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In some cases, on a road surface at an entrance portion of a building or an underground space, a floating flap gate that is configured to block said entrance portion is installed in order to prevent, at the time of rising water, the rising water from flowing into the building or the underground space.
The floating flap gate of this type has a configuration in which the gate leaf is provided with a buoyancy forming portion, and by using water pressure of water flowing into the entrance portion of the building or the underground space and buoyancy of the gate leaf itself, the gate leaf is raised to block said entrance portion.
The gate leaf of the floating flap gate is installed on the road surface or a receiving base provided on the road surface so as to be freely rotatable via a hinge provided at each of two locations on the gate leaf in a width direction thereof (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
In a case, however, where the gate leaf is structured to be raised via the hinge, such a complicated structure requires higher levels of manufacturing precision and assembly precision, resulting in an increase in manufacturing man-hour. Furthermore, a load acting on the gate leaf is concentrated on the hinge, thus requiring a frame that is a component of the gate leaf to have high strength. | {
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The invention relates to a preparation and crushing device, particularly for refuse materials, having a rotatably driven drum and at least one eccentricly disposed high-speed rotor, which rotates in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the drum.
The invention described below is described chiefly in connection with refuse materials, e.g. garbage, but can of course also be used for many other materials, examples of some being given below.
It is known that the increasing quantities of refuse produced by cities, parishes and industry, necessitate the manufacture of large refuse disposal plants. In this connection, the problem of preparation and crushing occurs at numerous stages of the process. This is also true with regard to the utilisation of raw material stocks in world trade and industry or of residue produced during manufacturing. Thus, a preparation and crushing device is sought which is able to process continuously or discontinuously and in large quantities materials of very varying compositions. The process is concerned primarily with crushing, mixing and sorting or sieving, these being activities which are required to be carried out either consecutively or simultaneously.
A crushing device, which has the features of the kind described at the outset, is already known for processing garbage and refuse material. The high speed rotor used therein is provided with at least one toothed, disc, the plane of which extends at right angles to the rotor shaft and partially submerges into the material held against the container wall by means of the over-critical rotational speed. This known crushing device may already be used in a wide range of applications, such as the processing of refuse even supplied in refuse sacks, of boxes and of materials in bundles. The known device functions according to the principle that the materials to be processed, particularly in the case of fine crushing, are held firmly against the interior wall of the container by virtue of the rotating container being driven at an over-critical speed and are crushed by means of a toothed circular disc. The critical rotational speed represents that number of revolutions per minute for the drive of the drum at which the centrifugal force is greater than the weight of the material being processed, so that the material is pressed against the interior wall of the drum.
However, the inhomogenity of the material, particularly with regard to refuse materials, presents difficulties under certain circumstances which lead to problems even in the case of the crushing device described above. It has, for example, been shown that an extremely uneven feeding results in high load peaks of the rotor drive so that the known device functions at times with an excessively high energy consumption. These load and energy peaks occur in particular in the case of correspondingly unsuitable material to be processed due to the fact that the distance between the rotor and the interior wall of the drum is purposely kept small therein.
The over-critical rotational speed of the known drum requires the inner surface of the drum to be smooth of course. It has been shown in the case of wet, slippery material that under certain circumstances this material slides past the interior wall of the drum and leads to blockages. The reason for this is the lack of friction between the drum wall and the material to be processed. On the other hand it is not possible to attach entrainment members to the interior wall because they would collide with wall strippers which are required to detach the layer of material from the drum walling and cause sifting and circulation.
Particularly coarse-grained material can lead to damage to the known crushing device due to the fact that lumps of metal enter the area between the rotor and the inner wall of the drum and cause damage on the zones of contact. For this reason it has been found necessary to incorporate a pre-crushing means and to provide a magnetic cut-out.
The problem of the invention is therefore, to provide a preparation and crushing device of the kind described at the outset, which, while avoiding load peaks and the need for additional machinery, permits material which may be voluminous, lumpy, coarse and hard to be processed, prepared, mixed and crushed using simple tools; if necessary, right up to the fine-fibred or flour-like dressing of the particles. | {
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This invention relates generally to prosthetic knee joints for use by above-the-knee amputees. More particularly, this invention relates to prosthetic knee joints which simulate the motion of a natural knee.
In the past it has been common to employ simple pin joints in prosthetic knees. Simple pin joints, however, are inherently unstable in a standing posture unless the joint is provided with a stop means. Frequently, simple pin joints have a toggle action to provide a stop which gives the required stability. Such toggle actions, however, generally require an abnormally high force to cause initial flexion between femoral and tibial portions of a prosthetic leg. Moreover, simple pin joints result in a poor dynamic simulation of a human knee which has a very complex sliding and rolling motion between the femur and the tibia. Another problem with simple pin prosthetic knee joints is that they are difficult to brake effectively in a natural manner.
Another approach to the construction of a prosthetic knee joint has been the use of a polycentric joint. Typically such polycentric prosthetic knee joints comprise one or more links interconnecting a femoral member and a tibial member. The polycentric knee joints are generally quite complex. Moreover, the polycentric knee joints are also vulnerable to wear in addition to being noisy in use, even during simple ordinary walking. An additional disadvantage is that the multiple links are generally heavy and are susceptible to accidental damage.
A third construction for known prosthetic knee joints is the condylar knee joint. The condylar knee joints are characterized by articulable members which are provided condyles (i.e., articular prominences) that resemble the condyles of human femoral and tibial bones. Conventionally, the condylar surface of the femoral member and condylar surface of a tibial member are in contact such that there is constant rubbing friction therebetween during flexure between the femoral and tibial members. This constant friction presents an inherent disadvantage in such condylar knee joints: an amputee using the knee joint must continually exert energy to operate the knee joint unless there is some means of reducing the friction. Moreover, the friction between the tibial condyles and the femoral condyles results in a rapid wear of the rubbing surfaces. While lubrication may be used to eliminate the rapid wear, a messy knee joint results that is not well adapted to use in a prosthetic knee. Another disadvantage of conventional condylar knee joints is instability during a standing posture. Yet another disadvantage is that the condylar surfaces are frequently fabricated of materials which make the knee joint susceptible to accidental damage.
A common problem with previously known prosthetic knee joints is the inability to accommodate torsional motion between femoral and tibial portions of the joint which typically results during each step of normal walking and even more when one is following a curved path.
Recognizing the need for an improved prosthetic knee joint, it would therefore be desirable to provide a quiet, modular knee joint having a dynamic behavior, knee trajectory and load bearing capability which effectively simulates those characteristics in a natural knee joint.
In addition, it would be desirable to have a prosthetic knee joint which is not highly vulnerable to wear or accidental damage and which does not require lubrication.
An additional desirable feature for a prosthetic knee joint would be the provision of brake apparatus which resists the flexure of the knee joint with a force moment that increases with flexure of the knee joint and which provides shock absorbency for the prosthetic knee joint.
It would also be desirable to provide a prosthetic knee joint which will accommodate relative rotation between a natural hip joint and a foot such as that rotation which occurs when a normal individual is walking.
Another desirable feature of a prosthetic knee joint would be the incorporation of an extension aid which would facilitate the extension of the knee joint toward an unflexed position. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power converters, and more particularly, relates to synchronous rectifiers of power converters
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a circuit schematic of a soft switching power converter. It includes a transformer 10 to provide isolation from line input VIN to output VO of the power converter for safety. Switches 20 and 30 develop a half bridge circuit to switch the transformer 10. A switching circuit (SW CIRCUIT) 90 generates switching signals SH and SL for switching the switches 20 and 30 respectively. A leakage inductance of a primary winding Np of the transformer 10 and capacitors 41 and 42 form a resonant tank. The leakage inductance L and the equivalent capacitance C of capacitors 41 and 42 determine the resonance frequency f0 of the resonant tank.
f 0 = 1 2 π L × C ( 1 )
The transformer 10 transfers the energy from the primary winding NP to secondary windings NS1 and NS2 of the transformer 10. Rectifiers 61 and 62 and a capacitor 65 perform the rectification and filtering for generating the output VO. A voltage regulation device (such as a zener diode) 70, a resistor 71 and an optical coupler 80 form a regulation circuit coupled to the output VO. The optical coupler 80 is further coupled to the switching circuit 90 for developing the feedback loop of the converter to regulate the output VO. The switching circuit 90 generates the switching signals SH and SL in response to the feedback loop signal.
Although the soft switching power converter can achieve high efficiency and low EMI (electric-magnetic interference) performance, the forward voltage of rectifiers 61 and 62 still causes significant power losses. The object of present invention is to provide a synchronous rectifying circuit for switching a power converter to achieve higher efficiency. | {
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Historically, ozone has been used as a disinfectant or sterilizing agent in a variety of applications. These include fluid-based technologies such as: purification of potable water, sterilization of fluids in the semi-conductor industry, disinfection of wastewater and sewage, and inactivation of pathogens in biological fluids. Ozone has also been used in the past as a topical medicinal treatment, as a systemic therapeutic and as a treatment of various fluids that were subsequently used to treat a variety of diseases.
Previous technologies were incapable of measuring and differentiating between the amount of ozone that was delivered and the amount of ozone actually absorbed and utilized. This meant previous medicinal technologies for use in patients were incapable of measuring, reporting or differentiating the amount of ozone delivered from the amount that was actually absorbed and utilized. This problem made regulatory approval as a therapeutic unlikely. Previous fluid treatment technologies were also incapable of measuring, reporting or differentiating the amount of ozone delivered from the amount that was actually absorbed by a fluid.
In addition, early approaches of mixing ozone with fluids employed gas-fluid contacting devices that were engineered with poor mass transfer efficiency of gas to fluids. Later, more efficient gas-fluid contacting devices were developed, but these devices used construction materials that were not ozone inert and therefore, reacted with and absorbed ozone. This resulted in absorption of ozone by the construction materials making it impossible to determine the amount of ozone delivered to and absorbed by the fluid. Furthermore, ozone absorption by construction materials likely caused oxidation and the subsequent release of contaminants or deleterious byproducts of oxidation into the fluid. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device having a photoelectric conversion element. In particular, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device having a photoelectric conversion element formed using a thin film semiconductor element and a manufacturing method thereof. Further, the present invention relates to an electronic device using the semiconductor device having the photoelectric conversion element.
2. Description of the Related Art
A large number of photoelectric conversion devices generally used for detecting electromagnetic waves are known, and for example, photoelectric conversion devices having sensitivity to ultraviolet rays to infrared rays are referred to as optical sensors (also referred to as photo sensors). Among optical sensors, an optical sensor having sensitivity to a visible light region with a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm is particularly referred to as a visible light sensor. A large number of visible light sensors are used for devices which need illuminance adjustment, on/off control, or the like depending on human living environment.
In particular, in a display device, ambient brightness of the display device is detected to adjust display luminance. This is because unnecessary power consumption can be reduced by detecting ambient brightness and obtaining appropriate display luminance. For example, such an optical sensor for adjusting luminance is used for a mobile phone or a personal computer.
In addition, not only ambient brightness but also luminance of a display device, in particular, luminance of a backlight of a liquid crystal display device is detected by an optical sensor to adjust luminance of a display screen.
In such an optical sensor, a photodiode is used for a detecting portion and output current of the photodiode is amplified in an amplifier circuit. A current mirror circuit is used for such an amplifier circuit, for example (see Reference 1: Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2005-136394). | {
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This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for measuring the amount of air bubbles contained in incompressible liquid, and particularly to a method and an apparatus for measuring the amount of air bubbles mixed in incompressible liquid, in which the liquid to be measured containing air bubbles is introduced in a closed space and is then twice pressed under different pressures to compress the air bubbles in the liquid in order to provide two optional and different volumes of liquid, and the pressures of the two liquids having different pressures are measured by a pressure gage to determine the amount of air bubbles.
For instance, when a polyurethan resin is molded, air is preliminarily mixed with the liquid material. However, it is very difficult to precisely measure the amount of the mixed air.
Prior to the completion of this invention, the inventor had experimentally tried to measure the amount of the air bubbles contained in liquid to be measured, in such a way that a predetermined pressure was applied to the liquid containing air bubbles and the pressure was then released therefrom to move a piston of a cylinder or the like upward due to the stored energy, i.e. the pressure of the compressed air bubbles and then the displacement of the piston was measured. The inventor found as the result of the experiment that an exact measurement of the amount of air bubbles can not be effected in this way, because a high pressure of the air bubbles, enough to raise the piston, can not be obtained due to the large mechanical resistance of the piston and the cylinder. | {
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The present invention relates to a portable masonry saw for cutting ceramic tile, brick and paver blocks. More specifically, the present invention relates to a gasoline powered masonry saw removably mounted on a low profile hand cart in order to facilitate easy transport of the saw to and from the work site as well as during the work in progress.
Heretofore, masonry saws with gasoline power have been heavy, bulky and difficult to transport. In order to be moved to and from the work site, or during the work task being performed, required the operator to stand, lift, and carry the saw or place the saw on some type of separate hand truck assembly. This was particularly inconvenient when moving the saw during the performance of the work task, such as when cutting and assembling a plurality of pavers to form a driveway or the like.
State of the art gasoline powered masonry saws are also prone to vibrations which are detrimental to achieving a clean cut of the masonry, since the supporting surface is rigid and hard.
In addition, dust removal systems for state of the art masonry saws have been less than adequate in terms of design, compactness and portability.
Accordingly, a need in the art exists for a portable masonry saw overcoming the above deficiencies of state of the art saws. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carcass structure for tyres for vehicle wheels, comprising: at least a carcass ply comprising a first and a second series of strip-like segments circumferentially distributed about a geometric axis of rotation, and comprising each at least two filiform elements arranged longitudinally and mutually parallel and at least partially coated by at least a layer of raw elastomeric material, each of said strip-like segments extending according to a substantially “U” shaped conformation about the cross section profile of the carcass structure, to define two lateral portions mutually distanced in axial direction, and an annulus portion extending in radially external position between the lateral portions; and a pair of annular reinforcing structures each engaged in proximity to a respective interior circumferential edge of the carcass ply.
2. Description of the Related Art
The manufacture of tyres for vehicle wheels entails the formation of a carcass structure essentially composed by one ore more carcass plies shaped according to a substantially toroidal configuration and presenting their axially opposite lateral edges engaged to respective circumferentially inextensible annular reinforcing elements, usually called “bead rings”.
On the carcass structure is applied, in circumferentially exterior position, a belt structure comprising one or more belt strips shaped as a closed loop, essentially composed by textile or metallic cords suitably oriented relative to each other and to the cords belonging to the adjacent carcass plies.
In a position circumferentially exterior to the belt structure, a tread band is then applied, normally constituted by a strip of elastomeric material of suitable thickness.
It should be specified that, for the purposes of the present description, the term “elastomeric material” means the rubber compound in its entirety, i.e. the set formed by at least a polymeric base suitably amalgamated with reinforcing fillers and/or process additives of various kinds.
Lastly, on the opposite sides of the tyre being manufactured, a pair of sidewalls is applied, each of which covers a lateral portion of the tyre lying between a so-called shoulder area, located in proximity to the corresponding lateral edge of the tread band, and a so-called bead located in correspondence with the corresponding bead ring.
Traditional manufacturing methods essentially provide for the tyre components listed above to be first produced separately from each other, then assembled in a tyre manufacturing phase.
In the Applicant's perception, such manufacturing methods are still at least partially unsatisfactory in regard to the quality of the finished product and present some critical items with respect to the implementation of the process, which is complex and difficult to control,
For instance, the manufacture of the carcass ply or plies to be associated to the bead rings to form the carcass structure requires first that, through an extrusion and/or calendering process, a rubberised fabric be produced comprising continuous textile or metallic cords, arranged longitudinally. This rubberised fabric is subjected to a transverse cutting operation to produce segments of predetermined dimensions, which are subsequently united to originate a continuous belt-like semi-finished product, having transversely positioned parallel cords.
This manufactured item must then be cut into segments of a length correlated to the circumferential development of the carcass to be produced.
Manufacturing methods have also been proposed which, instead of producing semi-finished products, produce the carcass structure directly during the tyre manufacturing phase.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,243 describes a method and an apparatus that form a carcass ply starting from a single cord previously wound on a reel.
According to the method and the apparatus described in this patent, at each operative cycle of the apparatus the cord drawn from the reel by means of motorised driving rollers and kept distended by means of a pneumatic tensioning system is cut to measure to obtain a segment of predefined length.
The cord segment is drawn by a gripping element mounted on a belt wound on motorised pulleys to be laid transversely onto the exterior surface of a toroidal support.
The ends of the segment are then engaged by belt folding organs operating on opposite sides of the toroidal support to apply the cord segment radially onto the toroidal support itself by means of cursor elements which acts in the manner of fingers along the lateral portions of the segment.
The repetition of the operative cycle described above leads to the laying of many cord segments in circumferential side by side relationship until the entire circumferential development of the toroidal support is involved.
Of necessity, the toroidal support is previously coated with a layer of raw rubber which has a dual function of adhering to the cords laid thereon in order adequately to hold them according to a fixed positioning, and of constituting an interior coating, impermeable to air, in the finished tyre
Tyres obtained through this manufacturing method present a carcass structure wherein the carcass ply or plies are constituted by single cords each presenting two lateral portions axially distanced from each other and oriented radially to the axis of rotation of the tyre, and an annulus portion extending in radially exterior position between the lateral portions.
Within the scope of the manufacture of the carcass structure, it is also known that in proximity of each of the beads of the tyre, the opposite ends of the single cords constituting a carcass ply are located, with alternating sequence in axially opposite positions relative to an annular anchoring element constituting the aforesaid bead ring, shaped in the manner of an annulus composed by wire turns radially superposed on one another, as can be observed from the Patent EP 0 664 231 and from U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,548. According to the teachings of these documents, a filling body made of elastomeric material is necessarily interposed between the annular anchoring insert and the wires forming the carcass ply or plies.
In Patent FR 384 231, the production is proposed of a carcass structure by the laying, onto a toroidal support, of a series of rectangular bands made of rubberised fabric circumferentially positioned side by side one after the other and arranged according to radial planes relative to the geometric axis of the supporting drum itself. The laying of the bands is conducted in such a way that the terminal edges of two non-consecutive bands are partially covered by the terminal edges of the band interposed between them.
The spaces existing between the terminal edges covered by the bands are filled by means of trapezoidal inserts applied to the terminal edges of the band superposed thereon. The laying of the bands is effected according to several superposed layers, in a number correlated to the thickness to be conferred to the carcass structure. The presence of the aforesaid trapezoidal inserts determines a thickening of the carcass structure in the areas of the beads, providing it with double the thickness measurable in the rim.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,287 describes a method according to which the formation of the carcass structures provides for the laying, on a toroidal drum, of a plurality of layers each formed by radial strips composed by rubberised wires and set circumferentially side by side relative to each other. Once the laying is complete, two bead rings are applied in the bead area, around which bead rings are then folded back the terminal edges of the carcass layers formed by the radial strips.
The Applicant has observed that considerable advantages can be achieved both in terms of manufacturing process simplification, and in terms of improvements to the behavioural characteristics of the tyre if the carcass ply or plies are manufactured by adequately laying onto a rigid toroidal support strip-like segments each comprising a plurality of mutually parallel cords incorporated in an elastomeric layer.
In this regard, the Applicant has already developed several manufacturing methods constituting the subject of respective European patent applications.
For instance, documents EP 928680 A and EP 928702 A, the latter being the most relevant prior art, respectively describe a manufacturing method and a tyre wherein the carcass structure is obtained by producing a first and a second carcass ply each obtained by means of strip-like segments sequentially laid in mutual circumferential side-by-side relationship.
The tyres obtained as described in these documents have the terminal portions of the strip-like segments belonging to the first and the second carcass ply positioned at respectively opposite parts relative to the annular bead reinforcement structures.
This feature, combined to the respectively crossed orientation of the strip-like segments belonging to one and to the other ply, provides considerable advantages in terms of structural resistance of the tyre in proximity to the beads and the side walls.
European patent application EP 976535, also in the Applicant's name, proposes the manufacture of a carcass ply by laying a first and a second series of strip-like segments in alternating sequence, with the segments belonging to the first and to the second series terminating at respectively opposite parts relative to the bead reinforcement structures.
It is thus possible to achieve advantages in terms of structural resistance in correspondence with the beads and the sidewalls of the tyre, even in the presence of a single carcass ply. | {
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1.1 Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for controlling computer applications and/or processes using voice input. More precisely, the present invention relates to integrating a plurality of applications and/or processes into a common user interface which is controlled mostly by voice activated commands, which allows hands-free control of each process within a common environment.
1.2 Discussion of Prior Art
Speech input user interfaces are well known. This specification expressly incorporates by reference U.S. Pat. No. 6,606,599 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,972, which provide a method for integrating computing processes with an interface controlled by voice actuated grammars.
Typical speech driven software technology has traditionally been useful for little more than a dictation system which types what is spoken on a computer display, and has limited command and control capability. Although many applications have attempted to initiate command sequences, this may involve an extensive training session to teach the computer how to handle specific words. Since those words are not maintained in a context based model that simulates intelligence, it is easy to confuse such speech command systems and cause them to malfunction. In addition, the systems are limited in capability to the few applications that support the speech interface.
It is conventionally known that an application window can spawn another window when the application calls for specific user input. When that happens, we call the first window a “parent window”, and the spawned window a “child window”. This presents certain problems in that the child window generally overlaps its parent window.
Some child windows have to be satiated or terminated before releasing control (active focus) and returning I/O access back to the main application window. Examples of Child Windows are i) a Document window in an application like Word, ii) another foreground, monopolizing (aka Modal) window like File Open, iii) another foreground, non-monopolizing (aka Non-Modal) window.
Every speech-initiated application maintains its own operating window as a “child window” of the system. The child/parent window scheme does not allow for complex command processing. A complex command may require more than one application to be put to contribution in a specific order based on a single spoken command phrase. For example, the spoken command phrase “add Bob to address book” is a multiple-step/multiple-application command. The appropriate commands required by the prior art are: “open address book”, “new entry” and “name Bob”. In the prior art, each operation is required to be completed one by one in a sequential order. Although this methodology works to a minimum satisfaction level, it does not use natural language speech. The prior art is typically not capable of performing multiple step operations with a single spoken command phrase. In addition, the prior art does not enable a single spoken phrase to process commands that require the application to perform multiple steps without first training the application on the sequence of steps that the command must invoke (much like programming a macro). For example, the spoken command phrase “Write a letter to Bob” requires multiple applications to be used sequentially, and if those applications are not running, they must be launched in order to execute the command. The prior art would typically have the user say: “open address book”, “select Bob”, “copy address”, “open editor”, “new letter” and “paste address”—or would require the user to train the application to perform these steps every time it hears this command. The address book and text editor/word processor are generally different applications. Since these programs require the data to be organized in a specific order, the voice commands must be performed in a specific order to achieve the desired result. The prior art is not capable of performing operations across multiple applications entirely on its own with a single spoken command phrase.
In each Windowed Operating System it is common for each executing application window to “pop-up” a new “child window” when a secondary type of interaction is required by the user. When an application is executing a request, focus (an active attention within its window) is granted to it. Windowed operating systems running on personal computers are generally limited to a single active focus to a single window at any given time.
Current computer technology allows application programs to execute their procedures within individual application oriented graphical user interfaces (i.e. “windows”). Each application window program is encapsulated in such a manner that most services available to the user are generally contained within the window. Thus each window is an entity unto itself.
When an application window requires I/O, such as a keyboard input, mouse input or the like, the operating system passes the input data to the application.
Typical computer technologies are not well suited for use with a speech driven interface. The use of parent and child windows creates a multitude of problems since natural language modeling is best suited for complex command processing. Child windows receive active focus as a single window, and because they are sequentially activated by the operating system (single action), and as stated above, prior art speech command applications are not suited for natural language processing of complex commands.
The following US patents are expressly incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,413, 1999 Oct. 26, Beauregard et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,775, 1998 Sep. 8, Eberman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,974, 1998 May 5, Johnson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,859, 1997 Apr. 15, Schwartz et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,972, 2001 Mar. 27, Grant et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,738, 1995 May 2, Brunelli et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,929, 1997 Sep. 16, Foster Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,784, 1997 Mar. 4, Miller; U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,329, 1998 Jun. 2, Chen et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,782, 2001 Sep. 18, Weideman; U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,311, 2001 Jul. 17, Dildy; U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,068, 1991 Feb. 12, Piosenka et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,203, 1999 May 4, Morganstein et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,969, 1990 Dec. 4, Tal; U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,189, 1984 May 15, Feix et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,968, 1998 Nov. 17, Culbert; U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,437, 1998 Sep. 22, Purcell et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,704, 1999 Jan. 26, Battle et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,457, 1999 Oct. 19, Brant et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,669, 2000 Jul. 11, Maes; U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,249, 1972 Mar. 7, Goldsberry; U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,859, 1998 Jun. 30, Houser et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,971, 2001 Mar. 27, Bellegarda et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,167, 1999 Sep. 7, Yaker; U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,339, 2001 Feb. 20, Cox; U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,447, 1999 Apr. 20, Ittycheriah et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,343, 2001 Feb. 20, Morgan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,176, 2001 Jun. 26, Janek et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,559, 2001 May 15, Balakrishnan; U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,044, 2001 Mar. 6, Ackley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,098, 2000 Oct. 24, Shieber et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,347, 2000 Mar. 28, Abella et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,122, 1999 Mar. 30, Van Kleeck et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,977, 1998 Sep. 22, Douglas; U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,000, 1997 Nov. 4, Cox Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,399, 1995 Oct. 24, Cragun; U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,189, 1985 Apr. 23, Ueda et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,065, 1988 Feb. 16, Froessl; 4766529, 1988-08-23, Nakano et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,575, 1994 Nov. 29, Lamberti et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,582, 1995 Apr. 18, Colier; U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,519, 1997 Jun. 24, Martin; U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,444, 2003 Mar. 11, Weber; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,498, 2001 Apr. 3, Sherwood et al. | {
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Photovoltaic devices can include transparent thin films that are also conductors of electrical charge. Photovoltaic devices functionality can be based on the formation of a region high in electrons referred to as the n-type and a region high in holes concentration referred to as the p-type in intimate contact. Past photovoltaic devices can be reversibly or irreversibly affected by exposure to light during and after manufacture. | {
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(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to animated signs and displays and more particularly to those signs and displays in which an animation effect is produced by sequential illumination of the various views of a scene comprising the complete display scene.
