggregate is fully coated with bitumen, water could penetrate the bitumen film by various means, as for instance through wearing of thin bitumen films at sharp aggregate edges.
In common terms, bitumen is an oily material and therefore very hydrophobic. Bitumen has much less affinity for the aggregate surface than water has, and it does not adhere easily to the hydrophilic surfaces of most aggregates. The adhesion between bitumen and aggregate depends on the chemical nature of the components, and therefore the source of the bitumen and type of aggregate. Aggregate properties such as surface texture, porosity, shape and absorption will also influence the aggregate/bitumen adhesion.
Due to its chemical composition, bitumen has quite a low polarity whereas water is extremely polar. Aggregates may be of an “acidic” type, with surfaces that tend to be negatively charged, or “basic” (also referred to as “alkaline”)” with surfaces that tend to be positively charged. Acidic aggregates include those with high silica contents, while basic aggregates include carbonates.
It is the function of the adhesion promoter to alter the relative surface properties and polarity of incompatible materials, thus facilitating a strong bond between the bitumen and the aggregate, which resists the water displacing effects for the service life of the pavement.
The adhesion could either be passive or active. Passive adhesion is the ability of a binder (bitumen) to maintain the integrity of the adhesive bond with aggregate to prevent stripping under wet conditions, which can be assured by the addition of an adhesion promoter to the binder. Active adhesion is achieved by the action of the adhesion promoter to decrease the contact angle of the bitumen to aggregate interface, thus allowing the bitumen to displace water and coat the aggregate surface.
There are earlier publications describing the use of phosphated alcohols as adhesion improvers.
EP 0 926 191 relates to an asphalt additive which increases the adhesion between bitumen and aggregates. The asphalt additive comprises at least one phosphated product derived from a monohydric alcohol having either a linear or methyl branched hydrocarbon radical, and which is optionally alkoxylated.
EP 0 157 210 relates to a method for strengthening the adhesion between heated bitumen and aggregates by adding to the bitumen an acidic organophosphorous compound exemplified by e.g. monooleyl phosphate, dioleyl phosphate and phosphate of sorbitan laurate.
FR 2 971 785 relates to the use of a composition comprising at least one phospholipid and at least one salt of a fatty acid to produce a bituminous product, where the bituminous product is an emulsion comprising 0.2-10 wt % of the said composition, 1-80 wt % bitumen and water up to 100 wt %.
However, there is still a need for adhesion promoters having an increased efficiency towards a wide range of aggregates. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Legionella pneumophila, which is the causal agent of Legionella infections, has been known to cause Legionnaires' disease or Pontiac fever. Since the bacteria was first isolated in Philadelpia, USA, it has been reported that many isolations of a species of Legionella were made from various patients and environments in all parts Of the world, including the USA, and 10 or more species were identified. Legionella pneumophila is one of the pathogens capable of causing pneumonia and it is presumed that 5% of the occurences of pneumonia are due to Legionella pneumophila. Legionella pneumophila grows in air-conditioning cooling towers, water service pipes, drain pipes, etc., and infections arc believed to occur in respiratory organs by inhalation of contaminated aerosols. In July, 1984, criticism was caused by the surprising fact that ill-defined symptoms of pneumonia which occurred in patients as well as medical teams at intensive care units of Koryo Hospital in Seoul appeared to be caused by Legionella species.
According to a result of investigation completed in 1985 by the National Health Institute, at least 90% of air-conditioning cooling towers within Seoul were contaminated with Legionella species and 93% of the isolated Legionella were identified as Legionella pneumophila. An additional investigation completed by the National Health Institute in major cities throughout the country, for example Seoul, Pusan, Daejeon, etc., between June and September, 1988 revealed that 83% of the isolated Legionella were classified to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1.
Macrolide antibiotics, such as erythromycin, and quinolone antibiotics, such as rifampin, are known to be active against Legionella species and have been used for the treatment of the Legionella infections. However, these antibiotics have a wide spectrum of activity against a variety of microbes, in addition to the Legionella species. In this regard, an abuse of such antibiotics for extended periods may not only generate resistance to various microbes but also cause harmful problems such as the collapse of the balance of microbes occurring in a human body.
Additionally, there have been serious problems in that chemical agents for disinfecting air-conditioning cooling towers, which are contamination sources of Legionella species, may result in the contamination of the environment and the corrosion of the air-conditioning device.
Therefore, the development of novel Legionella specific antibiotics which are specifically active against only Legionella species, is needed and thereby may minimize the undesired problems. We have intensively investigated soil microbes over several years for the purpose of developing such antibiotics. Eventually, we succeeded in isolating a species of Streptomyces producing Legionella specific antibiotics and purifying a novel antibiotic specifically active against only Legionella species, which is designated Antibiotic AL072. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a magnetic read/write head, and in particular, to a planar silicon head with a structure protected from an overcurrent/overvoltage and a method for fabricating the same.
2. Related Art
Magnetic heads are used for reading and writing magnetically coded data stored on a magnetic storage medium such as a magnetic disk. An inductive magnetic head generally includes two conductive layers, called poles, separated by an insulating layer. Conductive wires are embedded within the insulating layer between the poles. The insulating layer is typically narrowest near the tips of the poles. The portion of the insulating layer near the pole tips is called the front gap, and the thickness of the insulating layer between the pole tips is called the gap length. Typically, the substrate on which the layers have been deposited is formed into a slider defining one of more air bearing surfaces. Examples of inductive magnetic head are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,643 for Method For Manufacturing A Magnetic Head By A Thin-Film Technique issued to Schewe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,086 for Thin Film Two-Pole Inductive Magnetic Head With Minimized Secondary Pulses issued to Frey et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,166 for Thin Film Magnetic Recording Head For Minimizing Undershoots And A Method For Manufacturing The Same issued to Aylwin et al.
A planar structure magnetic head has lower inductance than inductive magnetic heads. As a result, planar structure magnetic heads are widely substituted for inductive magnetic heads. There are a number of different planar structure magnetic heads and fabrication processes as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,207 for Planar Structure Thin Film Magnetic Head issued to Lazzari, U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,308 for Thin Film Planarization Process For Fabricating Magnetic Heads Employing A Stitched Pole Structure issued to Chen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,942 for Sacrificial Layer Planarization Process For Fabricating A Narrow Thin Film Inductive Head issued to Chen et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,733 for Planar Head Having Separate Read And Write Gaps issued to Hesterman et al. Typically, the planar silicon head is formed by a drilling process for drilling holes in a silicon substrate to form an electrode, an electroplating process for forming pole pieces, a gap forming process for forming a gap positioned in the upper pole piece, and a bump forming process for forming bumps positioned at the rear of the head. However, I have observed that internal connector for most planar silicon heads is not uniformly plated due to surface contamination. As such, each time an overvoltage/overcurrent is applied through the head connector, the connector is corroded by metallic stress and contamination. If the current continues to flow, the corrosion becomes severe, and the internal connector is disconnected. As a result, the planar silicon head loses its intended function. Accordingly, an improved planar silicon head for reading and writing magnetically coded data stored on a magnetic storage medium is still desired. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
During the processing of molten steel in a ladle, an inert gas such as argon is typically bubbled into and through the molten steel. The bubbling of inert gas into the ladle facilitates uniform composition, uniform temperature control, oxygen removal, and purification of molten metal in the ladle. One conventional method of injecting the inert gas into the ladle involves the use of a port in the floor of the ladle. The space defining the port is occupied by a porous plug. Inert gas (typically argon) is continuously passed into the ladle through the porous plug, whereby the porous plug a) divides the inert gas into small bubbles and b) prevents molten metal from seeping into the gas inlet port, as long as the gas is being injected.
Conventional porous plugs have typically been constructed from a ceramic porous brick material surrounded by a steel shell, and held into place by a refractory mortar. The typical porous plug includes a large number of irregular interconnected passages resembling the openings in a sponge. Porous plugs having regular interconnected passages are also known.
Conventional porous plug structures are not very durable and tend to erode quickly, requiring frequent replacement. The tendency to erode, and become blocked, is due in part to the high temperatures in the ladle, which can reach 2700.degree.-2900.degree. F. Therefore, there is a need or desire in the iron and steel industry for porous plugs useful in ladle ports which accomplish all the objectives of conventional porous plugs, yet which are more durable and have much longer useful lives. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for water remediation and biosolids collection, and, more particularly, to such systems and methods for remediating water and collecting water-borne solids using solids entrapment.
2. Description of Related Art
Dissolved air flotation (DAF) is a liquid process technology that uses micro-bubble airflotation to raise and remove suspended solids in an aqueous solution such as industrial process water, municipal waste water, and/or lake water.
DAF systems known in the art are constructed from steel or concrete tanks. Large liquid above-ground vessels require structural steel plate and backing stiffeners to preclude deformation of the tank walls during hydrostatic loading when full to operating levels. The steel vessels also require footings to transfer loads to soil with appropriate bearing capacities. Inert materials like 314 and 316 Stainless Steel or exotic epoxy coating systems are typically used to retard corrosion.
Wind mixing of shallow lakes causes loose non-photosynthetic sediment material to rise into the photic zone temporarily. This reactive nutrient-laden sediment often feeds the algae in the photic zone of an impaired (hypereutrophic) lake and causes a perpetual algal bloom, which can in some cases even be seen from space (the orbiting Space Shuttle can differentiate hypertrophic Lake Apopka in Florida from other lakes, for example). One means of water remediation is to remove, or harvest, suspended solids (SS) and the nutrients incorporated thereinto.
Traditional approaches for SS removal use large expanses (5,000-45,000 acres) of flooded wetland filters where quiescent conditions cause the SS to sink out and form soil. As soil decays, much of the settled-out nutrients go back into solution, causing inefficiency. If toxic cyanobacteria algae settle out in the wetland, toxins can become available to wildlife for years, both in soil and water. Still, this has been a preferred method for remediation where a great expanse of land is available.
A known difficulty in remediating water bodies is that systems must often operate where the soil is soft and wet, for example, adjacent or on lake shores. The expense associated with providing excavation, fill, and soil stabilization can be prohibitive, and the result unsightly in an area that is supposed to be being improved. Therefore, DAF systems have been considered unsuitable for on-site water body remediation. In addition, for at least some of the same reasons, using DAF technology in a water body has not been considered to be practicable.
Prior known DAF systems require a precise balancing of criteria such as inflow rate, coagulant delivery parameters, and sludge and flotation removal in order to function effectively. As larger DAF systems are known to be prohibitively expensive, the trend has been towards smaller vessels having specific geometries for optimizing filtration.
Other problems faced at the present time are the growing expense and decreasing supplies of fuel, and the disposal of biomass generated by bioremediation systems such as algal floways and other aquatic plant systems.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for remediating a body of water that is economical and effective, and that does not disturb an aesthetic appeal of the water body and the surrounding area. It would also be desirable to provide a system and method for disposing of collected biosolids and for generating fuel therefrom. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to sport training equipment and, more particularly, to a golf swing exercising and training apparatus for assisting a user to improve a golf swing.
2. Prior Art
Among businessmen and professionals, golf has long been the sport of choice. Today, with the rise of stars such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, and the lasting popularity of legends such as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, the sport is more popular than ever. Every year from spring to fall throughout the United States and the world, thousands of players head out to municipal courses and private clubs to tee up and take aim down the fairway. With their bags strapped to their backs or loaded on carts, golfers make their way through the course, counting their strokes and trying to stay under par. Ask any avid golfer and they will tell you, the greatest part of the game is the fresh cut grass and warmth of the summer day, the feel of the ball hitting the sweet spot of the club, and watching it soar off into the sky only to bounce down onto the distant green. Business associates, doctors and lawyers, fathers and sons, sisters and mothers, high school kids and college teams alike bring out their clubs every season in hopes of beating their personal best scores.
However, golf is not always fun, and rarely is it easy. Courses are designed to challenge the player and make low scores difficult to achieve. It is not unusual to see frustration on the faces of disgruntled players on the eighteenth hole, after a day of searching for their ball in the heavy rough, or watching them hook off into the trees or ponds, lost forever. While money may buy the most popular or custom made clubs and gear, or may pay for hours of lessons, one of the most important aspects of the game is perfecting the swing. Without a consistent motion and approach at every tee, players will likely find themselves pitching from off the fairway, behind trees, or digging out of a sand trap. It is for this reason that machines have been invented to assist a player in coordinating his or her arms, hips, and legs to uncover and maintain the perfect swing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,656,055 to Marro discloses a machine for learning the bodily position and motion known as a swing in the game of golf to form correct golf posture based on a player's height, and more specifically the player's distance from the hips to the ground and from the shoulders to the hips and by the motions during the golf swing. The machine learns the bodily position and motions of the golf player in hitting the ball. The machine includes two plates arranged so that they can move on a column, one at the height of the player's hips and the other at the height of the shoulders, the latter with arms leaving said plate and ending in a hinged belt for holding the hips and the other having a lower arm and upper arm terminating in a shoulder bar for holding the player's shoulders. Unfortunately, this prior art reference does not disclose a means for correctly training a user how to position their head during the swinging procedure, a vital component of a desired golf swing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,633 to Sciarrillo discloses a golf practice device having a golf club guiding member consisting of a single tube wound in the form of a helix having in excess of one and a half turns. The diameter of the helix is somewhat less than the arc of a club head during the golf swing and the guide is supported on the ground or other surface such that the helix lies approximately in the plane defined by the shaft of a golf club during the normal golf swing. One end of the helix terminates adjacent the impact region of the club with the golf ball. The helical guide member extends away from the point of impact in the direction of the back swing. The pitch of the helix increases so that the overlapping turns of the helix are divergent in going from the point of impact to the top of the back swing region of the golf swing. The overlapping turns of the helix are held in fixed spaced relation by a supporting leg in the form of an open loop, the ends of the loop supporting the adjacent overlapping portions of the helical guide. One end of the helix may be braced from the supporting leg. Unfortunately, this prior art reference does not disclose a means of positioning the user's spine, head, and arms in such a manner to teach correct posture during swinging procedures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,264 to Wootten discloses a golf swing training apparatus including a base, an upright support frame, rotary guide arm assembly at the top of the support frame establishing a reference axis of rotation at an inner arm portion and having an outer end flexibly coupled to the club head so that as the club is swung it is confined to a swing plane perpendicular to the reference axis of rotation. There is adjustment in frame height and angle of incline for the reference axis of rotation as well as adjustment in the drag. There is also a tensioning feature to dampen the inertia mass during the stroke. Unfortunately, this prior art reference also does not assist the user in training their muscles to memorize the desired movement of the swing and does not position the user's body in the correct stance to maximize swing accuracy.
Accordingly, a need remains for a golf swing exercising and training apparatus in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a device that is convenient and easy to use, is durable yet lightweight in design, is versatile in its applications, and provides golfers with much needed assistance in improving their golf swing. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hearing aids. The invention, more specifically, relates to a soft custom ear mold for hearing aids. The invention further relates to a method of manufacturing a soft custom ear mold. The invention, in particular, relates to a tool for use in the method.
In the context of the present disclosure, a hearing aid should be understood as a small, battery-powered, microelectronic device designed to be worn behind or in the human ear by a hearing-impaired user. Prior to use, the hearing aid is adjusted by a hearing aid fitter according to a prescription. The prescription is based on a hearing test, resulting in a so-called audiogram, of the performance of the hearing-impaired user's unaided hearing. The prescription is developed to reach a setting where the hearing aid will alleviate a hearing loss by amplifying sound at frequencies in those parts of the audible frequency range where the user suffers a hearing deficit. A hearing aid comprises one or more microphones, a battery, a microelectronic circuit comprising a signal processor, and an acoustic output transducer. The signal processor is preferably a digital signal processor. The hearing aid is enclosed in a casing suitable for fitting behind or in a human ear.
As the name suggests, Behind-The-Ear (BTE) hearing aids are worn behind the ear. To be more precise an electronics unit comprising a housing containing the major electronics parts thereof is worn behind the ear. An ear mold for emitting sound to the hearing aid user is worn in the ear, e.g. in the concha or the ear canal. In a traditional BTE hearing aid, a sound tube is used because the output transducer, which in hearing aid terminology is normally referred to as the receiver, is located in the housing of the electronics unit. In some modern types of hearing aids a conducting member comprising electrical conductors is used, because the receiver is placed in the earpiece in the ear. Such hearing aids are commonly referred to as Receiver-In-The-Ear (RITE) hearing aids. In a specific type of RITE hearing aids the receiver is placed inside the ear canal. This is known as Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) hearing aids.
2. Prior Art
Basically two different types of ear molds are offered today. The first type may be denoted custom ear molds and are characterized in that the shape of a specific ear canal is obtained and that the ear mold is subsequently manufactured such that it corresponds to the specific ear canal. At present the shape of the ear canal is typically obtained using an ear impression but this need not be the case since e.g. various digital scanning methods can also provide the shape of a specific ear canal. The second type may be denoted instant fit ear molds and are characterized in that they have not been adapted to the shape of a specific ear canal. Instead this type of ear molds has been adapted to cover a wide range of ear canals. Generally the custom ear molds are advantageous compared to the instant fit type in that they provide a secure and precise fit in the ear canal, whereby the ear molds will not tend to fall out of the ear, and the leakage of sound around the ear mold will be small whereby the risk of acoustic feedback is reduced.
The respective custom and instant-fit ear molds may further be sub-divided into soft and hard ear molds. The hard custom ear molds may e.g. be manufactured using rapid prototyping techniques. Further details concerning such a method can be found e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,012.
Generally the hard ear molds are advantageous in that the hard materials provide high acoustic attenuation. This is important in order to control sound leakage, and hereby acoustical feedback, from an interior sound channel in the ear mold and towards the surroundings outside the ear mold. The hard ear molds may be disadvantageous in that the hearing aid fitter will typically have to send the ear canal impressions to a remote ear mold manufacturing site, which has the consequence that the hearing aid user has to wait a few days before he can obtain his new hearing aid with hard custom ear molds.