(b) Description of The Prior Art
Hilgenberg, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,930,359, Oct. 10, 1933, discloses the use of two transparent sheets with sand-blasted alternate views of a scene. The sheets are alternately edge-illuminated with two tubular gas-discharge lamps to produce the visual sensation of motion of the object depicted from one scene position to the other scene position.
Rupp, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,107,767, Feb. 8, 1938, discloses the use of an electromagnetically operated ratchet to interpose various colored filter glasses between the edge of a glass panel bearing sand-blasted messages and a tubular lamp illuminating the edge of the glass panel.
Ward, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,015,170, Sept. 24, 1935, discloses the use of visible light and short-wave ultraviolet light to alternately illuminate a sign. One scene on the sign is visible in ordinary white light, while a second scene rendered in short-wave ultraviolet responsive phosphors is deposited over the visible image. According to Ward, illuminating the sign with short-wave ultraviolet radiation "will render the secondary (u.v. responsive) design luminous to the extent of almost, if not quite completely, obscuring the colors of the primary (visible) design."
Herberger, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,223,685, Dec. 3, 1940, discloses use of an opaque perforated panel containing one view of a scene, and a solid translucent panel positioned behind the perforated panel and containing a second view. The front panel is illuminated by ambient light or a light source positioned so as to illuminate the front panel at high angles of incidence. Intermittent illumination of the translucent rear panel by a light source behind it makes the scene contained on the rear panel visible, and the scene on the front panel less visible because of the higher surface brightness of the rear scene.
Switzer, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,689,917, Sept. 21, 1954, uses "fluorescigenous" illumination (unfiltered black light, 3500.ANG.-4500.ANG.) to edge-illuminate an ultraviolet-transmissive panel. The illumination is trapped in the panel by total internal reflection except where the reflection is frustrated by fluorescent paint applied to the surface in the form of "indicia", i.e., figures and advertising messages.
Davis, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,476, Sept. 3, 1968, discloses the use of vertical tubular lamps to edge-illuminate a vertical stack of three horizontal rows of transparent slabs bearing messages. Each slab consists of three transparent sheets laminated together and bearing different visible figures. A tubular motor-driven shutter containing vertical apertures is positioned coaxially over the tubular lamp. Rotation of the shutter causes successive illumination of front, middle and rear sheets in the top slab, followed by sequential illumination of the sheets in the middle slab, and finally by the sequential illumination of the sheets in the bottom slab.
Frois, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,130, Jan. 13, 1981, discloses the use of a horizontally positioned tubular lamp within an enclosing, motor driven coaxial cylinder. The shield contains an array of identical longitudinal slots positioned around the circumference of the cylinder. Light from the tubular lamp sequentially illuminates a stack of parallel, vertically-positioned acrylic sheets. The sheets have vertically staggered patterns of convave depressions simulating bubbles on successive sheets in the stack. The cross-sectional shape of the sheets is in the form of a bottle, and sequential illumination of the sheets produces the visual impression of bubbles rising in the bottle. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Computer networks have become ubiquitous. Computer networks include the Internet, Service Provider (SP) networks, private networks, and Local Area Networks (LANs). A network such as an SP network may include peripherally located Provider Edge (PE) routers, each of which couples to one or multiple Customer Edge (CE) routers. For the core network, an ingress PE uses BGP functions to determine the egress PE.
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) provide a secured means for transmitting and receiving data between network nodes even though a corresponding physical network supporting propagation of the data is shared by many users (and VPNs). In a typical networking environment used for routing data, the environment may include a number of Customer Edge (CE) routers, a number of Provider Edge (PE) routers and a packet-switched network (PSN). Data, encapsulated in layer-2 frames, may be forwarded from a first CE router to a first PE router, from the first PE router across the PSN to a second PE router, and from the second PE router to a second CE router. A Pseudowire (PW) may be utilized to transfer data across the PSN. A Pseudowire is a mechanism that emulates attributes of a service such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Frame Relay (FR), Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), High Level Data Link Control (HDLC), Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) Frames or Ethernet over a PSN. The functions provided by the PW include encapsulating Protocol Data Units (PDUs) arriving at an ingress port, carrying them across a path or tunnel, managing their timing and order, and any other operations required to emulate the behavior and characteristics of the particular service. In a particular embodiment, PWs are used to carry ingress layer-2 traffic from an ingress PE router to an egress PE router, and then forward the layer-2 traffic out of an egress port of the egress PE router.
The signaling and encapsulation techniques for establishing Single Segment Pseudowires (SS-PWs) between a pair of Ultimate PEs (U-PEs) is well known. In some cases an SS-PW is insufficient. In such a case, a Multi-Segment Pseudowire (MS-PW) composed of more than one SS-PW, traversing one or more Switching Point PEs (SP-PEs) may be used. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Polyester resins are often used in a variety of applications where stability against the deleterious effects of UV radiation found in sunlight is critical. These effects may concern the stability of the resin itself or the stability of the substance present on the other side. Of particular concern is the UV light at wavelengths between 320 and 390 nm, which are present in sunlight and which are being transmitted through standard PET.
One example of such need for protection are clear containers commonly used to store beverages, detergents, cosmetics and other products whose color or content (such as vitamins or flavor components) is sensitive to UV light.
Another example is fibers, used for example in outdoor applications such as woven signs, awnings, or outdoor garments that must provide skin protection to the wearer.
Other examples are clear extruded sheets used outdoors, for example as awnings, greenhouse roofs, advertising signs, etc.
Other examples yet are biaxially-oriented films. Biaxially oriented polyester films are often used in applications where stability to prolonged exposure to sunlight is critical. Such applications include weatherproof solar shell back sheets and clear window films.
In the case of solar cell back sheets, where clarity is not an issue and often undesirable, the most cost-effective was to impart UV resistance is by incorporating whitening agents such as titanium oxide or barium sulfate. However such films suffer from haze and are not suitable for production of films used in applications requiring good transparency, such as window films.
Such window films must often have very low haze in order to satisfy end-user applications. At the same time, they require ease in handling and processing and scratch resistance. This dual requirement is accomplished for example by incorporating particles, offering anti-block, slip, and anti-scratch characteristics but have a size below or within the range of visible light wavelength so as to prevent significant light diffraction that would result in haze. A very tangible benefit is the significant reduction of high angle sun haze, a factor in many solar applications.
Window films are often dyed or metalized (to an optical density that still leaves the film transparent to visible light) or have ceramic coated applied to convert incoming solar radiation to infrared radiation, which is then rejected back through the glass to the exterior.
The adhesive system used in window films rejects UV Radiation up to 380 nm. As UV is one of the main sources of fading, it can prolong the life of fixtures and fittings. Specialty UV Window Films are available that offer increased protection to 400 nm, through incorporation of high-performance UV absorbers, which also increase the shelf life of the film itself.
UV absorbers are compositions which absorb light in the wavelength area where PET is transparent to UV light and thus susceptible to damage by the energy absorbed. In doing so they consume the light energy themselves and thus it is not available for damaging the polyester.
UV absorbers are typically incorporated in the form of pre-compounded chip concentrates (“masterbatches”) in the manufacturing of polyester articles, such as bottles, fibers, and films. Such masterchips are produced during a separate step involving kneading the polymer pellets together with the UV absorber in a twin screw extruder which allows precise metering. This process adds additional cost. Furthermore, due to the thermal degradation high IV more expensive ship has to be used in forming the masterbatch.
A typical UV concentrate “masterchip” is formulated with a UVA content between 10-20% by weight
U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,374 describes the incorporation of a UV absorbing species belonging in the methane family and possessing a hydroxyl and a methyl ester end-group at the beginning of the esterification by a condensation reaction. U.S. Pat. No. 7,541,407 describes the incorporation of similar compounds after the esterification step and before the vacuum polycondensation step; the incorporation yields reported in the examples (25%, 44% and 77%) suggest that significant amount is lost due to volatility. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Conspicuous pores on skin are listed at the higher rank of women's skin problems. Causes of conspicuous pores include, for example, clogged dirt and oil in the pores, pigmentary deposits and the shape of the opening of the hair pouch. As to the pore-clogging dirt and oil, various removing agents have been developed and used widely. Removal of the pore-clogging dirt and oil itself, however, is rather a drawback because pores on skin become more conspicuous unless the pore size is also decreased. Therefore, a contracting agent which makes pores inconspicuous by shrinking the pore itself has been demanded. From such point of view, phosphorylated glyceryl ethers have been known as compounds which significantly contract keratinocyte (JP-A1-2002-187817). In addition, the phosphorylated glyceryl ethers have been known to be ameliorating agents forskin elasticity (JP-A1-2001-192315).
As indicated by the presence of sebum and clogged dirt and oil in pores, the environment of pores is lipophilic. However, the above-described conventional phosphorylated glyceryl ethers are water-soluble. Therefore, a continued need exists for a compound which works more effectively on pores. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Design factors in body armor include fiber durability, laminate durability, performance variability in large ceramic plates and low design margins that all contribute to reliability issues. Other specification issues include: cost, density and total system mass, flexibility, mobility, heat retention, and integration with load carrying systems. Testing on such systems includes testing of small arms and fragments such as: 7.62 mm caliber small arms threats including 7.62×39 mm M43 and 7.62×51 mm. Impact velocities may range from 500-1000 meters/second. Fragment threat simulators may be in the range of 2, 4, 16, 64, and 207 grains with velocities ranging from 100-1000 meters/second.
The current state of the art in rifle or small arms protection includes a large single ceramic plate typically of boron carbide (B4C) bonded to a rigid fiber mass of unidirectional laminate material typically of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE). These systems offer good performance for high energy fragmentation threats and for many of the various 7.62 mm caliber rifle rounds both with steel and other hard bullet core materials. The areal density of these plates is in the 4.5-8 lb/ft2 range. In most cases there is an additional backing fiber layer of Aramid woven or UHMWPE materials in the 1 lb/ft2 range.
The result of attacks on U.S., coalition, and Iraqi personnel show that while armor systems are providing greater protection to the areas of body covered, the exposed areas in the sides, shoulders, upper thighs and neck account for a higher percentage of the battle injuries and fatalities. Clearly there is a need for a protective system that can extend the area of effective body coverage without disproportionately increasing the user's burden in terms of weight or limited flexibility.
Boron carbide (B4C) is the material of choice for body armor because of its low density (2.52 g/cm3) and extreme hardness. It is the third hardest material known after diamond and cubic boron nitride. Porosity severely degrades the ballistic properties of ceramic armor as it acts as a crack initiator, and unfortunately, B4C has historically not sintered well. Sintering aids, e.g. graphite, improve sintering but degrade hardness and ballistic properties. Thus presently, B4C small arms protective inserts for personal armor are hot pressed to minimize porosity, typically to about 98% relative density, yielding acceptable performance. However, commercial hot pressing requires nesting of parts, which restricts the shape of the parts to plates or simple curves. These plates protect only the essential organs of the body. The area of coverage of body armor systems could be extended to additional body parts if boron carbide armor could be produced cost effectively in complex shapes, and if a suitable design incorporating such materials could combine the requisite ballistic protection with sufficient flexibility, without a substantial weight penalty.
Traditional systems with overlapping armor elements have not been able to provide the sought-after degree of flexure with the required continuous protection across fold lines of the garment or panel. Moreover, overlapping ceramic systems suffer from very high mass per unit area, which translates into weight in the protective panel or garment. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention is directed generally to the transmission of signals in communications systems. More particularly, the invention relates to systems, devices, and methods for producing, transmitting, receiving, and decoding forward error corrected signals using multi-dimensional irregular array codes and using the codes to correct errors in signal.
The development of digital technology provided the ability to store and process vast amounts of information. While this development greatly increased information processing capabilities, it was soon recognized that in order to make effective use of information resources it was necessary to interconnect and allow communication between information resources. Efficient access to information resources requires the continued development of information transmission systems to facilitate the sharing of information between resources.
One way to more efficiently transmit large amounts of information is through forward error correction (FEC) coding. FEC coding can result in a processing gain that allows for lower signal power and/or higher data rates while achieving a required data error rate. FEC coding is the addition of redundancy to transmitted data to provide the ability to detect and correct errors that occur during data transmission.
FIG. 1 shows the structure of FEC encoded data using a “product code.” A product code may be derived from component codes by arranging the information to be encoded into a two-dimensional array. A component code is assigned to each dimension and applied to all vectors in the assigned dimension. The component codes can be different or the same for each dimension. The encoded information results in an n1×n2 array. Information symbols are loaded into a k1×k2 portion of the n1×n2 array. For example, C1 and C2 are linear block codes with parameters [n1, k1, d1] and [n2, k2, d2] respectively. The information symbols to be encoded by C1 and C2 in this example may be binary data. The first parameter n denotes the code word length or number of coded bits. The second parameter k denotes the dimension of the code and corresponds to the number of information bits to be encoded. The third parameter d denotes the minimum Hamming distance of the code or the minimum number of positions in which two distinct code words must differ. Generally, r=n−k check symbols result from encoding the k information symbols. The two-dimensional product code C1{circle around (×)} C2 is formed by applying C1 to each of the columns and C2 to each of the rows of the k1×k2 rectangular array of information bits as depicted in FIG. 1. Thus, the each code word in C1{circle around (×)} C2 can be represented as an n1×n2 matrix, whose columns are code words in C1 and whose rows are code words in C2. The product code has parameters [n1n2, k1k2, d1d2]. Alternatively, C2 may first be applied to the rows and then C1 to the columns. The order that codes are applied does not matter. In either case the check on checks will be the same because the codes are linear block codes.
Product codes may be decoded in an iterative fashion using decoders corresponding to the component codes. For example, in a two-dimensional product code, one could first apply a hard-decision decoder for C1 to the columns, and then apply a hard-decision decoder for C2 to the rows as corrected by the column-decoding pass. Often, error patterns that were uncorrectable in a given row during the first row-decoding pass become correctable after the column-decoding pass has corrected some errors. Thus, iterating between row-decoding and column-decoding may correct more errors than a single decoding pass. A fixed number of iterations may be performed. Alternatively, iterations may be preformed until some stopping criterion is satisfied, for example, performing iterative decoding until the decoded array passes a cyclic redundancy check. Also, product codes may be decoded using turbo decoding techniques that provide an efficient method of exchanging soft-decision information among component decoders. For more information on turbo decoding see: Pyndia, R. M., Near-Optimum Decoding of Product Codes: Block Turbo Codes, IEEE Tans. on Communications, Vol. 46, No. 8, August 1998, pp. 1003-1010. Because a code may be decoded using various methods, the names used for codes will refer exclusively to their construction and not to a decoding method.
Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) codes are frequently used in the construction of product codes because the class offers a wide choice of block sizes and rates while resulting in efficient decoders. Reed-Solomon codes are non-binary cyclic codes constructed in the analogous fashion over the Galois field GF(2r) and are similarly well-suited for non-binary product code constructions. BCH and Reed-Solomon codes are briefly described below.
A BCH code of natural length n=2r−1 is a binary cyclic code in which the generator polynomial g(x) has binary coefficients and has the elements αb, αb+1, . . . , αb+d−2 in the finite field GF(2r) as roots. Here b and d are design parameters, and α is a primitive in GF(2r). The generator polynomial for this code is:g(x)=LCM(Mb(x),Mb+1(x), . . . ,Mb+d−2(x)). (1)Mi(x) denotes the minimal polynomial for the element αi. This class of BCH codes is referred to as the class of primitive BCH codes. If b=1, the codes are further classified as narrowsense primitive BCH codes. More generally, we can let α be a non-primitive element in GF(2r) of multiplicative order ord α. In this case, the BCH codes so constructed have natural length n=ord α and are referred to as non-primitive BCH codes. In all cases, the minimum Hamming distance of the BCH code is at least as large as the design parameter d. The maximum guaranteed error correction capability of the code is therefore at least t=[(d−1)/2]. The dimension of the code is k=n−deg g(x).
Reed-Solomon codes are non-binary cyclic codes constructed in the analogous fashion over the Galois field GF(2r) and are similarly well-suited for non-binary product code constructions. The non-binary generator polynomialg(x)=(x+αb)(x+αb+1) . . . (x+αb+d−2) (2)generates a non-binary Reed-Solomon code of length n=ord α and minimum Hamming distance of exactly d. Usually, α is taken to be primitive so that n=2r−1. The dimension of the code is k=n−deg g(x)=n−d+1.
A cyclic code of length n consists of all polynomials of degree <n that are proper multiples of the generator polynomial g(x). Thus, cyclic codes are nested in the following sense. Let C1, C2, . . . , CL be a family of cyclic codes in which code Ci has generator polynomial gi(x). Then all of the codes Ci are contained in the cyclic code Csup as subcodes, where Csup has generator polynomial:g(x)=GCD(g1(x),g2(x), . . . , gL(x)). (3)GCD refers to the greatest common divisor. For example, among the narrowsense primitive BCH codes, the code with maximum error-correcting capability t=1 contains the code with maximum error-correcting capability t=2, which contains the code with maximum error-correcting capability t=3, and so forth. This nesting property of the BCH (and Reed-Solomon codes) plays no significant role in product code constructions, but nesting is a useful feature in the irregular array code construction of the present invention.
One problem with product codes is that they do not have a “thin spectrum” in the sense that the number of code words of minimum Hamming weight dmin, weight dmin+1, etc. are small. Product codes do not have a thin spectrum. For example, the product code generated by the single parity check code. The single parity check code has dmin=2, so the product code has dmin=4. All patterns of the following form are code words of weight 4:C(M,N)=C(M,N+n)=C(M+m,N)=C(M+n,N+n)=1,C(i,j)=0 for all other i,j. In fact, any translation or expansion of a valid pattern of 1s (i.e. valid meaning that the result is a codeword) is also a valid pattern. This is due to the regularity of the product code.
Assuming the optimal decoder, the asymptotic high signal to noise ratio performance of a code in an additive white Guassian noise like channel is governed by the minimum Hamming weight and number of code words of minimum Hamming weight. At low SNR, the entire weight spectrum is important, so spectral thinness results in better performance for SNRs near the Shannon limit. Therefore there remains a need for FEC codes that improve performance at lower SNRs found in many applications. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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It has become common practice to use light emitting diode (LED) displays for a variety of purposes. Typically such displays are manufactured as seven-segment displays or alphanumeric displays, and, if desired, can be arranged as dot matrix displays. Such displays require multi-color and high brightness and must have a thin profile.
In a typical manufacturing process custom display devices use the concept of stretching the light from an LED by diffusion and reflection. The LED chips are mechanically attached onto a printed circuit board (PCB) or lead-frame by using electrically conductive adhesive, e.g. silver epoxy. Gold (or other conductive material, such as aluminum) is used to wire bond the top of the LED die to the PCB. A cone shaped reflecting cavity is cast inside a rectangular package around each LED. A plastic housing, often referred as ‘scrambler’, forms the display package and contains the LED segment cavities. The housing also provides structural integrity to the LED package. Generally, the material used for the scrambler is polycarbonate with TiO2 sealant to prevent light leakage. Optical grade epoxy fills the top of the cavity and also fills the bottom of the scrambler to form the stretched segment.
Presently, these custom LED display packages are predominately through-hole mounted because of economy of manufacture. However, surface mounting assemblies are quickly replacing wave-soldering techniques because wave soldering has reached the limit of its capabilities. Currently, reflow soldering has become the leading technique for soldering components, such as LED packages to PCBs. Miniaturization of control panels and simplified manufacturing processes are requiring LED manufacturers to convert through-hole devices to surface-mountable devices.
One manufacturing process now being used for surface mounting LED packages to PCBs is a lead-frame process where a metal frame is folded around a substrate holding the LED. Such processes are time-consuming and cumbersome. An alternate process for surface mounting is to mount the LED onto a PCB for support purposes and to then surface mount the PCB onto a controller PCB board. Because of surface irregularities between the two PCBs, such PCB/PCB mounting is difficult to achieve in a reliable manner.
In general, the PCB to PCB or even lead-frame to PCB mating tends to face surface irregularities as a result of PCB warping or lead-frame lead coplanarity issues. In addition, as the customized displays become larger and have more LED segments, the warping becomes more pronounced and adds further complexity to the soldering process. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Skateboards use a truck for supporting the board on wheels. Some prior art skateboards may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,734 issued Aug. 16, 1983 to Robert G. Barnard for “Truck Design for a Skate-Type Device”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,087 issued Feb. 17, 1981 to H. Gordon Hansen for “Truck Apparatus for Skate and Skateboard Devices”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,565 issued May 22, 1979 to David M. de Caussin et al. for “Adjustable Skateboard”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,001 issued May 1, 1979 to Tony Christianson for “Skateboard Truck”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,510 issued Oct. 17, 1978 to Thomas Gerald Hillard for “Wheeled Skateboards”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,508 issued Oct. 17, 1978 to John Steven Brown et al. for “Wheeled Skateboards”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,253, issued Nov. 29, 1977 to Eric W. Oldendorf for “Method and Apparatus for Skateboard Suspension System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,763 issued Jan. 28, 1975 to Gordon K. Ware for “Roller Skate Construction with Releasably, Lockable and Adjustable Action Screw”.
In general, the prior art limits adjusting the distance the wheels and the skateboard while permitting the wheel angle tilt to accommodate the angle of a skateboard during a turn.
The broad purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved skateboard truck construction, in which the skateboard to wheel ground distance is adjustable, allowing the rider to use one skateboard for many currently commercially available axle assembly heights.
Still further objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains upon reference to the following detailed description of the drawings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Patent Document 1 discloses a distributed power supply device that supplies alternating-current power to a home load in conjunction with a commercial electric power system. The power supply device described in Patent Document 1 is installed in areas where an abnormality in input voltage frequently occurs due to momentary interruption (such as momentary voltage drop or momentary power failure) of the commercial electric power system or other causes. With the power supply device, if the pattern of occurrence of abnormality type and characteristic values upon each detection of an abnormality matches a pre-stored time-series occurrence pattern of abnormality type and characteristic values, it is determined that a device failure has occurred. After the determination, the device is restarted or completely stopped.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-290918.
Some power supply systems required to have high reliability are often designed with redundancy to allow selection of a plurality of commercial electric power systems in anticipation of an interruption of power supply from a commercial electric power system due to a power failure or other causes. A mechanical relay switch is used to switch between the commercial electric power systems. Switching a mechanical relay switch many times can potentially lead to reduced product lifetime or reliability. For this reason, it is desired to avoid frequent switching of the mechanical relay switch. If, to this end, the number of times to execute abnormality determination is reduced while maintaining the amount of time spent on each single abnormality determination, this can potentially lead to reduced accuracy of abnormality determination, making it impossible to take an appropriate measure in the event of an abnormality. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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There is a need for improved antiparasitics, and in particular there is a need for improved insecticides and acaricides, particularly for use in animal health. Furthermore, there is a need for improved topical and oral products with convenient administration. Still further, there is a need for improved compositions which contains one or more active antiparasitics, which can be used to effectively treat against parasites. Such improvements would be particularly useful for the treatment of animals including: birds (e.g., chickens and turkeys), fish, companion animals (e.g., cats, dogs, llamas, and horses), and livestock (e.g., cattle, bison, swine, sheep, deer, elk, and goats).
Currently available insecticidal and acaricidal treatments for animals do not always demonstrate good activity, good speed of action, or a long duration of action. Most treatments contain hazardous chemicals that can have serious consequences, including neurotoxicity and lethality from accidental ingestion. Persons applying these agents are generally advised to limit their exposure. Pet collars and tags have been utilized to overcome some problems, but these are susceptible to chewing, ingestion, and subsequent toxicological effects to the animal. Thus, current treatments achieve varying degrees of success, which depend partly on toxicity, method of administration, and efficacy. Additionally, some currently available agents are becoming ineffective due to parasitic resistance.
Despite the availability of effective, broad spectrum antiparasitics, there remains a need for safer and more convenient, efficacious, and environmentally friendly products that will overcome the ever-present threat of resistance development. The present invention includes new isothiazoline spiroazetidinyl-isobenzofuran derivatives which demonstrate such properties. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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It has been reported that the compound of the formula (1) has a superior agonistic activity to an arginine vasopressin V2 receptor and is useful as an active ingredient of a pharmaceutical composition for preventing and/or treating urinary frequency, urinary incontinence, enuresis, central diabetes insipidus, nocturia, nocturnal enuresis, or the like (Patent Document 1).
In reference to reference examples and examples described in Patent Document 1, the method for producing a compound of the formula (1) (Example 55) described therein is found to be those shown in the reaction scheme (I).
Further, with regard to a method for producing a compound of the formula (8-M) from a compound of the formula (16) through the steps 10 to 15 shown in the reaction scheme (I), the method is specifically described in Non-Patent Document 1.
(in the formula, Ts represents p-toluenesulfonyl, Bn represents benzyl, Ac represents acetyl, Me represents methyl, DAST represents (diethylamino)sulfur trifluoride, and EDC represents 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride).
However, the method for producing a compound of the formula (1) disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a large number of steps, that is, eighteen steps in total, and includes, for example, a step with a low yield of products as described later, such as a step with a yield of about 30% or less, and thus, the overall yield from the compound of the formula (16) to the compound of the formula (1) as a final target is about 6%. In this regard, since the method has a big challenge in a yield and cost, from an industrial point of view, it was not entirely satisfactory production methods. In addition, the production method still needs to be further improved in terms of industrial production of a medicament from the viewpoint that the method includes a step (i.e. step 8 in the reaction scheme (I)) using (diethylamino)sulfur trifluoride (DAST) which is a nucleophilic fluorinating agent that is not easily handled due to its toxicity, corrosiveness, explosion hazard during a reaction, or the like, a step (i.e. step 18 in the reaction scheme (I)) using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) which exhibits mutagenicity, and steps (i.e. steps 1, 2, 7, and 8 in the reaction scheme (I)) requiring purification by column chromatography. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to an apparatus for converting or reconverting of spin flow energy into pressure energy.
In systems which employ centrifugal forces for the separation of materials, a type of flow emerges from the separation housing and enters into the pipe conduits, which has a spin flow component. Such spin flow component may be smaller or larger, depending on the type of system involved. Since the spin energy within the pipe conduit is lost as such, it may, under certain circumstances, be useful to recover the spin energy by means suitable for this purpose. One advantage of such recovery of the spin energy is seen in that the energy requirement of the material separation system may be substantially reduced. Thus, several different solutions for reconverting the spin energy into pressure energy have been made heretofore.
Thus, it is, for example, known to employ so-called spin diffusers. In such diffusers the spin flow is guided into a pipe of increasing cross sectional flow area. In such a pipe diffuser, the circumferential component, as well as the meridional component of the flow velocity is decelerated due to the increasing flow cross sectional area, whereby pressure energy may be recovered. However, the spin diffuser has the drawback that its flow guide characteristics are disadvantageous. Besides, the flow at the outlet port of such a spin diffuser still comprises a remainder spin. Thus, this type of diffuser is not capable to provide an immediate transition of a spin flow into a parallel flow in a pipe.
Another way of recovering the spin energy employs a spirally shaped housing. Such spin housing is substantially flat and the spin flow enters centrally into the spiral housing in a direction extending perpendicularly to the plane of the spiral and centrally thereof. The flow emerges from the spiral housing from a tangentially extending exit port. One drawback of such housings is seen in that the flow on its way from the center of the spiral to the outer wall of the spiral, is guided in a disadvantageous manner. Such disadvantageous flow or flow guide conditions cause flow losses which substantially diminish the converting efficiency of the housing. It is also disadvantageous from a construction or manufacturing point of view that the inlet channel and the outlet channel form a right angle relative to each other.
Another prior art method for recovering of spin energy employs a so-called axial guide apparatus, wherein the rotating flow in the pipe or conduit is converted or transformed into an annular flow by means of a central body. The annular or ring flow in turn is deflected into the longitudinal direction by means of guide veins arranged in ring fashion. In this manner it is possible to substantially diminish the circumferential component of the ring flow so that at the end of the central body an adequately parallel pipe flow prevails. However, this type of prior art apparatus operates with substantial losses at higher circumferential speeds because the transformation of the spin energy into pressure energy takes place in this type of apparatus along a very short flow passage. In addition, it is necessary to carefully adapt the guide vanes relative to any given operational condition due to the short length of the transformation passage. Thus, where deviations occur from the given operational condition, the apparatus operates with substantial flow losses. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Noodles can be divided into sliced noodles, fresh noodles, dried noodles, and so on based on the different production processes. In hand rolled noodles, which are a type of fresh noodles, flour proteins are utilized to generate a great amount of gluten, which is distributed evenly in the noodles during the unique kneading and rolling process thereof. Gluten is composed of gliadin and glutenin. Since gluten has great extensibility and flexibility, the chewiness and taste of hand rolled noodles are better than other noodles. In prior art, due to the restrictions of the noodle producing processes and techniques, noodle producing machines fail to produce noodles with chewiness and texture equivalent to hand-rolled noodles.
Currently, the noodle producing machine commercially widely used produces noodles mostly through a pressing technique. It usually presses a flour-water mixture into a round disk shape first, then press the mixture into a sheet shape repeatedly, and finally slices the mixture into noodles with a blade, which is sliced noodles in daily life. Due to the lack of gluten proteins, sliced noodles are not chewy, have a hard texture, and taste significantly worse than hand rolled noodles.
Further, in the noodle pressing process, the process of repeatedly pressing and the process of slicing are conducted separately. In the noodle pressing process and storing process, it is required to scatter and put dry flour on noodles to prevent them from sticking together. During the cooking process, because the noodles are coated with the dry flour, the dry flour falls into the cooking pot with the noodles, making water sticky after the boiling water is repeatedly used, and affecting the quality of the cooked noodles. Therefore, when the pressed noodles are cooked on a large scale, it is required to replace the water in the cooking pot frequently, which is a great waste of flour, water, and energy.
In order to produce noodles with the chewiness and taste equivalent to or even better than hand rolled noodles through machines, the inventor made an effort to study the principles of hand rolled noodles as well as the functions and coordination of the various internal structures of noodle forming mechanisms. As a specific manifestation of the research results, the present invention provides a new type of a noodle forming mechanism. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sheet conveyor for a delivery of a sheet-fed printing press, having at least one operatively revolving gripper bar guidable in a transport direction along a sheet guiding surface, the bar being provided with grippers having gripper fingers pivotable in a gripper cycle for gripping a gripper edge region of a sheet, the edge region being oriented crosswise to the conveying direction, and the sheet being conveyable one at a time by the gripper bar, and also including a front spoiler for shielding an intermediate space located between the gripper bar and the sheet guiding surface. The invention also relates to a delivery equipped with a sheet conveyor, in a sheet-fed printing press.
A sheet conveyor of this general type has become known heretofore, for example, from the published German Patent Document DE 33 08 907 A1, wherein a front spoiler is disposed so that an end thereof facing towards a sheet guiding surface is located relatively close to the free ends of a gripper finger. This is necessary in the case of heretofore known sheet conveyors, for the purpose of preventing a collision between a sheet-guiding cylinder and the front spoiler, when sheets are taken over by the grippers from that sheet-guiding cylinder.
The gripper fingers are pivotable about an axis, located downline from the free ends of the gripper fingers, as viewed in the sheet conveying direction, and disposed in the gripper bar. Consequently, the front spoiler, beginning at the end thereof facing towards the sheet guiding surface, has at least a tendency to rise in an inclined manner, when compared to a normal to the sheet guiding surface, as viewed downline in the sheet conveying direction. With this configuration, the front spoiler acts as an air scoop that, during operation, pushes a turbulent flow ahead of it.
A flowing under of the sheets guided past the sheet guiding surface by the grippers is indeed largely prevented with the heretofore known sheet conveyor, particularly if the front spoiler is formed of elastic material, in which case contact between the sheet guiding surface and the end of the front spoiler facing towards it can be permitted. The turbulent flow pushed in front of the front spoiler, however, is deleterious particularly to the trailing region of a respectively leading sheet. Precisely for this region, however, there is a need for flutter-free travel, to ensure a secure contact of this region with a sheet brake, and thus to permit a sheet, braked to a deposition speed and then released by the sheet brake, as it is lowered onto a sheet pile from a trailing gripper bar and a trailing sheet brought by that gripper bar to the sheet brake, to be transferred in a contact-free overlapping manner. | {
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A controlled release profile from a drug dosage form is sometimes desirable in clinical use to reduce side effects and improve patient compliance. The technology used to formulate sustained release dosage forms is well documented. The entrapment of a drug in a polymer based matrix is a common approach to formulate sustained release tablets with a desirable release profiles.
It has been reported that depot drug formulations for controlled release of pharmaceutical drugs may be prepared using alginates alone (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,295), using combinations of alginates and polyacrylates (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,901) and using combinations of alginates and a pH independent gelling agent, such as, for example, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,452). It is also known that the use of alginates alone for this purpose often presents difficulties in tableting, film coating and storage.
It also has been reported that a sustained release dosage form useful in providing once-a-day medication consists of the admixture of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (viscosity of 80 to 120 cps in a 2% aqueous solution) and ethylcelluose with etodolac (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,768). Using a low viscosity of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose with ethylcellulose as rate controlling agents in the formulation may give a shorter T.sub.max (time to peak blood concentration) after oral administration due to a fast tablet erosion.
Adding polyacrylates to the alginate formulation overcomes these difficulties to some extent; however, tablets formed using alginates and polyacrylates often have a pH dependent dissolution profile. In a low pH environment, alginates and polyacrylates do not swell and/or dissolve properly. This leads to drug release by a diffusion mechanism through non-viscous capillaries resulting in a different dissolution rate than in a high pH environment. On the other hand, in a high pH environment, alginates swell and become soluble while polyacrylates may or may not do the same. This leads to drug release both by erosion and diffusion at a rate which is different than the low pH release rate.
In formulations which contain an alginate and a pH independent gelling polymer such as, for example, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydration at low pH levels forming a viscous gel layer for drug release. At high pH levels, however, tablets become smaller and smaller during drug release due to erosion of the swollen polymer layer, leading to a reduction in surface area which may affect the dissolution rate of a tablet.
The novelty of the present invention is the provision of a sustained release formulation which reduces, and perhaps eliminates the aforementioned problems completely. In particular the invention provides a controlled release drug formulation which includes novel formulations containing three different types of polymers. These three different types of polymers include: 1) a water insoluble polymer, such as ethylcellulose; 2) a pH independent gelling polymer, such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose; and 3) a pH dependent gelling polymer, such as sodium alginate. These three different types of polymers must be used together to achieve a controlled release rate of the selected drug. Such a combination of polymers facilitates manufacturing processes and improves drug release and absorption profiles.
In accordance with the present invention, the combination of the three polymers provides an excellent matrix drug depot system with desirable controlled release characteristics. During dissolution at low pH levels, such as in the stomach, the pH independent gelling polymer e.g., hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydrates and swells to form a hydrogel which controls drug release from the matrix system. Drug release may be due to the gel layer erosion or drug diffusion through the gel layer or a combination of both. The water insoluble polymer e.g., ethylcellulose, and the pH dependent gelling polymer e.g., sodium alginate, are dispersed in the gel layer as insoluble parties to block the diffusion pathway or adjust the erosion rate of the gel layer. All the three polymers play important roles to control drug release at a low pH environment. As the matrix system moves to a higher pH environment e.g. in the intestinal tract, the tablet surface area becomes smaller due to the gel layer erosion, which may lead to a reduction of drug release rate. However, the pH dependent gelling polymer dispersed in the gel layer starts to hydrate and swell. Meanwhile, the insoluble particles dispersed in the gel layer will be reduced due to the hydration of pH dependent gelling polymer, resulting of the opening of additional diffusion channels. Therefore, hydration of the pH dependent polymer and concomitant reduction of the insoluble particles in the hydrogel in high pH environment, will compensate the reduction tendency of the drug release rate due to the surface area changes resulting from erosion. Thus, drug release rate is maintained regardless of the pH and tablet size changes. Thus, the formulations of the present invention provide improved drug release profiles compared with the prior art formulations described above. | {
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The present invention relates to a side airbag apparatus for deploying and inflating an airbag at the side of a passenger who is seated on a vehicle seat and protecting the passenger from an impact.
A side airbag apparatus of this type includes an airbag and an inflator. The airbag is incorporated in a seat back of a car seat in a folded state together with the inflator. For example, when an impact is given from the side to a side door of a car body, inflation gas is supplied from the inflator into the airbag. The airbag deploys and inflates forward from between the side door coming into a car and a passenger. As a result, the airbag restrains the passenger and mitigates an impact conveyed from the side to the passenger.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-162136 discloses a configuration in which an interior of an airbag is partitioned into two front and rear parts. As shown in FIGS. 19A and 20A, an airbag 121 is formed in a bag shape by joining margins of one pair of main body cloth portions 122 and 123. An inflator 124 is arranged at a rear end of the airbag 121 inside the airbag 121. The inflator 124 is attached to a seat frame 125 of a car seat via a locking member, such as a bolt, together with the main body cloth portion 122.
A longitudinal partition portion 126 having a communication hole (not shown) is laid between the two main body cloth portions 122 and 123. The airbag 121 is partitioned by the longitudinal partition portion 126 into a rear inflation chamber 127 and a front inflation chamber 128. The rear inflation chamber 127 is arranged behind the longitudinal partition portion 126. The rear inflation chamber 127 receives inflation gas supplied from the inflator 124. The front inflation chamber 128 is arranged in front of the longitudinal partition portion 126. The front inflation chamber 128 receives inflation gas supplied from the rear inflation chamber 127 through the communication hole. The longitudinal partition portion 126 is pulled at least at the time of inflation of the rear inflation chamber 127. The longitudinal partition portion 126 restricts an inflation thickness T1 which is a lateral thickness of the rear inflation chamber 127.
To increase the inflation thickness T1 of the rear inflation chamber 127, the position of the longitudinal partition portion 126 joined to the two main body cloth portions 122 and 123 needs to be shifted forward, as shown in FIG. 19B. The forward shift of the position of the longitudinal partition portion 126, however, increases a length L1 from a position of attachment of the airbag 121 to the seat frame 125 to a front end of the rear inflation chamber 127, as shown in FIG. 20B. This increases an amount by which the rear inflation chamber 127 protrudes, which may change the passenger-restraining capability and the passenger-protecting capability of the airbag. | {
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The invention is directed to a gold containing preparation for coating metallic particles, particularly for coating fired on alloys in the dental art before the facing with ceramic compositions, consisting of gold powder, an adhesive and a binder of one or more organic solvents and one or more resin components, which binder is liquid at room temperature and volatilized or burned at firing temperature.
For many years in the dental art there has been known the facing of crowns and bridges made of fired on alloys with ceramic compositions. Thereby chiefly for aesthetic reasons the metallic crown or bridge framework is entirely or partially coated with one or more tooth colored ceramic layers. Likewise primarily for aesthetic reasons gold-rich intermediate layers are used which bestow a warmer colored background to the slightly transparent dental porcelain as is possible by the generally metallic white customary fired on alloys.
The previously known gold containing intermediate layer preparations lead to very smooth surfaces and cannot be effectively influenced by the dental technician.
The formation of the frequently desired grooves or relief type differences in height on the surfaces of the crowns and bridges thus is not possible. The previously known gold preparations were either melted or sintered and contain gold powder or ball-shaped gold particles (German AS 2851429) which leads to a uniform layer thickness and a very smooth surface.
On the other hand there has also long been known the significance of a sufficient dovetailing between the metallic fired on alloys and the dental ceramic for a good union. The preparation of the so-called physical union depends directly very strongly on the size, the shape and the roughness of the surface to be joined with the ceramic.
Besides all previously known preparations for intermediate layers have the disadvantage that they have a relatively high gold requirement of the great difficult in influencing the coating thickness.
Therefore it was the problem of the present invention to develop gold containing preparations for the coating of metallic portions, particularly for the coatings of fired on alloys in the dental art before the facing with ceramic compositions consisting of gold powder, an adhesive agent and a binder which is liquid at room temperature and is volatilized or burned at firing temperature, which after the firing guarantees the strongest possible dovetailing with the dental ceramic, has an aesthetic appearance and makes possible a saving in the use of gold. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a technique for executing facsimile transmission over a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Facsimile transmission entails conversion of an image obtained by a sending-side terminal into audio signals and the transmission thereof to a receiving-side terminal over an audio transmission line. In recent years, besides the conventional telephone wire network, a telephone network using the Internet called “IP telephone network” has come to be used as this audio transmission line. For example, JP2003-309701A discloses a facsimile transmission apparatus that executes facsimile transmission over a network achieved with transmission of audio signals over an IP telephone network. In this Specification, “facsimile transmission” refers to the transmission of an image, while “facsimile transmission apparatus” or “facsimile apparatus” refers generally to any apparatus that carries out image transmission.
Where facsimile transmission is to be performed, the various processes executed by the sender or receiver of the facsimile transmission, such as image input/output, and call control, must be performed in a prescribed sequence. Consequently, in the facsimile transmission apparatus, an image input/output unit and a facsimile sending/receiving unit are controlled by a single controller.
However, where the image input/output unit and the facsimile sending/receiving unit are controlled by a single controller, the control operation of the controller become complex to simultaneously control the operations of the image input/output unit and the facsimile sending/receiving unit. Furthermore, in a scanner/printer/copier multifunction peripheral (termed generally an “MFP”), facsimile transmission may be impossible, or the MFP may require remodeling to provide a facsimile transmission function. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cooling system, and more particularly, to a cooling system that cools a heat generation source through the use of a vapor compression refrigeration cycle.
2. Description of Related Art
Hybrid vehicles, fuel cell-powered vehicles, electric vehicles and the like, which run by the driving force of a motor, have been drawing attention as a measure against environmental issues. In such a vehicle, electric apparatuses such as a motor, a generator, an inverter, a converter, a battery and the like generate heat by giving/receiving electric power. Therefore, these electric apparatuses need to be cooled.
In Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-73763 (JP-2000-73763 A), there is described a cooling system for a hybrid vehicle. This cooling system includes a first cooling circuit that selectively or simultaneously cools an engine cylinder head and a drive motor, a second cooling circuit that cools the engine cylinder block, and a third cooling circuit that cools a strong electric control unit that performs drive control of the drive motor.
In the cooling system described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-73763 (JP-2000-73763 A), a system that causes cooling water to circulate between a heat generator and a radiator is employed to cool electric parts, as in the case of a normal vehicle in which only an engine thereof is cooled. Such a system needs to be newly provided with a radiator for cooling the electric parts, and hence may decrease in vehicle mountability.
Thus, there has been proposed an art of cooling a heat generator with the aid of a vapor compression refrigeration cycle that is employed as a vehicular air conditioner. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-69733 (JP-2007-69733 A), there is described a system in which a heat exchanger that exchanges heat with air-conditioning air and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat with a heat generator are arranged in parallel with each other in a refrigerant passage that extends from an expansion valve to a compressor. This system cools the heat generator through the use of a refrigerant for an air conditioner. Further, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-90862 (JP-2005-90862 A), there is described a cooling system in which heat generator cooling means for cooling a heat generator is provided in a bypass passage that bypasses a pressure reducer, an evaporator, and a compressor in an air-conditioning refrigeration cycle.
On the other hand, as regards a vehicular air conditioner, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-285633 (JP-2003-285633 A), there is described a device that causes a refrigerant to pass through a storage heat exchanger having a cooling storage material during the operation of a compressor, and cools the refrigerant by stored cold energy of the cooling storage material to operate an air conditioner after the stoppage of the compressor. In Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-1048 (JP-2011-1048 A), there is described a vehicular air-conditioning system in which a heat storage material of an in-vehicle heat storage unit stores a certain amount of heat and the in-vehicle heat storage unit exchanges the amount of heat with a heat exchange medium through a heat exchange process.
In the cooling system described in each of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-69733 (JP-2007-69733 A) and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-90862 (JP-2005-90862 A), a cooling route for cooling the heat generation source such as an electric apparatus or the like is incorporated in a vapor compression refrigeration cycle, and a refrigerant in a two-phase state, namely, a gas-liquid state is introduced into a refrigerant route that cools the heat generation source, after having passed through a pressure reducer. When the flow rate of the liquid-phase refrigerant for cooling the heat generation source decreases, the performance of cooling the heat generation source may deteriorate. | {
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Power high frequency devices have been built using a variety of semiconductor technologies. For a long time the preferred vehicle for their realization has been the NPN bipolar junction transistor (BJT). Its primary advantage was the achievable high intrinsic transconductance (g.sub.m) that permitted the fabrication of high power devices utilizing small silicon areas.
As processing technology improved, in the early 1970's a number of MOSFET vertical structures begun to challenge the dominance of the BJT at the lower RF frequencies, trading the cost of the large silicon area, necessary to provide the current capability in MOSFETs, for the cost of simple processing. The advantages that the MOSFET structure provided to the user were: higher power gain, ruggedness (defined as the capacity to withstand transients) and ease of biasing.
In the continuous quest for high frequency operation at high power the MOSFET structure has displaced the BJT since the early 1970's in applications where its performance has been competitive.
Recently, new prior art RF MOS devices have been placed on the market by several vendors. The new prior art RF MOS devices utilize the standard lateral MOS device with a diffused via that connects the source to the backside of the chip such that the back side becomes both electrical and thermal ground. The prior art structure also uses a polysilicide gate process as a compromise between the fabrication benefits of the self aligned polysilicon gate and the high frequency performance of the metal gate structure. The prior art structure has extended the frequency of operation of MOS devices into the 2 GHz region thus covering two frequency bands of great commercial importance: the cellular and PCS/PCN mobile telephone bands.
The via backside contact design and the polysilicide gate processing technology have allowed the prior art device to attain its performance. Firstly, by transferring the source connection to the backside of the chip through a diffused via, the packaging of the device has been simplified reducing parasitic inductance and resistance to ground. The thermal dissipation has been also improved because an electrical isolation layer in the package has been removed. Secondly, the output capacitance of RF MOS device for the common-source mode of amplification operation has been made comparable to the output capacitance obtained with BJT structures. This results in improved collector efficiency and in wider usable bandwidth (BW) of the RF MOS device operating as an amplifier. This improvement comes about as the lateral RF MOS device at high drain-source applied bias has a lower drain-source capacitance (C.sub.ds) than the drain-source capacitance of the prior art RF MOS devices. Finally, the use of polysilicide allows the efficient feeding of long gate fingers.
What is needed is to further improve the design of the existing lateral RF MOS devices. This can be done by improving the connection from the source to the backside of the silicon substrate with a metal plug thus reducing the space needed for that connection. In the fabrication of the existing RF MOS devices, source to backside via diffusion moves laterally as well as downward, wherein a metal plug can be made deep and narrow. The metal plug design would allow inclusion of more usable device active area per unit chip area, increase of available device output power per unity chip area, further decrement of the minimal value of the drain-source capacitance (C.sub.ds), and in wider usable BW of the device operating as an amplifier. | {
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A technique for forming transistors using a semiconductor thin film formed over a substrate having an insulating surface has attracted attention. The transistor is applied to a wide range of electronic devices such as an integrated circuit (IC) or an image display device (display device). As a semiconductor thin film applicable to the transistor, a silicon based semiconductor material is widely known for example; moreover, an oxide semiconductor has been attracting attention as another material.
For example, a transistor whose active layer includes an amorphous oxide including indium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn) is disclosed (see Patent Document 1).
Transistors including oxide semiconductors have on-state characteristics (on-state current) superior to those of transistors including amorphous silicon. In order to apply the transistors including oxide semiconductors to high-performance devices, such transistors are required to have further improved characteristics, and thus techniques of crystallization of oxide semiconductors have been developed (see Patent Document 2). In Patent Document 2, a technique in which an oxide semiconductor is crystallized by heat treatment is disclosed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Digital visual interface and high-definition multimedia interface are high speed serial interconnect standards to transmit graphical data from a source to some type of display. The standards operate over a large range of data rates at very low differential voltage levels. The interface connection is limited to relatively short distance due to the combination of high data rates (250 Mb/s to 1.65 GB/s), low voltage swings (800 mV), reflections with the signal due to cable and connectors, and compatibility issues between manufactures of the transmitters and receivers.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of this conventional system. In FIG. 1, a digital video source 20 is connected to a display device 30 through a cable 1. This system requires a specialize interface to establish a link between the source 20 and display 30.
With respect to another example of a conventional digital visual interface and/or high-definition multimedia interface system, the data transfer system sends data back and forth from point A to point B; however, the data transfer system does not send the same amount of data in one direction as in the other direction. More specifically, in the conventional system, Point A could be sending data at 2 Gb/s to point B, but Point B is only sending 1 Mb/s of data to Point A. Typically, this type of system would require two channels, one for the high speed downstream data and one for low speed upstream data, or a single mode system that creates bi-directional data stream, which adds additional circuitry.
Moreover, graphic applications operate at different clock rates for different display resolutions. However, in many data transfer architectures it is beneficial to transmit the data at a fixed data rate. The problem in realizing this benefit is providing an adequate conversion of the variable rate data being received by the converter to a fixed data rate for actual transmission, and then a conversion of the fixed rate data back to a variable rate data without loss.
In providing a digital visual interface and/or high-definition multimedia interface system, the integrated circuits associated with the interfaces need to be tested to ensure proper signal quality. Moreover, this testing needs to be done at operational speeds to ensure that the testing procedures can reliably identify problems.
There are several problems associated with testing the integrated circuits associated with the digital visual interface and/or high-definition multimedia interfaces. More specifically, one problem with testing of 1.65 GHz signals is using a generic digital tester. At gigahertz frequencies, it is difficult to produce quality signals over process, temperature, and voltage using CMOS-only chips.
More particularly, in the case of a high-definition multimedia interface, several signal quality specifications must be met in regards to rise times, fall times, jitter, duty cycle, etc. Any test circuit output loading, which results in degradation of signal quality, must be kept at a minimum since normal operation must not be adversely affected.
Another problem associated with testing the integrated circuits associated with the digital visual interface and/or high-definition multimedia interfaces is that a conventional sampled-data muxing circuit, such as a sample-and-hold, cannot be used. Conventional sample-muxing circuits; i.e., the circuit connecting the output drivers to the test circuit; does not operate in a continuous-time mode nor have a high bandwidth.
Moreover, the test circuitry must be high speed, small in area since it is not used in normal operation, robust so that chip yields do not suffer, and have a higher accuracy than the output stage so that false test failures are not generated. Conventionally if the test circuitry can meet the high speed requirement, the conventional test circuitry is not robustness, small area, or accurate.
A further problem associated with testing the integrated circuits associated with the digital visual interface and/or high-definition multimedia interfaces is the relatively high external termination voltage. For high-definition multimedia interfaces, the termination voltage is 3.3V, while the conventional chip supply voltage is 1.8V. Furthermore, the mux circuit must be able to operate at an input voltage of 3.3V, while being controlled by 1.8V logic. This voltage difference can negatively impact both normal operations and chip power-down because the voltage disparity can cause current to be drawn from the output pads by the mux. Also, conventional test circuitry is not able to process signals with a common-mode voltage higher than the 1.8V circuit supply voltage with good accuracy and without device failure due to high voltage fields.
Additionally, conventional test circuitry must be provided electrostatic discharge protection which generally lowers the frequency response of the circuitry. When providing a high speed test path, gates of a conventional mux circuit cannot be used in the signal path of the outputs to the sampling circuit since gates are CMOS devices. A CMOS device gate can only be connected to such an output pad through resistors. Since the resistors are large to prevent the test circuit from causing electrostatic discharge failures, the electrostatic discharge protection resistors lower the signal bandwidth. Thus, the electrostatic discharge problem limits circuit topologies for the mux circuit.
Thus, it is desirable to a testing circuitry which will not have a negative impact upon normal circuit behavior. Moreover, it is desirable to a testing circuitry which will not have an electrostatic discharge problem. Furthermore, it is desirable to a testing circuitry which will have a small area, be accurate, and robust. Also, it is desirable to a testing circuitry which is capable of making measurements of signals having voltages greater than the chip supply. Lastly, it is desirable to a testing circuitry which provides high and low speed functional testing of an analog dynamic signal path. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to merchandising displays, and more particularly to a merchandising display in which merchandise is supported on rods, shelves, hangers or similar supports which are removably attached to a wall or wall-like support.
One known merchandising display utilizes an open grid back panel. Typical open grid back panels include a plurality of horizontal crossbars or wire rods fixed to an array of laterally spaced vertical supports. Display accessories such as merchandise support rods and shelves can be hung from the horizontal crossbars for supporting and displaying merchandise. However, the appearance of open grid displays is such that they are not suitable for some applications.
Another known merchandising display utilizes a closed slat wall back panel. Typical slat wall displays include wood, plastic or metal slats as structural members. The slats are spaced from one another to provide horizontal slots into which display accessories can be inserted. Although slat wall displays are generally more attractive in appearance than displays utilizing a open grid back panels, slat wall displays are not entirely satisfactory because the slats are expensive to produce and displays utilizing slats are difficult to assemble and take apart.