The soft custom ear molds are typically manufactured by a hearing fitter, who obtains an impression of a specific ear canal and uses a negative of the impression to mold a soft ear mold in e.g. silicone. The soft custom ear molds are advantageous in that they may provide an improved comfort relative to hard ear molds, in that they may reduce sound leakage—even compared to hard custom ear molds, and in that local hearing aid fitters can manufacture this type of ear mold in-house. The soft ear molds may be disadvantageous in that the acoustic attenuation of the available soft ear mold materials is low compared to the available hard ear mold materials.
As already disclosed the soft ear mold is preferably manufactured in silicone. A preferred silicone is the Biopor, which is biocompatible. However, other resilient materials, such as soft acrylic may also be applied. Generally, the soft ear mold should preferably be manufactured from a material having a hardness which is below 80 measured on the Shore durometer type A scale (see the standard ASTM D2240 for description of the test). This is often written as Shore 80A. Preferably, the hardness is below Shore 60A, and more preferably the hardness is in the range from Shore 20A to Shore 45A.
In order to solve the problem of the limited acoustic attenuation of the soft ear mold materials it has been proposed in the art to insert a sound tube of a highly acoustic attenuating material into the sound conduit of the soft ear mold. It has been proposed to use e.g. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Polyurethane (PUR) as sound tube material. These materials are relatively soft and it has therefore been suggested to insert the sound tube into the soft ear mold by: putting a hard mounting tool through the sound conduit of the ear mold such that the first end of the mounting tool is on the first side of the ear mold and the other end of the mounting tool is on the other side of the ear mold, fixing the sound tube onto a hard mounting tool, pulling the mounting tool, and hereby the sound tube, back through the sound conduit of the ear mold, removing the hard mounting tool from the sound tube, and trimming the ends of the sound tube to make them flush with the ear mold.
In order to keep the sound tube at the correct position inside the soft ear mold it has been suggested to achieve this by: providing a soft ear mold wherein the sound conduit is adapted to accommodate a bushing, putting a hard mounting tool through the sound conduit of the ear mold such that the first end of the mounting tool is on the first side of the ear mold (the side adapted to face outwards when inserted in an ear canal) and the other end of the mounting tool is on the other side of the ear mold, fixing a hard bushing to a first end of the sound tube, engaging the first end of the mounting tool with the second end of the sound tube, pulling the mounting tool, and hereby the sound tube and the bushing, back through the sound conduit of the ear mold until the bushing is seated correctly inside the ear mold, removing the hard mounting tool from the sound tube, and trimming the second end of the sound tube flush with the ear mold.
The soft ear molds may be further be disadvantageous in that traditional ear wax guards, such as disclosed in e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 9,795,562, cannot be used. The main reason for this is that the soft ear molds are not capable of accommodating an ear wax guard or an ear wax guard bushing in the same manner as a hard ear mold. It has therefore become common practice to use the soft ear molds without an ear wax guard. A consequence of this is that the sound tube has to be cleaned regularly which is more cumbersome than simply replacing an ear wax guard.
It is therefore a feature of the present invention to overcome at least these drawbacks and provide a soft custom ear mold that permits the use of an ear wax guard.
It is another feature of the current invention to provide a method for manufacturing a soft custom ear mold. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for expanding foodstuffs and luxury foodstuffs/tobacco materials. In particular, the method and apparatus in accordance with the invention may serve to increase the filling capacity of tobacco material or smoking materials reduced in size.
Concerning tobacco material, what should be understood as being included under the term tobacco material or smoking materials reduced in size are threshed tobacco leaves, tobacco stems, tobacco stalks, each cut or shredded, reprocessed tobacco as well as by-products of tobacco such as winnowings in tobacco processing (primary) and in cigarette production and packaging (secondary).
2. Description of Prior Art
Freshly harvested green leaves of tobacco contain a relatively high proportion of water, the residual content of which is reduced by means of various curing methods to less than 10% by mass. The water content is defined as the loss in mass of the tobacco relative to a moisture weigh-in in % by mass in a drying cabinet in a drying time of 3 hours at 80xc2x0 C. (so-called Salvis moisture). Tobacco prepared as such constitutes raw materials, termed raw tobacco, employed in making e.g. cigarettes or other tobacco-based luxury foodstuffs. The processing chain involved from green leaf up to raw tobacco results in heavy shrinkage, this reduction in volume has a disadvantageous effect on the so-called filling capacity.
The tobacco industry describes filling capacity as the ability to produce finished products (e.g. cigarettes) using as little mass as possible, yet, which are physically stable, firm or hard. (filling capacity also is defined as the remaining volume relative to the weigh-in in ml/g which is derived from compression with a 3 kg weight in a cylindrical vessel after time available of 30 seconds).
Physical and chemical procedural principles are known technically for reversing the shrinking process:
The physical procedures (gaseous change in phase by heat supply) differ substantially by the impregnation means/expanding agent and thus by the change in phase, examples of which are impregnation with CO2 (solid to gaseous change in phase), impregnation with liquid gas (liquid to gaseous change in phase) as well as impregnation with high-pressure N2 (dissolved to gaseous change in phase).
Also to be mentioned in this respect are the methods proposed with organic solvents in liquid form and expulsion as gas, this describing substantially all known low-boiling methods.
The variants of the chemical procedures (generating a gas by thermal decomposition or exothermic reaction) differ substantially by the way the gas reacts in being generated, such as decomposing additives by introducing heat in the dryer or by the addition of further additives to trigger a reaction. Examples of this are impregnating with NH3/CO2 (solid to gaseous thermal decomposition) with H2O2 (liquid to gaseous thermal decomposition) and with N2H4/H2O2 (liquid to gaseous exothermic reaction).
Only the physical methods have succeeded in gaining cost-effective significance, typical of which is pressurized impregnation. Subsequent expansion in the dryer is done after the so-called fixing instigated by reducing the pressure/cooling to atmospheric pressure in the impregnator to thus create an equilibrium substance at atmospheric pressure. The significance of these processes is explained by expansion being free of residues, low-cost expanding agents and an increase in volume in the order of magnitude around factor 2.
The drawback with these methods is the need to infeed extra additives and the necessity of a pressurized stage in the tobacco treatment process, impregnation normally being a complicated batch process.
The chemical procedures have gained no significance whatsoever due to the residue problems involved. In all known methods, the tobacco is impregnated either at or above atmospheric pressure with substances which, in a second step, e.g. in a dryer, are quickly put through a change in phase from solid or liquid state into a gaseous phase. This bloating effect results in the increase in volume of the tobacco structures. Known from DE 31 47 846 C2 is a method of enhancing the filling capacity in which the tobacco material is introduced into a carrier flow in a venturi nozzle, it thereby expanding. The drawback in this arrangement in the need to optimize the increase in filling capacity.
As regards the expansion of other foodstuffs and luxury foodstuffs/tobacco materials/tobacco materials capable of expansion (e.g. cereals or pulses; xe2x80x9cpuffsxe2x80x9d), prior art mostly describes discontinuous methods and apparatuses; the following prior publications to be cited in this respect:
DE 195 21 243 describes a method and apparatus, wherein in batch operation a closed vessel is pressurized and the material contained therein heated. The upper portion containing no material is briefly exposed to increased pressure. By the vessel being abruptly opened, the material is output into an expansion chamber at atmospheric pressure. The increased pressure acts as an expansion agent, resulting in the water contained in the material being evaporated and causing said material to expand.
DE 195 21168 describes an apparatus and method analogous to those of DE 195 21 243 except that, in this case, the inner vessel features no holes in the upper portion containing no material.
DE 195 21167 describes an apparatus similar to that of DE 195 21 243 and DE 195 21 168, except that, in this case, the expansion chamber is rotatable and the expanded material is discharged longitudinally by rotation of the drum.
DE 198 06 951 describes an apparatus and a method for buffing a granular material, more particularly a preheat chamber for the material to be expanded. The heater employed comprises a fluidized bed chamber, in which the material is heated batchwise. With the aid of a branch circuit, the product is transferred to the buffing reactor.
Described in DE 198 06 950 is an expansion chamber configured two-part. The first part begins directly at the discharge of the expansion chamber and has the configuration of an elongated slim cone, designed to result in a laminar flow. It ports into the second part in which normal pressure is attained at the latest. Here the flow is turbulent.
Also in the case of this prior art, expansion can still not optimally occur and the systems operating in discontinuous batch operation are complicated and not very effective.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of prior art, the intention being more particularly to effectively make optimum expansion possible and, as regards the tobacco material, it is intended that the cited reduction in the filling capacity/shrinkage is to be counteracted as much as possible.
This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by the subject matter of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention read from the sub-claims.
The invention makes it possible to attain, in the field of tobacco processing, increases in the filling capacity, not achievable up until now, and which, after expansion, are as much as 10 percent above the values for usual methods of expansion hitherto generally deemed optimized. The positive effects on the cost-effectiveness in producing smoking products are enormous in view of the amounts of tobacco material used in the industry. Corresponding benefits materialize in the area of other expandable foodstuffs and luxury foodstuffs/tobacco materials.
In the method in accordance with the invention the material continuously passes through a zone of elevated pressure, followed by a zone of reduced pressure before ending up in a zone of atmospheric pressure.
The core principle of the method exploits the ability of gases and vapors to totally convert compression energy by means of a nozzle into kinetic energy (in the extreme case, reducing pressure down to 0 bar). This extreme reduction in pressure can only be achieved when at the narrowest location of the nozzle the speed of sound or equivalently the critical pressure ratio is attained. Under these conditions, a further reduction in pressure and thus increase in velocity occurs in the wider section of the nozzle.
Under the same conditions in classic operation of such a nozzle an increase in pressure and thus reduction in volume occurs in the wider section, as is evident from the enclosed FIG. 6 showing, in the upper illustration, a basic nozzle construction, the velocity and pressure profiles for various modes of operation being illustrated below. In this arrangement, the profile identified by the encircled 1 applies to a nozzle in critical closing operation, while the profiles identified by the encircled 2 are for a Laval nozzle in critical operation (at supersonic speed) as used in the present invention.
When a carrier flow (for example saturated steam) is charged e.g. with tobacco material prior to it entering the nozzle, then depending on the input conditions the particles are equilibrated to the temperature and pressure of steam (e.g. 4 bar, 143xc2x0 C.). Once the two-phase mixture has entered the vacuum zone of the Laval nozzle (e.g. 0.2 bar) the moist particles lose their equilibrium at an elevated temperature (boiling point of water at 0.2 bar: 60xc2x0 C.) and tobacco moisture evaporates for cooling. This forced evaporation is fed from the internal particle energy. Any transfer of heat from the surroundings is impossible due to the temperature conditions (vapor colder than particles) in the vacuum zone. However, heat is transported outside from inside by the conduction of heat in the particles. Dehumidification/drying in this way is basically different to the so-called convection air-flow dryer, in which the energy required for evaporation is transferred from the gas to the particles.
Due to the very low pressure at the exit of the Laval nozzle, the increases in the filling capacity can be advantageously achieved. In addition to this, the invention makes a continual process possible which can be integrated e.g. in a tobacco preparation process without any special steps being needed (it permitting more particularly integration in an air-flow dryer without first needing to outfeed the tobacco). Thus, this arrangement involves only a minor additional apparatus; additional steps in preparing the tobacco such as casing or flavoring can be directly integrated.
The carrier flow may comprise a steam content of 10 to 100% saturated steam and, more particularly, comprises superheated steam.
In one embodiment of the invention, the pressure of the carrier flow upstream of the Laval nozzle is in the range of less than 1 bar to approx. 30 bar, preferably 1 bar to 30 bar and more particularly 1 bar to 10 bar, and the temperature of the carrier flow upstream of the Laval nozzle is in the range of 50xc2x0 C. to 450xc2x0 C., preferably in a range of 100xc2x0 C. to 300xc2x0 C.
The pressure at the output of the Laval nozzle may be in the range of 0 to 2 bar, preferably 0.2 to 1 bar.
Described more particularly in the following are embodiments for expanding tobacco material. However, these embodiments are just as suitable for expanding is other foodstuffs and luxury foodstuffs/tobacco materials, including processing solid, fibrous, grainy, bean or leafy foodstuffs and luxury foodstuffs/tobacco materials, e.g. grains, pulses, cereals, barley, maize, beans, wheat, rice or peas. The components of the apparatus, such as separators, are then to be adapted to the material to be processed in each case.
Preferably, the carrier flow is superheated prior to the material/tobacco material being incorporated.
In one preferred embodiment of the method in accordance with the invention, the carrier flow passes through an infeed zone, a nozzle antechamber, the Laval nozzle, an infeed diffusor and an outfeed diffusor.
On the one hand, the tobacco material may be fed into the carrier flow in the infeed zone upstream of the Laval nozzle, preferably via a rotary vane lock comprising a header placed onto the infeed zone.
On the other hand, it is possible to feed the tobacco material into the carrier flow at the Laval nozzle in the zone of lowest pressure, preferably via a rotary vane lock comprising a header placed onto the Laval nozzle.
As far as further processing of the tobacco material is concerned it is possible in accordance with the invention to supply the tobacco material, after it having passed through the outfeed diffusor, to a tobacco separator, more particularly a centrifugal separator, the vacuum of which is maintained preferably by a vacuum compressor. However, after it having passed through the outfeed diffusor, the tobacco material may also be first supplied to an air-flow dryer and then to a tobacco separator, more particularly a centrifugal separator.
In one advantageous embodiment of the method in accordance with the invention, the gas flow passing the components adjoining the outfeed diffusor is collected by means of an air recycling system, compressed and recycled as part of the carrier flow.
The apparatus in accordance with the invention is preferably characterized by it comprising a means, more particularly a heat exchanger, for superheating the carrier flow prior to the tobacco material being incorporated.
In one development of the apparatus in accordance with the invention, the flow guidance means comprise an infeed zone, a nozzle antechamber, the Laval nozzle, an infeed diffusor and an outfeed diffusor.
A rotary vane lock having a header placed onto the infeed zone may be provided, by means of which the tobacco material is fed into the carrier flow in the infeed zone upstream of the Laval nozzle.
Furthermore, the apparatus may comprise a rotary vane lock having a header is placed onto the Laval nozzle, by means of which the tobacco material is supplied to the carrier flow at the Laval nozzle in the zone of lowest pressure.
Preferably, the apparatus comprises a tobacco separator, more particularly a centrifugal separator to which the tobacco material is supplied after having passed through the outfeed diffusor, and the vacuum of which is maintained preferably by means of a vacuum compressor.
In another embodiment, the apparatus comprises an air flow dryer and adjoining thereto a tobacco separator, more particularly a centrifugal separator, to which the tobacco material is supplied after having passed through the outfeed diffusor.
It is particularly advantageous to provide an air recycling system by means of which the gas flow passing the components adjoining the outfeed diffusor is collected, compressed and re-supplied to the carrier flow. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to check valves. More particularly, this invention relates to check valves for fluids employing a free-floating disc that allows fluid flow in an unchecked direction with a minimal increase in fluid pressure and turbulence while maximizing the rate of fluid flow through the valve.
2. Description of the Background Art
Presently, there exist many types of disc valves that employ a free-floating disc that seats in a checked direction of fluid flow and unseats in an unchecked direction. Optimal designs of disc valves seek to minimize the increase in fluid pressure in the unchecked fluid flow direction, minimize turbulence within the valve and maximize the rate of fluid flow through the valve. It is an object of this invention to provide an improvement that is a significant contribution to the advancement of the disc valve art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve having a maximum fluid flow rate.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve having a minimal dimensional package size.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve having a minimal tendency of the seal disc to stick in the open or closed position.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve having a minimal seal disc deformation under differential pressure loads.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve having minimal fluid turbulence through the valve.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve having high differential seal pressures.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve having a high ultimate burst pressure.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve having an improved kinematic action of the seal disc.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve composed of modular components to enable various assemblies of end connections.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve having an improved ergonomic design of the valve body/housing.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve having a simplicity of components.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve capable of being consistently and durably manufactured/molded and assembled at a low manufactured cost.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve that is particularly suited for liquid applications, but that may be employed in limited gas media applications.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disc valve that is particularly suited for human blood and blood products applications.
The foregoing has outlined some of the pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many of the beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to nobel hydantoin derivatives, salts thereof, intermediates therefor and having an optical activity, a process for the prepartation of same, and medicines containing the derivative or salt as an effective ingredient to treat complications of diabetes.
The hydantoin derivative and intermediates are shown by following formula. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Almost every home has a panel filter which is installed in a forced air system such as the furnace and/or air conditioning unit (the HVAC system) of one's house, condominium or apartment. Panel filters are also used in the HVAC systems of other commercial buildings. Over time, the panel filters load with dust as these filters purify and clean the air that is being circulated throughout the building. As a result, these panel filters need to be changed from time to time so as to provide a clean filter and not overly restrict the air flow being circulated through the building.
As a result, a number of retailers carry large volumes of such panel filters for retail sale. Furthermore, as there are many different sizes and types of furnaces, air conditioning units or other HVAC systems, retailers need to stock a wide variety of different sizes of panel filters to meet all of the different needs of different customers.
To display such panel filters, it is known to use shipping and display cartons wherein a stack of panel filters can be shipped in a cardboard box and then the box can be partially opened to display the panel filters right on the retail shelf. While previous shipping and display cartons have provided a certain level of functionality, they present various difficulties and/or drawbacks which will be realized once the embodiment of the present invention is understood. As such, the present invention is directed towards improvements over the present state of the art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The production of rare earth tris (organophosphates), particularly rare earth alkylphosphates, in various solvents is generally a straightforward process. Due to their low solubility in water and common organic solvents, the rare earth tris (organophosphates) precipitate easily. The poor solubility of these compositions is noted in the article, “DEHP complexes of lanthanides (III) and actinides (III),” Suglobov et al., Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 213/214 (1994) 523-527. Suglobov et al. point out that “LnA3 (A=dialkylphosphate) is very poorly soluble in alkanes as well as in donor solvents.” See the Abstract page 523 of Suglobov et al. The lower solubility of the rare earth tris (organophosphates) in hydrocarbon solvents, compared to, for instance, rare earth neo acid complexes, is mainly due to the presence of the phosphorous atoms which considerably lowers the organic character of the molecule. Providing rare earth tris (organophosphates) in a hydrocarbon solvent is desirable for manufacturers utilizing the rare earth tris (organophosphates) for preparation of catalysts. If the rare earth tris (organophosphates) could be stable in the hydrocarbon solvent, i.e., not precipitate over an extended period of time, such a product would be very beneficial for the manufacturing formulator.
It is an aspect of the present invention to produce solutions comprising a rare earth tris (organophosphate) and a hydrocarbon solvent wherein said solutions are stable from precipitation of the rare earth tris (organophosphate) for at least about thirty days.
It is another aspect of the present invention to introduce a process, which by a combination of beneficial experimental conditions, allows the production of highly stable solutions of a rare earth tris (organophosphate) in a hydrocarbon solvent.
These and other aspects of the invention are discussed in detail below. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates generally to the field of electronic devices, and more particularly to a system and method improving processing and enhancing performance of a service oriented device using information tags and a communication network.
Smart labeling is the latest Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, combining the advantages of barcode, Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) and traditional RFID solutions. RFID systems allow for non-contact reading in manufacturing and other types of environments where barcode labels may not perform properly or be practical. RFID has applications in a wide range of markets including automated vehicle identification (AVI) systems and livestock identification because of its capability to track moving objects. The technology has become a primary player in identification, automated data collection, and analysis systems worldwide.
Such systems are designed to serve mass markets with many millions of labels needed per year. For example, Philips Semiconductors"" ICODE ICs represent the state-of-the-art in smart label technology, offering a low-cost, re-programmable and disposable solution for source tagging, automatic data capture, theft protection and data storage on a product or its packaging. ICODE smart labels allow almost any item to be tagged for efficient handling. ICODE""s highly automated item scanning process does not require line-of-sight and can scan multiple labels at the same time.
ICODE smart labels offers considerable benefits in a broad variety of applications. In airline baggage tagging and parcel services, smart labels offer considerable advantages in sorting and item tracking. In supply chain management systems, smart labels overcome the limitations of barcode technology, providing improved product distribution; and in libraries and rental applications, they provide automated check-in, check-out and inventory control.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional RRIF system 10 consists of a tag reader 11 which is connected to a personal computer 12 (PC) through a serial port 13. The PC 12 takes action as it reads the trigger of a tag 14. Information can be exchanged via a communication medium 15 (e.g., Internet or Intranet) with a remote server 16.
The tag reader 11 typically consists of three components:
An antenna or coil;
A transceiver (with decoder); and
A transponder (commonly called an RF tag) that is electronically programmed with unique information.
The antenna emits radio signals to activate the tag and read and write data to it. The Antenna is the conduit between the tag and the transceiver. It helps control the system""s data acquisition and communication. The electromagnetic fields produced by the antenna can be constantly present or activated as needed when tags are detected by a sensor.
The data within the RF tag may provide identification for goods in manufacture, in transit or a location. Additional data may be provided for supporting applications through item specific information or instructions immediately available on reading the tag. For example, the color of paint for a car entering a paint sprayer on the production line, the set-up instructions for a configurable manufacturing apparatus or a shipment manifest.
While, as discussed above, these conventional system have many applications, they have typically been used for larger scale applications such as airline baggage reconciliation, postal tracking, road toll management and electronic article surveillance. As is apparent, such conventional system are geared to large scale inventory control or industrial and manufacturing applications. These types of conventional systems operate on dedicated systems that run custom applications. Moreover, the custom applications, while sophisticated, are designed to perform a limited number of specialized operations and tasks, and are not easily or quickly adaptable to many variations. These conventional systems generally lack the flexibility to perform in environments that require with many different inputs (i.e., compatibility) and variations (i.e., flexibility) that are required for general consumer applications (as discussed more fully below).
As is apparent from the above, a need exists for improved techniques for managing operation of RFID systems, such that compatibility and flexibility can be enhanced, particularly for consumer applications.
The invention provides a resource constrained device or terminal that allows tags or labels to be read and their content to be transmitted to a remote device. The remote device then sends a response to the resource constrained device which is process accordingly.
One application of the present invention allows such resource constrained devices to read tags and connect to a service provider to add more value. For example, the resource constrained device can be a washing machine, a microwave, a storage climate controller, other small similar devices, any other consumer product-type apparatus. In the case of a washing machine, tags of clothes can be read. Then the washing machine may connect to any one of a number of manufacturer web sites to retrieve care instructions for a specific garment. The washing machine is not limited to a particular type of tag information, manufacturer or web site for retrieving information. The request, i.e., document, sent by the resource constrained device is readable by multiple different remote servers.
One embodiment of the invention is directed to an apparatus including a label reader capable of reading information from a label, a communication unit capable of communicating information to one or more information interfaces and an operation unit having one or more operational parameters that may be adjusted. The apparatus also includes a controller arranged to (1) receive information from the label reader, (2) send a request to one or more of the information interfaces through the communication unit, (3) receive a response from the information interface, and (4) adjust the operation parameters of the operation unit in accordance with the response. The request and the response are formatted as documents capable of being exchanged in a distributed, decentralized environment.
In another embodiment, the requests sent by the apparatus and the responses from the information interface are formatted as XML documents.
Advantageously, the invention provides efficient techniques for adapting and tailoring the operating parameters of a plurality devices. The invention ensures that service requirements of any number of different items compatible and can be implemented in that device, thereby avoiding problems associated with inconsistent requirements (e.g., color clothes with white clothes). Although suited for use in manufacturing and industrial applications, the invention is particularly applicable to general consumer applications. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The increasing importance of personal appearance, whether in projecting a healthy, youthful or stylish image, has led to an increasing demand for cosmetics. The demand is being met by a growing number of products and suppliers with an attendant expansion in competition.
Product quality is important and is reflected by many qualities and characteristics of each product. Physical appearance of the product should be homogeneous. Any streaking, settling or separation has an adverse impact on the consumer.
A cosmetic should apply smoothly, have a good skin adhesion and a good feel. A makeup that applies unevenly, flakes, smears or feels overly dry or oily is not likely to be favorably received.
Color consistency from batch to batch is also of importance. Small variances in shade are noticeable in cosmetics and accordingly a consumer's expectation in receiving the same shade as previously obtained should be fulfilled.
Cosmetics use varying amounts of particulates including pigments, pearlescent materials, extenders, etc., dispersed in oils, waxes and emulsions. Uniform dispersion, suspension stability and particulate loading in a suspension are all factors affecting the product quality. Obviously, optimization of all is desirable.
Problems are encountered in trying to improve one or two factors without adversely affecting another or improving desired characteristics without introducing other detrimental effects.
Coating of pigments, extenders and fillers has been used to enhance dispersion of particulates by increasing hydrophobicity. Increased hydrophobicity also aids in the suspension of particulates in cosmetic preparations.
Pigments have been treated with lecithin along with lecithin component fatty acids and related fatty acids. Metal alkoxides, metal soaps and metal salts of fatty acids have been used with success.
Silicone treatment of pigments is another method of treatment and results in improved hydrophobicity. Dispersion, suspension and loading characteristics are all improved as are the water repellence and spreadability of a product incorporating the treated pigment. Enhanced skin adhesion and reduced color change on skin are also benefits of silicone treatment.
Simethicone (dimethyl polysiloxane) has been widely used as a coating and is one of the simplest, structurally, of the silicones used. However, with all the advantages associated with silicone treatment, a problem common to all the silicones results in adverse characteristics in the final product, including the failure to have extended shelf life. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Chemical conversions employing solid catalysts are often conducted using a fixed or fluidized bed of catalyst particles. That is, the material to be converted is contacted with a solid catalyst present in a fixed bed of particles or in a fluidized bed of particles. however, each of these two modes of operation has serious disadvantages. For example, the use of a fixed catalyst bed often results in temperature control problems which adversely affect catalyst performance. Regeneration and/or reactivation of a fixed catalyst bed can result in substantial process downtime since the chemical conversion must be stopped in order to treat the catalyst, e.g., while the catalyst remains in the reactor vessel. Obtaining a uniform catalyst activity distribution is also difficult with fixed catalyst beds, in particular in situations where frequent regenerations are required.
Fluidized catalyst beds do, in general, provide better temperature control than do fixed catalyst beds. However, fluidized catalyst bed reaction systems are also much more complex than fixed catalyst bed reaction systems. For example, fluidized catalyst bed reaction systems usually involve at least two separate vessels each containing a fluidized catalyst bed, one in which to conduct the chemical conversion and one in which to regenerate and/or reactivate the catalyst. Catalyst particles are transferred, e.g., substantially continuously transferred, between the two separate vessels. Separation devices, e.g., cyclone separators and slide valve assemblies, are often needed to separate the catalyst particles from the feedstock/reaction product and the regeneration/reactivation medium and to control the flow of catalyst between the two vessels. Also, the catalyst particles, although relatively small to permit fluidization, must be blended to include added components, such as binders and often fillers, to strengthen the particles, e.g., against attrition, so that the particles can better withstand the constant and sometimes rather turbulent motion in the fluidized catalyst bed reaction system and separation devices. These added components, which are also often present in fixed bed catalysts as well, often promote undesirable chemical reactions or otherwise detrimentally affect the catalytic performance of the catalyst. Also, these added components may be particularly troublesome when used in conjunction with crystalline microporous three dimensional solid catalysts or CMSCs, i.e., catalysts which promote chemical reactions of molecules having selected sizes, shapes or transition states.
One alternative chemical reaction system involves the use of a catalyst slurry. In "Heterogeneous Catalyst in Practice" by Charles N. Satterfield, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York (1980), at page 317 it is stated:
"The reaction of a liquid is often carried out by suspending a solid catalyst in a finely divided form in the liquid. This is often termed a slurry reactor'. If a gas is to be reacted with a liquid, it may be introduced through a distributor in the bottom of the vessel or it may be dispersed into the liquid by a mechanical agitator. This also acts to keep the solid suspended." PA1 w is equal to 0 to 99 mole percent; PA1 y is equal to 1 to 99 mole percent; PA1 x is equal to 1 to 99 mole percent; and PA1 z is equal to 0 to 99 mole percent. FNT .sup.1 See the discussion at pages 8a, 8b and 8c of EPC Publication 0 159 624, published Oct. 30, 1985, about the characterization of "EL" and "M". Such are equivalent to Q as used herein.
Thus, "slurry reactor" in the prior art is used to carry out a reaction of a liquid or of a gas and a liquid in the presence of a catalyst. For example, the Phillips Petroleum Company process for producing high density polypropylene utilizes slurry reactors. A fair amount of research effort has been directed to the use of slurry reactors, e.g., for making methanol from synthesis gas and for application to the Fisher-Tropsch reaction. See, for example, M. B. Sherwin, et al, "Make Methanol by Three Phase Reaction", Hydrocarbon Processing, p. 122-124, November, 1976; U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,888,896 and 4,031,123; M. L. Riekena, et al, "A Comparison of Fisher-Tropsch Reactors", Chemical Engineering Progress, p. 86-90, April, 1982; C. N. Satterfield, et al, "Usefulness of a Slurry Type Fishcher-Tropsch Reactor for Processing Synthesis Gas of Low Hydrogen-Carbon Monoxide Reactors", Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol. 60, p. 159-162, 1982.
Slurry reaction system do provide substantial benefits. For example, temperature control is relatively easily maintained in such systems. However, selectivity to desired products may suffer because of relatively prolonged contacting between the catalyst and liquid reactant and product. It would be advantageous to provide a new chemical conversion process employing a solid catalyst.
Methanol is readily producible from coal and other raw materials by the use of well-known commercial processes. For example, synthesis gas can be obtained by the combustion of any carbonaceous material including coal or any organic material such as hydrocarbons, carbohydrates and the like. The synthesis gas can be manufactured into methanol by a well known heterogeneous catalytic reaction.
"Hydrocarbons from Methanol" by Clarence D. Chang, published by Marcel Dekker, Inc. N.Y. (1983) presents a survey and summary of the technology described by its title. Chang discusses methanol to olefin conversion in the presence of molecular sieves at pages 21-26. The examples given by Chang as suitable molecular sieves for converting methanol to olefins are chabazite, erionite, and synthetic zeolite ZK-5.
Catalysts comprising one or more crystalline microporous three dimensional materials or CMSMs include naturally occurring molecular sieves and synthetic molecular sieves, together referred to as "molecular sieves," and layered clays.
Among the CMSMs that can be used to promote converting methanol to olefins are non-zeolitic molecular sieves or NZMSs, such as aluminophosphates or ALPOs, in particular silicoaluminophosphates or SAPOs disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,871. U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,327, issued Feb. 12, 1985, discloses processes for catalytically converting methanol to light olefins using SAPOs at effective process conditions. Each of these U.S. Patents is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. Also, see commonly assigned U.S. Patent Applications, Ser. Nos. 070,574, 070,575 and 070,578, all filed on an even date herewith. Each of these applications is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The glycosaminoglycans such as heparin, heparan sulfate, dermatan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid are biopolymers that are industrially extracted from various animal organs.
In particular, heparin, mainly obtained by extraction from the intestinal mucous membrane of pigs or bovine lung, is a polydispersed copolymer with a molecular weight distribution from approximately 3,000 to approximately 30,000 D consisting of a chain mixture basically consisting of a uronic acid (glucuronic acid or iduronic acid) and of an amino sugar (glucosamine) linked by α-1→4 or β-1→4 bonds. In heparin, the uronic unit can be O-sulfated in position 2 and the gliucosamine unit is N-acetylated or N-sulfated, 6-O-sulfated, and 3-O-sulfated in approximately 0.5% of the gliucosamine units present.
The properties and natural biosynthesis of heparin in mammals have been described by Lindahl et al., 1986 in Lane, D. and Lindahl, U. (Editors) “Heparin. Chemical and Biological Properties; Clinical Applications”, Edward Arnold, London, Pages 159-190, by Lindahl, U, Feingold D. S. and Rodén L, 1986 TIBS, 11, 221-225 and by Conrad H. E. “Heparin Binding Proteins”, Chapter 2: Structure of Heparinoids. Academic Press, 1998. The biosynthesis of heparin occurs starting with its precursor N-acetyl-heparosan consisting of a chain mixture consisting of the repetitive disaccharide unit glucuronyl-β-1→4-N-acetylglucosamine. Said precursor undergoes enzymatic modifications which partially hydrolyse the N-acetyl group, substituting it with an SO3— group, epimerize the carboxyl in position 5 of a part of the glucuronic units converting them into iduronic units and introducing O-sulfate groups to get a product which, once extracted industrially, has approximately double the number of sulfate groups as regards carboxyl ones per disaccharide unit. These enzymatic modifications lead to, besides, the formation of the pentasaccharide region of a bond to antithrombin III (ATIII), called active pentasaccharide, which is the structure necessary for the high affinity bond of heparin to the ATIII and fundamental for anticoagulant and antithrombotic activity of the heparin itself. This pentasaccharide, present inside only some of the chains which form heparin, contains a sulfated gliucosamine unit in position 3 and a glucuronic acid spaced out between disaccharides containing iduronic acids.
In nature, the formation of the active pentasaccharide is made possible by the epimerization reaction of the carboxyl of a part of the glucuronic units info iduronic units carried out by the glucuronyl-C5-epimerase (C5-epimerization) and by suitable sulfation which also leads to the introduction of a sulfate group onto the hydroxyl in position 3 of the glucosamine. More particularly, in nature the formation of the active pentasaccharide is made possible by the fact that the C5-epimerization occurs in clusters, i.e. on portions of chains, and extensively, which results in a product that contains more iduronic units than glucuronic ones. Commercial heparin, in fact, contains approximately 70% of iduronic units and 30% of glucuronic units. Alongside the main anticoagulant and antithrombotic activities, heparin also exercises antilipaemic, antiproliferative, antiviral, antitumorous and antimetastatic activities, but its use as a drug is hindered by the side effects due to the anticoagulant action which can cause bleeding. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The invention relates to a process for preparing ketones.
Ketones are useful intermediates in chemical synthesis. 1,1,1-Trifluoroacetone, for example, is an important intermediate in the preparation of biologically active intermediate compounds, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,532. This document describes the preparation of halomethyl ketones from the respective halomethylnitro compound by reaction with alkoxide and subsequent ozonization. The product is obtained as hydrate, acetal or hemiacetal. This patent also describes further processes for preparing ketones, which proceed via Grignard compounds (this type of reaction requires increased safety precautions and, in addition, unwanted waste products are produced) or which involve the acid-catalyzed cleavage of ketoesters. In the latter process, hydrates of the ketones are likewise obtained. Furthermore, deacylation is often observed instead of the desired decarboxylation. Other processes provide for catalysis by transition metals; ketones having a CF.sub.3 group could be complexed by metals.
Despite the various processes known in the prior art, there remains a need for better ways to prepare ketones. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a thin film transistor (TFT), a method of fabricating the TFT, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device having the TFT, and a method of fabricating the OLED display device. More particularly, aspects of the present invention relate to a TFT in which an amount of a crystallization-inducing metal remaining in a channel region of a semiconducting layer crystallized using the crystallization-inducing metal is reduced by gettering to improve the electrical properties of the TFT, a method of fabricating the TFT, an OLED display device having the TFT, and a method of fabricating the OLED display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) layer is widely used as a semiconductor layer for a thin film transistor (TFT) because the poly-Si has a high field-effect mobility, can be applied to a high-speed operating circuit, and can used to configure a complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) circuit. A TFT using a poly-Si layer may be typically used as an active device of an active-matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) or a switching device or a driving device of an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device.
Methods of crystallizing an a-Si layer into a poly-Si layer may include a solid phase crystallization (SPC) method, an excimer laser crystallization (ELC) method, a metal induced crystallization (MIC) method, and a metal induced lateral crystallization (MILC) method. Recently, a vast amount of research has been conducted on methods of crystallizing an a-Si layer using a crystallization-inducing metal, because these methods allow for a-Si layer to be crystallized at a lower temperature for a shorter amount of time than does an SPC method.