Another problem with current merchandising displays is their lack of versatility. For example, retailers who currently utilize a combination of open grid and slat wall displays in the presentation of their merchandise cannot change the proportion of open grid and slat wall displays unless they keep extras of each type of display on hand. Moreover, the retailer would need to have a large enough storage area in which to store the spare displays. Each of the foregoing problems causes the retailer to incur high capital expenditures. Additional expenditures may be incurred if the support rods and shelves used by the retailer are not compatible with both wire grid and slat wall displays.
It is an object of the invention to provide a merchandising display that is capable of being converted easily from an open grid-type display to a slat wall display; to provide a display which is strong yet structurally simple, utilizing a minimum number of different parts; to minimize or eliminate the need to store spare displays; to minimize the number of merchandise hangers, rods and shelves that need to be stored as auxiliary parts; and to provide a display which has a clean and pleasing appearance.
For the purpose of this description, the portion of a shelf, rod, hanger or like merchandise support, which engages with a grid or slat wall will be referred to as a xe2x80x9cbracket.xe2x80x9d
The merchandising display in accordance with the invention comprises two sets of wires and a plurality of elongated panels. The wires of the first set are typically vertical wires, disposed in parallel, spaced relationship to one another. Each wire of the first set has a front side situated in an imaginary surface, usually a vertical plane. The wires of the second set are typically horizontal wires, disposed in parallel, spaced relationship to one another. Each wire of the second set has a rear side situated in the imaginary surface, and is connected to, and supported by, the wires of the first set to provide a grid-like array in which the wires of the second set are disposed in orthogonal relationship to the wires of the first set. The wires of the second set are further disposed in adjacent pairs, the wires of each pair being spaced from each other by a distance greater than the spacing between adjacent pairs.
Each elongated panel has a front face, a rear face, opposite long edges extending in the direction of elongation of the panel, and flanges which extend rearward from the long edges. The flanges are removably engageable with wires of the second set, the flanges preferably allowing the panels to be snapped into place on the wires. Access slots are provided between adjacent panels for receiving merchandise support brackets. In this way, by affixing plural panels to the wire grid, with narrow access slots provided between adjacent panels, a closed, slotted appearance can be achieved. A dual open/closed appearance can be achieved using the panels to cover the spaces between selected pairs of horizontal wires, leaving some of the other horizontal wires exposed. Wider panels can be utilized to cover a larger area of the wire backing, including the space between the wires of one or more pairs and the space between one or more adjacent pairs.
The merchandising display in accordance with the invention is superior to conventional slat wall displays especially in that it can be assembled easily by snapping panels onto a pre-assembled wire grid, and in that it can be converted easily from an open grid display to a slat wall display, and vice versa, or used as a hybrid display. The merchandising display of the invention is also advantageous in its strength and simplicity, in its pleasing appearance, and in its ability to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, the need to store spare displays and display components.
Other objects, details and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the drawings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to systems, apparatus, and methods for automatic detection and location of acoustic sources in the presence of high levels of background noise. In particular, the invention relates to a process of detecting and rapidly locating the Personal Alert Safety System (“PASS”) carried by firefighters and other first responders when the PASS is in Alarm Mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Firefighters and other first responders throughout the US and in many parts of the world carry a Personal Alert Safety System (PASS), a device that produces a loud alarm tone if the user is in peril. The alarm tone is intended to perform two primary functions: (1) notify others that the user is in need of immediate assistance, and (2) assist the rescue operation by providing an acoustic signal that can be located by the rescue team. The PASS device automatically switches from Sensing Mode to Alarm Mode if the user is motionless for thirty seconds. Alternatively, the user can manually trigger Alarm Mode by pressing a push-button.
PASS devices are certified to standards generated by the National Fire Protection Association. For the 2007 edition of NFPA 1982 Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS), design requirements for the PASS alarm signal include: 1. PASS shall sound the alarm signal when switched to the Alarm Mode. 2. While in the Sensing Mode, PASS shall sound the alarm signal when activated by the motion sensing component when motion is not detected for (30) seconds, +5/−0 seconds. 3. When activated by the motion sensor, the alarm signal shall be preceded by a pre-alarm signal, which shall sound 10 seconds, +3/−0 seconds before the sounding of the alarm signal. 4. During the alarm signal sounding, all other audible PASS signals shall be rendered inactive. 5. The alarm signal shall have a duration of at least 1 hour at a sound pressure level (SPL) of not less than 95 dBA at a distance of 3 m (9.9 ft). 6. The alarm signal, once activated, shall not be deactivated by the motion detector. 7. Any action to silence the alarm signal and the actual silencing of the alarm signal shall not permit the PASS to remain in the Off Mode. 8. The silencing of the alarm signal shall automatically reset the PASS to the Sensing Mode.
The NFPA Electronic Safety Equipment Technical Committee is responsible for the NFPA 1982 document, which is reviewed and updated approximately every five years. PASS devices certified to the 2007 Edition of NFPA 1982 generally have different alarm tones, depending on the particular manufacturer of the PASS device. The 2013 Edition of NFPA 1982 will specify and standardize the alarm tone so that all PASS devices will sound the same.
Detection Environment
In addition to the usual visibility, contamination, moisture, and temperature issues surrounding a fire scene, the detection of an acoustic signal must deal with the presence of multiple echoes from the structure; in wave propagation terminology, this is known as a high multipath environment. The problem is particularly difficult in smaller structures with highly reflecting surfaces, such as stairwells with concrete walls or shower stalls with tile walls.
The Pathfinder System developed by Summit Safety solves the multipath problem by use of a continuous-wave (CW) ultrasonic transmitter (Beacon) and a directional receiver (Tracker), which detects waves propagating only from a narrow angle. The system is more fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,504,794, entitled “Tracking, safety and navigation system for firefighters” and which issued Jan. 7, 2003, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,826,117, with the same title and which issued Nov. 30, 2004. The user must manually scan the area with the Tracker to determine the direction of the strongest signal, which implies the direction of the shortest path to the Beacon. In order to achieve a narrow receiving beam angle, a receiving sensor must have a minimum width of 5-10 wavelengths. For the Pathfinder Tracker, this requirement necessitates the use of ultrasound to ensure portability. The same approach could be used to detect a PASS device, but the size of the sensor would be prohibitive. For example, the wavelength at 1 KHz is approximately 1.13 feet and at 4 KHz is approximately 3.4 inches; a five-wavelength requirement would mean the sensor width would be a minimum of 17 inches (at 4 KHz) and maximum of 5.6 feet (at 1 KHz). In addition, since the 2007 edition of NFPA 1982 allows sequential alarm tones, a manual scanning operation would need to be very slow to ensure that the loudest section of the PASS tone was present at all scan angles.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,639,147 B2 by Berezowski et al. entitled “System and Method of Acoustic Detection and Location of Audible Alarm Devices” which issued 29 Dec. 2009 describes a system of audio sensing modules that comprise a pre-installed infrastructure inside a building. Each of the audio sensing modules incorporates a single sensor (microphone) to collect a time-based record for signal processing. The maximum SPL (sound pressure level) and the minimum SPL for the recording form the basis for PASS alarm detection: if the minimum SPL is not less than a predetermined threshold level or if the difference between the maximum and minimum SPL is below a predetermined threshold level, the module is unable to reliably detect a PASS device. If the SPL levels pass these two threshold tests, the module then determines if an alarmed PASS device is present by analyzing the frequency content of the signal; if the frequencies match the frequency characteristics of the expected PASS device, the module then identifies the repetition pattern of the frequencies. Only after passing the two threshold tests, the frequency content test and the frequency repetition test does the module report the detection of an alarmed PASS device. According to the patent, the process of “locating” a PASS device is accomplished by having multiple sensing modules distributed throughout the building; while not stated explicitly, detection by a particular module implies that the PASS device has been “located” (i.e., its location is within detection range of the particular module). Unfortunately the accuracy of the “location” would be crude at best: the distressed firefighter could still be at a considerable distance from the module. Furthermore, any rescuers would need a map of the building with the locations of the pre-installed modules identified. In addition, the modules would require either a wired or a wireless RF telemetry link in order to notify personnel outside the building that an alarmed PASS device had been detected.
Non-acoustic technologies have also been proposed for locating firefighters in distress. For example, radio frequency systems have been developed to locate firefighters. Such systems have limited capabilities inside a building due to difficulties in wave propagation resulting from the metal and dielectric materials used in the building construction. | {
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(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device and a sensing signal processing apparatus.
(b) Description of the Related Art
As a representative display device, a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) includes two panels which are respectively provided with pixel electrodes and a common electrode and a liquid crystal layer having dielectric anisotropy disposed therebetween. The pixel electrodes are arranged in a matrix shape, and each is connected to a switching element such as a thin film transistor (“TFT”) to sequentially receive an image data voltage row by row. The common electrode is formed over the entire surface of a display panel to receive a common voltage. The pixel electrode, the common electrode, and the liquid crystal layer therebetween constitute a liquid crystal capacitor. The liquid crystal capacitor and a switching element which is connected thereto become a basic unit which constitutes a pixel.
In the liquid crystal display, an electric field is generated in a liquid crystal layer by applying a voltage to the two electrodes of a pixel. Transmittance of light passing through the liquid crystal layer is adjusted by adjusting the intensity of the electric field. A plurality of pixels working together may thereby obtain a desired image.
A touch screen panel is an apparatus which writes or draws a character or a picture through contact with a finger, a pen, etc., on a screen. Touch screen panels may also allow a machine such as a computer to perform a desired command by executing a program when an icon is pressed. A liquid crystal display to which a touch screen panel is attached has two primary functions: determining whether a contact occurs, and determining the contact's position information. However, the addition of a touch screen feature to a liquid crystal display comes with the addition of problems such as an increase in the cost of a display, yield decrease due to the addition of a manufacturing process for bonding a touch screen panel on a liquid crystal panel, luminance deterioration of the liquid crystal panel due to the passage of light through an additional layer, an increase in product thickness, and other related problems.
Therefore, technology for providing a sensing element consisting of a thin film transistor within a pixel itself which displays an image in a liquid crystal display instead of an additional touch screen panel has been developed.
However, in the existing sensing elements it is very difficult to accurately determine whether a sensing element is operated, and a signal processing apparatus for processing a signal from the sensing element has a complicated structure, thus increasing an amount of signal processing time and manufacture costs. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to so-called “hidden-line removal” for erasing hidden lines when a three-dimensional model including a plurality of polygons is projected onto a two-dimensional plane, and more particularly to a hidden-line removal method in which processes are executed with memory consumption optimized.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a three-dimensional shape created by computer graphics is printed on a paper sheet or displayed on a display, an image is produced by extracting the ridge lines and outlines and projecting them onto a two-dimensional plane. In this case, when the three-dimensional shape is looked at from a viewpoint, so-called “hidden-line removal” and “hidden-face removal” are executed, in which ridge lines and outlines that can not be looked at actually due to the figures obscuring them are erased or those lines are represented by dotted lines.
As hidden-line (face) removal, when the three-dimensional shape is constituted as an aggregate of polygons, Z-sort method in which the depth value (Z value) is calculated for each polygon and an image is drawn sorting the polygons in the order of their Z values, and Z-buffer method in which a figure having a smaller Z value (the closest figure) is drawn into a frame buffer for each pixel, are known. In addition, methods that have been proposed include a method in which production of an image for which hidden faces have been removed is arranged to be executed at a high speed by dividing the screen into rectangular blocks and repeating production of a block image for which hidden faces have been removed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 1997-179999), a method in which a high accuracy drawing process is realized by dividing the shape into a plurality of blocks according to their Z values and executing sorting of the blocks as well as executing sorting within each block (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 1998-134204), a method in which determination of the order of the depth and hidden-face removal are executed at a high-speed by dividing the spatial area into rectangular parallelepipeds, dividing further each rectangular parallelepiped into tetrahedrons and obtaining equivalent function value curved surface using approximation (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 1995-92838) and a method in which data are processed at a high accuracy by solving mathematically the decision of crossing of ridge lines and outlines over polygons. | {
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Industrial furnaces such as, for example, aluminum melting furnaces must be heated and kept warm with burners. It is thereby known to utilize regenerators through which hot exhaust gas and cold combustion air flow in alternation. The regenerators being in the position, as heat store, to preheat cold combustion air to high temperature, energy being thereby saved. In the regenerator, the hot exhaust gas cools, for example, from 1200.degree. C. to, for example, 400.degree. C., whereas the cold combustion air can be preheated to, for example, 1000.degree. C. in the regenerator in a following period.
Embodiments previously disclosed for heating industrial furnaces with employment of regenerators and burners proceed on the basis of a paired or, respectively, symmetrical arrangement of the regenerators/burners in a single unit. For example, the storing of the exhaust heat in one regenerator of one pair ensues in the exhaust gas mode (heating periods) and the unstoring of the heat of other regenerator ensues in the other regenerator/burner pair by alternately switching to the burner mode (cooling period) (for example, GB-A-2 224 563). As a result of the strictly paired, symmetrical allocation and operation of the two regenerators, however, individually different thermic conditions of the regenerators as well as time and space demands in view of the heat requirements for the operation of the smelting furnace cannot be taken into consideration, and a fast replacement of the regenerator/burner modules cannot be undertaken in case of maintenance and repair. | {
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The present invention relates generally to catheters systems. In particular, the present invention is directed to a drive coupling for a catheter assembly that provides for the controlled longitudinal movement of an elongate elementxe2x80x94such as a rotatable catheter core with an operative element, for example an ultrasonic transducer or an optical fiber imaging device, at its distal end, or a drive cable with an arthrectomy cutter at its distal endxe2x80x94housed within a sheath positioned within a patient.
Arteriosclerosis, also known as atherosclerosis, is a common human ailment arising from the deposition of fatty-like substances, referred to as atheromas or plaque, on the walls of blood vessels. Such deposits occur in both peripheral blood vessels which feed the limbs of the body and the coronary vessels which feed the heart. When the deposits accumulate in localized regions of a blood vessel, stenosis, or narrowing of the vascular channel, occurs. Blood flow is restricted and the person""s health is at serious risk.
Numerous approaches for reducing and removing such vascular deposits have been proposed, including balloon angioplasty where a balloon-tipped catheter is used to dilate a region of atheroma, and other devices that are pushed or pulled along or through a deposit, such as arthrectomy where a blade or cutting bit is used to sever and remove the atheroma, spark gap reduction in which an electrical spark burns through the plaque, laser angioplasty where laser energy is used to ablate at least a portion of the atheroma, and opening of vessels through the use of stents.
Two major difficulties in using such devices are maintaining a constant translational rate for the device and obtaining images of and information on the region of the blood vessel to be treated. Several imaging techniques have been proposed. Catheters incorporating mechanical rotation of ultrasonic transducers for imaging are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,794,931; 5,000,185; 5,049,130; and 5,024,234. These catheters scan in a plane normal to the catheter axis. Catheters employing phased array imaging systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,841,977 and 4,917,097. Catheters employing fiber optic imaging components are also known.
Generally deposits extend some longitudinal distance along the length of a vessel. To view different portions of the deposit a physician typically moves a handle attached to a proximal end of the imaging catheter along the vessel, for example, by pushing or pulling the catheter.
Imaging using computer-assisted reconstruction algorithms enables physicians to view a representation of the patient""s interior intravascular structures in two or three dimensions (i.e., so-called three-dimensional or longitudinal view reconstruction). In this connection, image reconstruction algorithms typically employ data-averaging techniques which assume that the intravascular structure between an adjacent pair of data samples will simply be an average of each such data sample. Thus, the algorithms use graphical xe2x80x9cfill inxe2x80x9d techniques to depict a selected section of a patient""s vascular system under investigation. Of course, if data samples are not sufficiently closely spaced, then lesions and/or other vessel abnormalities may in fact remain undetected (i.e., since they might lie between a pair of data samples and thereby be xe2x80x9cmaskedxe2x80x9d by the image reconstruction algorithms mentioned previously).
Even with the most skilled physician, it is practically impossible to manually exercise sufficiently slow constant rate longitudinal translation of the ultrasound imaging device (which thereby provides for a precisely known separation distance between adjacent data samples). In addition, with manual translation, the physician must manipulate the translation device while observing the conventional two-dimensional sectional images. This division of the physician""s attention and difficulty in providing a sufficiently slow constant translation rate can result in some diagnostic information being missed. To minimize the risk that diagnostic information is missed, it is necessary to lengthen the imaging scan time which may be stressful to the patient. Similarly, it is difficult for physicians to manually control the translational rate of arthrectomy catheters and other interventional devices that are longitudinally advanced and retracted through blood vessel and other body lumens.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,486 discloses an ultrasound imaging transducer which is capable of being translated longitudinally within a section of a patient""s vascular system at a precise constant rate through the use of a longitudinal translation assembly. The longitudinal translation assembly moves the entire rotary drive assembly to provide the desired longitudinal movement of the transducer. Such an ability enables a series of precisely separated data samples to be obtained thereby minimizing (if not eliminating) distorted and/or inaccurate reconstructions of the ultrasonically scanned vessel section (i.e., since a greater number of more closely spaced data samples can reliably be obtained). Also, such an assembly can be operated in a xe2x80x9chands-offxe2x80x9d manner which allows the physician to devote his or her attention entirely to the real-time images with the assurance that all sections of the vessel are displayed. While such a longitudinal translation assembly can work well, it is relatively large, bulky and heavy; it is expensive; and it is cumbersome to set up, in part because the rotary drive and longitudinal translation assemblies are wrapped in separate sterile drapes or barriers (plastic bags) for sterility.
One of the disadvantages with some conventional pullback systems is separate modules are used to provide the rotational and translational movement. These modules require the use of sterile barriers about each. Also, some prior art pullback systems lack the capability to permit the user to manually translate the catheter core to preposition the operative element along the distal end of the catheter core.
The present invention is directed to a driven catheter system including rotational and translational drive coupling as part of a catheter assembly. The invention eliminates the need for a sled as is used with many conventional catheter pullback units. User set up is greatly simplified with the invention. The catheter assembly is typically a disposable unit and is thus supplied to the user in a sterile condition so only a single sterile drape about a motor drive unit is needed.
The driven catheter system includes broadly a driven catheter assembly coupled to a control unit. The driven catheter assembly includes the motor drive unit and the catheter assembly mounted thereto. The catheter assembly includes a catheter extending from the rotational and translational drive coupling. The catheter includes a sheath and a core slidably housed within the sheath, the proximal end of the sheath being mounted to the housing of the drive coupling. The drive coupling includes an elongate rotary drive element, defining a first longitudinal drive path, mounted to the housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis. A termination element couples the proximal end of the core to the rotary drive element for longitudinal movement along the first longitudinal drive path. The termination element is also mounted to the rotary drive element for of the termination element and the core therewith by the rotary drive element. A bearing has a first part coupled to the termination member. The bearing also has a second part, the first and second parts being freely rotatable relative to one another. A longitudinal driver is mounted to the housing and has a longitudinal drive element coupled to the second part of the bearing. The longitudinal drive element is movable along a second longitudinal drive path. Accordingly, rotation of the rotary drive element rotates the termination element and the proximal end of the core therewith about the longitudinal axis. Longitudinal movement of the longitudinal drive element translates the bearing parallel to the longitudinal drive path; this causes the termination element and the proximal end of the core therewith to be translated along the first longitudinal drive path.
The rotary drive element preferably has a hollow interior which defines the first longitudinal drive path. A slot, opening into the hollow interior, can be provided to be oriented parallel to the longitudinal drive path. The first part of the bearing, typically the inner race of the bearing, is preferably connected to the termination member through the slot. The longitudinal drive element could be provided by a number of different drive structures, such as a continuous belt, a lead screw or worm drive. In a preferred embodiment a continuous loop drive belt is used. The drive belt is driven through a drive pulley. The drive pulley is preferably driven through a pair of bevel gears. A flexible data/signal line, in the preferred embodiment, extends between the termination element at the proximal end of the core and a data/signal terminal carried by the housing of the drive coupling. The data/signal terminal may be a separate terminal but is preferably part of a dual data/signal-rotary drive connector. The dual connector provides the necessary data/signal connection and also the rotary drive connection for the rotary drive element.
The motor drive unit includes first and second rotary drive outputs which are coupled to the elongate rotary drive element and the longitudinal driver, respectively. The motor drive unit preferably includes first and second drive trains each having driving and driven ends. The driving ends terminate at the first and second rotary drive outputs. The second drive train couples the second rotary drive outputs with a drive source, typically an electric motor. A clutch-type element and a movement indicator, such as an optical encoder, may be used along the second drive train. The optical encoder is preferably positioned between the clutch type element and the second rotary drive output. Provision of the clutch-type element permits a user to physically disengage the longitudinal driver from the drive source so that the termination element and the core therewith can be manually translated within the sheath without the drag which would otherwise be created by the drive source. The preferred position of the movement indicator ensures that the longitudinal position of the core is continuously updated even when the core is being manually translated.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiment has been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. | {
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Exemplary embodiments relate to a multi-chip package and, more particularly, to a stack-type multi-chip package for performing a test operation.
In increasing the integration degree of memory chips, the memory chips may be stacked. For example, 2, 4, or 8 memory chips are stacked in order to increase the integration degree of the memory chips.
Meanwhile, in a process of fabricating memory products, such as flash memory devices, the operations of memory cells for storing information are to be tested in order to check whether the memory cells have proper operating characteristics.
In general, the test operation of the memory cells is performed by comparing data, inputted to the memory cells, and data outputted from the memory cells.
In testing a device in which memory chips are stacked, each of the memory chips is to be tested. Here, the test time is increased with an increase in the number of stacked memory chips. In stacked-memory chip devices, it is useful to reduce the time for testing the memory chips. | {
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In recent years, thermal transfer systems have been developed to obtain prints from pictures that have been generated from a camera or scanning device. According to one way of obtaining such prints, an electronic picture is first subjected to color separation by color filters. The respective color-separated images are then converted into electrical signals. These signals are then transmitted to a thermal printer. To obtain the print, a cyan, magenta or yellow dye donor element is placed face-to-face with a thermal image receiver element. The two are then inserted between a thermal printing head and a platen roller. A line-type thermal printing head is used to apply heat from the back of the dye-donor sheet. The thermal printing head has many heating elements and is heated sequentially in response to one of the cyan, magenta or yellow signals. The process is then repeated for the other colors. A color hard copy is thus obtained which corresponds to the original picture viewed on a screen.
Various approaches have been suggested for providing a thermal dye receiving layer. Solvent coating of the dye image receiving layer formulation is a common approach. However, the use of solvents to coat these formulations brings with it various problems including expense, environmental hazards and waste concerns, and hazardous manufacturing processes. Special precautions are required to manage these problems. For example, organic solvent coated formulations and methods are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,859 (Lum et al.).
Another approach involves hot-melt extrusion of the dye image receiving layer formulation onto a support. Multiple layers can be co-extruded in the preparation of the thermal image receiver element. Such methods are highly effective to prepare useful thermal image receiver elements but they restrict the type of materials that can be incorporated into the dye image receiving layer due to the high temperatures used for the extrusion process. U.S. Pat. No. 7,993,559 (Dontula et al.) and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2010/0330306 (Dontula et al.) describe imaging elements having multiple extruded layers included extruded compliant and antistatic subbing layers. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0220190 (Majumdar et al.) describes image recording elements comprising a support having thereon an aqueous subbing layer and an extruded dye receiving layer. In addition, U.S. Patent Application Publications 2011/0091667 (Majumdar et al.) and 2010/0330306 (Dontula et al.) describe thermal dye transfer receiver elements that include an extruded compliant layer and an antistatic layer adhering it to an image receiving layer.
Yet another approach is to use aqueous coating formulations to prepare the dye image receiving layers. Such formulations typically include a water-soluble or water-dispersible polymer as the binder matrix. Some efforts to do make such formulations are described for example U.S. Patent Application Publications 2011/0027505 (Majumdar et al.) and 2011/0117299 (Kung et al.).
Although aqueous coating methods and formulations are desired for the noted reasons, aqueous-coated dye image receiving layers can exhibit problems in typical customer printing environments where high speed printing requires a smooth separation of dye donor element and the thermal image receiver element with no sticking between the contacting surfaces of the two elements. Printing such images in high humidity environments can be particularly troublesome for sticking with aqueous-coated dye image receiver layers. Moreover, such thermal image receiver elements are often deficient in providing adequate dye density in the thermally formed images. Aqueous-coated layers can also fall apart when contacted with water.
The industry has aggressively approached these problems with various proposed solutions that are described in the literature. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2009/0061124 (Koide et al.) describes the use of various latex polymers in dye image receiving layers, which latex polymers are generally prepared at least in part from vinyl chloride. Alternatively, U.S. Pat. No. 7,820,359 (Yoshitani et al.) describes the use of latex polymers in dye image receiving layers, which latex polymers are derived from specific monomers having alkyleneoxy side chains and either an unsaturated nitrile, styrene, or styrene derivative.
Despite all of the known approaches to the various problems associated with the use of aqueous coated dye image receiving layer formulations, there continues to be a need to improve the resistance of such formulations (and the dried layers obtained therefrom) to changes in relative humidity so that the resulting images are consistent and exhibit sufficient density, no matter the relative humidity in which the thermal dye transfer elements are stored or used. There is also a need to reduce any potential for sticking of the coated image receiving layer and thermal donor elements after imaging. Such sticking can be caused by a number of conditions including high humidity. | {
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The system according to the invention uses a rotary tablet press as has been known for a long time. It contains a rotor driven in a rotary manner by a drive motor, in which the top and bottom stamps are maintained and a die plate is held, with which the stamps work. The stamps are guided or actuated by means of pressing rollers and guide cams.
The tablet press naturally requires an energy supply and controls or regulators. A machine computer is normally used for the latter. In the state of the art, a control cabinet is either placed separately next to the tablet press or is attached laterally to the housing of the tablet press. It is known from DE 103 21 022, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, to incorporate a control cabinet, which also contains ventilation means for the control cabinet and the tablet press, on the outside of the housing of a tablet press in the bottom area in a hood.
The arrangement of the control cabinet is determined from the arrangement of the components in the housing of the tabletting machine. However, the conventional structure has its disadvantages. Connection lines to the machine are needed in the case of a separate control cabinet. This takes a lot of effort. Moreover, an additional assembly area is required for the control cabinet. Furthermore, the space between the control cabinet and the tablet press, in which the lines are maintained, can also not be used. The connection lines, which may lie on the floor, also interfere with the operation of the system.
Control cabinets attached to the side of the housing also take up more space. Moreover, access to the tablet press on the side of the control cabinet is impeded or impossible.
The object of the invention is to create a system for the production of preforms in a rotary tablet press, which takes up less space and also requires less effort to install. | {
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Tracking business processes traditionally is a data-oriented activity. This makes sense: processes are all about manipulating data, so orienting the process around how the data are tracked is an intuitive solution. For example, consider an organization chart. As shown in FIG. 1, organization chart 105 typically includes a chief executive officer 110, along with other officers not shown in FIG. 1. Eventually, somewhere down the hierarchy, are the departments. FIG. 1 shows three departments: Department A 115, Department B 120, and Department C 125. Each department includes some employees, shown by employee lists 130, 135, and 140, respectively.
Now consider what happens when an employee changes department. For example, consider Employee 5 moving from Department A 115 to Department B 120, as shown by arrow 145. Traditionally, Employee 5 is deleted from employee list 130 and added to employee list 135.
But what if Employee 5 was the only employee who worked on a project assigned to Department A 115 when Employee 5 was with Department A 115? If the project is assigned back to Employee 5, it will be associated with Department B 120, which does not have any familiarity with the project. The wrong department (Department B 120) will be working on the project.
Data changes, such as moving Employee 5 from Department A 115 to Department B 120, typically requires authorization. If authorization and the data change process are tracked at all, the information about the data change is stored as part of the data object. For example, the employee information can store who authorized a promotion or additional training for an employee. But data changes are tracked only in very limited cases, requiring special-purpose implementation every time such information is to be stored. Additionally, the data change information is usually incomplete. Finally, typically the lifecycle of the data change authorization is not tracked.
The present invention addresses these and other problems associated with the prior art. | {
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Many proposals have been made previously for forming composite yarns and these generally divide into a number of categories. In one category the composite yarn is proposed to be formed at very high speed by false twisting the continuous filament strand and attempting to attach the fibres to this strand as it passes. No success has yet been obtained with a process of this type.
In a second category a continuous strand, generally a continuous filament yarn is introduced into a staple fibre spinning system at some convenient point. This has been done with ring spinning systems with some success, but with the disadvantage of very low speeds. It has also been tried with various forms of open-end spinning systems, particularly rotor spinning, vortex spinning, electrostatic spinning and friction spinning. However little success has been obtained to date.
Specific proposals on the use of this technique in friction spinning have been disclosed in U.K. patent specification Nos. 1 518 771 (Fehrer), 2 001 359-A (Barmag) and 2 011 956-A (VUB). In all cases a continuous strand is fed axially of the yarn so that the staple fibres wrap around the outside of the core to form the composite yarn. This technique is unsatisfactory in that the wrapping staple fibres are insufficiently connected to the core and can be stripped relatively easily. U.K. Patent Specification No. 2 001 359-A proposes the use of colloidal silica to overcome this problem, which does not get to the heart of the problem that the structure of the yarn is unsatisfactory.
Proposals in relation to the rotor spinning technique are disclosed in U.K. Patent Specification Nos. 1 154 554 (VUB) and 1 495 713 (SSI) and U.S. Patent No. 3,605,395 (Daiwa). In Daiwa and VUB the formed staple yarn is twisted around the continuous strand to form a composite yarn of corkscrew formation with the continuous filament unsatisfactorily on the surface. In SSI the core continuous filament is fed to the collecting groove of the rotor in a constant loop whereby it is absorbed into the centre of the staple strand and forms a yarn by the action of the untwisting false twist. This proposal has not achieved success presumably in view of the obvious technical difficulties and the unsatisfactory resultant yarn.
In relation to electrostatic and vortex open-end techniques, proposals have been made in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,028,871 (Cor), 3,835,638 (U.S. Department of Agriculture), 2,817,947 (Strang) and in U.K. Pat. No. 1 373 255 (Goetzfried) in all of which the fibres are wrapped around an axial core of a continuous strand. Additionally Bobkowicz (various patents for example U.K. Pat. No. 1 569 110) has proposed bonding staple fibres to the outside of a continuous strand.
None of the above proposals utilizing open-end spinning techniques has been successful in that they do not form a satisfactory structure of a composite yarn. In all cases, either the continuous strand has formed the core around which the fibres are wrapped or alternatively the filament has been wrapped around a core of the fibres. | {
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Businesses and other organizations often require a supply of cash to fund transactions such as providing change for customer purchases. In some instances, such businesses and organization use a cash handling device that provides recognition of transactions (e.g., withdrawals, deposits) by transmitting the transaction data to a financial institution. Since, in such systems, there is a reliance upon communications between the cash handling device and the financial institution, a disruption in communications may cause the cash handling device to lock down and prevent further transactions. The cash handling device may respond in such a fashion to avoid potential loss of funds or other discrepancies since the financial institution is not able to reconcile data if communications have been lost. Thus, a business or organization would not be able to access funds during the communication outage, thereby disrupting regular operations. | {
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Storage devices such as solid-state drives (SSDs) and hard disk drives (HDDs) create metadata to manage physical storage media on which data are stored. When erase domains are larger than write blocks, the write blocks may be re-mapped to free blocks to enable coalescing of valid blocks and harvest a space for writing new data. Such harvesting is referred to as “garbage collection.” The performance of storage devices that employ such metadata structure can be heavily dependent on the availability of empty spaces on the storage media at a given time.
When erase domains of storage media become fragmented with a mix of valid and invalid data, valid data blocks in the erase domains are copied and coalesced into erase domains containing only valid data. In some cases, all blocks in some erase domains are invalidated to create a “free” erase domain for new data. While it is a time-consuming operation, it is a normal and necessary operation required for such storage devices.
A new and empty storage device does not require garbage collection to make its storage media available when a write command is received. In this case, a valid data entry is merely added to its metadata to index and point to the location of the data that is written. The performance of a storage device in a “fully-written” state may be much more representative of its true capabilities than when the storage device is in an “empty” state.
In addition, the performance of a storage device may vary at its fully-written state with the patterns of writes performed. For example, a storage device with a predominant patterns of random writes may exhibit a different performance from a storage device with predominant patterns of sequential writes. Similarly, a storage device with a predominant patterns of frequently over-written blocks may exhibit a different performance from a storage device with predominant patterns of infrequently over-written blocks. As a result, the state of the storage device may be characterized based on the number and patterns of writes being applied.
When developing software for storage devices, it is necessary to periodically check the performance of the storage device in a representative state, for example, a non-empty or nearly fully-written state. Before benchmarking the performance of a storage device, the storage device is typically pre-conditioned with a series of writes to place the storage device into a representative state. When deploying storage devices into a working environment, it is important to ensure predictable performance of the storage devices when they operate in their representative states. Therefore, it is desirable to pre-condition storage drives to their representative state before deployment.
As device capacities of storage devices increase, the pre-conditioning process takes ever-increasing amounts of time, typically many hours or even days. Therefore, it is of great value to developers and to anyone who desires to benchmark performance of their systems to shorten the pre-conditioning process of the storage devices.
The pre-conditioning processes for storage devices can significantly reduce their lifetime. Pre-conditioning typically entails writing of nearly all of the device's media at least once, and in the case of SSDs, it requires a great deal of erasing. Therefore, it is highly desirable to reduce the amount of writing and erasing of storage media required by a device pre-conditioning process. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In many cemeteries, sidewalks and substantially flat, low profile memorial markers are provided throughout the grounds. In some instances, the memorial markers, which may generally be rectangular in shape, are position or located so that one edge of the marker is adjacent the edge of a sidewalk. As with most any sidewalk or object set in the ground and having grass growing therearound, the grass tends to grow over the peripheral edges of the object, thereby presenting an unsightly or unkept appearance. This has presented a particularly serious and ongoing problem in the maintenance of cemeteries and has required laborious time consuming operations for edging or trimming of grass growing over the edges of memorial markers and sidewalks.
In the past, the edging or trimming of grass around the sidewalks and memorial markers in cemeteries has been accomplished manually using hand carried commercial edging devices. During peak growth periods, for example in the summer, by the time that the crew using the hand carried edgers finished the trimming around the memorial markers and the sidewalks, it was time to start the job over again. For example, in a typical cemetery having five miles of sidewalk and ten thousand markers, it has typically taken a crew of four persons with commercial edgers approximately two weeks to edge the sidewalks and markers at the cemetery. Thus, a substantial full time crew has been required to maintain the grounds of the cemetery.
Riding grass trimmers adapted to trim grass around memorial markers in cemeteries are known. For example, one such known grass trimmer is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,190 to Critts, in which a rotary drum is mounted on a vehicle and has a plurality of flexible whips extending outwardly from the drum along its entire length. When the drum is rotated at high speeds, the flexible whips are spun radially outward in a series of vertical planes to whip against the grass surrounding the memorial markers and sever the tops of the grass blades from their lower stalks. In other words, a majority or substantial number of the flexible whips mounted on the drum actually engage the upper surface of the marker as the riding vehicle traverses past the memorial markers. It will thus be appreciated that the majority of the flexible whips do not follow the contour of the memorial markers as they pass over the object. At the same time, with this prior art arrangement a substantial number of whips are required to trim the grass around the edges of the marker which are perpendicular or transverse to the direction of movement of the vehicle. Still further, since the whips move generally in the same direction as the grass which is growing over the edges of the markers, such grass stalks may not be trimmed to provide a neat well-manicured appearance. Accordingly, such an arrangement does not serve as an efficient and still effective means for accomplishing the desired trimming around the edges of the memorial marker and/or sidewalks.
These and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the edging device in accordance with the present invention. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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A conventional computing device may include a chip disposed in a package, where the package is mounted upon a printed circuit board (PCB). In one example, the chip includes a multi-core processor, which is disposed within a chip package. The chip package includes socket pins, which are coupled with electrical contacts on the printed circuit board. Traces on the printed circuit board provide electrical communication between the multi-core processor and random-access memory chips.
The chip/package/PCB structure includes vertical electrical connections. For instance, metal vias within the chip itself allow for communication between different metal layers. Similarly, vias within the printed circuit board allow for communication between different layers of the PCB.
In high speed signaling systems such as double data rate fourth-generation synchronous dynamic random-access memory (DDR4), crosstalk from adjacent signal (aggressor) transmission paths on a system degrades the performance of victim paths. Increasing pin density of sockets, connectors and associated vias are the main sources of crosstalk. Crosstalk induced in vertical sections of the channel reaches the receiving agents as far end crosstalk and degrades the performance. Accordingly, there is a need in the art to reduce or eliminate far end crosstalk. | {
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Applications for electrophoresis, an analytical technique for separating and identifying biologically important molecules in a sample, include the determination of a sample's homogeneity, the determination of molecular weights of proteins and nucleic acids, the mapping of nucleic acid primary structures, i.e. DNA and RNA sequence analyses, and the definition of phenotypic variance of a protein at the molecular level. Electrophoretic techniques rely on the fact that each molecular specie has a unique combination of mass, size, shape, charge, density and sub-unit structure, all of which result in mobility differences responsive to an electric field. Various electrophoretic techniques use one or more of these properties to cause varying degrees of molecular separation via the migration of the molecular species under a constant or varying electric field.
Capillary zone electrophoresis is a technique using a capillary tube which is filled with a conductive fluid, or buffer solution. A small amount of a sample is introduced at one end of the capillary tube, whereafter a high potential difference is applied across the ends of the tube. Differences in the electrophoretic mobilities of different molecules cause the constituents of the sample to emerge separated at the outlet end of the capillary tube. Capillary zone electrophoresis is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,701 to Smith et al.
Typically, the capillary tube is encased within a linear housing, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,616 to Andresen et al. Access to the capillary tube through the encasement is difficult, at best. Yet, access is desirable since capillary tubes have a tendency to clog. A clogged capillary tube normally is not repairable and, therefore, must be replaced.
In addition to the need to periodically repair or replace a clogged capillary tube, free access to the tube is desirable because it permits a change of capillary tubes to best fit an application. As noted above, there are a great number of applications for capillary zone electrophoresis. Operational characteristics vary with the application. Large diameter electrophoresis capillary tubes permit a greater current flow, but the increased current and the greater susceptibility to convection heating translates into a greater concern for the effects of heating than must be faced in use with small diameter capillary tubes. Heat affects, and may even destroy, the quantitative and qualitative analysis. On the other hand, use of a small diameter capillary tube makes detection of sample constituents more difficult. As the separated molecular constituents of a sample migrate toward the outlet end of the capillary tube, an electropherogram is obtained by employment of an optical detector. Optimally, the electropherogram shows spaced-apart peaks for the individual constituents of the sample. Small diameter capillary tubes are less conducive to such detection. Thus, the operational characteristics of a particular application are a factor in determining the preferred capillary tube diameter for that application. Likewise, the operational characteristics must be considered in any decision as to the length of the capillary tube for a particular application.
A problem with accommodating free replacement of capillary tubes, however, involves designing an electrophoretic apparatus which permits the user to efficiently connect and disconnect the many operational attachments needed for capillary zone electrophoresis. Proper operation requires fluid, optical and electric communication between the capillary tube and outside sources and detectors. For example, the capillary tube must intersect the optical axis of a detector beam source, with a sensor disposed in alignment for monitoring electrophoretic migration occurring within the capillary tube. Additionally, one end of the capillary tube must be received within a vial containing the sample connected to a power source. The opposite end must be received in a buffer vial in communication with the power source to provide a high potential difference across the capillary tube. Another attachment is to a source of vacuum which allows vacuum injection of the sample into the capillary tube. Moreover, a cooling medium may be brought into contact with the exterior of the capillary tube to dissipate heat produced by the electrophoretic process.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrophoretic separation apparatus in which a user may quickly and efficiently make those attachments necessary to affect capillary zone electrophoresis. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transmission control unit for use in the transmission and reception of data between portable electronic devices such as portable word processors and lap-top personal computers over a public telephone.
Conventionally, there is a known electronic device having a modulator/demodulator (MODEM) or an acoustic coupler for the purpose of transmitting and/or receiving data to and from an electronic device on the other end of the line.
FIG. 5 is a structural view of an electronic device including a MODEM, the electronic device 50 of this type being used in such a manner that a MODEM 51 thereof is directly connected to a telephone line 52 so as to call an electronic device on the other end of the line by using a tone dial. FIG. 6 is a structural view of an electronic device including an acoustic coupler, where a microphone 62 and a speaker 63 are installed therein via a MODEM 61 so that a connection with a telephone line 52 is established by dialing a call with the microphone 62 and the speaker 63 caused to confront a speaker 64 and a microphone 65 of a telephone 66.
There is a requirement that the electronic device including the MODEM usually directly connected to the telephone line can be connected to the telephone line over a public telephone or the like in the place where the user is.
However, the electronic device 50 of the type shown in FIG. 5 is not designed to be used via a public telephone so that it is impossible to connect the electronic device 50 to the telephone line via the public telephone. In the case of the electronic device 60 of the type shown in FIG. 6, it cannot be used while connected directly to the telephone line 52. Furthermore, the electronic device 60 encounters a problem in that the dial must be turned when it is connected to the telephone line 52 via a public telephone.
In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 64-11046, a telephone which also serves as an acoustic coupler is disclosed. In this telephone, an acoustic coupler and a telephone unit are mounted on a base in such a manner that a transmitter and a receiver of the acoustic coupler can swing on the base so that the transmitter and the receiver are caused to confront the handset of the telephone. Furthermore, a belt is provided for the base for the purpose of fixing the transmitter and the receiver to the handset of the telephone. When the telephone which also serves as an acoustic coupler is used to communicate with, for example, a portable facsimile, the structure of the facsimile device can be simplified since a telephone which also serves as an acoustic coupler can be connected to the facsimile as an alternative to separately connecting the acoustic coupler and the telephone. However, since the acoustic coupler and the telephone are mounted on the base, it is not suitable to be used via a public telephone. Furthermore, dialing must be conducted by pressing the push buttons when the telephone which also serves as an acoustic coupler is connected to the telephone line. | {
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Perpendicular recording has been developed in part to achieve higher recording density than is realized with longitudinal recording devices. A PMR write head typically has a main pole layer with a small surface area at an air bearing surface (ABS) and coils that conduct a current and generate a magnetic flux in the main pole that exits through a write pole tip and enters a magnetic media (disk) adjacent to the ABS. The flux may return through a shield structure to the back gap region which connects the main pole with the shield structure. There is typically one or more write shields on the write gap layer above the main pole and along the ABS and an upper section of the shield structure which may have an arched shape is formed over the coil layer and connects the one or more write shield sections along the ABS to the back gap region.
Perpendicular magnetic recording has become the mainstream technology for disk drive applications beyond 150 Gbit/in2. The demand for improved performance drives the need for a higher areal density which in turn calls for a continuous reduction in transducer size. A PMR head which combines the features of a single pole writer and a double layered media (magnetic disk) has a great advantage over LMR in providing higher write field, better read back signal, and potentially much higher areal density. Typically, today's magnetic head consists of a writer and a reader as separate elements that are formed adjacent to one another along an ABS. The read head may be based on a TMR element in which a tunnel barrier layer separates two ferromagnetic (FM) layers where a first FM layer has a fixed magnetization direction and the second FM layer has a magnetic moment that is free to rotate about a direction orthogonal to the direction of the magnetic moment in the reference “fixed” layer. The resistance across the barrier changes as the free layer moment is rotated. This signal is used to detect the small magnetic field from the recorded magnetization pattern on the media.
Reducing the magnetic spacing from read/write heads to the magnetic media during both writing and reading is the most important factor in achieving better performance in high density recording. The writer and reader are separated by several microns in a typical recording head and are made of several different materials each having a unique CTE. Therefore, the protrusion of the reader and writer are usually quite different due to the effect of varying operating temperatures, applying dynamic flying height (DFH) power to actuate the reader or writer, or from write current excitation. In addition, the point with minimum spacing to disk could be located away from either the reader or the writer, imposing further restrictions to achievable magnetic spacing during reading and writing. Improvements in PMR head design are needed to control the protrusion differences at the writer, the reader and the minimum point, and its variation. In particular, for the touch down and then back off mode of operation using DFH, if the writer protrusion is much more than the reader protrusion, then the minimum reader spacing is determined by the excess protrusion plus any initial protrusion. The ratio of reader protrusion rate/writer protrusion rate is called the gamma ratio. A lower gamma ratio means the writer protrusion rate is much higher than the reader protrusion rate, and could potentially put a greater limit to achievable reader spacing.
An important head design objective is to achieve a gamma ratio as close as possible to 1 which is ideal for tribology and magnetic performance since it keeps the gap between reader and writer at a constant value independent of the DFH power used for actuation. From a drive reliability point of view, the reader should not be at the minfly point which is the mechanically closest part of the head to the disk because the read sensor is more sensitive to mechanical impact. But the additional spacing margin for the reader needs to be kept to as small a number as reliability allows in order to have the best read back performance possible.
Typically, this “dynamic” control of spacing involves a thin layer of heater film that is embedded inside the magnetic recording head. The joule heating from the electrical current into the heater film is conducted away from the source to the entire slider body and the air bearing surface (ABS) elastically deforms so the read gap (RG) and write gap (WG) of the recording head become closer to the recording media (disk).
The recent advancement of the touchdown detection scheme when the recording head touches the disk makes it possible to control the spacing accurately to well within a nanometer. Particular interest is focused on the differential protrusion rate of RG, WG, and the minimum flying point (MIN). Improvement of the gamma parameter for RG (RG protrusion rate/MIN protrusion rate) as well as the gamma parameter for WG is critical to the overall performance in resolution, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and bit error rate (BER).
A common way to increase the RG actuation during DFH operation is to increase the lower read shield (S1) thickness. The increased volume of the S1 enables the RG to protrude more at the same power, thus improving the RG gamma parameter and dynamic performance (DP). The thickness of the upper read shield (S2A) is part of the contribution to reader-writer separation which is desired to be as small as possible in order to have high format efficiency in the drive. With the increased imbalance of the S1 and S2A thickness resulting from a thicker S1, certain drawbacks in magnetic characteristics associated with the read shield thickness ratio create undesirable transfer curves for the reader. One drawback is an increased hysteresis reject rate during quasi-static (QST) testing. In addition, a thicker S1 reduces the QST amplitude for a fixed field span testing. This indirectly impacts QST based noise testing such as PAT (proportional amplitude testing). Although this issue can be addressed in principle by new testing conditions, significant investment would be required for appropriate tester upgrades. Thus, an alternative to a thicker S1 layer is desirable in order to improve RG actuation without adversely compromising other read head characteristics.
A search of the prior art revealed the following references that relate to read gap modification.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,700,752 describes a thermally conducting non-magnetic layer that is inserted in a read gap and adjoins a surface of the S1 shield that faces the sensor. The inserted layer reduces thermal resistance between the read sensor and nearby shield thereby allowing more power to be dissipated without overheating.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,018 discloses an interleaved magnetic head to control read gap thickness. A protective layer adjacent to the S2 shield is used to reduce the cost of the interleaved head and allows improved control of the read gap thickness.
In related patent application Ser. No. 12/080,276, a dual heater scheme is disclosed and is used to optimize the gamma ratio by independently controlling read gap protrusion and write gap protrusion. | {
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For sputtering with a target, there is known a method of film formation with a metal compound which comprises introducing a reactive gas followed by reacting the reactive gas with a metal (reactive sputtering method). This method is characterized in that, in general, Al, Si or the like is used as the target, a rare gas such as He or Ar is used as the process gas, and O2, N2 or the like is used as the reactive gas; and that the target is reacted with the reactive gas and, as a result, a metal compound is formed on a substrate.
For high-speed film formation according to conventional reactive sputtering, employed is a method of controlling the reactive gas flow rate by monitoring the plasma emission intensity, the voltage and the inner pressure followed by feeding the data back to the mass flow controller (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,784). In this method, however, in case where the film formation speed greatly differs between metal and metal compound such as Al and Al2O3 and when a metal compound having a sufficient stoichiometric ratio is formed into a film through reactive sputtering, then there may occur a problem in that the film formation speed of the metal compound is relatively low as compared with the film formation speed of the metal alone.
As another method, there is known a substrate bias method which comprises applying a bias to a substrate to promote the reaction of a reactive gas and a metal on the substrate when a film of a metal compound is formed on a substrate (e.g., JP-A 4-154963). In this method, the film formation speed is high since the film formation is carried for a metal; in this, however, the film formed is re-etched on the substrate, therefore causing a problem in that the film surface may be roughened and the film density may lower.
In addition, also known is a modification of the substrate bias method, in which magnets are provided on the back of the substrate to lower the discharge voltage thereby to prevent the formed film from being re-etched, and the modified method satisfies both the film damage reduction and the high-speed film formation (JP-A 58-133376). However, in the method described in JP-A 58-133376, magnets are so provided to the carousel-type substrate holder that they may generate a magnetic field in the direction parallel to the rotary axis direction of the carousel, and therefore, electrons rotate on the periphery of the carousel. Accordingly, in this, when the electrons are not discharged on the entire periphery, the electrons may be shifted and the efficiency may worsen. Therefore, in the method, the discharging must occur in every site on the carousel periphery, and continuous film formation that requires substrate change is impossible.
One reason for lowering most the production speed in film production in a mode of vacuum film formation is that vacuum breaking and degassing into vacuum takes too much time. To solve the problem and to improve the producibility, continuous film formation such as roll-to-roll film formation not requiring vacuum breaking is desired, and a sputtering apparatus is desired, which may be driven at a high film formation speed and may secure continuous film formation with less damage to the formed film.
A conventional reactive sputtering apparatus is described with reference to FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, 1 is the traveling direction of a supporting substrate, 2 is the supporting substrate, 3 is a rotary pump, 4 is a turbomolecular pump, 5 is a vent, 6 is an earth shield, 7 is a pass roll, 10 is cooling water, 11 is a drum, 12 is a chamber, 13 is an RF power source for matching box and drum, 15 is a vent, 17 is a target, 19 is a process gas and reactive gas introduction port, 20 is a magnet for target provided on a cathode, 21 is an RF power source for matching box and target (the same shall apply also to FIGS. 1, 5 and 6).
In the reactive sputtering apparatus, a continuous film is used as the supporting substrate, and the continuous film is conveyed with the drum. From the RF power source 13 for matching box and drum, a power is applied to the supporting substrate 2 for film formation thereon, whereby the reactive gas is changed to a plasma state and led on the supporting substrate, therefore promoting the reaction with the metal sputtered from the target 17 to form a thin film of a metal compound on the supporting substrate 2. However, this apparatus could not evade the above-mentioned prior-art problems. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to highchair trays and other eating surfaces. More particularly, the invention relates to an eating surface with structure for releasably securing food and drink receptacles and other interchangeable accessories thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Infants, small children, and people with disabilities or other health problems are prone to spilling food and drinks from bowls, cups, and other receptacles and knocking the receptacles from highchairs, hospital trays, tables, and other eating surfaces. Various devices and systems, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,216,605; 4,908,066; 4,927,024; 5,871,098; 5,368,183; 5,720,226; 5,586,800; 6,179,377; and 5,975,628; and UK Patent Application Ser. No. 2121270, have been developed to releasably secure receptacles to high chair trays and other eating surfaces. While these prior art devices and systems alleviate many of the aforementioned problems, they are too complex and costly, don't securely support food and drink receptacles to eating surfaces, aren't easy to attach and remove, and/or are difficult to keep clean and sanitary.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved eating surface with structure for releasably securing receptacles thereon that overcomes the limitations of the prior art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electronic device, and more particularly to a mechanism for connecting a plurality of electronic devices with a high accuracy.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an information processing device such as a computer, many CPUs are mounted and packaged with a high density to improve the processing performance of the information processing device. However, there is a limit to the size and weight of one computer. Accordingly, the connection of a plurality of computers is essential to realize the high-speed processing performance. Conventionally, a single-sided backplane (back wiring board) is mounted in a cabinet of each computer, and a plurality of CPU boards are mounted on this backplane. Many cables are used to electrically connect the computers for the purpose of transmission of signals therebetween. Since many cables are used to electrically connect the computers as mentioned above, a connecting frame for storing the cables are used to mechanically connect the computers.
In such a conventional information processing unit employing a plurality of computers connected together, many cables must be connected to the computers one by one in a computer room at a destination, causing the requirement of much time for installation of the information processing unit. In such a conventional information processing unit configured by using a plurality of computers, an expensive backplane is mounted in the cabinet of each computer, and many cables (100 or more cables at the maximum) are used to electrically connect the computers, so that much time is required for installation of the information processing unit, causing an increase in cost.