Typical methods of crystallizing an a-Si layer using a crystallization-inducing metal are a MIC method and a MILC method. In these methods, however, the device characteristics of a TFT may be degraded due to contamination caused by the crystallization-inducing metal.
In order to prevent the contamination caused by the crystallization-inducing metal, a gettering process may be performed after an a-Si layer is crystallized using the crystallization-inducing metal to remove the remaining crystallization-inducing metal. Conventionally, the gettering process is performed using impurities, such as phosphorus (P) gas or noble gas, or by forming an a-Si layer on a poly-Si layer. However, in the conventional methods, the crystallization-inducing metal may not be effectively removed from the poly-Si layer, so a leakage current may still be problem. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The advent of the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) has provided customers with convenient access to perform banking operations report of the financial institutions. This includes deposits, cash withdraws, and other transactions, such as receiving stamps, or the like. Typically, ATM machines are located on busy street corners, drive-up windows and in other public locations. Banks and ATM designers actively pursue technology that will increase customer privacy when performing ATM transactions. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
A machine translation system including an example database that stores and manages sentences in different languages so that sentences in one language are associated with sentences in the other language (Patent Document 1), an interpretation apparatus including a database that stores a question sentence in a first language and its translated question sentence in a second language as a pair (Patent Document 2), a method of creating a database associating words in a first language with words in a second language that are translation of each other (Patent Document 3) are all known. These techniques can reduce time and effort of a user required for translation.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-220266
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-090087
[Patent Document 3] PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2004-535617 | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
With the increased concern about the possibility of contracting blood borne diseases, such as AIDS and hepatitis, from accidental, self-inflicted, needle stick injuries with a possibly contaminated needle, the health care industry is presently concentrating on minimizing, or eliminating, the use of needles wherever possible. The FDA has urged health care workers to avoid re-capping of needles after using them for intravenous (IV) and intramuscular injections. One solution to avoiding re-capping needles after using them for IV injections is to use a needle-less IV injection port. The use of needle-less IV injection ports has become more widespread over the past few years. One complaint, however, when using a needle-less IV injection port is that one must still use a needle to fill the syringe, before it can be used with the needle-less IV injection port. A needle used to fill a syringe is usually not infectious, but the use of a needle here, does expose a health care worker to a potential needle stick, and does add the extra cost of a needle. One way to avoid this potential needle-stick, and fill a syringe without the use of a needle, is to use a medication vial (MV) adapter.
There are a few special devices presently described which do permit filling syringes without the use of needles (Froning et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,709, Smith et al., No. 4,650,475, and Schroeder, No. 5,035,689). There are some devices that have means for affixing themselves to a medication vial (Forman et al., No. 4,759,756, Gilbert et al., No. 4,969,883, and Holtz, No. 4,944,736). These devices and the methods used to attach them to a standard MV (Holtz, Froning et al., Smith et al., Forman et al., Schroeder) are somewhat cumbersome. Their design makes them hard to attach their respective device to the MV, and this difficulty in attaching them to the MV can easily lead to contamination of the device, with loss of sterility of the device, loss of sterility of the MV, and loss of sterility of the medication contained inside of the MV.
Other examples of related art in this field are shown in Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,112, Parsons, U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,699, and Curley et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,802. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The term "Jacquard mechanism" is used to describe a system of mechanical decoding developed in the 1800's by Monsieur Jacquard. This type of mechanical decoding has been and still is, used extensively in the textile industry to control various machines such as weaving machines and embroidery machines.
The principle of operation of the Jacquard mechanism is as follows. The weaving or embroidery pattern (as the case may be) is encoded on a Jacquard card as a series of holes at predetermined locations (a Jacquard card is a giant paper tape made from cardboard). The hole locations are arranged in rows and columns across the card. This card is then interrogated by the Jacquard mechanism to determine the code and to operate the machine in accordance with the code detected. The interrogation is carried out by presenting a line of mechanical pins (needles or feelers) to a row of hole locations on the card. If the pins pass through the card, a "hole" is detected and if the pins do not pass through the card, a "no hole" is detected. The particular combination of "holes" and "no holes" determines the action taken by the machine during that machine cycle. After interrogation, the pins are withdrawn and the card is progressed one row and interrogated again to determine the code for the next step (or machine cycle) and so forth. For a further discussion on how a Jacquard mechanism or Dobby machine operates, the reader is directed to the following books:
"Embroidery Schiffli and Multihead" by Coleman Schneider; and PA0 "An Introduction to Textile Mechanisms" by P. Grosberg 1986 (Ernest Benn Limited, London).
As will be appreciated, when a programme is repeated many times, the Jacquard card becomes worn by the interrogation of the Jacquard pins and a hole may appear where a "no hole" should be, creating a flaw in the pattern. At this stage, a new card is required to be punched to replace the worn out card. The Jacquard card has further disadvantages in that its sheer physical size creates storage problems as well as requiring special punching machines to produce replacement cards as they wear out. There are many machines in existence using a form of a Jacquard mechanism and industry has been looking at ways of increasing the speed of operation of these machines. Unfortunately, one of the factors limiting the speed of these machines is the speed at which the Jacquard card can be progressed to the next step for code reading and by the time required in loading and unloading the Jacquard card.
As can be seen, it is desirable to produce a device which can be used in place of the Jacquard card, to emulate the card and actuate the Jacquard mechanism in the same way as the Jacquard card. In the past, devices have been constructed to emulate the Jacquard cards so that down time is reduced and higher operating speeds may be attained. However, these devices also have had problems.
Solenoid emulators have been produced in which the "hole" or "no hole" in the paper tape is emulated by a plunger controlled by the solenoid to open or close a hole formed in a metal block which is presented to the Jacquard pins, the solenoids being controlled by electronic means to emulate the programme on a Jacquard card.
The solenoids, however, have a limited life cycle and in one programme, may operate many hundreds of times thus creating reliability problems through failure of a solenoid to operate which may not be noticed immediately resulting in a flaw in the final pattern produced. Also, the number of solenoids required make the detection of the failed solenoid difficult. When solenoids are nearing the end of their useful life, they tend to fail at a seemingly random occurrence.
A drum controller was proposed to emulate the paper tape. In this arrangement, the paper tape was replaced by a mechanism having a series of drums, each drum being independently rotatable and being rotated by respective stepper motors via gearing. The drums had holes therein to emulate the holes in the paper tape. The stepper motors were controlled electronically to rotate the drums to the required position having the same hole pattern as that part of the paper tape which was being emulated at that particular point in time. However, this proved to be unsatisfactory due to the closeness of the Jacquard pins, requiring the drums to be physically located very close together, and acceptable machining tolerances resulting in the drums rubbing on each other causing friction losses. Thus, the load on the drive motors was increased and their operational life, effectiveness and reliability was reduced. The relatively large inertia of the drums presented a speed limitation on the control of the drums both at the starting and stopping of the rotation of the drum. The allowable size of the motors was small due to the limited space available in the compact design of the device. Therefore, while the drum controller did overcome most of the disadvantages of the paper tape, it still had some disadvantages. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to apparatuses and methods for brewing a beverage, such as coffee.
2. Description of the Related Art
Of the many techniques for brewing coffee, connoisseurs consider the French press technique to be one of the best for taste and efficient use of ground coffee (efficiency is proportional to the ratio of the amount of coffee brewed to the amount of ground coffee used). It is theorized that the good taste and efficiency is a result of the relatively thorough wetting of the coffee grounds that the French press technique allows. Wetting is a function of the surface area of the coffee grounds in contact with water during the brewing time, and of the portion of the brewing time during which this contact occurs. The greater the contact area and contact time, the more thorough the wetting of the coffee grounds.
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate the French press technique. Referring to FIG. 1A, one places ground coffee 10 and hot water 12 in a coffee pot 14, and allows coffee to brew. Because the ground coffee 10 often floats to the surface of the water 12, one may stir or otherwise agitate the mixture of the ground coffee and the water to more thoroughly wet the individual coffee grounds that constitute the ground coffee. Referring to FIG. 1B, after the coffee 15 has brewed, one grasps a handle 16 of a filter 18, inserts the filter into the coffee pot 14, and presses the filter down toward the bottom of the pot.
Because the filter 18 passes liquid but does not pass coffee-ground-sized particles, as one presses the filter toward the bottom of the coffee pot 14, the substantially ground-free brewed coffee 15 fills the portion of the pot above the filter while the filter retains the ground coffee 10 in the portion of the pot below the filter. Of course, the edge 20 of the filter 18 and the inner side 22 of the pot 14 form a seal sufficient to prevent coffee grounds from passing between the edge of the filter and the inner side of the pot.
After one presses the filter 18 below a spout 24 of the coffee pot 14, he can pour the substantially ground-free brewed coffee 15 into a cup (not shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B) via the spout. Although ideally one may stop pressing the filter 18 after the filter is below the spout 24, one typically presses the filter all the way to the bottom of the coffee pot 14 to reduce the chances of undersized coffee grounds passing through the filter and into the cup.
Still referring to FIG. 1B, after one pours the desired amount of brewed coffee 15, he retracts the filter 18 from the pot 14 by pulling on the handle 16, removes the ground coffee 10 from the pot, and then cleans the filter and the pot. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system of custom index tabs to provide a user with greater versatility in separating a stack of documents to be bound together into different sections utilizing separator pages with index tabs thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present there are several different systems of index tabs that are typically employed to divide a stack of papers suitable for binding in a three-ring binder or otherwise into different sections. One conventional system employs die cut separator pages which have a main body or base portion of a size and shape substantially identical to the size and shape of papers in the stack, and also outwardly projecting index tabs. Separator pages of this type are typically sold in sets with the index tab on each separator page in the set being formed at a particular longitudinal location along the length of one of the unbound edges of the separator page. This unbound edge is typically the edge opposite the edge at which the papers are to be bound.
Separator pages of this type have a considerable disadvantage due to the permanent position of the index tabs thereon. That is, the position of each index tab longitudinally along the edge of each separator page within a set is fixed and cannot be altered.
Very typically users of separator pages of this type greatly prefer for the index tabs projecting from the separator pages to commence in an ordered sequence beginning at one end of a tabbed edge and progressively advancing with incremental offsets toward the opposite end of the tabbed edge. For example, a set of papers is often divided into sections and carried in a conventional three-ring binder. The papers are therefore punched with three holes spaced along the left-hand edge. Very typically separator pages are provided with index tabs projecting outwardly therefrom along their common opposite, right-hand edges.
For a portfolio of the contents of a three-ring binder to have an organized, professional appearance, it is desirable for the index tab of the first separator page, proceeding either from the top or from the bottom of the stack of documents, to reside near the upper right-hand corner at the top of the tabbed edge of the separator pages. The next sequential separator page preferably has an index tab located a spaced distance further down the tabbed edge. The next sequential separator page preferably has an index tab offset from the first two an even greater distance from the top along the tabbed edge. The index tabs proceed in sequentially advanced offset arrangement in this fashion until reaching the separator page in which the index tab is at the lowermost location near the bottom of the tabbed edge. The sequence is then repeated.
The reason for the advancing offset in the index tabs of sequential separator pages is to provide for maximum visibility of all of the index tabs from above the stack of papers. That is, it is highly desirable for the index tabs of the separator pages to advance in such a sequence so that those index tabs near the top of the stack of papers do not cover up and hinder viewing of the index tabs of the separator pages that are located deeper in the stack. The sequence of offset advancement in the location of the index tabs may either commence from the top of the stack of the papers toward the bottom, or from the bottom of the stack of papers toward the top. In either case the longitudinal offset of the tabs on the sequential separator pages minimizes the extent to which the tabs of the separator pages deeper in the stack are obscured by those located thereabove.
One difficulty with the fixed index tab arrangement in conventional separator pages is that sections within a set of papers, such as those carried in a three-ring binder, are frequently inserted, removed, and sometimes rearranged. Different sections are added to update the portfolio to include more current material, and sections are sometimes removed to delete obsolete material. As a consequence, the orderly progressive advancement of the locations of the index tabs along the tabbed edges of the sequential separator pages is frequently disrupted. As a result, the index tabs often tend to obscure each other, and also present an unsightly, disorganized appearance.
A further difficulty with conventional separator pages is the considerable amount of waste that occurs with each separator page set. That is, the separator page in each set in which the index tab is located uppermost near the top of the tabbed edge is utilized in virtually every set of papers to be tabbed. However, depending upon the number of sections into which the set of papers is to be divided, there are inevitably a number of separator pages with index tabs located further down the tabbed edge, that are not used. As a consequence, for each complete set of separator pages that are purchased, only a portion of these separator pages within the set can ever utilized in the manner for which they were designed.
A further difficulty with conventional separator pages is the inflexibility in uniformity of spacing of the index tabs from top to bottom along a tabbed edge. That is, sometimes only a few separator pages are required to divide a set of papers into sections. If the user selects the initial separator pages in sequential order in the sequence in which they are intended to be used, the index tabs thereof are all crowded near the upper portion of the tabbed edge of the set of papers. If a user attempts to space the tabs more uniformly by selecting the separator pages out of sequence the entire sequence of use of the separator pages is disrupted. For example, if a set of papers is to be divided into only three sections, utilizing only three separator pages, the user could select the initial separator page having an index tab near the top of the tabbed edge, a separator page from the middle of the planned sequence having an index tab at the center, and a final separator page in the sequence having an index tab near the bottom of the tabbed edge. While this will accommodate the particular set of documents involved, it disrupts the orderly sequence of the unused separator pages, thus often rendering them unusable for other purposes.
Another type of index tabbing system that is utilized employs index tabs that are initially detached from separator pages, and which can be permanently attached thereto when a set of papers is to be divided into sections. Such index tabs typically employ gummed, moisture sensitive adhesive on the portion of the index tab that is to be affixed to a separator page. This system does allow flexibility in the initial positioning of the separator tabs along the tabbed edges of a set of papers. However, once such index tabs are attached to the separator pages, their locations thereon cannot be altered. Therefore, if different sections are added or removed from a binder at a later time, the orderly progression of the index tabs along the tabbed edges of the separator pages is disrupted, as with separator pages manufactured with index tabs at fixed positions thereon. Also, very frequently the adhesive on such gummed index tabs fails over a period of time, and the tabs fall off. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present disclosure relates to compressors and specifically to turbo-compressors. Embodiments disclosed herein relate to so-called wet-gas turbo-compressors, i.e. turbomachines which are designed for processing a gas, which contains liquid contaminants in the form of droplets, and sometimes also solid contaminants.
Turbomachines contain elements, which are particularly sensitive to solid and/or liquid particles. Typical components, which must be protected against the penetration of solid and/or liquid matter in a turbomachine, such as a centrifugal compressor, include, but are not limited to, active magnetic bearings, oil bearings, electric motors and the like. Typically, such components can be integrated in a turbomachine casing, e.g. in a compartment, which is separated by a compartment housing the compressor impellers and wherein wet gas is processed.
Sealing arrangements and devices are usually provided to separate a first compartment containing the compressor impellers from adjacent compartments containing contaminant-sensitive components, such as bearing and electric motors. In some known embodiments buffer seals are used for isolating a compartment containing one or more contaminant-sensitive components from a compartment containing the compressor, and more specifically the compressor impellers, through which contaminated gas, i.e. gas containing contaminants in the form of liquid and/or solid particles, is processed.
Dry gas is delivered to the buffer seals, to generate a gas barrier between the two compartments aimed at preventing the ingress of contaminants from the compressor compartment into the protected compartments containing the contaminant-sensitive component(s) of the compressor.
Dry gas is also used in so-called dry gas seals, which are provided for effectively separate a compressor inner volume from the surrounding environment, for example.
Dry gas is sometimes provided from an external source of clean gas. Particularly in off-shore installations providing a source of clean dry gas is, however, costly exercise, since no such source is available near the off-shore installation. Systems have therefore been developed, which use the same gas processed by the compressor to provide dry gas to the buffer seals. Gas is extracted from the compressor, cleaned and conditioned in a dry gas skid or the like and subsequently delivered to the buffer seals.
There is still a need for improving these systems and more efficiently provide various components of the compressor with dry gas extracted from the main gas flow processed by the compressor. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
In the course of operation, various information handling resources (e.g., components of an information handling system) may become crashed, hung, or otherwise failed. The ability to reset such information handling resources may thus increase the operational reliability of information handling systems.
As one example, serial peripheral interface (SPI) read-only memories (ROMs) are a type of information handling resource on which many functions rely. In some embodiments, a SPI ROM may itself be a component of an information handling resource within an information handling system. A SPI ROM may control various aspects of data storage and code execution in such an information handling resource. In various embodiments, such SPI ROMs may be programmable ROMs (PROMs), erasable programmable ROMs (EPROMs), or electrically erasable programmable ROMs (EEPROMs). For sake of clarity and exposition, all such variants are referred to simply as SPI ROMs herein.
A SPI ROM may encounter various types of failure modes. For example, hardware-based malfunctions may be caused by spurious power or ground noise transients. Further, a device that is being operated beyond the limits of its specifications may operate marginally, experiencing partial or total failure.
Other malfunctions may be caused by software or firmware issues. For example, a SPI ROM may receive incorrect opcodes that put it into the wrong operating mode (e.g., quad I/O width when the bus is only configured for single I/O), or undocumented opcodes that put it into a diagnostic or test mode. As another example, an incorrect clock frequency change beyond the device's specifications may also cause a failure. As yet another example, a SPI ROM may contain a defect in its internal firmware that can cause instability or malfunctions.
When a SPI ROM enters a failure mode, it may be advantageous to be able to reset it. Although such a reset may be accomplished by resetting the entire information handling system (or information handling resource) that comprises the SPI ROM, doing so may not always be desirable. In particular, in some embodiments, it may be desired to leave most of such a system functional and/or leave an auxiliary power enabled while in the process of resetting the SPI ROM.
Unfortunately, the SPI ROM may not include an input specifically useable for causing a full reset. Thus it may be desirable to cause a more complete reset than what is available via the standard SPI ROM inputs.