Furthermore, since the cables must be connected one by one to the computers at the destination, there is a possibility of misconnection of the cables, causing easy occurrence of cable fault including connector fault. A connector is fixedly mounted on each printed circuit board unit (CPU board) by soldering or press-fit, and a connector adapted to engage the connector of each printed circuit board unit is fixedly mounted on the backplane by soldering or press-fit. Accordingly, in engaging the connector of each printed circuit board unit with the corresponding connector of the backplane, there is a limit to the tolerance of engagement, and it is therefore difficult to position the mating connectors in the case that each printed circuit board unit and the backplane are mounted in different cabinets.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connecting mechanism which can connect a plurality of electronic devices with a high accuracy.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic device suitable for connection with a high accuracy.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device comprising a cabinet and a shelf accommodated in the cabinet, the shelf having a floating mechanism and a plurality of guide rails for guiding a plurality of printed circuit board units.
Preferably, the floating mechanism comprises a plurality of holes formed through the shelf, each of the holes having a first diameter; a plurality of tapped holes formed through the cabinet so as to respectively correspond to the holes of the shelf; and a plurality of screws inserted through the holes of the shelf and threadedly engaged with the tapped holes of the cabinet, respectively, each of the screws having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter. Preferably, the cabinet has a plurality of first guide pins each having a first diameter, and the shelf has a plurality of second guide pins each having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter of each first guide pin.
Preferably, the electronic device further comprises a plurality of printed circuit board units inserted in the shelf along the guide rails. Each of the printed circuit board units has a guide hole having a third diameter smaller than the second diameter of each second guide pin. Alternatively, each of the printed circuit board units may have a third guide pin having a third diameter smaller than the second diameter of each second guide pin.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system composing of a plurality of electronic devices. The system comprises a first electronic device and a second electronic device mechanically and electrically connectable to the first electronic device. The first electronic device comprises a first cabinet; a first shelf accommodated in the first cabinet, the first shelf having a floating mechanism and a plurality of first guide rails; a plurality of first printed circuit board units inserted in the first shelf along the first guide rails, each of the first printed circuit board units having a first connector; a plurality of first guide pins fixed to the first cabinet, each of the first guide pins having a first diameter; and a plurality of second guide pins fixed to the first shelf, each of the second guide pins having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter. The second electronic device comprises a second cabinet; a second shelf fixedly accommodated in the second cabinet, the second shelf having a plurality of second guide rails; a backplane mounted on the second shelf, the backplane having a plurality of second connectors respectively engageable with the first connectors of the first printed circuit board units; a plurality of second printed circuit board units inserted in the second shelf along the second guide rails and electrically connected to the backplane; a plurality of first guide holes formed in the second cabinet for respectively engaging the first guide pins; and a plurality of second guide holes formed in the second shelf for respectively engaging the second guide pins.
Preferably, the floating mechanism of the first shelf comprises a plurality of holes formed through the first shelf, each of the holes having a third diameter; a plurality of tapped holes formed through the first cabinet so as to respectively correspond to the holes of the first shelf; and a plurality of screws inserted through the holes of the first shelf and threadedly engaged with the tapped holes of the first cabinet, respectively, each of the screws having a fourth diameter smaller than the third diameter.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system composing of a plurality of electronic devices. The system comprises a first electronic device and a second electronic device mechanically and electrically connectable to the first electronic device. The first electronic device comprises a first cabinet; a first shelf accommodated in the first cabinet, the first shelf having a floating mechanism and a plurality of first guide rails; a plurality of first printed circuit board units inserted in the first shelf along the first guide rails, each of the first printed circuit board units having a first connector; a plurality of first guide pins fixed to the first cabinet, each of the first guide pins having a first diameter; and a plurality of second guide pins fixed to the first shelf, each of the second guide pins having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter. The second electronic device comprises a second cabinet; a second shelf fixedly accommodated in the second cabinet, the second shelf having a plurality of second guide rails; a backplane fixed to the second cabinet, the backplane having a plurality of second connectors respectively engageable with the first connectors of the first printed circuit board units; a plurality of second printed circuit board units inserted in the second shelf along the second guide rails and electrically connected to the backplane; a plurality of first guide holes formed in the second cabinet for respectively engaging the first guide pins; and a plurality of second guide holes formed in the second cabinet for respectively engaging the second guide pins.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention and the manner of realizing them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will best be understood from a study of the following description and appended claims with reference to the attached drawings showing some preferred embodiments of the invention. | {
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The majority of backpacking stoves in existence function by burning some type of highly combustible gas or liquid fuel such as propane, butane, or ethanol. While these types of stoves are light enough for backpacking they do require the user to carry fuel which adds to the pack weight. Fuel availability is also limited to how much fuel the user decides to bring. Stoves that use solid fuel (wood) gathered on site as a fuel liberate the backpacker from the need to carry fuel into the backcountry and guarantee the availability of fuel indefinitely. The use of wood as a fuel however requires a large combustion chamber that makes these types of stoves too large and too heavy for backpacking.
Many designs exist for collapsible stoves of this type. While these designs reduce the pack size of the stove they do not reduce pack weight, in many cases they increase pack weight instead due to various joint connection hardware. Another major drawback of collapsible solid fuel stoves is that the inner surfaces of the combustion chamber that during combustion accumulate heavy deposits of soot often become exposed to outside objects when in a collapsed or disassembled state.
However with a forced inflow of air, sufficient combustion can be achieved in a small enough combustion chamber to allow for a light enough and small enough stove to be used for backpacking without the need for a collapsible combustion chamber. This has been tried in the past using battery powered electric fans that blow air into the combustion chamber. This has eliminated the need to bring fuel but created a need to bring batteries instead, these types of stoves are also at risk of suffering mechanical and electric breakdowns.
Examples of previous patents of designs of wood burning campstoves are listed below. The present invention presents a backpacking stove with a small enough combustion chamber to be used for backpacking and a completely human powered air intake system with no electric components.
Prior Art:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,371 to Hering (1999) discloses a cylindrical collapsible stove powered by solid fuel. This stove is based on the flue effect but does not have a forced inflow of air. By being made of two halves that come apart for small size during transportation it exposes the soot covered inner walls of the combustion chamber to other objects.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,463 to Hall (1998) discloses a stove with an outer and inner wall, air is heated between the two walls by thermal conduction before entering the combustion chamber inside the inner wall, the preheated air then allows for a more complete combustion. While this concept raises the efficiency enough to allow for a small combustion chamber it adds another shell and thereby increases the weight of the stove.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,298,762 to Milligan (1919) discloses a basic cylindrical solid fuel stove based on the flue effect. The lack of a combustion enhancing system necessitates a large combustion chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,943 to Hottenroth et al. (1975) discloses a solid fuel stove with a forced air inflow by means of a battery powered electric fan blower. While this concept allows for a small combustion chamber it requires a battery-motor-fan assembly that adds weight to the stove. This type of stove is also subject to electromechanical malfunctions and depleted batteries leaving the stove non-operational.
World Pat. No. WO 9937955 to Kunzi (1999) discloses a foldable cooking stove composed of flat metal sheets that fold into a metal box that acts as a combustor. The folding method of this stove is such that no sooted surfaces come in contact with other surfaces or objects thereby eliminating the problem of soot contamination. The need for a large combustion chamber however remains.
The portable solid-fuel camp-stove described herein is small enough and light enough to be used for backpacking. It is powered by small pieces of wood that can be gathered around a campsite. Solid fuel stoves generally require a large combustion chamber, a preheating chamber, or an electromechanical fan system, all of which add significant weight and make these stoves too heavy for backpacking, to provide sufficient power output for cooking. The present invention has a user powered blow-hose air input that allows for sufficient combustion in a small enough combustion chamber to allow for the low weight required for backpacking. | {
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Database systems are used to collect and store various types of information that are later extracted for viewing or manipulation. Various different types of database systems exist, including relational database systems, object relational database systems, and others.
A user usually gains access to a database system through a client system that is coupled to the database system over a network. In response to commands entered or selected by a user, the client system issues requests to the database system for desired data. Upon receiving data from the database system, the client system presents the received data to the user in some predetermined format.
Relational database systems store data in relational tables. When a query, such as a Structured Query Language (SQL) query is received, a subset of the data is extracted from the relational tables. Typical data types defined in relational databases include relatively simple data types, such as integers, real numbers, and character strings. Database systems have also been developed to store and manipulate more sophisticated data types, such as audio data, video data, multimedia data, image data, formatted documents, maps, and so forth. One example of a database system that is capable of supporting such data types is an object relational database system.
One data type in object relational databases is the geospatial data type, which includes data used for geographic or spatial representations, such as for maps or other images in which some spatial relationship can be defined between various objects in the image. However, convenient display mechanisms have not been provided to visually depict these types of data. | {
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In a conventional merchant-consumer financial transaction, the user provides actual debit or credit card account information to the merchant by way of swiping the actual card, entering the actual card account number, scanning a code comprising the actual card account number, or otherwise transmitting the actual card account number to the merchant system. The merchant system's point of sale terminal or online payment process engine submits a payment request to the issuer of the account through the corresponding card network. If funds are available, the issuer sends an authorization code to the merchant system to signal approval of the payment transaction. The payment process involves a single payment request generated and submitted by the merchant system and comprising the user's actual account number. The issuer receives the payment request from the merchant's system and communicates the authorization to the merchant's system in real-time. | {
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Many copper alloys have poor intermediate temperature range (i.e., between about 300.degree. and about 700.degree. C.) tensile ductility which may lead to premature failure in service or to reheat cracking following welding. General recognition of such shortcomings has stimulated attempts by others to solve the problem with the result that various alloys have been developed to optimize strength and ductility properties. In one such instance directed to cast copper alloys for marine applications, where repair welding without reheat cracking is vitally important, the optimized copper-base alloy contained 13% nickel, 2% iron, 5% manganese and 3% aluminum. That alloy, however, may not prove to be a satisfactory answer to the problem for although the manganese addition improves the high strain rate hot ductility of the alloy, it does so at the expense of room temperature strength. Also, the intermediate temperature range tensile ductility is still very poor which may limit weldability. In addition, other copper-nickel alloys, for example, for condenser tube use in which reliability depends importantly upon both strength and ductility, may not always meet the needs of plant designers. | {
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A TDC is a device that provides a digital representation of a time duration at which an event occurs. A TDC determines an interval of time between two signal pulses (e.g., a start pulse and a stop pulse).
A typical all-digital phase-locked loop (ADPLL) includes a TDC, a digital loop filter, a digitally-controlled oscillator (DCO), and a divider. The TDC may introduce quantization noise to the ADPLL. As a result, a high-resolution TDC is desired for a low-phase noise ADPLL. An analog-to digital converter (ADC) may be used to improve the resolution of a TDC.
A digital PLL architecture may take the form of a typical ΔΣ fractional-N PLL which converts both positive and negative phase errors. A flip-flop may detect a phase error polarity based on the relative timing of “up” and “down” rising edges. A two-input XOR-gate may generate a pulse with duration representing a magnitude of the phase error. The ability to measure both positive and negative phase errors reduces a lock time. A digital PLL may be implemented in a 14 nanometer (nm) fin field effect transistor (FINFET) complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process, and may be incorporated into a cellular radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC). | {
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In recent years, the computer projector has become the preferred device for audiovisual presentations. A computer projector is a device that projects a picture created from video information received through a peripheral source (e.g., computer, DVD player, or the like). Computer projectors are also known as Digital Projectors or Multimedia Projectors.
During a presentation using a digital projector, the presenter may move in between the projector and the screen, for example to point to an item on the screen. The light that falls on the presenter, especially on the face, irritates the presenter. The presenter may accidentally look at the projector light source. The strong light from the projector may be at best annoying, and at worst harmful to the eye. This problem may occur, for example, during a presentation in a small room with makeshift arrangements.
Well designed auditoriums with screen and projector are properly arranged so that the above described problem is avoided. The projection screen may be positioned high enough above the floor so that the speaker never enters a line-of-sight between the projector and the screen. The speaker/presenter can use a laser light torch to point to images on the screen. This workaround, however, usually can not work in small rooms with low ceilings, which are often used for presentations to small audiences. There is not enough room to locate the projection screen above the height of the presenter, so there is no way to ensure that the presenter does not enter a line-of-sight between the projector and the screen. | {
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THIS INVENTION relates to an anti-theft device for a motor vehicle.
The anti-theft device of the invention comprises a device that inhibits the normal operation of a wheel of a motor vehicle, particularly the wheel that is manipulated for steering of the vehicle, hereinafter merely being referred to as the "steered" wheel of a vehicle. It will be appreciated that the steered wheel of a vehicle is rotatable about its normal axis of rotation during movement of the vehicle, as well as about a vertical axis for steering purposes.
According to the invention there is provided an anti-theft device for a motor vehicle, which includes
an elongate wheel lock bar, defining a longitudinal axis, securable to the body of a vehicle in a configuration in which it is displaceable between an inoperative position and at least one operative position in which the bar can inhibit normal operation of a steered wheel of the vehicle;
displacement means for displacing the wheel lock bar between its inoperative and operative positions, and holding the bar in these positions; and
control means for controlling operation of the displacement means.
The elongate wheel lock bar may be securable to the floor board of a vehicle, with the said floor board and other vehicle body parts being adapted to accommodate the elongate wheel lock bar and its displacement between its inoperative and operative positions. Particularly, the wheel lock bar may be securable to the floor board of a vehicle, either on the interior side of the vehicle or on the underside of the vehicle. For the latter configuration, the vehicle chassis also can be utilised for securing the wheel lock bar to the body of the vehicle. For both possible modes of securing the wheel lock bar to the body of a vehicle, the floor board, the fire wall and other body parts of the vehicle may require suitable adaptation to permit the required displacement of the elongate wheel lock bar.
Further according to the invention, the anti-theft device may include a guide member within which the wheel lock bar is slidably displaceable for displacement along the line of its longitudinal axis between its inoperative and operative positions, the guide member being fixedly securable to the body of a vehicle to thereby provide for securing of the elongate wheel lock bar in its required displaceable mode to the body of a vehicle.
Still further, the elongate wheel lock bar, when secured to the body of a vehicle, may be displaceable from its inoperative position into one of two possible operative positions, one operative position being a position in which one end of the wheel lock bar bears against the tire of a steered wheel of a vehicle for inhibiting rotation of the said wheel and the other operative position being a position in which the steered wheel is turned about its vertical axis to the extent that the said end of the wheel lock bar is positioned adjacent the said wheel, blocking turning back of the said wheel. Clearly, neither of the operative positions need be absolute positions, these positions merely being determined by the exact disposition of the steered wheel of a vehicle when the anti-theft device is rendered operative.
The said end of the wheel lock bar that can bear against the tire of a steered wheel of a vehicle may include a formed head formation for bearing against the tire of the said steered wheel of a vehicle.
The displacement means of the anti-theft device may include a motor that can act on the wheel lock bar for displacing the said bar between its inoperative and operative positions. The motor may be a hydraulic or a pneumatic motor or, preferably, is an electric motor. For the latter configuration motor, connector means may be provided for electrically connecting the motor to the battery of a vehicle on which the device of the invention can be mounted, permitting the motor to be powered by the vehicle battery.
Still further, the displacement means may include a threaded displacement shaft rotatable by the motor about its longitudinal axis within a space provided therefor along the length of the wheel lock bar, the wheel lock bar having a threaded nut formation located within the said space, which is engaged by the threaded displacement shaft, so that by rotation of the said shaft, the wheel lock bar can be displaced along the line of its longitudinal axis between its inoperative and operative positions.
The control means may include an electric control circuit and electric components for controlling the operation of the displacement means for displacing the wheel lock bar. As such, the control means may include activating means for activating the operation of the displacement means for displacing the wheel lock bar from its inoperative position to an operative position, the activating means being operable for activating operation of the displacement means in response to the ignition circuit of the vehicle on which the anti-theft means is mounted, being switched off and the vehicle door having opened.
Still further, the control means may include activating means for activating reverse operation of the displacement means for displacing the wheel lock bar from an operative position to its inoperative position, the activating means having signal receiving means for receiving a coded signal being transmitted to it, and being operable in response to such a coded signal being received for activating reverse operation of the displacement means, the control means including further a portable signal transmitter for transmitting a required coded signal to the signal receiving means.
For the above configuration of the control means, the anti-theft device may include sensor means for sensing resistance to displacement of the wheel lock bar, and for deactivating the operation of the displacement means for as long as a predetermined degree of resistance to displacement is being sensed, permitting reactivation of the operation of the displacement means when said predetermined degree of resistance ceases to exist. The said sensor means may be incorporated as part of the displacement means for displacing the wheel lock bar, and includes switches for deactivating the displacement means while predetermined degrees of resistance to displacement is sensed.
Still further, the anti-theft device may include an, immobilizer means for immobilizing a vehicle on which the device is mounted in response to displacement of the wheel lock bar from its inoperative position being sensed. The immobilizer means may include cut-out means that will cut-out the vehicle engine while the wheel lock bar is displaced from its inoperative position.
The anti-theft device also may include a holding means for holding the wheel lock bar in its inoperative position, the holding means being operable in response to a vehicle ignition being switched off for releasing the wheel lock bar to permit its displacement to an operative position thereof. The holding means may be a solenoid operated lock having a locking member engaged with a formation defined by the wheel lock bar, for resisting displacement of the wheel lock bar until the vehicle ignition has been switched off. Clearly, both the immobilizer means and the holding means will serve as safety means to ensure that the wheel lock bar cannot be displaced into its operative position while a vehicle engine is running and the vehicle therefore may be in motion.
Both the displacement means and control means of the anti-theft device may be housed in a tamper proof housing, the housing having an opening therein for providing access to the displacement means to permit manual operation of the displacement means for displacing the wheel lock bar, the housing including a lockable blocking member for blocking said opening.
All the exposed mechanical components of the device of the invention may be of a tamper proof material such as of case hardened steel, or the like.
Further features of the invention are described in more detail hereinafter, with reference to an example of the invention illustrated by way of drawings. | {
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Generally, Video games such as action games and role-playing games make characters act in a virtual game space correspondingly to operation input by users. In such games including multi-playable games, a plurality of player characters operated by a plurality of users is made to be appeared, and the plurality of player characters progresses the game cooperatively (as described in Patent literature 1).
In such multiplayer games, a session participated by the plurality of users is created for each stage on one of computers operated by the plurality of users or a network server communicably connected with the computers. Thereby, the session is an area allowing communication connection among the plurality of users. The stage will be multi-playable when a user (host player) creates a session, and another user (guest player) joins the first session, as described in Patent literature 2.
In the games with the plurality of player characters are composed of a plurality of scenarios corresponding to the plurality of player characters. For example, a game includes a scenario 1 progressed by a player character A teaming up with a player character B and a scenario 2 progressed by a player character C teaming up with a player character D. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods for the preparation of iron and titanium-containing nanoparticles.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Particles with average sizes of less than about 200 nanometers, that is, nanoparticles, are of interest because their crystalline properties and other nanoscale features can dramatically change the properties of the material. The resulting unique mechanical, magnetic and electrical properties of nano-sized materials cause them to be of great interest.
It is well known in the art to prepare nanoparticles of various compositions by, for instance, mechanical alloying, mechanical grinding and ball milling of large particles until the desired crystal domain size is obtained. These grinding processes are time consuming, energy intensive, and produce a powder with a broad distribution of crystal domain sizes, including particles of larger undesirable sizes. The powder can also contain crystal domains encapsulated by larger particles of unwanted material. Additionally, the grinding materials utilized in the processes can contaminate the nanoparticle product.
A need exists, therefore, for methods of preparing nanoparticles, particularly iron and titanium-containing nanoparticles, which provide for control over the size of the resulting nanoparticles. | {
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Power semiconductor devices, such as power bipolar transistors, power MOSFET, and IGBT, are typically utilized to control high voltages and large currents involved in switching such devices as power sources, solenoids, lamps, motor-controlling inverters, and DC-motor switches. These power semiconductor devices have a "safe operation area" (SOA) that corresponds to the magnitude and conduction time of output currents. If a current exceeding the SOA flows for an extended period of time, the power semiconductor devices overheat and thermally breakdown.
In order to prevent such overcurrent conditions, the power semiconductor devices incorporate a protection device to monitor the output current and temperature of the power semiconductor devices. The protection device limits or interrupts the current flow in the case of an overcurrent or overheating condition.
FIG. 4 shows a circuit diagram of an integrated circuit incorporating a conventional overcurrent-protection circuit. An n-channel power MOSFET (1), used as a power semiconductor device, is connected with a current-mirror element (2) acting as a current sensor. The drains of both the power MOSFET (1) and the current-mirror element (2) are connected in parallel to a common, first main-current terminal. The gates of both elements are connected in parallel to a common control terminal (5).
The source of the power MOSFET (1) is connected to a second main-current terminal (4). The source of the current-mirror element (2) is connected to a shunt-current terminal (6).
The first main-current terminal (3) is connected to the higher-potential side of a power source (8) via load (7). The second main-current terminal (4) is connected to the lower-potential side of the power source (8). The power source (8) supplies the main current, I, to the power MOSFET (1) via the load (7). A control signal sent from a drive circuit (9) to the control terminal (5) controls the main current.
The overcurrent-detection element (11), shown in FIG. 4, consists of a detection resistor (12) connected between the second main-current terminal (4) and the shunt-current terminal (6), a constant-voltage device (13), and a comparator (14) connected between the lower-potential side of the constant-voltage device and the shunt-current terminal. A shunt current, i, shunted from the main current at a predetermined ratio by the current-mirror element (2), flows across the detection resistor (12). The constant-voltage device (13), connected between the second main-current terminal (4) and the comparator (14), generates a predetermined, threshold voltage, E.sub.s. The comparator (14), connected between the positive side of the constant-voltage device (13) and the shunt-current terminal (6), compares the potential difference across the resistor (12) with the threshold voltage, E.sub.s. The output of the comparator (14) is transmitted to the control terminal (5) via a control circuit (10) and the drive circuit (9).
In a circuit, such as one shown in FIG. 4, combining an overcurrent-detection circuit with a power MOSFET, the amount of the main current, I, can be ascertained by measuring the potential difference, E, across the detection resistor (12). Measurement of the main current is possible because the ratio of the shunt current, i, flowing into the current-mirror element (2), relative to the main current, is predetermined.
FIG. 5 is a characteristic graph showing the relationship between the shunt current, i, and the potential drop across the detection resistor, for the circuit shown in FIG. 4. It is understood that, for the purposes of the circuit shown in FIG. 4, the ratio i/I is equal to 1/10,000, and the resistance value of the detection resistor (12) is 500 .OMEGA..
In the figure, assuming the upper limit of the main-current value in the SOA to be 2A, the main current at the SOA can be determined to be 2A by finding the point, P1, on the curve which corresponds with the shunt-current value of 200 .mu.A and the inter-terminal potential difference of 0.1 V between the shunt-current terminal and the second main-current terminal. Consequently, if the threshold voltage E.sub.s of the constant-voltage device (13) has been set to 0.1 V, one can identify the main current as having reached an overcurrent state when the comparator determines that the inter-terminal potential difference, E, exceeds the threshold voltage of 0.1 V.
As a result of incorporating the overcurrent-detection element, overheating and breakdown failure of a power MOSFET can be prevented by appropriately adjusting the main-current flow to the output signal of the comparator. An overcurrent-detection signal, V.sub.o, is transmitted to the control circuit (10) whenever the comparator satisfies the condition of E-E.sub.2 >0. Based on the overcurrent-detection signal, V.sub.o, the control circuit (10) controls via the drive circuit (9) the voltage at the control terminal (5), thereby performing a protective operation of either limiting or interrupting the main current, I.
If the entire circuit shown in FIG. 4 could be integrated on a single chip with the use of conventional technology, there would be a great economic advantage. However, even if such integration is possible, the inherent variance or production tolerance as affecting the accuracy of the comparator, in responding to the offset voltage applied to ascertain whether an overcurrent condition exists, will greatly affect the overcurrent-detection performance of the overcurrent-detection circuit.
The variance or tolerance of a comparator made in a conventional manufacturing process suitable for production of power IC, in responding to the offset voltage, typically reaches .+-.10 mV. When this figure is converted to a variance in terms of detection accuracy of the detection or shunt current, i, in FIGS. 4 and 5, the variance is .+-.20.mu.A. In other words, the variance or tolerance results in a determination error of .+-.10%.
If an attempt is made to use a comparator with less variance in responding to the offset voltage, such comparator will not be compatible with the tolerance inherent in the conventional power-IC production process. Manufacturing such a comparator to closer tolerances, for example, in a separate production process involving separate chips for the power IC and comparator, will be an economic burden.
In attempting to find a way to reduce the effect of the variance of a comparator in responding to the offset voltage so as to permit satisfactory detection accuracy with a single chip, one method which might be considered might involve raising the resistance value of the detection resistor (12) and increasing the inter-terminal voltage drop due to the shunt current, i. However, increasing the resistance will affect the shunt ratio of the shunt current, i, relative to the main current, I, thereby preventing improvement in accuracy of overcurrent determination. | {
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The present invention relates to a process for coating particle substrates, the coated particle substrate and to applications and uses thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to coating particle substrates with a metal oxide-containing material, such material preferably being an electrically conductive and/or ferromagnetic oxide-containing material and such coated substrate.
In many electronic and/or ferromagnetic applications it would be advantageous to have an electrically, electronically conductive; electro mechanical and/or ferromagnetic metal oxide coating which is substantially uniform, has high and/or designed electronic conductivity, and/or ferro magnetic properties and has good chemical properties, e.g., morphology, stability, etc.
A number of techniques have been employed to provide certain metal oxide coatings on substrates. The CVD process is well known in the art for coating a single flat surface, which is maintained in a fixed position during the contacting step. The conventional CVD process is an example of a xe2x80x9cline-of-sightxe2x80x9d process or a xe2x80x9ctwo dimensionalxe2x80x9d process in which the metal oxide is formed only on that portion of the substrate directly in the path of the metal source as metal oxide is formed on the substrate. Portions of the substrate, particularly internal surfaces, which are shielded from the metal oxide being formed, e.g., such as the opposite side and edges of the substrate, pores or channels which extend inwardly from the external surface and substrate layers which are internal or at least partially shielded from the depositing metal oxide source by one or more other layers or surfaces closer to the external substrate surface being coated, do not get uniformly coated, if at all, in a xe2x80x9cline-of-sightxe2x80x9d process. Such shielded substrate portions either are not being contacted by the metal source during line-of-sight processing or are being contacted, if at all, not uniformly by the metal source during line-of-sight processing. A particular problem with xe2x80x9cline-of-sightxe2x80x9d processes is the need to maintain a fixed distance between the source and the substrate. Otherwise, metal oxide can be deposited or formed off the substrate and lost, with a corresponding loss in process and reagent efficiency.