This disclosure provides various techniques that may be employed in these and other situations. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to automated apparatuses and methods for measuring, in connection with one or a plurality of pre-drilled or other fastener (or other) holes that are present in a workpiece, fastener hole depth, fastener length, countersink depth, workpiece thickness and/or hole diameters in an automated and very rapid, efficient and accurate manner. Because fastener hole depths and object thickness each correspond with fastener lengths, such apparatuses and methods enable a user to easily and rapidly identify and select a fastener having a correct length for a particular hole. The apparatuses may be operably connected with one or a plurality of computers (or other data collection devices) to provide them with hole depth, countersink depth, hole diameter measurement data and/or data and/or information each time that a hole is measured. Such data and/or information may be recorded, stored, organized, manipulated and/or otherwise used by the computers (or other devices) in any manner desired or required by an operator.
The invention is also directed to a method for measuring pre-drilled and other fastener hole depths, countersink depths and/or hole diameters, and to identifying and selecting corresponding fasteners having correct lengths for such holes.
The measurement apparatuses and methods of the present invention may be employed, for example, in conjunction, or connection, with computerized optical systems for the projection of three-dimensional text, images and/or symbols in a substantially or fully undistorted manner onto one or a plurality of surfaces of a variety of different three-dimensional objects, or parts thereof, regardless of their shape of size.
The invention is also directed to measurement apparatuses of the invention that are used in combination with computerized optical manufacturing guidance systems. Such systems can provide ordered step-by-step manufacturing instructions which instruct manufacturing personnel, assembly technicians and other system users how to manufacture, measure and/or assemble any three-dimensional objects or systems, which may be extremely complex, such as an aircraft, or a part thereof (a wing, a vertical stabilizer, or the like) in a very efficient, rapid and accurate manner, particularly in comparison with a manual manufacture or assembly of the same three-dimensional objects (or parts), which uses blueprints, plans, instruction manuals, other paper-based products and/or computer screens for teaching an assembly of the objects, and with laser-based assembly systems. The manufacturing or assembly instructions (or other optical projections) are in the form of calibrated three-dimensional text, symbols and/or images, and are projected by one or a plurality of optical projector that are operably connected with one or a plurality of computers onto the three-dimensional objects or systems, or components thereof. Uniquely, and very advantageously, the three-dimensional text, images and/or symbols, such as manufacturing instructions, have an ability to “wrap around” the three-dimensional objects or systems (or parts), and to appear thereon in a manner that is not distorted by the three-dimensional nature of the text, images and/or symbols, or of the objects or parts being manufactured, and/or by other potential distortions, such as curves or contours. The invention also provides methods for projecting three-dimensional text, images and/or symbols in a substantially or fully undistorted manner onto one or a plurality of surfaces of a variety of different three-dimensional objects, and methods for providing an ordered step-by-step assembly of three-dimensional objects, or parts thereof, which may be relatively or extremely complex, and which may be used, for example, on an assembly line, or in another manufacturing environment (or in some other environment).
2. Background
In an assembly, manufacture or other production process of a complex three-dimensional object, such as a workpiece, for example, on an assembly line or in a production facility, assembly workers, manufacturing technicians or others must typically assembly the object using a series of ordered step-by-step assembly or manufacturing guidance work instructions that teach, instruct or guide them as to how the object should be assembled, manufactured or produced. Such instructions may be provided to them via a set of blue prints including both illustrations and text (often thousands of pages in length), laser projection technology, optically assembly projection technology and/or the like. For example, a set of assembly instructions may direct that the following steps be performed by an assembly operator in the particular order listed: (i) remove a panel from an object; (ii) remove a clamp from the object; (iii) measure a depth, diameter and/or countersink depth of each of a series of pre-drilled fastener holes (potentially hundreds or thousands of them); (iv) insert a series of different sized and types of fasteners into the pre-drilled fastener holes in a manner that the characteristics of the particular fasteners selected (length, diameter and/or the like) accurately correspond with the particular measurements made of the corresponding holes into which they are to be installed; (v) remove a bolt from the object (before sliding an engine in); (vi) sliding an engine in; (vii) putting the clamp back onto the object; and (viii) put the panel back on the object.
Structural fasteners that may be used in an assembly, manufacture or production of three-dimensional workpieces, objects, and parts thereof, come in greatly varying lengths and widths to accommodate any thickness of the three-dimensional workpieces, objects, and parts thereof, and/or fastener hole lengths, diameters and counterskings present therein, such as complex and other structures, for example, the skins of aircrafts, submarines, automobiles, military vehicles, missiles and the like, which must generally be very securely attached to some type of a substructure of the workpiece, object or part. The thickness of a workpiece, structure, substructure, part or skin, and/or the diameters and countersink depths of fastener holes present therein, may vary widely. It is, thus, generally very important to measure the length, diameter and countersink depth of each of potentially hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of pre-drilled or other fastener holes that may be drilled or otherwise present therein, and into which some type of a fastener is to be passed or extended and installed, and to identify and record each particular fastener hole being measured, which permits corresponding fasteners having the correct length, diameter and countersink depth to be identified, selected, employed and installed therein. Such a process is often critical because the structural integrity of an object, or part, that is being assembled, produced or otherwise manufactured, such as a commercial or military airplane, boat or submarine, may be compromised (i.e., weakened or destroyed) if fasteners having an incorrect length, width and/or countersink depth are employed to attach various parts thereof together which, in turn, could very disadvantageously lead to a massive loss of human lives and/or substantial amounts of money resulting from objects that function in a sub-standard manner or that must have fasteners having an incorrect length, width and/or countersink depth removed and replaced with correct fasteners (i.e. those having a correct length, width and countersink depth), which is extremely labor intensive and time consuming. The latter may, additionally and very disadvantageously, result in damage to the workpiece or other object, potentially resulting in a large financial loss. Fastener length may also be critical in minimizing weight on certain types of assemblies. Various types of manual and automated measurement devices are, thus, available for measuring the lengths, widths and countersink depths of pre-drilled and other holes in which fasteners are to be extended and installed.
Grip gages, for example, are one such type of measurement devices, and permit users to determine proper bolt and/or fastener lengths for corresponding pre-drilled or other holes present in a workpiece of other object, or part thereof, manually or in an automated manner. A corresponding dual use scale can measure depth of holes in 1/16″ increments to 2½″, and +grip length of fasteners in 1/16″ increments to 2½″. These gages generally include a probe that has a configuration of a fish hook, which can be hooked on the back side of a fastener hole. The length of the fastener hole is typically indicated by a number provided by a linear scale that is present inside the grip gun. Manual grip gages are typically far less rapid, efficient and accurate than some automated grip gages, and often greatly extend assembly or manufacturing times in comparison with automated grip gages. Moreover, known automated grip gages very disadvantageously generally require a use of three hands to operate (i.e., hands of two different operators), rendering them extremely labor intensive, time consuming, awkward and difficult to use (since each operator only has two hands) and, thus, expensive to use (in terms of labor costs). Further, they are typically extremely slow and inefficient, generally performing steps of normalization, measurement, data recordation and the like in a series of separate steps that are not concurrent, but are consecutive, rendering such devices extremely inefficient, labor intensive, time consuming and, as a result, expensive to operate.
Further, current projection systems for manufacturing three-dimensional objects utilize laser projectors to project points or text onto a surface. The laser projectors emit highly amplified and coherent electromagnetic radiation of one or more specific frequencies in a form of an intense beam of nearly monochromatic visible or infrared light through a process of stimulated emission. The radiation emitted by the laser consists of a coherent beam of photons, all in phase and having the same polarization, and at any given time, a user will always see a moving dot. Very disadvantageously, laser systems, and their replacement parts, are extremely expensive (often prohibitively) and, thus, are not widely used in manufacturing processes and assembly lines.
Further, laser systems, very disadvantageously, are not capable of projecting images or symbols, such as graphics, pictures, illustrations or drawings, onto a surface, and cannot display large amounts of text or other drawn objects without severe flickering, blinking and/or other significant distortions, all of which generally are, at the least, annoying, and cause eye strain to the user. Further, when large amounts of text are projected by laser projectors, this causes the laser projectors to operate extremely slowly. In contrast with optical projections, laser projections work in the same manner in which one writes with a pen. The laser projections actually write out each letter of a word like one would using a pen. The laser itself is physically moving or has an internal mirror that moves. Consequently, the more text that is to be displayed by a laser projector, the longer it takes for the laser projector to make one complete projection. For example, if a user of a laser projector projects only the letter “A” onto a surface, the time between projection cycles would be very short. However, the time between “re-paints” (i.e. re-projecting the information) becomes significantly longer, and the laser projection very disadvantageously begins to flash, similar to how fluorescent lights start to flicker as they get older or are cold. The foregoing problems render laser projectors very difficult, and time consuming, to use in an assembly guidance system (in addition to being extremely costly). Optical systems that can project three-dimensional text, images and/or symbols onto one or a plurality of surfaces of a variety of different three-dimensional objects, or parts thereof, in an undistorted manner currently do not exist. Laser systems are not capable of making such projections.
Description of Other Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,585 describes a depth gage for indicating the depth of a hole through a workpiece which is to be attached to a nut-plate by a threaded fastener, which comprises a rod with a cylindrical portion adapted to pass through the hole and abut the nut-plate so that a forward section of the rod enters within the threads of the nut-plate. The '585 patent states that a sleeve slidable on the rod in front of the workpiece can be slid to abut the front surface of the workpiece, and that graduated markings on the rod indicate the depth of the hole.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,406 describes a fixture that is prepared with fixture holes arranged in a pattern that corresponds with the locations of fiducial pads that are located on a multilayer board. The fixture has tooling pins that engage with tooling holes in the panel to hold the panel in an absolute position relative to the fixture. An x-ray inspection system views a superimposed image of a selected fixture hole and a corresponding fiducial pad that is visible within the boundary of the fixture hole. A software routine is then used to compute the offset between the fixture hole and the fiducial pad. The process is then repeated for the remaining sample of fixture holes and fiducial pads. The results are then fitted and sent to a drilling machine to determine a position for the drilled holes in the panel that compensates for the registration of the solder pads.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,451 describes a projection of an image of a stitch pattern onto a workpiece. A projector is stated to project a full-sized image of the stitch pattern on the basis of image data read from RAM on a workpiece held by an embroidery frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,950 describes a process for cutting or stamping individual parts from an animal skin in which the contours of the individual parts are stored in a computer, and can be assembled to form a cutting pattern. For optimizing the cutting, the cutting pattern is established individually as a function of the quality of the skin, and is projected by a projection device onto the skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,777 describes an apparatus and method for cutting pieces of material from a workpiece, such as a web of patterned fabric, which includes irregularities or which is misaligned with respect to a coordinate system of the cutting apparatus. The workpiece is spread on a cutting table where it is cut by a numerically controlled cutter in accord with an electronic marker stored in the cutter controller. The marker is matched to the workpiece and appropriate adjustments are made to the marker before the workpiece is cut. A laser, operatively connected to the controller, projects a match target onto the workpiece at a point corresponding to a selected point on the marker. The marker is then adjusted such that the selected point coincides with a desired location on the workpiece. Adjustment is achieved by electronically displacing the match target from a non preferred location to a preferred one. Software in a controller translates this displacement into appropriate adjustments to the marker.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,370 describes a production of a nest of cuts for cutting blanks out of flat, irregular workpieces, wherein the contour and the flaws of the spread workpieces together with a workpiece characteristic are detected by means of a digitizing unit, and the corresponding data are read into a computer, which on the basis of these data, and the data stored in the computer concerning number, shape and quality requirements of the blanks, calculates and stores a nest of cuts, and utilizes the detected workpiece characteristics of the workpieces as a workpiece code for allocating the nests of cuts to the respective workpieces.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,304,680 describes a method and system for monitoring a process which determines a location of a product in three dimensional space with respect to a process monitoring system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,311 describes a registration system for use in connection with an image guided surgery system. It includes a medical diagnostic imaging apparatus for collecting image data from a subject. An image data processor is stated to reconstruct an image representation of the subject from the image data. An image projector depicts the image representation on the subject.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,600,476 describes a video aid to an assembly system and methods of using the system for providing production personnel access to manufacturing drawing information with minimum user intervention. The system scrolls manufacturing drawings automatically as a monitor is moved relative to a workpiece, so that the manufacturing drawing corresponds with the identical location on the workpiece. The system is stated to eliminate the need to store, retrieve and maintain individual hardcopy drawings.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,731,991 describes a method and system of projecting light on a planar surface to produce an image for tracing. The system includes a projector that has a light source and a signal conditioner that is operably connected to the projector. A computer is operably connected to the signal conditioner, and a scanner is connected to the projector. A test pattern from the computer is projected from the projector through the scanners to visually align an image to a sector on a work surface. A grid is operably aligned with the work surface, and a geometric pattern from the computer is then projected by the projector on the planar work surface for tracing. The method comprises the steps of creating a pattern, tracing lines along the pattern on the planar work surface, cutting the pattern along the traced lines, discarding pieces of the planar surface outside the pattern, and placing edging along an outer edge of the pattern.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,813,035 describes a formation of a two-dimensional color pattern consisting of colored pattern elements that is stated to enable a particularly compact and fault proof color pattern for a coding. The '035 patent states that three dimensional data of an object point can be calculated by subsequent triangulation at a known position of a projector and a camera. Also described is a method for determining three-dimensional surface coordinates comprising an illumination of an object with a color pattern of known structure by a projector and recording an object image by a camera.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,016,052 describes “a quick, simple and accurate manner in which to measure the dimensions or characteristics of a hole without contacting the hole.” The '052 patent states that the apparatus and method described therein also automatically detect different materials defining the hole and, therefore, the location of the interface where the materials meet. To measure the characteristics of the hole, the '052 patent states that the apparatus and method measure the intensities of light reflected off of the hole wall, and that the light directed toward the hole wall by the optical fiber may be of the type, such as collimated or focused, to provide distinct reflections that are received and measured by the optical receiver to supply accurate measurements of the hole characteristics.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0236087 describes an apparatus comprising a housing, a clamping unit associated with the housing, a biasing system, and a length indicator. This publication states that the clamping unit can be inserted through a hole in a structure into an interior of a nut that is positioned relative to a first surface of the structure, and that the clamping unit can engage the interior of the nut when a portion of the housing is positioned relative to a second surface of the structure. The first structure is stated to be substantially parallel to the second surface. The biasing system is stated to be capable of biasing the portion of the housing positioned relative to the second surface of the structure and the clamping unit towards each other, while the clamping unit is engaged with the interior of the nut. The length indicator is stated to be capable of indicating a length of a bolt when the biasing system has biased the portion of the housing and the clamping unit towards each other. Other art includes published U.S. Patent Applications Nos. 2003/0207742, 2005/0121422, 2006/0007411, 2006/0176156, 2006/0290890, 2007/0206371, 2007/0127015 and 2008/0018740, and foreign patent documents numbers GB 2204397, EP 0027054, EP 0053501, EP 1288865, EP 1519575, WO 2004084547, WO 2005025199 and WO 9716015.
None of the above references, or others that are described herein, teach or suggest the novel, automated, very accurate and extremely rapid fastener hole measurement apparatuses or methods, or the computerized optical systems or methods, of the present invention.
There is a need in the assembly, manufacturing, production and other industries worldwide for automated measuring apparatuses that perform very rapid, efficient and accurate measurements of the lengths of pre-drilled and other fastener holes, and of required or desired corresponding fasteners of a correct length for such holes, hole countersink depths and/or hole diameters, which may be operably connected with one or more computers or other data collection devices in a manner that data resulting from one or all of such measurements may be readily and rapidly transmitted (or otherwise transferred) to one or a plurality of computers and/or other data collection devices for recordation or other use each time that a hole is measured.
Further, there is a long-felt, but unsolved, need worldwide in the manufacturing and production industries for efficient, rapid and accurate guidance systems that have an ability to significantly reduce the amount of time, labor, manufacturing errors and paper products (blueprints, plans, instruction manuals and/or the like) that are typically required to manually assemble or otherwise manufacture complicated three-dimensional objects, such as aircrafts, submarines and automobiles, and that can be used on assembly lines and/or in other manufacturing and production environments. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This invention relates generally to methods for coating a moving web and, more particularly, slide bead coating methods, and most particularly to slide bead coating methods for manufacturing photographic film and paper products.
Bead coating is well known in the prior art as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,761,791 to Russell. Bead coating is used to apply multiple layers of liquid to a moving substrate. In the method typically referred to as slide bead coating, a multilayer composite comprised of superimposed individual liquid layers is delivered to the moving substrate through the use of a coating die. At the end of the coating die, the layers form a continuous liquid bridge or coating bead between the die and the moving substrate. The slide bead coating method is useful for making thin, highly uniform, composite elements suitable for numerous applications, including photographic, thermographic, x-ray, and photoelectric films, among others.
In the practice of slide bead coating, the lowermost layer typically has a wet thickness of approximately 40-100 microns and a viscosity of 3-10 cp. as noted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,024 to Dittman. Alternatively, Dittman teaches the use of a lowermost layer having a wet thickness of only 2-12 xcexcm and a viscosity of 1-8 cp. This thin lowermost layer is known in the art as a carrier layer. Because a carrier layer is thin, dryer load is reduced and operation at high substrate speeds is possible. One drawback to the use of a carrier layer in slide bead coating is the formation of mixing artifacts between the carrier layer and adjacent upper layer as described in Dittman.
Subsequent improvements to the carrier layer method of slide bead coating have also been directed toward dryer efficiency. Some of these improvements describe the use of layers having high viscosity. Because high viscosity layers generally have a higher percentage of solid material, there is less water to be removed during drying. U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,903 to Choinski, for example, teaches the use of a pseudoplastic carrier layer having a high viscosity in the range of 20-200 cp. Although a pseudoplastic carrier layer has a high viscosity at low shear, the liquid obtains substantially lower viscosity at the high shear rates present in the coating bead. Moreover, the use of a high viscosity liquid in the lowermost layer is claimed to overcome the mixing artifacts noted by U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,024 to Dittman, between the carrier layer and adjacent upper layer. However, the practical significance of a pseudoplastic carrier layer is diminished by the fact that special additives may be required to achieve high viscosity and pseudoplastic behavior. Such additives may be expensive or incompatible with the function of the finished film.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,849 to Koepke, suggests the use of high viscosity fluids in the uppermost layers to reduce dryer load. These high viscosity layers are used in conjunction with the carrier layer described previously by U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,024 to Dittman. As is the case for a high viscosity carrier layer, a high viscosity liquid in the uppermost layers may have a correspondingly high solids concentration. As a result, the time and energy required to remove water during the drying process may be minimized.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,765 to Ishizuka, describes a carrier layer of pure water at 40xc2x0 C. having a wet thickness of less than 2 xcexcm. Although an ultra thin aqueous carrier layer reduces dryer load, the improvement over U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,024 to Dittman is relatively small. One drawback to the use of water as a carrier layer is that water is incompatible with many organic coating fluids. Incompatible coating fluids create precipitate on the surface of the coating die, and ultimately produce large amounts of waste due to streaks. Another drawback to U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,765 to Ishizuka, is that the carrier layer temperature is high at 40xc2x0 C. When applying layers with highly volatile organic solvents, high temperatures are undesirable since premature evaporation of solvent causes precipitate or a crust to form on the coating die resulting in streak non-uniformity in the film. Application of layers at high temperatures may also cause undesirable mottle patterns to form as a result of rapid flashing of solvent during drying. Both streak and mottle non-uniformities result in unacceptable levels of waste.
Although the carrier layer methods described above allow for a modest increase in substrate speed by reducing dryer load, substrate speed is ultimately limited by other factors when drying capacity is adequate. For example, the formation of regularly spaced streaks has been noted by U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,765 (Ishizuka) when substrate speeds are high. Other coating artifacts are created as air becomes entrained in the coating bead at very high substrate speeds. These defects are conspicuous at the point of application of the coating to the moving substrate as well as during subsequent visual inspection of dried film samples. Dried samples have numerous small bubbles and localized thickness variations when air is entrained at the coating bead. Defects resulting from entrained air are generally observed with all coating methods including the carrier layer methods described above.
Another coating artifact encountered with the carrier layer method is the formation of streaks caused by deposition of coating materials on the surface of the coating die. Coating materials from an upper layer may be deposited on a slide surface during start-up procedures as well as during coating when the upper slots of the die are serviced to clear bubbles or slugs. Once deposited on the slide surface, these materials typically obstruct the flow of coating fluids on the slide surface for several minutes and produce undesirable streaks in the final film. For the carrier layer method, contamination is especially problematic for the first slide surface which typically has only a thin layer of fluid between the first slide surface and the upper layers. Although the contamination is eventually washed away, in some cases contamination may persist for several minutes. Even at a moderate line speed of 200 cm/s, a single contamination episode of only three minutes would generate 360 linear meters of streak waste.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,195 to Bhave describes contamination of the surfaces of a coating die caused by the application of layers having incompatible materials. In particular, when a polymer in the lowermost layer is not compatible with a polymer in the uppermost layers, undesirable contamination of the slide surface may produce streak waste. This particular slide contamination results from the precipitation of incompatible polymers and is called strikethrough. U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,195 to Bhave teaches the use of a slightly higher density fluid as a carrier layer to minimize contamination episodes. Examples describe the addition of polymer to the lowermost layer to increase density. Another more elaborate remedy involves separating the lowermost layer from the incompatible materials of the uppermost layers by a second layer having both a higher density than the uppermost layers and a polymer compatible with the lowermost layer. However, adjustment of fluid density requires the use of additional materials which may be expensive or harmful to the performance of the final product. Moreover, the use of additional layers to protect the lowermost carrier layer is complicated and may have undesirable effects on drying efficiency as well as on product performance.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome limitations inherent to slide bead methods when applying organic coatings at high substrate speeds.
It is a further object of the present invention to minimize streak artifacts created by contamination of the surface of the coating die.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a slide bead coating method which reduces the duration of slide contamination and streak formation.
Briefly stated, the foregoing and numerous other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon a review of the detailed description, claims and drawings set forth herein. These features, objects and advantages are accomplished by forming a multilayer composite on a slide surface of a coating hopper, the multilayer composite including a carrier layer that is an organic solvent or blend of organic solvents that are substantially free of other constituents, the carrier layer having a viscosity of less than 1 cp and a wet thickness of not more than 5 xcexcm; flowing the multilayer composite down the slide surface and over a coating lip of the coating hopper; and forming a coating bead between the coating lip and the web. In the practice of the method of the present invention it is preferred that the web be travelling at a speed of at least about 50 cm/sec. These conditions are readily attained at the temperatures routinely used to prepare films with highly volatile organic liquids. In particular, the use of the method of the present invention is shown to substantially extend substrate speed by elimination of defects caused by entrained air in the coating bead. Moreover, the use of an organic solvent or an organic solvent blend is found to overcome streak artifacts created when aqueous liquids are used as carrier layers in conjunction with layers containing organic solvents. The present invention also overcomes undesirable mixing artifacts between the lowermost and upper layers since the carrier layer is only a vehicle and is not part of the finished film. In addition, the use of the method of the present invention can be employed to substantially minimize the duration of slide contamination and streak formation through the selection of an appropriate organic solvent or blend of organic solvents as a carrier layer. Therefore, the present invention provides an advantageous method for the fabrication of thin, uniform films such as required for photographic elements or other similar elements.
In the practice of the method of the present invention, one or more of the upper layers preferably has a viscosity that is greater than the viscosity of the carrier layer. When the carrier layer is formed of a blend of organic solvents, preferably at least two of the following components: methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, n-propanol, n-butanol, acetone, methylethyl ketone, methylisobutyl ketone, toluene and methylene chloride are contained in the blend. It is also preferred that the layers above the carrier layer contain at least one of the following polymeric materials: cellulosics, polyvinylbutyrals, polyurethanes, polycarbonates and polyesters. Further in the practice of the method of the present invention it is preferred that the layers above the carrier layer have a combined wet thickness in the range of range of 1-500 xcexcm and at least one of such upper layers has a viscosity in the range of 100-5,000 cp. In addition, one or more of such upper layers may include water.
Although the present invention is discussed herein with particular reference to a slide bead coating operation, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be advantageously practiced with other multilayer coating operations. For example, high substrate speeds should be achievable with multilayer extrusion hopper coating operations and multilayer curtain coating operations. Practical applications of the present invention include photographic, thermographic and x-ray films as well as photographic, thermographic and ink jet papers among others. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to electrical terminals and is especially related to female electrical terminals that are matable with a male or pin terminal to form a disconnectable electrical connection between two electrical conductors. More specifically this invention is related to an electrical terminal in which a backup spring is used to support the connection to the mating male or pin terminal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Although most prior art female electrical terminals are stamped and formed from a single member, some prior art female terminals do employ a composite structure in which a separate spring member is used to provide the spring force for engaging a mating male or pin terminal. Typical female terminals of this type employ a spring member of a highly resilient metal different from the material forming the remainder of the female terminal. An example of a terminal of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,428, which discloses a terminal having a plate section disposed within a square or rectangular cylindrical contact portion. The plate section is bowed and is supported at its opposite ends by one wall of the cylindrical contact section. When a pin terminal is inserted the plate section is deflected and one free end of the plate section slides relative to the wall of the cylindrical contact on which the bowed plate section is supported. It appears that this separate resilient plate section provides most if not all of the contact force exerted on the mating pin or male terminal and therefore should provide the best electrical interface. Multiple electrical contacts must however be formed between this interface with the male terminal and the conductor to which the female terminal is attached.
Another approach for using dissimilar materials to form a composite female electrical terminal is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,390. In the terminal disclosed therein, a backup spring body is formed on the outside of contact spring arms that in turn extend from a wire termination portion of the two piece terminal. The outer backup spring body has a box shape with outer spring arms. To reduce insertion force when a mating tab is inserted, backup spring arms are held by spacing means at a minimum spacing from each other so that the contact spring arms come into abutment with the backup arms only after having been spread apart to a predetermined distance. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention constitutes an improvement over the apparatus described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,321 issued Dec. 11, 1973 to Joseph L. Abbott. While this patent taught the manufacture of a collapsible container from a thin flat sheet of material such as a lamination of metal and plastic it was not capable of achieving the production speeds necessary to make it competitive with other known collapsible container manufacturing apparatus.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for forming a collapsible container from a strip of material at a higher production rate than prior art devices.
Another object of the present invention is to improve the speed of manufacture and fluid tight integrity of the container body.
A further object of the present invention is to more positively control the formation of the neck and shoulder portion of the container and thereby increase the productivity of the machine.
A feature of the present invention is its in-line tubular body forming and sealing mechanism.
Another feature of the present invention in its preheating station where the end of the tubular body is softened prior to further forming.
A further feature of the present invention is its positive yet rapid fluting of the end of the tubular body to assure uniformity of production.
Still another feature of the present invention is its rapid outsert loading mechanism. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
A drug which exhibits an excellent bioactivity and safety profile when tested in experimental models may be less active and/or more toxic when administered to human subjects. One possible reason for this disparity is that a molecule may be unable to reach target site(s) of action at therapeutic concentrations and/or accumulate at toxic levels in one or more tissues. Such pharmacokinetic differences between in vitro and in vivo models, and between test species and humans, may significantly limit the therapeutic utility of certain compounds, making drug development a challenge.
Physicochemical properties, therapeutically effective dosage, and route of administration, can each influence the pharmacokinetic profile of a drug molecule. The therapeutically effective dosage is fixed for a particular drug. Nonetheless, a change in the route of administration may allow a reduced drug dosage if the new route offers higher bioavailability. For instance, given suitable physicochemical properties, a drug with poor oral bioavailability requiring a high dosage may be formulated for parenteral administration at a lower dosage due to its improved bioavailability. However, a different route of administration is generally possible only if physicochemical properties of a given drug molecule are suitable for the new dosage form. The physicochemical makeup of many existing drugs limits their use to oral administration, resulting in high dosages and poor pharmacokinetic profiles. Accordingly, efforts have been made to modify the physicochemical properties of existing drugs and/or their formulations.
A drug with poor solubility will often exhibit poor bioavailability—a situation which can either hinder the drug development or require administration of high dosages to attain therapeutically effective blood levels of the drug. Tricor® pa-1682346 (fenofibrate), for example, was launched as a 300 mg capsule. Particle size reduction to a fine powder increased the solubility of the drug and allowed a dosage reduction down to 200 mg. Addition of a surfactant to the fine powder led to a formulation with a bioavailability similar to the 300 mg and 200 mg dosages using only a 160 mg dosage tablet. Another bioequivalent formulation containing nano-particles of the drug allowed for an effective 145 mg dosage. Thus, a significant decrease in the dosage of Tricor® (greater than 100%) was achieved by increasing its solubility which led to an increase in bioavailability. However, despite some examples of solubility improvements from particle size reduction, the intrinsic conditions of oral administration (e.g., limited aqueous media in the GI tract) may limit the solubility and bioavailability enhancements for certain drugs.
Another technique used to increase solubility is to make molecular complexes of insoluble/poorly soluble drugs with more soluble molecules such as cyclodextrins. Itraconazole (Sporanox®), voriconazole (Vfend®) and zisprasidone (Geodon®) are examples of successful applications of this technique. However, this application generally requires a large excess of cyclodextrin relative to the amount of drug being solubilized and may not impart the desired increase in solubility to the entire drug sample (for instance, a dosage of 10 mg itraconazole, 200 mg of voriconazole, or 20 mg of zisprasidone requires 400 mg, 3200 mg, or 294 mg of cyclodextrin, respectively).
While the importance of discovering new drugs cannot be overstated, the ability to improve the physicochemical properties of existing drugs has it bounties. Therefore, there is still a clear and unmet need for improved drugs, such as prodrugs of existing drugs.
The disclosures of all publications, patents, patent applications and other references referred to herein are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Lumens in the body can change in size, shape, and/or patency, and such changes can present complications or affect associated body functions. For example, the walls of the vasculature, particularly arterial walls, may develop pathological dilatation called an aneurysm. Aneurysms are observed as a ballooning of the wall of an artery. This is a result of the vessel wall being weakened by disease, injury, or a congenital abnormality. Aneurysms have thin, weak walls and have a tendency to rupture and are often caused or made worse by high blood pressure. Aneurysms can be found in different parts of the body; the most common being abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) and the brain or cerebral aneurysms. The mere presence of an aneurysm is not always life-threatening, but they can have serious heath consequences such as a stroke if one should rupture in the brain. Additionally, a ruptured aneurysm can also result in death.
Vascular devices or “occluding devices” such as stents are often used to treat patients with aneurysms. Stent and/or other occluding devices can be implanted within the vasculature of a patient by a delivery system such as a catheter. Precise and accurate positioning of these vascular devices at a target site is often required before a stent can be safely and effectively detached from the stent delivery system to a target site within a patient's vasculature. Positioning can be a delicate process that may require positioning and re-positioning of the stent delivery device prior to the detachment of the stent. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Locating the position and direction of a target item regardless of the surroundings has long held promise as particularly desirable. Thwarting child abductions, for example, is greatly simplified if the location and direction of travel of a child is available at all times to a parent. Additionally, monitoring the direction and location of an expensive asset, such as a laptop computer, allows misplaced items to be quickly found while simultaneously preventing theft. Knowing the last location and direction of travel of an item assists searchers, as their initial search may be directed along probable pathways as opposed to searches that start in a large geographic area without any preliminary guidance. Since the probability of locating an item diminishes greatly with the passing of time between the actual abduction or theft and the realization that the tracked item is missing, limiting the search area assists in rapid recovery.
While this position and direction information is desirable, its implementation into a suitable product has proved difficult. Traditionally, there have been two classes of tracking apparatus; those that rely on direct radio communication and those that use a satellite system such as a GPS. The radio communication systems are typically burdened by size restrictions and are limited to ranges which support direct radio frequency communication. In the event a monitor or target strays into an area where RF communication between the monitor and target cannot be maintained, tracking is interrupted and the target is lost. For example, if a child in a large indoor mall strays beyond the range of a parent monitor, this results in the loss of all tracking information. This child may now continue to stray further from a parent, in any direction, without the parent receiving updated position and direction information. As the distance increases, and the child's haphazard directions continue to change, locating this child becomes substantially more difficult.
The satellite tracking systems are also limited by their ability to receive external position signals. Some modern tracking systems use global positioning data (GPS) to pinpoint the location of an item. For example, a vehicle may have an on-board GPS receiver coupled to a RF transceiver for broadcasting the location of the vehicle following the report by the owner that the vehicle has been stolen. A thief may have stolen the vehicle several hours before the tracking report was initiated, and driven the vehicle a long distance from the scene of the crime. During this time, the position and location of the vehicle are unknown unless there was a constant monitoring system. This is inefficient in energy and not practical. If the vehicle is concealed in a setting that does not allow for the reception of a GPS signal, such as in a garage or under heavy tree cover, locating the vehicle using the on-board tracking system is no longer possible. Additionally, existing GPS based tracking systems are typically large in physical size, and have substantial power demands. While such physical size and power requirements are normally not of concern when the tracking device is located within the confines of a motor vehicle, it may be for other uses.
Many existing tracking only address position tracking in a two dimensional environment (i.e., along the X and Y axes). In the aforementioned shopping mall environment, a child may moved between floors (i.e., in the Z axis direction) while still remaining within RF communication with a mobile parent monitor. In such a scenario, the child appears in close physical proximity on a parent monitor display, but is in actually well beyond the “safe zone” of the parent. If the parent monitor indicated the child has strayed beyond the predefined safe zone, a parent attempting to locate this child is faced with the dilemma of locating a child that may be several floors above or below his current position. In such a setting, a child abductor can cover a great distance before the last know position of the child is determined. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This invention relates generally to hand tools and in particular to nail guiding and driving tools for nailing materials together which are located in hard to reach places.
Various nail guiding and driving tools have long been known and used in the prior art. For example, see the following: U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,602 issued to J. A. Kaczmarek on Mar. 20, 1984; U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,725 issued to N. A. Lawrence on Sept. 13, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 1,575,582 issued to E. M. Joy on Mar. 2, 1926; U.S. Pat. No. 541,038 issued to D. D. Clark on June 11, 1895; U.S. Pat. No. 2,657,382 issued to W. A. Lueneburg on Nov. 3, 1953; U.S. Pat. No. 3,060,440 issued to E. F. Pfaff, et al. on Oct. 30, 1962; U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,058 issued to N. E. Yost on Dec. 18, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 3,147,484 issued to P. N. Nelson on Sept. 8, 1964; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,135 issued to G. H. Searfoss, Jr. on June 14, 1977.
By means of our invention, we provide a nail guiding and driving tool which is particularly adapted to nail materials such as J-channel soffit trim and gutter hanger, gutter and fascia board as well as materials located in other hard to reach places. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Magnetic disks, as well as magnetic heads used for writing and reading data to and from magnetic disks are tested in relation to their characteristics by a test system before being mounted to magnetic disk systems (see, for example, JP-A No. 268955/2006). Magnetic head test is performed in the form of head gimbal assembly (HGA) in which a head-suspension and a magnetic head are assembled together. At the time of testing, a magnetic head is located above a magnetic disk rotated by a rotating spindle to write and read data to and from the magnetic disk.
A piezoelectric actuator is often used as an actuator for precise positioning. In general, the displacement of the piezoelectric actuator is about several μm to 20 μm. In order to make the displacement of the fine actuator bigger than the above range, a displacement magnifying mechanism can be used to mechanically increase the displacement. A lever, which is well known as the fundamental principle, can be applied to increase the displacement of the piezoelectric actuator (see, for example, JP-A No. 48955/2004).