In an attempt to overcome the limitations of the xe2x80x9cline-of-sightxe2x80x9d processes it has been proposed to contact a three dimensional substrate with a metal oxide precursor wherein the precursor preferably forms a liquidous metal oxide precursor on the substrate. The formed coated substrate is subjected to oxidation conditions to convert the metal oxide precursor to the metal oxide coated substrate (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,326,633 [1994], 5,603,983 [1997], 5,633,081 [1997] and 5,756,207 [1998] granted to Clough et al.) While these processes represent a significant advance over the prior art CVD xe2x80x9cline-of-sightxe2x80x9d processes described above, the Clough et al. processes typically require total times for contacting, equilibration and oxidation in the range of minutes to hours.
It has been desirable to further improve the processes for producing metal oxide coated substrate particles particularly under fast reaction processing conditions which significantly reduce the processing times required for producing metal oxide coated particle substrates and to produce unique metal oxide coated substrates having improved properties
A new process, e.g., a xe2x80x9cnon-line-of-sightxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cthree dimensionalxe2x80x9d process, useful for coating of three dimensional particle substrates has been discovered. As used herein, a xe2x80x9cnon-line-of-sightxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cthree dimensionalxe2x80x9d process is a process which coats surfaces of a substrate with a metal oxide coating which surfaces would not be directly exposed to metal oxide-forming compounds being deposited on the external surface of the substrate during the first line-of-sight contacting step. In other words, a xe2x80x9cthree dimensionalxe2x80x9d process coats coatable substrate surfaces which are at least partially shielded by other portions of the substrate which are closer to the external surface of the substrate and/or which are further from the metal oxide forming source during processing, e.g., the internal and/or opposite side surfaces of for example glass, ceramic or mineral particle substrates such as fibers, spheres, flakes or other shapes or surfaces including porous shapes.
A new fast reaction, elevated temperature process for at least partially coating a three dimensional substrate having shielded surfaces with a metal oxide, preferably an electrically conductive or ferromagnetic metal oxide coating on at least a part of all three dimensions thereof and on at least a part of said shielded surfaces thereof has been discovered. In brief, the process comprises contacting the substrate particles with a metal oxide precursor, for example, stannous chloride, stannic chloride, stannous oxide, zinc chloride, cuprous chloride, ferric chloride or titanium tetrachloride in a liquid form and/or in a solid form, to form a metal oxide precursor/substrate reactant mixture; preferably contacting the substrate also with at least one interacting component, i.e., a conductivity interactive or a ferromagnetic interacting component and contacting the reactant mixture with an oxidizing agent under fast reaction short residence time, higher temperature condition to form a metal oxide coated substrate and recovering such coated substrate, preferably a semi conductor or ferromagnetic oxide-containing coated substrate more preferably an n-type oxide semi conductor, more particularly a doped semiconductor and/or semi conductor having a defect and/or non-stoichiometric structure which enhances conductivity. The contacting of the substrate with the metal oxide precursor and optionally with the interacting component to form the reactant mixture takes place prior to substantially deleterious oxidation of the metal oxide precursor. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the reaction mixture is introduced directly into a high temperature oxidizing reaction zone under fast reaction processing conditions. The coated substrate is then recovered by conventional means.
The process can provide unique coated substrates including single and mixed oxides which have application designed electrical conductivity or magnetic properties and/or pearlescent or transparent properties so as to be suitable for use as components such as additives in a wide variety of applications. Substantial coating uniformity, e.g., in the thickness of the metal oxide coating and in the distribution of interacting component in the coating, is obtained. Further, the present metal oxide coated substrates in general have outstanding stability, e.g., in terms of electrical or magnetic properties and morphology and are thus useful in various applications.
The present coating process comprises forming a reactant mixture by contacting a substrate with a metal oxide precursor, such as metal chloride forming components, metal complexes and mixtures thereof and contacting the reactant mixture with an oxidizing agent, at fast reaction, elevated temperature process conditions, preferably oxidizing and hydrolyzing conditions, effective to form a metal oxide containing coating on the substrate. The reactant mixture preferably comprises at least one conductivity or magnetic interacting component, hereinafter referred to as interacting or interactant component, such as at least one dopant compound, in an effective amount to form an interacting component-containing coating, such as a dopant component-containing coating, on at least a portion of the substrate. The reactant mixture, preferably with an interacting component, for example a dopant component, are contacted with at least one oxidizing agent at conditions effective to convert the metal oxide precursor to metal oxide and form a metal oxide-containing coating, preferably a semi conductor, or magnetic metal oxide-containing coating, on at least a portion of the substrate. The process as set forth below will be described in many instances with reference to various compounds of stannous chloride, stannic chloride, zinc chloride, stannous oxide, cuprous chloride, titanium chloride, and ferric chloride which have been found to provide particularly outstanding process and product properties. However, it is to be understood that other suitable oxide precursors are included within the scope of the present invention.
As set forth above the reactant mixture is subjected to oxidizing fast reaction processing conditions at elevated temperatures in order to form a metal oxide coating on the substrate. The reactant mixture should be formed prior to deleterious oxidation of the metal oxide precursor i.e. nondeleterious oxidation. This could result in oxidation of the metal oxide precursor off of the substrate thereby decreasing the yield of metal oxide coated substrate. By xe2x80x9cnon-deleterious oxidationxe2x80x9d is meant that the metal oxide precursor, for example stannous chloride, zinc chloride, cuprous chloride and ferric chloride is associated with the substrate before deleterious oxidation of the metal oxide precursor takes place off the substrate, such as not to be associated with the substrate coatings. It has been found that the preferred reactant mixtures are those that are formed prior to the introduction of the reactant mixture into the high temperature fast reaction zone. Thus for example, the reactant mixture can be a liquid slurry wherein the metal oxide precursor is soluble in the liquid optionally with the interactant being soluble and/or solid in the liquid slurry. Further, the liquid slurry can be a suspension of the metal oxide precursor with the substrate preferably as a precipitate on the substrate in the liquid solid slurry. Further the reactant mixture can be a solid or powder such as a metal oxide precursor coated substrate. Each of the above reactant mixtures can offer unique and distinct processing product advantages in the process of this invention. The liquid part of the reactant mixtures is preferably atomized, such as gas atomized, upon introduction with the substrate into the reaction zone for oxidation to the metal oxide substrates. Further, the solid reactant mixtures such as powder mixtures, can be air fluidized into the reaction zone or gravity or mechanically fed into the reaction zone. For the liquid reactant mixtures, it is preferred to maximize the concentration of the substrate in the liquid slurries on a wt % basis so as to maximize the association of the metal oxide precursor and optionally interacting component with the substrate. It is preferred that the concentration of substrate in liquid slurries be from about 10 to 60 wt % more preferably from about 30 to 50 wt % or higher. As is recognized by those of skill in the art, the viscosity of the slurries will vary as a function of both the particle size, its geometry and density. Viscosities are used which allow for overall optimum process efficiencies on a product quality and throughput basis.
The fast reaction processing conditions as set forth above include a very short oxidation reaction residence time for the particle in the elevated temperature reaction zone. xe2x80x9cReaction zonexe2x80x9d is defined as that zone at elevated temperature wherein fast oxidation of the metal oxide precursor takes place on the substrate such that the metal oxide precursor is not substantially lost as separate metal oxide particles not associated with the substrate. Thus the reaction zone allows for association of the metal oxide precursor on the substrate wherein subsequent processing will not substantially adversely affect the overall metal oxide coating on the substrate. It is important that the residence time in the elevated temperature reaction zone associate the metal oxide precursor with the substrate. It is contemplated within the scope of this invention that further processing such as sintering or calcination to promote further oxidation uniform crystalinity and/or coating densification can be carried out according to the process of this invention.
The fast reaction processing conditions in the oxidation reaction zone can vary as to temperature and residence time according to the physical and chemical properties of the metal oxide precursor, interacting component and substrate. The average particle residence time in the oxidizing reaction zone is from about 1 millisecond to about 1 second, more preferably from about 2 milliseconds to 500 milliseconds and still more preferably from about 10 milliseconds to 250 milliseconds. Further, the residence time can be defined by the particle velocity in the reaction oxidizing zone. Preferably the average particle velocity in the reaction zone is from about three to about 30 meters/second, more preferably from about three to about 10 meters/second.
The elevated temperature in the reaction zone is maintained by a thermal source that rapidly transfers thermal energy to the reactant mixture. The unique combination of reactant mixture, short residence time and a thermal source for rapid thermal transfer provides for rapid association of the metal oxide precursor with the substrate on both external and shielded surfaces without substantially adversely effecting the solid integrity of the substrate. By the term solid integrity is meant that the substrate retains at least a part preferably a majority an even more preferably a substantial majority of the substrate as a solid under the temperature conditions in the reaction zone. Depending on the physical and chemical properties of the substrate the surface and near surface of the substrate can melt under the thermal conditions in the reaction zones. The rapid melting and solidification for certain substrates can provide enhanced properties associated with the metal oxide coating such as barrier properties, binding properties and preferential crystalline surface formation by the substrate. The short residence times in the reaction zones allow for rapid chemical reactions and rapid quench when the substrate particles leave the reaction zone.
The thermal source produces elevated temperatures that allow for the reactant mixture to rapidly produce metal oxide coated substrates and allows residence times that provide for the association of the metal oxide precursor with the substrate. Thus the thermal source must allow for control of the elevated temperature to produce metal oxide coated substrates and a residence time which allows the chemical reactions and/or association of the metal oxide precursor with the substrate to take place on the substrate. The preferred thermal sources which allow for control of elevated temperatures and the residence times necessary for chemical reaction and/or association of the metal oxide precursor with the substrate are induction plasma sources preferably RF induction plasma sources and flame combustion sources.
As set forth above, the thermal source provides an elevated temperature that primarily acts on the metal oxide precursors and optionally interactants and added components to the liquid slurry or powders such that the substrate, primarily the internal portions of the substrate are at a lower temperature than the external temperature in the reaction zone. As will be more fully described below, the typical substrate can have a relatively low heat transfer coefficient which when combined with the residence times in the reaction zone allows for such differential between the external temperature and the internal temperature of the substrate. Further the processing conditions can be adjusted to take advantage of this thermal gradient particularly as to selective melt and resolidification and crystallization on the surface and near surface of the substrate. Further, the temperature within the reaction zone is controlled to allow rapid oxidation and/or hydrolysis of the metal oxide precursors and/or interacting component which reactions can increase substantially the association of the coating i.e. reduced tendency towards volatilization, the completion of the overall oxidation reaction to metal oxide coating. As set forth above, one of the major advances is the association of the metal oxide precursor coating through the reaction zone into the quench stage. The recovered metal oxide coated substrates can be further calcined, sintered or annealed for oxidation, densification and crystallization.
RF inductively coupled plasma systems are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and typically consist of an RF power generator supplying a RF current to an induction coil wound around a plasma confinement tube. The tube confines the plasma discharge. Power levels for plasma systems can vary from about 10 kW up to about 500 kW. Typical frequencies vary from about 0.3 MHz to even as high as 14 MHz. Typical ranges are in the 0.3 to 5 range.
The plasma system typically uses three different gases including a central gas sometimes referred to as a central swirl gas used primarily for formation of the plasma, a sheath gas used primarily to stabilize and center the plasma and a third carrier gas which typically is used to transport a powder feed and/or atomize a liquid or liquid slurry feed. As is recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, the composition of all three gases can vary and can include gases such as argon, nitrogen, hydrogen and other gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and water. In addition mixtures of varying gases can be used depending on the characteristics of the plasma that is required for the process. As set forth above, a component of the plasma gases can serve as the oxidizing agent. In other cases, a secondary gas can be injected into the plasma or sheath surrounding the plasma to provide the oxidizing agent. For example, water vapor can be used as a secondary gas to promote the overall oxidation hydrolysis of the metal oxide precursor to metal oxide coating. Further, as set forth above, the presence of water vapor enhances formation of crystalline metal oxide coatings having improved conductivity and/or magnetic properties. The gases used as sheath, central and carrier gases can be different or the same and mixtures of different gases can be used. For example, air can be used for the sheath, central and carrier gas or various other gases, such as argon, can be combined with the sheath or central gas. The gas flow rates for the central, sheath and carrier gases can vary over a wide range with such ranges being adjusted to within the residence time and particle velocities required for the conversion of the metal oxide precursor to coated metal oxide substrate. In general the rate of introduction of the sheath, central and carrier gases will vary with typically the sheath gas being introduced at a rate of from about three to about five times that of the central swirl gas. In addition, the central swirl gas rate will generally be higher than the carrier gas since the carrier gas is used to control the rate at which the reactant mixture is introduced into the reaction zone. The gas compositions and flow rates can be optimized to provide desired process conditions. For example, nitrogen can be introduced into the central gas in order to lower the overall temperature profile within the reaction zone. Typically the other gas rates and/or partial pressure within the given gas composition are lowered in order to control the particle residence time and particle velocities within the reaction zone. Further, the oxygen content in the various gases within the reaction zone can be adjusted to provide near stochiometric quantities of oxygen or slight excess in order to limit the oxygen present in the later portion and tail of the reaction zone. In addition, oxygen enrichment can take place such as the introduction of oxygen, such as air, at the tail of the reaction zone to provide enhanced overall oxidation conditions prior to quench. typically, the enthalpy of the gas composition is controlled so as to maintain the elevated temperature that promotes rapid oxidation and/or hydrolysis of the metal oxide precursors on the substrate. Thus the enthalpy of components such as hydrogen and organic components added as part of the liquid slurry and powder reaction mixtures are taken into consideration for defining the temperature required in the reaction zone. Further, the gas rates (volume of gas per unit time) will vary depending on the size and design of the process equipment. As set forth above, the residence times are long and the particle velocities slow when compared to typical sonic and supersonic plasma type systems. As is set forth above, an oxidizing agent, preferably oxygen preferably as oxygen in air or decomposition of water vapor, allows for the oxidation reaction of metal oxide precursor to metal oxide coating on the substrate to take place within the reaction zone at elevated temperatures. It has been found that the residence times and/or particle velocities as set forth above together with the control of gas composition and temperature conditions allow for the oxidation reactions to take place on the substrate to produce the metal oxide coated substrates. The control by the thermal source of the temperature in the plasma or adjacent to the plasma, i.e. reaction zone, allows for the oxidation reactions to take place while not substantially adversely effecting the solid integrity of the substrate. Further, the temperature and the dimension of the plasma can be adjusted so as to provide selective melting on the surface or near surface of the substrate to enhance overall bonding and uniformity of the metal oxide coating on the substrate. As set forth above, the temperature, particle residence time and oxidizing agent concentration allow for the oxidation of the metal oxide precursor to metal oxide coating while not adversely effecting the solid integrity of the substrate. Thus, the temperature within the reaction zone can vary according to the above process conditions and typically are in the range of from about 1000xc2x0 K to about 4000xc2x0 K, more preferably up to about 3000xc2x0 K. As set forth above, the temperature can be moderated by auxiliary gases including inert gases and water vapor.
The reactant mixture can be introduced into the plasma at varying locations within the plasma including the tail, i.e. terminal, portion of the plasma flame. The reactant mixture in addition can be introduced laterally into or adjacent to the plasma flame and/or the tail of the plasma flame or at varying angles to the plasma including perpendicular to the plasma or the plasma tail. In a typical system configuration a probe of appropriate metallurgy such as inconel in the presence of fluorides, is centrally mounted in the plasma confinement tube. Typically a quartz tube is interposed between the probe and the confinement tube. The central gas in injected into the quartz tube and the sheath gas is injected in the annular passage defined between the quartz tube and the plasma confinement tube. Conventional cooling of the system is used. The reactant mixture feed probe can be used to gas atomize the liquid slurry reaction mixtures of this invention and/or gas atomize, such as with air, the powder feeds of this invention. For example, in the liquid slurries, fine droplets of the liquid slurries can be injected typically into the central portion of or adjacent to the plasma discharge. Further, the position of the injection probe within or adjacent to the plasma for powder or liquid slurries can be varied such as to optimize the performance and overall yields of metal oxide coated substrates. As is set forth above, the reaction mixture can be introduced into the tail of the plasma discharge such as laterally or at an angle into the plasma tail. It is preferred that the reactant mixtures from liquid slurries to powders be introduced into the reaction zone with a carrier gas, particularly an oxygen containing carrier gas which enhances the rate of oxidation of the metal oxide precursor to metal oxide coating on the substrate. The powders can be gravity fed and/or continuously fed such as by screw feeders into the plasma. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the concentration of the substrate in the liquid slurries can be maintained at a relatively high concentration such as from 30 to 50-wt % or higher in order to optimize the interaction between the metal oxide precursor, interacting component and substrate. The concentration can be adjusted in order to maintain a liquid reactant mixture viscosity which enhances atomization of the liquid reactant mixture and overall steady state process and plasma conditions for conversion and yield of metal oxide coated substrate. Further, the reaction zone can be run at varying pressures including reduced pressures through higher pressures above atmospheric. The choice of pressure is generally a function of the characteristics of the metal oxide precursor and interactant. It is preferred to maintain such conditions of pressure which improve the overall conversion and yield of metal oxide coating on the substrate while reducing and/or minimizing the reaction of metal oxide precursor to metal oxide off of the substrate.
The feed rates of the liquid slurries and powders in general are a function of the reaction zone design and size. In general for small scale reaction zone designs a feed rate of from 100 grams to 500 grams per hour can be used, whereas for larger scale a feed rate of from 0.5 Kg to 50 Kg per hour can be used.
The liquid slurries and powder mixtures can contain various substantially nondeleterious materials including oxidizable materials such as solvents, i.e. alcohols for liquid slurries and organic polymeric binders which can increase the elevated temperature or enthalpy in the reaction zone. The thermal contribution of these oxidizable materials is used in order to design the thermal profile in the reaction zone in order to maximize steady state process conditions and conversion and yields of metal oxide coated substrate. Further, the use of such oxidizable materials, particularly, organic materials can be used to adjust the composition of the plasma gases as a function of the gas composition from gas entry to exit from the reaction zone. For example, the oxygen requirement for oxidation of the metal oxide precursor to metal oxide coating can be adjusted such that a portion of the plasma and gas composition exiting the tail of the plasma can be in an overall reducing environment. The process flexibility in the introduction of varying gases of varying oxidizing and thermal characteristics allows such changes in gas composition as a function of plasma profile and exit gases to be made. For example, in the use of zinc oxide precursors, optionally with an interacting component such as an aluminum source, it has been found that the change from an oxidizing to a reducing environment enhances overall conductivity of the zinc oxide film on the substrate. Further, the use of carbon dioxide such as in low oxygen containing gases from partial combustion of hydrocarbon can be used advantageously to promote the formation of a multiple oxidation and reduction zone within the reaction zones and/or a reduction zone following the exit of the plasma gas from the reaction zone. Further, it is possible to add auxiliary gases such as reducing gases into the plasma at different introduction points within the plasma.
As set forth above, it is preferred that water in vapor form be part of one of the gases used in the plasma reaction zone. It has been found that the water along with oxygen enhances the overall conversion of metal oxide precursor to metal oxide coating particularly the formation of the crystalline networks, which optimize the conductivity of the metal oxide coating. The water typically is present in the reaction mixture liquid slurries and/or is added as part of the central and/or sheath gases used in the formation of a stable plasma. The advantage of the presence of water vapor is the enhancement in the formation of the plasma as well as in enhancing the overall reactivity and oxidation of the metal oxide precursor to metal oxide coating.
The metal oxide coated substrates exit the reaction zone and are rapidly quenched to lower temperatures including temperatures wherein relatively moderate to low or even no significant oxidation is taking place of the metal oxide precursor. The metal oxide coated substrates are recovered by conventional means such as typical powder particle collection means. As set forth above, the metal oxide coated substrates can be further processed such as by sintering and/or calcinations and/or annealing to further oxidize and/or densify the metal oxide coatings and/or more fully develop the optimum crystal structure for enhancing overall conductivity and/or magnetic properties of the final coated substrate.
As set forth above, the thermal source can be obtained from combustion such as a flame produced by the combustion of a flammable gas such as actylene, propane or low molecular weight hydrocarbons, such as kerosene. The thermal and kinetic energy associated with the flame combustion process can be varied to provide elevated temperatures and residence times and/or particle substrate velocity within the ranges as set forth above. The combustion flame process provides a reaction zone wherein the gas composition within the reaction zone can be varied according to the gas combustion characteristics used to provide the reaction zone. Further, the composition of the gas can be varied according to the type of flammable gas used in the combustion process and the ratio of oxygen to inert gas that is used as the oxidant. Thus the ratio of residual oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor can be adjusted by varying the stochiometry of the reactants and the type of fuel source. Further, auxiliary gases can be added such as water vapor to moderate and modify the combustion flame characteristics. In addition, such auxiliary gases including inert gases can be added directly into the combustion flame or as a sheath, i.e. curtain or shroud, surrounding the combustion flame. Further, the reactant mixture can be introduced directly into the combustion flame or as in the case of the RF induction plasma at varying angles to the flame or on the outer or adjacent surface or tail of the flame. The temperature profiles within the combustion flame are typically lower than the temperatures that can be achieved in the RF induction plasma typically in the range of from about 750xc2x0 K to about 1,500xc2x0 K. The unexpected process improvement for producing metal oxide coated substrates with the combustion flame is the formation of a reaction zone at temperatures and residence times which allow for oxidation of the metal oxide precursor on the substrate. The various embodiments set forth above with respect to reaction mixture introduction into the reaction zone, preference for atomization of the reaction mixtures, variations on introduction of the reaction mixtures at various locations within the reaction zone or at the tail end of the reaction zone, variations in gas composition such as oxidizing and reducing zones are applicable to the flame combustion process.
The thickness of the metal oxide-containing coating can vary over a wide range and optimized for a given application and is generally in the range of from about 0.01 to about 0.75 microns or even from about 0.03 to about 0.5 microns, more preferably from about 0.05 micron to about 0.25 microns, still more preferably from about 0.07 micron to about 0.2 microns.
The reactant mixture may also include one or more other materials, e.g., dopants, catalysts, grain growth inhibitors, binders, solvents, etc., which do not substantially adversely affect the properties of the final product, such as by leaving a detrimental residue or contaminant in the final product after formation of the metal oxide-containing coating. Thus, it has been found to be important, e.g., to obtaining a metal oxide coating with good structural, mechanical and/or electronic and/or magnetic properties, that undue deleterious contamination of the coating be avoided. Examples of useful other materials include organic components such as alcohols, i.e. methanol, ethanol, isopropanol and mixtures thereof, acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, dimethyl sulfoxide, propylene carbonate and mixtures thereof; certain inorganic salts and mixtures thereof. Certain of these other materials may often be considered as a carrier, e.g., solvent, for the metal chloride and/or interacting component to be associated with the substrate to form the reactant mixture.
The metal oxide coatings are typically derived from transition metal precursors, which contain transition elements of atomic numbers 21-31, 39-49 and 71-81, inclusive and tin. Examples of such metals are tin, copper, zinc, iron, chromium, tungsten, titanium, molybdenum and indium. The preferred elements are tin, copper, zinc, iron, chromium, tungsten, titanium, molybdenum, indium and mixtures. The particularly preferred metal elements are tin, zinc, iron, chromium, titanium and mixtures thereof.
As set forth above the metal oxide precursor is preferably selected from the group consisting of one or more metal chlorides, organic complexes, organic salts and oxidizable metal oxides such as stannous oxide. For powder reactant mixture it is preferred that metal chlorides, organic complexes and salts do not adversely oxidize and/or hydrolyze under the conditions of contacting the substrate with the metal oxide precursor to form the reactant mixture prior to oxidation to metal oxide in the reaction zone. Particularly preferred precursors are metal chlorides and lower valence oxidizable oxides and organic complexes, particularly di-ketone type complexes, i.e., acetylacetonate complexes.
Typical examples of metal chloride precursors are stannous chloride, stannic chloride, cuprous chloride, zinc chloride, ferric chloride, tungsten pentachloride, tungsten hexa chloride, molybdenum pentachloride, indium dichloride, indium monochloride, chromium2 chloride and titanium tetrachloride. Preferred metal complexes are polyfunctional ketone complexes wherein such polyketone functionality is capable of complexing with the metal. For example, acetylacetonate complexes, i.e., complexes of zinc, chromium and the like.
As set forth above, it has been found that the substrate can be contacted with a metal oxide precursor powder to form the reactant mixture. The metal oxide precursor powder can be applied to the substrate as a powder, particularly in the range of from about 1 to about 10 microns in average particle size, the size in part being a function of the substrate particle size, i.e. smaller substrate particles generally require even smaller size powders. The powder is preferably applied dry to a dry substrate and as a charged fluidized powder, in particular having a charge opposite that of the substrate or at a temperature where the powder contacts and adheres to the substrate. In carrying out the powder -coating, a coating system can be, for example, one or more electrostatic fluidized beds, spray systems having a fluidized chamber, and other means for applying powder, preferably in a film forming amount. The amount of powder used is generally based on the thickness of the desired metal oxide coating and incidental losses that may occur during processing. The powder process together with conversion to a metal oxide-containing coating can be repeated to achieve desired coating properties, such as desired gradient conductivities.
Typically, the fluidizing gaseous medium is selected to be compatible with the metal oxide precursor powder, i.e., to not substantially adversely affect the formation of a metal oxide coating on the substrate during conversion to a metal oxide-containing film.
Generally, gases such as air, nitrogen, argon, helium and the like, can be used, with air being a gas of choice, where no substantial adverse prehydrolysis or oxidation reaction of the powder precursor takes place prior to the oxidation-reaction to the metal oxide coating. The gas flow rate is typically selected to obtain fluidization and charge transfer to the powder. Fine powders require less gas flow for equivalent deposition. It has been found that small amounts of water vapor enhance charge transfer. The temperature for contacting the substrate with a powder precursor is generally in the range of about 0xc2x0 C. to about 100xc2x0 C. or higher, more preferably about 20xc2x0 C. to about 40xc2x0 C., and still more preferably about ambient temperature. The substrate however, can be at temperatures the same as, higher or substantially higher than the powder.