Further, in this test system, a second fine actuator may be mounted on a first fine actuator (see, for example, JP-A No. 268955/2006). In this case, the first fine actuator can be used to let the magnetic head to follow the eccentricity. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention is directed to gaseous discharge display apparatus of the type commonly known as a plasma display panel or AC plasma panel as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,190. The plasma panel includes a pair of dielectric members with a respective array of panel electrodes isolated from a gaseous medium. By couplinq a suitable drive circuit to respective electrodes in the commonly configured row and column panel array, the associated intersecting display cell or "pixel" on the panel can be displayed. Reference may be made to the aforementioned U.S. patent in which there is indicated a variety of addressing techniques for entering information into the plasma panel as well as techniques for sustaining the displayed information in the panel after addressing.
The AC plasma display panel has been the most commercially successful flat panel display technology used for large computer terminal displays. It is second only to the cathode ray tube in the number of computer terminals sold. The most costly portion of presently available AC plasma display systems is the electronic drive circuits. For instance, a 512.times.512 AC plasma display panel (i.e., one having an array of 512 row panel electrodes and 512 column panel electrodes) requires 1024 panel electrode drive circuits. Although integrated circuits have significantly reduced the cost of these drivers, the circuit part of the display system is still the major part of the total system cost. The thousand or so drivers required for a plasma display is frequently compared to the approximately 10 drive circuits required by a cathode ray tube. Thus, circuit costs are a major reason for the cathode ray tube's cost advantage over plasma displays.
It is thus desired to drastically reduce the adressing or drive circuit costs for plasma panels without significantly increasing the plasma panel manufacturing costs.
One proposed solution is to make the plasma display panel behave as a shift register and thereby provide a "shift panel". Addressing speed is low because a discharge point or pixel on the panel is accessed only after the information is shifted through many other pixels. Large size panels cannot be made because the shift panel yield is low. Yields are low because every pixel in a shift panel must be good and reliably capable of display (i.e., without cell contamination or broken panel electrodes) or the rest of the information in the line will be lost. Display panels with missing lines are not commercially usable. Most shift panels will shift in only one dimension so that the savings in drive circuits influences only that dimension. For instance, a 512.times.512 shift panel could be accomplished by 512+3=515 circuit drivers which is about half of the 1024 required by a standard plasma panel. However, this circuit driver reduction may be offset by the increased cost of the plasma panel due to reduced yield of the more complicated shift panel. Thus, the shift technique is probably not the ultimate solution to the panel drive circuit problem.
Another proposed technique for reducing the number of drive circuits in a plasma display utilizes gas discharge logic. Reference may be made for instance to the following published articles: (1) "Discharge-Logic Drive Schemes", by J. D. Schermerhorn and J. W. V. Miller, IEEE Transactions On Electron Devices, Vol. ED - 22, No. 9, September 1975, pages 669-673; (2) "Coupled-Matrix, Threshold- Logic AC Plasma Display Panel", T. N. Criscimagna, J. R. Beidl, M. Steinmetz and J. Hevesi, Proceeding of the SID, Vol. 17/4, 4th Quarter 1976, pages 176-179.
In such proposed gas discharge logic addressing techniques, each discharge point or display pixel on the plasma panel is provided with two row (X) electrodes and two column (Y) electrodes. A particular pixel is selected for display only if suitable signals are provided on all four input electrodes, and thus the pixel can be considered a four input AND gate. The input panel electrodes for each pixel are grouped such that for a 512.times.512 panel only 48 circuit drivers for the row electrodes and 48 circuit drivers for the column electrodes, or a total of 96 circuit drivers are required. In the addressing configuration, each row and column axis may contain groups of 32 electrodes connected in parallel to one driver circuit and groups of 16 electrodes also connected in parallel to a single driver circuit.
Such a proposed technique has led to significant problems. First, the electrodes are grouped together and connected to conductor buses in a way that requires electrical crossovers in the panel. The crossovers must be of low capacitance and must withstand voltage breakdown due to the address pulses, which renders manufacturing of a suitable plasma panel significantly more complex. Another major problem is the significant increase in capacitance which the address circuits must drive compared to a conventional plasma panel. For example, in the case of a 512.times.512 panel, where 32 electrodes are connected in parallel and to one driver, the capacitive load on each driver circuit is increased by 32 times. In addition, the double electrode structure per pixel will increase the capacitance of each electrode as seen by the drivers. Thus, the capacitance viewed by an addressing or driver circuit for this technique can be as much as 100 times greater, for a 512.times.512 panel, as compared to a conventional panel.
Furthermore, since the capacitive load on each driver is increased by a factor of 32, the discharge current of each panel electrode will also increase by a factor of 32 utilizing this proposed technique. Increasing the drive current requirement by a factor of 32 requires a proportional increase in the output circuit silicon area of an integrated circuit driver, which may lead to obtaining considerably fewer output drivers and associated circuits on an integrated circuit chip. Thus, the reduction in the number of drive circuit connections to the plasma panel theoretically obtainable with this proposed technique may not significantly reduce the number of integrated circuit chips because of the resulting greatly decreased number of output circuits per chip. Since most of the cost of the integrated circuit is in the packaging, there also may be no significant cost advantage of this heretofore proposed gas discharge logic technique for addressing plasma panels as compared to a conventional plasma panel system because of the roughly equivalent number of integrated circuit chips required to drive each panel in the respective systems.
It is therefore desired to provide a gas discharge logic device which would be particularly adaptable for use in addressing AC plasma panels to reduce the number of panel eletrode drive circuits normally required for the panel and which would provide the following features: (1) Does not significantly increase the capacitive load and the current load of the output drivers over that of a conventional system so that existing integrated circuit drivers can be used; (2) Does not require electrical crossovers on the plasma panel so that the plasma panel need not be manufactured with electrical feedthroughs or other complicated and costly panel processing steps; (3) Ideally the new technique should require little more than a mask change for a new panel electrode pattern during panel construction, and a new set of panel electrode drive waveforms; (4) Any new panel electrode pattern should not require critical registration steps that significantly reduce the plasma panel yield. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a radiation-sensitive resin composition, a resist pattern-forming method, and a polymer.
2. Discussion of the Background
In the field of microprocessing represented by production of integrated circuit devices, a reduction in line width implemented by lithography has progressed in order to achieve a higher degree of integration. Therefore, use of radiation having a shorter wavelength has been extensively studied. Examples of short-wavelength radiation include a bright line spectrum of a mercury lamp (wavelength: 254 nm), far ultraviolet rays (e.g., KrF excimer laser (wavelength: 248 nm) and ArF excimer laser (wavelength: 193 nm)), X-rays (e.g., synchrotron radiation), and charged particle rays (e.g., electron beams). In particular, lithography that utilizes excimer laser light has attracted attention due to high output, high efficiency, and the like.
It has been desired for a resist used for lithography to form a fine pattern with high sensitivity, high resolution, and good reproducibility when using excimer laser. A chemically-amplified resist that includes a radiation-sensitive acid generator that generates an acid upon exposure to radiation, and exhibits improved sensitivity due to the acid has been proposed as a resist that is suitable for far ultraviolet rays (e.g., excimer laser).
A chemically-amplified resist composition that includes an acid diffusion controller has been disclosed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example). The acid diffusion controller controls diffusion of an acid generated by the radiation-sensitive acid generator in the resist film, and suppresses undesirable chemical reactions in the unexposed area. The resist composition exhibits improved storage stability, and the resulting resist film exhibits improved resolution. Moreover, a change in line width of the resist pattern due to a change in post-exposure delay (PED) from exposure of radiation to heat treatment after exposure can be suppressed (i.e., the process stability can be improved).
However, it has been desired to form a finer resist pattern (e.g., a fine resist pattern having a line width of about 45 nm) in the field of microprocessing. Such a fine pattern may be formed by reducing the wavelength of the light source of the exposure system, or increasing the numerical aperture (NA) of the lens, for example. However, an expensive exposure system is required to reduce the wavelength of the light source. When increasing the numerical aperture of the lens, a decrease in depth of focus may occur even if the resolution increases since the resolution and the depth of focus have a trade-off relationship.
In recent years, liquid immersion lithography has been proposed as lithographic technology that can solve the above problem. Liquid immersion lithography provides an immersion liquid (e.g., purified water or fluorine-containing inert liquid) between the lens and the resist film (over the resist film) during exposure. According to liquid immersion lithography, since the exposure optical path (space) is filled with an immersion liquid that has a refractive index (n) higher than that of air and the like instead of air or an inert gas (e.g., nitrogen), the same effect as that achieved when reducing the wavelength of exposure light can be achieved even when the previously used exposure light is utilized. Specifically, high resolution can be obtained while preventing a decrease in depth of focus.
According to liquid immersion lithography, a resist pattern that exhibits high resolution and an excellent depth of focus can be inexpensively formed using the lens provided in an existing system. For example, JP 2008-133312 A and JP 2009-031767 A disclose a resist composition used for liquid immersion lithography. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The invention relates to a device for electronically executing a mathematical operation which can be executed on at the most three digital variables, two of which comprise m bits each and represent the input signals (A and B), a third variable (K) representing a weighting factor which comprises (n+1) bits (n.gtoreq.0), the mathematical operation performed on said digital variables being of the kind K.multidot.A+(1-K.multidot.B), the result Z=K.multidot.A+(1-K.multidot.B) thereof representing the digital output signal which is formed by the bit-wise execution of the mathematical operation, a partial output signal Z.sub.ij =K.sub.i a.sub.j +(1-K.sub.i)b.sub.j being obtained per bit coefficient of A(a.sub.j) and B(b.sub.j) and K(K.sub.i).
Electronic execution of mathematical operations such as additions and multiplications is known. For the execution of a combination of two or more mathematical operations it is known to execute these operations consecutively in time and to use specific means for each operation. For example, in the case of recursive digital filters where an operation of the kind ##EQU1## is to be realized, it is customary to perform the multiplication operation first, followed by the add and/or subtract operations. This requires elements such as multipliers and adders. Such an arrangement for a recursive digital filter is described on pages 40 to 46 and page 306 of the book "Theory and application of digital signal processing", by L. R. Rabiner and B. Gold, published by Prentice Hall Inc. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., U.S.A.
Due to the successive execution of the various mathematical operations in time, the processing time required is determined by the sum of the individual processing times. Moreover, the use of separate elements for the operations is an inefficient and expensive method. It is to be noted that it is also possible, of course, to use the same unit, under the control of its program, for several operations in the case of programmed processor units, but this generally requires a longer processing time. A long processing time may be a drawback, for given applications. This is the case, for example, for digital video signal processing where frequencies in the order of 35 MHz are already used in some cases. A circuit which is operational at such a frequency, therefore, offers a solution in this field of application. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Apoptosis is the term used to describe a type of cellular death that occurs in many tissues as a normal physiological process. Also called “programmed cell death,” this form of cellular demise involves the activation in cells of a built-in genetic program for cell suicide by which cells essentially autodigest. The remnants of these dead cells are then cleared almost without a trace by neighboring phagocytic cells, without resulting in inflammation or scarring. Apoptosis thus stands in marked contrast to cell death caused, for example, by oxygen-deprivation in the settings of myocardial infarction or stroke, where cells lose their energy supplies, rupture and spill their contents into the extracellular milieu.
In addition to the normal physiological process where cells are turned over within the body, apoptosis can be induced to occur by cellular, hormonal or other stimuli to remove unwanted cells from the body. For example, killing of tumor cells and virus-infected cells by the immune system's cytolytic T-cells occurs via apoptosis following target recognition. Apoptosis also occurs via loss of hormonal stimulation in the female reproductive tissues with each menstrual cycle in the absence of a successful pregnancy. Further, numerous studies have shown that apoptosis accounts for cell death in a wide variety of clinically important areas. For example, essentially all chemotherapeutic drugs currently used in the treatment of cancer, as well as x-irradiation in many cases, ultimately kill malignant cells by activating intracellular pathways leading to apoptosis.
In contrast to the effect of apoptosis in normal cellular phenomenon, when aberrantly regulated, the death of cells through apoptosis can lead to a variety of disease states and pathological conditions. For example, the death of neurons that occurs in diseases such as Alzheimer's dementia and Parkinson's disease shows many hallmarks of apoptosis. Autoimmune diseases, where immune cells inappropriately attack normal tissues, is due, in part, to a failure of apoptosis to occur. Additionally, cell death caused by viral infection can occur through apoptosis in many cases, including T-cell death induced by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. In contrast to the induction of apoptosis caused by some viruses, other viruses inhibit this process through the expression of gene products that block apoptosis. Herpes Simplex virus is a specific example of this inhibition where the prevention of apoptosis is necessary for its characteristic persistent or “latent” viral infection.
Efforts have been made using conventional chemotherapy to treat many of the disease states that result in inappropriate apoptotic cell death, including all of those mentioned above, but have so far yielded only minor progress toward an effective treatment. Additionally, other non-conventional approaches have also been tried in specific enhances. For example, Parkinson's disease has been treated in humans using fetal neural tissue transplantation. Extensive testing of such neural tissue transplants as well as testing of genetically engineered fibroblasts has been investigated in animal models of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. In the latter case, fibroblasts were modified to secrete neurotrophic factors such as nerve growth factor(NGF) or neurotransmitters such as precursors of dopamine to prolong recipient neural cell survival. The general difficulty of these treatments is that either only a small number of the transplanted cells initially survive upon implantation, or in the case of genetically-engineered fibroblasts, many of the cells that initially survive fail to continue long-term in vivo survival.
As mentioned previously, cancer chemotherapy acts through a variety of intracellular targets which culminate in the activation of the apoptotic pathway. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. One out of every 3 Americans will develop some form of this disease in his or her lifetime, and the vast majority will die as a direct result of their malignancies, primarily because of the inadequacy of currently available chemotherapeutic drugs or the spontaneous resistance of malignant cells to such treatments.
Although many details of malignancies are not fully understood, the basis of a variety of cancers have been worked out in large part. For example, the unregulated expression of many genes is now known to cause oncogenic transformation. These genes have generically been termed oncogenes because of their transformation ability when abnormally expressed. Typical examples of such oncogenes include protein kinases such as Src, Herb-2 (NEU), and BCR/ABL, GTPases such as Ki-RAS, Ha-RAS, and N-RAS, and transcription factors such as Fos, Jun and Myc. These and other oncogenes have been well documented to be a major cause in the malignant phenotype of cancers such as neuroblastoma (N-myc), Burkitt lymphoma (c-myc), colorectal carcinoma (Ki-RAS), chronic myelogenous leukemia (BCR/ABL), breast cancer (Herb-2/NEU), and lung cancer (L-myc). Attempts have been made to target several of these oncogenes to provide a therapeutic treatment for the relevant cancer. However, because of the problems mentioned above in regard to chemotherapy, such attempts all too often have proven to be of marginal benefit.
In contrast to oncogenes whose abnormal or unregulated expression results in increased proliferation, there is at least one “oncogene” whose overexpression results in prolonged cell survival. This oncogene is termed Bcl-2 and was originally discovered because of its inappropriate activation in lymphomas, cancers of the lymph nodes, where it contributes to neoplastic cell expansion. High levels of Bcl-2 protein have been demonstrated to occur in approximately 50,000 new cases of lymphoma and leukemia each year in the United States alone, essentially all cases of drug-resistant prostate cancer (150,000 cases per year in USA), 80% of nasopharyngeal carcinomas, about 70% of breast cancers (approximately 100,000 cases per year in the United States) and all cases of colorectal carcinoma examined to date (110,000 new cases per year in USA).
Since its initial discovery, it has been shown that Bcl-2 is also normally expressed in many tissues of the body, where it serves a physiological role of maintaining the survival of long-lived cells. Among the types of cells whose survival Bcl-2 regulates are the “memory” lymphocytes that are generated during immunizations, many types of neurons in the brain and particularly in the peripheral nerves that control muscle and organ functions, bone marrow cells, skin, and the stem cells giving rise to the absorptive cells that line the gastrointestinal tract.
From the foregoing discussion, it is apparent that for many of the diseases that impact the human species, there have been no major advances toward an effective treatment within the last 10 to 15 years. However, as diverse as these diseases and their treatments are, there has developed one common mechanism by which they manifest their characteristics or by which chemotherapy has been rendered ineffectual. This common mechanism is either the induction or inhibition of programmed cell death.
Thus, there exists a need to control the process of apoptosis in order to generically treat a broad range of diseases and pathological conditions, and also to be able to augment clinical treatments employing readily available drugs. The present invention satisfies this need and provides related advantages as well. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Such a rear window of a motor vehicle is known from practice and constitutes a rear look-through region of an occupant cell in a passenger car. The rear window can include a window pane body being manufactured from a plastics material. In order to prevent that the rear window ices up, the window pane body can be provided with a rear window heater.
It is further known to join rear window heaters of plastics window panes to a plastics window pane body via a thermoformed supporting film. This is effected in that strip conductors are applied onto the supporting film and in that the supporting film is subsequently backed with plastics by way of back injection molding for forming the window pane body.
Alternatively, it is known to apply strip conductors of a rear window heater onto a side of a plastics window pane body facing a vehicle interior by employing a screen printing method. Since, however, the plastic has rather bad heat conductivity properties and an outer side of the window pane body will usually be icy, this solution is often insufficient for the imposed requirements. If the strip conductors were, however, attached at the outer side of the window pane body facing away from the vehicle environment, they would not be adequately protected against damage and against corrosion on grounds of environmental influences. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a curtain with no cord, and more particularly, to a curtain body locating mechanism for use in a curtain with no cord.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, curtains can be divided structurally into curtains with cord and curtains with no cord. For the curtains with cord, a user mainly utilizes a cord to drive the curtain body to be spread or folded; and for the curtains with no cord, the user uses his/her hand to pull down or push up a lower beam so as to spread or fold the curtain body.
However, although curtains with no cord allow users to spread or fold the curtain body easily, the curtain body is likely to rise again automatically after being fully spread or sag automatically after being fully folded due to the lack of a good locating design in structure, and this will make the practical operation troublesome for the users. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Optical networks are vulnerable to various types of security threats. In one type of attack, sometimes referred to as a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack, an intruder severs a fiber connecting two nodes of the network and inserts an intrusion device that intercepts signals communicated across the fiber by the two nodes. To prevent its detection, the intrusion device may regenerate the intercepted signals so that each node continues to receive optical signals from the other node after insertion of the intrusion device in the fiber's path. In this scenario, the intrusion device could remain in the path and, hence, have unauthorized access to communicated data for long periods of time.
As optical networks become a significant element of data transfers for individuals, banks, and other data users, there is a need to protect optical networks from MITM attacks and other security threats. It is generally desirable for the circuitry for protecting optical networks from such threats to be relatively simple and inexpensive without adversely impacting the performance of the optical networks. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
While integrated circuit technology evolves, 3D stacked chip technology is gaining increasing popularity to provide improved performance for many applications. In contrast to a system-on-a-chip (SOC) approach where functional blocks are formed on a single monolithic substrate, a 3D stacked chip structure may be formed consisting of a stack of dies with heterogeneous devices. As an example, a 3D stacked chip structure may comprise a RF circuit die, a die with a signal processing unit, a die with sensor function, and a die with a power management unit. These dies are bonded together in a stacking manner, thus realizing a system-in-a-package configuration with each functional unit optimized for desired performance and circuit density. These dies are typically joined together through bonding pads formed in their respective external passivation layers. The bonded result produces a 3D stacked chip structure having multiple dies of integrated circuitry.
Additionally, forming a 3D stacked chip structure has been shown to significantly reduce the communication path length between components on different integrated circuit dies, provided the vertical distances between the layers are much smaller than the individual die size. Thus, through stacking dies vertically, the overall system speed is typically increased. Such a system configuration may also save package size and consumes less power.
In order to enable the various circuits and devices in a 3D stacked chip structure, vertical electrical connections are generally formed to connect the various components integrated within the various stacked dies. Such electrical connections are typically realized by through-silicon vias (TSVs) that are fabricated passing completely through a die, thereby providing electrical connections between the devices formed in the different dies of the bonded chip stacking structure.
It is realized, however, that the 3D stacked chip structure may generate a significant amount of heat while such a system is in operation. As a result, the issue of heat dissipation in a 3D stacked chip structure should be raised and addressed, and solutions be sought in order to maintain the reliability and the desired performance of a stacked chip structure where high power consumption leads to a high operating temperature. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of computer networking. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for matching users of computing devices such as mobile devices for online communication sessions (e.g., peer-to-peer sessions).
2. Description of Related Art
A. Network Address Translation (“NAT”)
Large public networks, such as the Internet, frequently have connections to smaller private networks, such as those maintained by a corporation, Internet service provider, or even individual households. By their very nature, public networks must have a commonly agreed upon allocation of network addresses, i.e., public addresses. For a variety of reasons, maintainers of private networks often choose to use private network addresses for the private networks that are not part of the commonly agreed upon allocation. Thus, for network traffic from the private network to be able to traverse the public network, some form of private/public network address translation (“NAT”) is required.
A device performing NAT operations alters the data packets being sent out of the private network to comply with the addressing scheme of the public network. Particularly, the network address translator replaces the originating private address and port number of a packet with its own public address and an assigned port number. A network address translator also alters the data packets being received for computers on the private network to replace the destination public address and port number with the correct private address and port number of the intended recipient. As used herein, the term address should be construed to include both an address and a port number if appropriate in the context, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.
NAT has become increasingly common in modern network computing. One advantage of NAT is that it slows the depletion of public network address space. For example, TCP/IP addressing, which is used on the Internet, comprises four strings of three digits each, thus providing a finite address space. Additionally, certain portions of this address space are reserved for particular uses or users, further depleting the actual number of addresses available. However, if NAT is used, a private network or subnet may use an arbitrary number of addresses, and still present only a single, standardized public address to the outside world. This makes the number of available addresses practically limitless, because each private network could, theoretically, use exactly the same private addresses.
One advantage provided by NAT is increased security arising from the fact that those on the public network cannot determine the actual (i.e., private) network address of a computer on a private network. This is because only the public address is provided on the public network by the network address translator. Additionally, this public address may correspond to any number of computers on the private network.
Different NAT types employ different levels of security. For example, with a “full cone NAT,” once an internal address (iAddr:iPort) is mapped to an external address (eAddr:ePort), any external host can send packets to iAddr:iPort by sending packets to eAddr:ePort. With a “restricted cone NAT,” an external host with an address hAddr can send packets to iAddr:iPort by sending packets to eAddr:ePort only if iAddr:iPort had previously sent a packet to hAddr. The port of the external host is irrelevant. With a “Port Restricted Cone NAT,” an external host having an address/port hAddr:hPort can send packets to iAddr:iPort by sending packets to eAddr:ePort only if iAddr:iPort previously sent a packet to hAddr:hPort. Finally, with a Symmetric NAT, each request from the same iAddr:iPort to a specific destination IP address and port is mapped to a unique eAddr:ePort. If the same internal host sends a packet to a different destination, a different external address and port mapping is used. Only an external host that receives a packet from an internal host can send a packet back to the internal host.
B. NAT Issues with Peer-to-Peer Networking
Peer-to-peer (“P2P”) computing refers to a distributed network architecture comprised of computing nodes which make a portion of their resources directly available to other network participants. Peers in a P2P network establish direct communication channels with one another and act as both clients and servers, in contrast to the traditional client-server model in which servers supply resources and clients consume resources.
The NAT operations described above pose numerous problems for P2P connections. For example, establishing a direct connection between two peers becomes increasingly difficult if one or both of the peers is located behind one or more of the NAT types described above. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that mobile devices such as the Apple iPod Touch®, Apple iPhone®, Apple iPad® and various other devices (e.g., RIM Blackberry® devices, Palm Pre® devices, etc) are frequently moved between networks having different NAT implementations. For example, the Apple iPhone™ is capable of communicating over Wi-Fi networks (e.g., 802.11b, g, n networks); 3G networks (e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“UMTS”) networks, High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (“HSUPA”) networks, etc); and Bluetooth networks (known as personal area networks (“PANs”)). Future mobile devices will be capable of communicating over additional communication channels such as WiMAX, International Mobile Telecommunication (“IMT”) Advanced, and Long Term Evolution (“LTE”) Advanced, to name a few. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Dissolution testing involves physical evaluation of solid dosage forms such as capsules and tablets. Results of dissolution testing are useful in studying drug release characteristics of the dosage form and evaluating equipment and processes used in forming individual doses. To ensure uniformity in testing, entities such as the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and the European Pharmacopeia provide guidelines for equipment used in dissolution testing.
Under these guidelines, typically a capsule or tablet is deposited in a test vessel containing dissolution media intended to emulate, for example, stomach or intestinal fluids. The vessel is maintained at a constant temperature, and the vessel contents are agitated at a specified speed. Samples of the resulting solution are then taken at predetermined times and analyzed using techniques such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and spectral analysis.
Conventional dissolution testing systems include pumps and tubing for transferring the samples from the test vessels to the analytical equipment. The samples transferred using such an arrangement may be as large as 10 ml. One disadvantage of using such large-volume samples is that the samples may contain undissolved particles that dissolve during the transfer process (termed secondary dissolution), resulting in inaccurate values for the dissolution rate. Another disadvantage of large-volume samples is that the vessel hydrodynamics are disrupted for the entire time the sample is being withdrawn from the vessel. For example, a typical transfer rate is 10 ml per minute, resulting in a full minute of disruption of the vessel hydrodynamics to withdraw a single 10-ml sample. In addition, withdrawing multiple large samples necessitates replenishing the sample media in the test vessel to maintain adequate volume for proper agitation of the mixture, adding complexity to the process.
Disadvantages of using tubing to transfer the samples include the inconvenience of purging the tubing after each sample is transferred and the risk of carryover (i.e., contamination) if purging is incomplete. Components of the sample may also adsorb to the inner surface of the tubing, producing an inaccurate dissolution rate.
Another disadvantage of prior art instruments is their inability to handle all possible dosage forms within a single test run or to handle the different dosage forms without modifying the instrument for each different dosage form. For example, some dosage forms, particularly capsules, float when placed into a fluid. These dosage forms must be inserted into “sinkers” that provide the needed additional weight to submerge the dosage form in the dissolution media. Alternatively, the dosage form may be inserted into a basket that is submerged in the dissolution media. Sinkers and tablets that sink can be placed directly into a dissolution vessel and agitated using a mixing paddle. The baskets themselves can be rotated or otherwise agitated, eliminating the need for a mixing paddle. Typically prior art systems are not able to handle tablets (and other dosage forms that are dispensed directly into the dissolution media) along with sinkers and baskets all within a single run. The dosage forms typically must be grouped by type and the instrument set up for that specific type of dosage form, often requiring modification of the system.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a dissolution testing system that overcomes the aforementioned and other disadvantages. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present disclosure relates generally to drivers and driving methods for light emitting diodes (LEDs).
Superior in power conversion efficiency, compact product size, and life span, LEDs are broadly popular in the industries of house lighting and panel backlight. For example, a great number of LCD backlight panels are currently using LED modules for backlight, rather than CCFL modules that were commonly adopted several years ago.
FIG. 1 demonstrates a LED driver 10 capable of being used in a backlight module. The LED driver 10 drives a LED string 12 consisting of LEDs connected in series. In the LED driver 10, a booster 18 converts power source VIN at a major power line to power source VOUT at an output power line OUT. A LED string 12 and a current switch 22 are connected in series between the output power line OUT and a ground line GND. A power controller 14 periodically turns ON and OFF a power switch 16 to control the power conversion of the booster 18. While powering the output power line OUT, the major purpose of the power controller 14 is to stabilize a feedback voltage VFB at the feedback node FB, equivalently stabilizing the current flowing through the LED string 12 and the brightness of the LED string 12.
A dimming signal SDIM is fed to the enable node EN of the power controller 14. A level shifter 20 shifts the dimming signal SDIM with a logic level of 5V to become a switch signal SMOSDIM with a logic level of 12V. When the dimming signal SDIM is 5V in voltage level, or “1” in logic, the current switch 22 is ON, performing a short circuit, and the power controller 14 periodically switches the power switch 16 to regulate the feedback voltage VFB. Accordingly, the LED string 12 illuminates stably.
When the dimming signal SDIM is 0V in voltage level, or “0” in logic, the current switch is OFF, performing an open circuit, and the power controller 14 constantly turns OFF the power switch 16. As there is no power converted to power the LED string 12, it darkens.
The design of the LED driver 10 shall take several abnormal events, such as LED open, LED short, output over voltage, or flickering, to name a few, into consideration. For example, if power source VOUT at an output power line OUT is over high, it might impose electric shock to careless operators or fire accident to environment, such that output over voltage should be prevented. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a process for the preparation of sodium carbonate. More particularly this invention relates to a process for the preparation of sodium carbonate through wet calcination of a solid material containing sodium bicarbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate or a mixture thereof by direct contact with a hot, water-immiscible liquid, thereby liberating carbon dioxide and water and converting the sodium bicarbonate and sodium sesquicarbonate to sodium carbonate.
2. Prior Art:
Sodium carbonate, immensely consumed in many industries, is obtained mostly by the pyrolysis of sodium bicarbonate or sodium sesquicarbonate prepared by the ammonia soda process or ammonium chloride soda process. In the ammonia soda process, carbon dioxide gas is passed through ammonia-saturated salt-water to precipitate sodium bicarbonate, followed by separation of the precipitate and washing. This crude sodium bicarbonate is calcined to give sodium carbonate as represented by the following equation: EQU 2NaHCO.sub.3 +heat.fwdarw.Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3 +CO.sub.2 .uparw.+H.sub.2 O
Conventional dry calcination procedures suffer from a number of inherent disadvantages. For example, presently practiced methods for debicarbonation of sodium bicarbonate and sodium sesquicarbonate are based on dry calcination in fired or steam heated calciners and require substantially more thermal energy than the thermodynamic minimum for the reaction. Most of the energy consumed in these processes is not converted into useful work of the chemical transformation, but rather is dissipated as the essentially unrecoverable heat content of the gases leaving the calciner. Equipment limitations effectively preclude operation of these calciners at elevated pressures which would facilitate recovery of energy in a useful form, as for example steam, from the hot gases.
Wet calcination schemes have been proposed for the conversion of sodium bicarbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate and mixtures thereof into sodium carbonate which employ an aqueous liquor as the suspending and heat transfer medium. Illustrative of such wet calcination processes is the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,781. In the wet calcination process of that patent, a thick suspension of sodium carbonate anhydride is obtained by contacting high pressure steam and a suspension of sodium bicarbonate or sodium sesquicarbonate in a concentrated solution of sodium carbonate in a counter current fashion. The decomposition reaction is pushed almost to completion by maintaining the reaction temperature above 150.degree. C. which increases the concentration of bicarbonate ions in the solution. The sodium carbonate anhydride suspension is cooled which converts the sodium carbonate anhydride into sodium carbonate monohydrate. The crystalline monohydrate is separated from the mother liquor. The mother liquor is recycled for the preparation of the sodium bicarbonate or sodium sesquicarbonate suspension. The sodium carbonate monohydrate is calcined to provide dense soda ash of high purity and of substantially uniform particle size.
This known wet calcination process suffers from a number of inherent disadvantages. For example, aqueous bicarbonate and sesquicarbonate liquors are quite coorosive to carbon steel at elevated temperatures e.g., 100.degree. C. to 200.degree. C. This necessitates the use of costly corrosion resistant alloys in the fabrication of process equipment which contact these corrosive aqueous process streams. A further disadvantage of this prior art wet process results from the use of countercalcination current columns for debicarbonation of the sodium bicarbonate or sesquicarbonate. In order for such columns to function successfully, suspended solids must be in a finely ground state. This requirement greatly increases process cost and expense in that feed material originating from trona mining operations are usually coarse solids, and therefore must be processed further before use in the prior art process. Still another disadvantage of this prior art aqueous calcination process is that the process requires substantial residence time and a number of stages to effect reasonably complete decomposition of the sodium bicarbonate and sodium sesquicarbonate. This is apparently the result of thermodynamic equilibrium and kinetic limitations associated with the presence of an aqueous phase. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The various elements that have to be assembled together in order to fabricate a casing of the above type are normally eight in number, namely two elements for accommodating the filter, two elements for accommodating the motorised blower unit, two elements in which the intermediate part of the apparatus is contained, and finally two elements in which the heating and distribution part is contained. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Bumper beams or cross members for vehicles, particularly automobiles, are made from high strength or ultra-high strength steel. It has been difficult to manufacture the bumper beam or bar out of some high strength steel because such bar requires a curvature to be placed therein. It is necessary to roll form the cross member to obtain the desired curvature. In the past, when high strength steel is roll formed into the desired sweep or curvature, the material of the cross members has been damaged during the process resulting in unacceptable quality. The high strength obtainable with such steels is desired in order to provide a bumper beam or bar which can be impacted at speeds of up to 5 mph without resulting damage.
It is desired for certain applications where high strength is needed to use higher carbon steels, frequently alloyed with other materials. Such steels are characterized as “high-strength steels”. Within this category, there is a class defined as “ultra-high strength steel”. Such steel has a minimum yield of 100 ksi (100,000 pounds per square inch). Chemical compositions for such steel vary from one producer to another. Different compositions and thermo-mechanical processing may produce equivalent results. Formability of high strength steel is difficult than with low carbon steels because of greater spring-back and reduced ductility.
Thus, industry requires that bumpers maintain a high level of strength and damage resistance to meet the expectations of the consumer and government regulations throughout the world concerning low speed vehicular impact. The bumper must be of low weight to minimize vehicle dead weight which reduces gas mileage and increases suspension requirements. Also, bumpers must have a low manufacturing cost and a high dimensional consistency. Thus, high strength-to-weight ratios and ease of manufacture are of importance to the automotive industry.
Various systems, methods and equipment have been employed to manufacture tubular roll-formed automotive bumpers or cross members such as disclosed in the Sturrus et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,306,058, 5,092,512 and 5,104,026, each relating to a tubular bumper beam, method and/or apparatus for roll forming an automotive bumper. The same equipment and methods employed in the foregoing patents have also been used to manufacture “B” section cross members as disclosed in the Sturrus' U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,036 entitled “Method of Roll Forming an End Automotive Bumper”; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,454,504, 5,566,874 and 5,813,594, entitled “Apparatus For Forming an End Bumper for Vehicles”.
A disadvantage of the methods and apparatuses disclosed in the Sturrus and Sturrus et al patents is that the method and apparatus for forming the straight tubular “B” section cross member and the equipment for forming the sweep in the cross members are connected together in one line, with the severing of the cross member from the roll formed member being located down stream of the welding station. With such a process, the curvature or sweep is placed in the cross member prior to cutting the swept integral tube. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Integrated circuits typically include a number of input/output pins which are used for communication with additional circuitry. For example, an integrated memory device such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) includes both control inputs for receiving memory operation control signals, and data pins for bi-directional data communication with an external system or processor.
The data transmission rate of modem integrated circuits is primarily limited by internal circuitry operating speeds. That is, communication networks have been developed which can transmit signals between circuitry at a rate that is faster than the capacity of many integrated circuits. To address the need for faster circuits, a group of integrated circuits can be combined on a common bus. In this configuration, each integrated circuit operates in a coordinated manner with the other integrated circuits to share data which is transmitted at a high speed. For example, a group of memory devices, such as DRAMs, static RAMs, or read only memories (ROM), can be connected to a common data bus. The data rate of the bus may be substantially faster than the feasible operating speed of the individual memories. Each memory, therefore, is operated so that while one memory is processing received data, another memory is receiving new data. By providing an appropriate number of memory devices and an efficient control system, very high speed data transmissions can be achieved.
As the transmission rate of the data communication signals continues to increase, new circuitry and methods are needed to accurately transmit data from each integrated circuit. One proposed solution is a bus driver described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,883. This bus driver circuit uses parallel open-drain output transistors. The output transistors are fabricated in different sizes and selectively activated to control the bus current. This technique requires a relatively large number of output transistors to implement.
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 need in the art for a high speed output driver circuit which is fully adjustable, and requires a limited number of output transistors. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Subsets and Splits
No saved queries yet
Save your SQL queries to embed, download, and access them later. Queries will appear here once saved.