The time for contacting the substrate with precursor powder is generally a function of the substrate bulk density, thickness, powder size and gas flow rate. The particular coating means is selected in part according to the above criteria, particularly the geometry of the substrate. For example, particles, spheres, flakes, short fibers and other similar substrate, can be coated directly in a fluidized bed themselves with such substrates being in a fluidized motion or state. Typical contacting time can vary from seconds to minutes, preferably in the range of about 1 second to about 120 seconds, more preferably about 2 seconds to about 30 seconds.
Typical metal oxide precursor powders are those that are powders at powder/substrate contacting conditions and can be liquidous or solid at the fast reaction process conditions at the elevated temperatures in the reaction zone. It is preferred that the powder at least partially melts and substantially wets the surface of the substrate, preferably having a low contact angle formed by the liquid precursor in contact with the substrate and has a relatively low vapor pressure at the fast reaction and temperature conditions of oxidation, preferably melting within the range of about 100xc2x0 C. to about 650xc2x0 C. or higher. For tin oxide precursor powder it is preferred that melting is within the range of from about 100xc2x0 to about 450xc2x0, more preferably about 250xc2x0 C. to about 400xc2x0 C. As set forth above, the fast reaction process conditions allow for the metal oxide precursor to rapidly react to a highly viscous and/or intermediate solid prior to substantial oxidation to the metal oxide coating. The process conditions allow for the association of this intermediate metal oxide and/or interactant component form and reduces the volatilization and/or oxidation of the metal oxide precursor off of the substrate. Typical powder metal oxide precursors are stannous chloride, stannous oxide, low molecular weight organic salts or complexes of tin, particularly low molecular weight organic salts and complexes such as stannous acetate and acetylacetonate complexes of tin.
An additional component powder, such as a dopant-forming powder, can be combined with the metal oxide precursor powder. A particularly preferred dopant-forming powder for tin oxide is stannous fluoride. Further, an additional component, such as a dopant, for example a fluoride, phosphorous, indium, or antimony component for tin oxide coatings can be incorporated during any of the reactant mixture forming steps.
Typical zinc oxide precursor powders are those that are powders at powder/substrate contacting conditions and which are preferably at least part liquidous at the fast reaction oxidizing conditions in the reaction zone, preferably melting within the range of about 100xc2x0 C. to about 450xc2x0 C., or higher, more preferably about 250xc2x0 C. to about 400xc2x0 C. Typical powder zinc oxide precursors are zinc chloride, low molecular weight organic salts or complexes of zinc, particularly low molecular weight organic salts and complexes such as zinc acetate and acetylacetonate complexes of zinc.
An additional component powder, such as a dopant-forming powder, can be combined with the zinc oxide precursor powder. Particularly preferred dopant-forming powders are aluminum and chromium acetylacetonate, benzylate and methyl substituted benzylate, cobalt II chloride, gallium dichloride, indium mono and dichloride, stannous chloride and germanium monoxide. Further, the above dopants or an additional component, for example a chloride or nitrate component of aluminum or titanium, can be used.
Typical copper oxide precursor powders are those that are powders at powder/substrate contacting conditions and which are at least part liquidous at the fast reaction oxidizing conditions in the reaction zone, preferably melting within the range of about 100xc2x0 C. to about 650xc2x0 C., more preferably about 435xc2x0 C. to about 630xc2x0 C. Typical powder copper oxide precursors are cuprous chloride, cuprous oxide low molecular weight organic salts or complexes of copper, particularly low molecular weight organic salts and complexes including poly functional/carboxyl, hydroxyl and ketone such as cuprous acetate and acetylacetonate complexes of copper.
An additional component powder, such as the conductivity forming additional powders, can be combined with the copper oxide precursor powder. The particularly preferred additional powders are yttrium chloride and/or oxide, barium carbonate and/or oxide or peroxide.
As set forth above, the copper oxide precursor powders and additional component conductivity interacting component can produce a film forming amount precursor component on the substrate, particularly distribution of the film over a substantial part of said substrate, followed by oxidation. In addition to the precursor components set forth above, nitrates, sulfates and their hydrates, as well as the hydrates of for example chloride, can be selected and used within the processing requirements for producing such conductive coated substrate.
Typical iron oxide precursor powders are those that are powders at powder/substrate contacting conditions in the reaction zone and which are at least part liquidous at the fast reaction oxidizing conditions of the present process, preferably melting within the range of about 300xc2x0 C. to about 450xc2x0 C., or higher, more preferably about 350xc2x0 C. to about 300xc2x0 C. As set forth above, the fast reaction process conditions allow for the metal oxide precursor to rapidly react to a highly viscous and/or intermediate solid prior to substantial oxidation to the metal oxide coating. The process conditions allow for the association of this intermediate metal oxide and/or interactant component for which reduces the volatilization and/or oxidation of the metal oxide precursor off of the substrate. Typical powder iron oxide precursors are ferric chloride, low molecular weight complexes of iron, such as poly functionality and complexes with carboxylic, ketone and hydroxyl functionality, such as acetylacetonate complexes of iron.
An additional component powder, such as a dopant-forming powder, can be combined with the iron oxide precursor powder. Particularly preferred interacting-forming powders are compounds of nickel, zinc, manganese, yttrium, the rare earths, barium, calcium and silica. Further, an additional component, such as an interacting component, for example a chloride hydrate and/or nitrate hydrate and/or a di-ketone complex can be incorporated into the reactant mixture, for example, zinc acetylacetonate as a source of the metal interacting compound.
As set forth above, the metal oxide precursor, optionally including the interacting component can be associated with the substrate as liquid slurry. For example, a liquid soluble metal chloride and/or interacting component, i.e. chloride or fluoride salt or a suspension and/or precipitated suspension, may be used. The use of liquid metal oxide precursor and/or interacting component provides advantageous substrate association particularly efficient and uniform association with the substrate. In addition, coating material losses are reduced.
The metal oxide precursors and interacting components set forth above with respect to powders in general can be used also to make the liquid slurries. The preferred interacting components as set forth above with respect to powders are also preferred for the liquid slurries. In addition, liquids, low melting and liquid soluble metal salts can be used advantageously for the liquid slurries.
As set forth above, it is preferred that the reaction mixture liquid slurries maximize the concentration of the substrate consistent with slurry viscosity atomization requirement in the reaction zone. The amount of metal oxide precursor and optionally interacting component which are incorporated into the slurry is generally a function of the thickness of the metal oxide coating on the substrate for the final product. For example, a metal oxide coating of 50 nanometers will require less than a 250 nanometer metal oxide coating. Further, the surface area of the substrate, typically a function of particle size per unit weight will effect the concentration of the metal oxide precursor and interactant. The reactant slurries contain a solvent which allows for the solubilization and/or precipitation of one or both of the metal oxide precursor and interactant. The preferred solvents are aqueous solvent systems containing an alcohol such as a lower molecular weight alcohol, i.e. methanol, ethanol or isopropanol and mixtures thereof, which allow for solubilization of both the metal oxide precursor and interactant. For example, a preferred liquid slurry which contains soluble oxide precursor and interacting component are stannous and stannic chlorides and a interacting component such as antimony trichloride or ammonium fluoride or bifluoride. The liquid slurries in addition can have a pH less than 7 which enhances overall solubility such as through the use of hydrochloric acid.
The precipitated liquid slurry reaction mixtures can be made by forming a first soluble solution of an appropriate metal oxide precursor such as metal chloride salts in an alcohol solution or an acidic solution such as hydrochloric acid acidic solutions and adding such solutions slowly at elevated temperature such as from about 50xc2x0 to 90xc2x0 C. to an aqueous suspension of the substrate. The gradual addition of the oxide precursor interactant solution generally in the presence of hydroxyl ion provides for a slow and gradual hydrolysis and precipitation of the salts generally as an hydroxide, preferably on the surfaces of the substrate in a uniform layer. The precipitant slurry reactant mixture is introduced into the reaction zone for conversion to the metal oxide coated substrate. One of the significant advantages of the process of this invention using precipitant slurry reaction mixtures is that the slurry itself can be directly fed into the reaction zone without requiring separation of the precipitant plus substrate, washing of the substrate and calcinations of sintering of the precipitant associated substrate. The prior art processes typically require extensive processing times in the order of many hours. The precipitant slurry reaction mixture and the precipitant process are typically undertaken at high substrate liquid slurry concentrations without the introduction of deleterious contaminants. Thus it is preferred to use solvent systems which do not contribute deleterious contaminants to the metal oxide coating. If a source of hydroxyl ion is used to enhance the precipitation process it is preferred to use a source such as ammonium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide which do not substantially interfere with the final properties of the metal oxide film. Further, in the case of precipitant reaction mixtures, the precipitant substrates can be filtered, washed of extraneous ions, such as sodium or chloride, and reslurried for use as a reaction mixture. In order to control the viscosity of the liquid slurries, particularly at high substrate concentration a dispersant or defloculant can be added to reduce and/or minimize any substrate agglomeration.
The oxide precursor and/or interacting component to be contacted with the substrate may be present in an atomized state. As used in this context, the term xe2x80x9catomized statexe2x80x9d refers to both a substantially gaseous state and a state in which the oxide precursor and/or interacting component are present as drops or droplets and/or solid dispersion such as colloidal dispersion in for example a carrier gas, i.e., an atomized state. Liquid state oxide precursor and/or interacting component may be utilized to generate such reaction mixture.
In addition to the other materials, as noted above, the reactant mixture may also include one or more grain growth inhibitor components. Such inhibitor component or components are present in an amount effective to inhibit grain growth in the metal oxide-containing coating. Reducing grain growth leads to beneficial coating properties, e.g., higher electrical conductivity, more uniform morphology, and/or greater overall stability. Among useful grain growth inhibitor components are components which include at least one metal ion, in particular potassium, calcium, magnesium, silicon, zinc and mixtures thereof. These components are typically used at a concentration in the final coating of from about 0.01 to 1.0 wt % basis coating. Of course, such grain growth inhibitor components should have no substantial detrimental effect on the final product.
The interacting component may be deposited on the substrate separately from the oxide precursor, for example, before and/or during the oxide precursor/substrate contacting. If the interacting component is deposited on the substrate separately from the oxide precursor it should be deposited after the oxide precursor but before oxidation to the oxide film, such as to form soluble and/or eutectic mixtures and/or dispersions.
Any suitable interacting component may be employed in the present process. Such interacting component should provide sufficient interacting component so that the final metal oxide coating has the desired properties, e.g., electronic conductivity, stability, magnetic properties, etc. Care should be exercised in choosing the interacting component or components for use. For example, the interacting component should be sufficiently compatible with, for example, the oxide precursor so that the desired metal oxide coating can be formed. Interacting components which are excessively volatile (relative to oxide precursor), at the conditions employed in the present process, are not preferred since, for example, the final coating may not be sufficiently developed with the desired properties and/or a relatively large amount of the interacting component or components may be lost during processing. It may be useful to include one or more property altering components, e.g., boiling point depressants, in the composition containing the dopantforming component to be contacted with the substrate. Such property altering component or components are included in an amount effective to alter one or more properties, e.g., boiling point, of the interacting component, e.g., to improve the compatibility or reduce the incompatibility between the interacting component and oxide precursor.
Particularly useful dopants for use in the tin oxide products and process of this invention are anion and cation dopants, particularly fluoride components selected from stannous fluoride, stannic fluoride, ammonium fluoride, ammonium bifluoride and mixtures thereof, antimony, indium and phosphorous, i.e. orthophosphoric acid, diammonium orthophosphate. The preferred dopants are those that provide for optimum dopant incorporation while minimizing dopant precursor losses, particularly under the preferred process conditions as set forth herein. In addition oxides or sub-oxides can also be used, including where dopant incorporation is accomplished during the oxidation sintering contacting step.
The use of a fluoride dopant is an important feature of certain aspects of the present invention. First, it has been found that fluoride dopants can be effectively and efficiently incorporated into the tin oxide-containing coating. In addition, such fluoride dopants act to provide tin oxide containing coatings with good electronic properties referred to above, morphology and stability.
Particularly useful dopant components for use in the zinc oxide products and process of the present invention are selected from aluminum, cobalt, gallium, titanium, indium, tin and germanium, particularly oxide forming dopant components, as well as zinc metal forming compounds and/or the use of such process condition which form dopant concentrations of zinc metal. Preferred dopant oxide precursors are set for above and include the halide, preferably the chlorides, organic complexes, such as low molecular weight organic acid salts, complexes, such as low molecular weight, ketone components, preferably 2,4, dienes, benzylates and the like. The preferred dopants are those that provide for optimum dopant oxide incorporation while minimizing dopant precursor losses, particularly under the preferred process condition as set forth herein. Oxides or suboxides can also be used where dopant incorporation is accomplished during the oxidation sintering contacting step.
The use of a dopant is an important feature of certain aspects of the present invention. First, it has been found that such dopants, particularly aluminum can be effectively and efficiently incorporated into the zinc oxide-containing coating. In addition, such dopants act to provide zinc oxide-containing coatings with good electronic properties referred to above, morphology and stability.
As set forth above, the reaction zone gas phase constituents can be adjusted to provide a reducing environment after the oxidation conditions within the reaction zone. Further, the reducing conditions can be at the tail end of the zone prior to the metal oxide coated particle substrates undergoing reaction quench and significantly lower temperatures. The use of the combination of controlled oxidation and reduction zones within the reaction zone and tail portion of the reaction zone can be particularly beneficial for creating defect structure with or without an interacting component for conductive zinc oxide coated substrates.
Any suitable conductivity compatible and/or enhancing component may be employed in the copper oxide product and processes of this invention. Such conductivity interacting component should provide sufficient stoichiometry so that the final copper oxide coating has the desired properties, e.g., electronic conductivity, stability, etc. Chloride, nitrate, sulfate, organic complexes as set forth above and their hydrate components are particularly useful additional components with oxide, peroxide and carbonates being also useful. Care should be exercised in choosing the additional component or components for use. For example, the components should be sufficiently compatible with oxide precursor such as cuprous chloride so that the desired conductive copper oxide coating can be formed.
The use of an additional component is an important feature of certain aspects of the present invention. First, it has been found that such components can be effectively and efficiently incorporated into the copper oxide-containing coating. In addition, such additional components act to provide copper oxide-containing coatings with excellent electronic properties referred to above, morphology and stability.
Any suitable interacting-forming component may be employed in the iron oxide products and processes of this invention. Such interactant forming component should provide a sufficient concentration so that the final iron oxide coating has the desired properties, e.g., magnetic, high permeability, stability, for example, nickel, manganese or zinc components. Preferred iron component oxide precursors are set for above and include the halide, preferably the chlorides, organic complexes, such as low molecular poly functional organic acids, complexes, such as low molecular weight, ketone components, preferably 2,4, ketones, benzylates and the like. The preferred interacting components are those that provide for optimum oxide incorporation while minimizing dopant precursor losses, particularly under the preferred process condition as set forth herein. Oxides or suboxides can also be used where dopant incorporation is accomplished during the oxidation sintering contacting step.
The use of an interactant component is an important feature of certain aspects of the present invention. First, it has been found that interactant components can be effectively and efficiently incorporated into the iron oxide-containing coating. In addition, such interactant components act to provide iron oxide-containing coatings with good magnetic properties referred to above, morphology and stability.
The liquid compositions, which include oxide precursor preferably also include the interactant component. In this embodiment, the interactant component or components are preferably soluble and/or dispersed homogeneously and/or atomizeable as part of the reactant mixture. Such mixtures are particularly effective since the amount of interactant component in the final metal oxide coating can be controlled by controlling the concentration in the reactant mixture. In addition, both the oxide precursor and interactant component are associated with the substrate in one step.
If stannous fluoride and/or stannic fluoride are used in tin oxide coatings, such fluorine components provide the dopant and are converted to tin oxide during the oxidizing agent/reaction mixture contacting step. This enhances the overall utilization of the coating components in the present process. Particularly useful compositions comprise about 50% to about 98%, more preferably about 70% to about 95%, by weight of stannous chloride and about 2% to about 50%, more preferably about 5% to about 30%, by weight of fluoride component, in particular stannous fluoride.
In addition, if zinc chlorides are used, such chloride components can provide the dopant and are converted to oxides during the oxidizing agent/reactant mixture contacting step. This enhances the overall utilization of the coating components in the present process. Particularly useful final zinc oxide compositions comprise about 0.1% to about 5%, more preferably about 0.5% to about 3%, by weight of dopant.
In addition, if cuprous chloride and yttrium chloride, and a barium oxide precursor (dispersed) are used, such components provide the conductivity stoichiometry and are converted to copper oxide during the oxidizing agent/reactant mixture contacting step. This enhances the overall utilization of the coating components in the present process. Particularly useful compositions produce a yttrium to barium to copper oxide ratio of 1,2,3 or 1,2,4.
A preferred class of superconductor coatings are the 1,2,3 and 1,2,4 superconductors of yttrium, barium and copper. In addition, thallium, barium, calcium and copper oxide in an atomic weight ratio of about 2,2,2,3 are also preferred. Bismuth based copper oxide conductors are further examples of conductors within the scope of this invention. The coating prepared by the process of this invention enhance the current carrying capability of the conductors, can reduce grain boundary current carring effects or provide improved control of oxidation and/or annealing conditions and uniformity, including the requisite atomic weight stoichiometry.
In addition, if chlorides or organic precursors of iron are used, such precursor components are converted to oxides during the oxidizing agent/reaction mixture contacting step. This enhances the overall utilization of the coating components in the present process.
The substrate including the oxide precursor and optionally the interactant is contacted with an oxidizing agent at conditions effective to convert oxide precursor to metal oxide, and preferably to form a conductive and/or ferro magnetic tin oxide and/or other coating on at least a portion of the substrate. Water, e.g., in the form of a controlled amount of humidity, is preferably present during the oxidizing agent contacting. This is in contrast with certain prior metal oxide coating methods which are conducted under anhydrous conditions. The presence of water during this contacting has been found to provide an oxide coating having excellent electrical properties particularly conductivity.
Any suitable oxidizing agent may be employed, provided that such agent functions as described herein. Preferably, the oxidizing agent (or mixtures of such agents) is substantially gaseous at the reactant mixture/oxidizing agent contacting conditions. The oxidizing agent preferably includes reducible oxygen, i.e., oxygen which is reduced in oxidation state as a result of the coated substrate/oxidizing agent contacting. More preferably, the oxidizing agent comprises molecular oxygen, singlet oxygen either alone or as a component of a gaseous mixture, e.g., air. As set forth above, it is preferred that water vapor be present in the reaction zone with the oxidizing agent. It has been found that the presence of water vapor enhances the overall oxidation hydrolysis reactions in the reaction zone and in addition can provide for improved oxidation and crystalline metal oxide containing coatings on the particle substrates.
The substrate may be composed of at least a part of any suitable inorganic material and may be in any suitable form. By the term suitable inorganic substrate is meant that the majority of the external surface of the particle substrate be inorganic, more preferably greater than about 75% and still more preferably greater than about 95% of the surface being inorganic. The internal core of the particle substrates can be organic, preferably organic polymers having high temperature thermal stability under the fast reaction temperature conditions in the reaction zone. The polymers can be thermoplastics or thermosets, preferably high temperature thermoplastics such as polyimides, polyamide-imides, polyetherimides, bismalemides, fluoroplastics such as polytetrafluoroethylene, ketone-based resins, polyphenylene sulfide, polybenzimidazole, aromatic polyesters, and liquid crystal polymers. Most preferred are imidized aromatic polyimide polymers, para-oxybenzoylhomopolyester and poly(para-oxybenzoylmethyl)ester. In addition polyolefines, particularly crystalline high molecular weight types can be used. The inorganic organic substrates can be prepared by precoating the organic substrate with an inorganic precoat as set forth below.
Preferably, the substrate is such so as to minimize or substantially eliminate deleterious substrate, coating reactions and/or the migration of ions and other species, particularly p-dopant type cations such as alkalai metal ion, if any, from the substrate to the metal oxide-containing coating which are deleterious to the functioning or performance of the coated substrate in a particular application. However, controlled substrate reaction which provides the requisite stoichiometry can be used and such process is within the scope of this invention. In addition, the substrate can be precoated to minimize ion migration, for example an alumina and/or a silica including a silicate precoat and/or to improve wetability and uniform distribution of the coating materials on the substrate. The precoats can comprise one or more members of a group of alumina, zirconium oxide, silica and other oxides such as tin oxide. The precoats can be deposited on the substrates including inorganic and organic core substrates using any suitable technique such as hydrolysis and precipitation of a soluble salt. In addition, the precoat process can be repeated in order to obtain a precoat thickness to for example minimize deleterious effects from cations contained in the substrate and/or improve the thermal barrier properties of the precoat in relationship to an organic core. The techniques for forming the precoat in general are similar to those set forth above for performing the precipitated liquid slurries and include precoat precursors to the final oxide precoat.
In addition to the above techniques for forming a precoat, the substrate particles, particularly the inorganic particles, can be processed in accordance with the process of this invention with a precoat forming material such as silicic acid or disilicic acid. In general, the precoat precursor would be combined with the substrate to form a precoat reaction mixture which is then subjected to process conditions in the reaction zone in order to obtain decomposition of the precursor precoat component on the substrate. It is contemplated within the scope of this invention that a multi stage process can be used, i.e. the first stage being a precoat of the substrate in the reaction zone using the various types of feeds similar to those set forth above which contain the metal oxide precursor and subjecting such feed to fast reaction elevated temperature conditions in a reaction zone to form the precoated substrate. The precoated substrate can be combined with the metal oxide precursor to be process and according to the process of this invention.
It has also been found that the substrate itself can be selectively melted at the surface to produce a precoat barrier layer, preferably a melt/resolidification coating, still more preferably a majority or even greater crystalline layer on the outer surface of the inorganic substrate. The selective melting of the surface of the inorganic substrate can provide both barrier properties as well as enhanced bondability of the metal oxide coating on the substrate, particularly with the formation of crystalline type surface coating as set forth above. The process for the selective melting of the surface of the inorganic substrate can be done in multiple process steps or in a single step in carrying out the process of this invention. For example, the selective melting of the external surface of the inorganic substrate can be done in a manner similar to the formation of a barrier coat as set forth above followed by incorporating the surface modified substrate along with the metal oxide precursor to form the reactant mixture. The reaction mixture is then processed according to the process of this invention. In addition the reactant mixture can be introduced into the reaction zone under conditions wherein the selective melting and resolidification of the surface of the inorganic substrate takes place, i.e. a single step process. It has been found that the inorganic substrate having a surface that has undergone selective melting, resolidification has unique properties when associated with the metal oxide coating. These improved properties can include enhanced barrier properties, bonding with the metal oxide coating and overall morphology stability.
In order to provide for controlled electrical conductivity in the conductive metal oxide coatings, it is preferred that the substrate be substantially non-electronically conductive and/or non-deleterious reactive and/or substantial non-magnetic when the coated substrate is to be used as a component/such as additive of an electric/electronic device, acoustic device and/or magnetic device. The substrate can be partially or completely inorganic, for example mineral, glass, ceramic and/or carbon. Examples of three dimensional substrates which can be coated using the present process include spheres, extrudates, flakes, fibers, aggregates, porous substrates, stars, irregularly shaped particles, tubes, such as having an average largest dimension of from about 0.05 microns to about 250 microns, more preferably from about 1 micron to about 75 microns.
A particularly unique embodiment of the present metal oxide coated particles is the ability to design a particular density for a substrate through the use of one or more open or closed cells, including micro and macro pores particularly, including cell voids in spheres which spheres are hereinafter referred to as hollow spheres. Thus such densities can be designed to be compatible and synergistic with other components used in a given application, particularly optimized for compatibility in liquid systems such as polymer film coating and composite compositions. The average particle density can vary over a wide range such as densities of from about 0.1 g/cc to about 2.00 g/cc, more preferably from about 0.13 g/cc to about 1.5 g/cc, and still more preferably from about 0.15 g/cc to about 0.80 g/cc.
A further unique embodiment of the present invention is the ability to selectively have a metal oxide on the outer surface area while limiting the metal oxide coating on the internal pore surface area of the substrate typically limiting the coating to at least about 10% noncoated internal pore surface area as a percentage of the total surface area of the substrate. Typically, the porous substrates will have a total surface area in the range of from about 0.01 to about 700 m2/gram of substrate, more typically from about 1 to about 100 m2/gram of substrate. Depending on the application such as for catalysts, the surface area may vary from about 10 to about 600 m2/gram of substrate.
As set forth above, porous substrate particles can be in many forms and shapes, especially shapes which are not flat surfaces, i.e., non line-of-site materials such as pellets, fiber like, beads, including spheres, flakes, aggregates, and the like. The percent apparent porosity, i.e., the volume of open pores expressed as a percentage of the external volume can vary over a wide range and in general, can vary from about 20% to about 92%, more preferably, from about 40% to about 90%. A particularly unique porous substrate is diatomite, a sedimentary rock composed of skeletal remains of single cell aquatic plants called diatoms typically comprising a major amount of silica. Diatoms are unicellular plants of microscopic size. There are many varieties that live in both fresh water and salt water. The diatom extracts amorphous silica from the water building for itself what amounts to a strong shell with highly symmetrical perforations. Typically the cell walls exhibit lacework patterns of chambers and partitions, plates and apertures of great variety and complexity offering a wide selection of shapes. Since the total thickness of the cell wall is in the micron range, it results in an internal structure that is highly porous on a microscopic scale. Further, the actual solid portion of the substrate occupies only from about 10-30% of the apparent volume leaving a highly porous material for access to liquid. The mean pore size diameter can vary over a wide range and includes macroporosity of from about 0.075 microns to 10 microns with typical micron size ranges being from about 0.5 microns to 15 about 5 microns. As set forth above, the diatomite is generally amorphous and can develop crystalline character during calcination treatment of the diatomite. For purposes of this invention, diatomite as produced or after subject to treatment such as calcination are included within the term diatomite.
The particularly preferred macroporous particles for use in this invention are diatomites obtained from fresh water and which have fiber-like type geometry. By the term fiberlike type geometry is meant that the length of the diatomite is greater than the diameter of the diatomite and in view appears to be generally cylindrical and/or fiber-like. It has been found that these fiber-like fresh water diatomites provide improved properties in coatings and composite applications.
As set forth above, substrates can be inorganic for example, carbon including graphite and/or an inorganic oxide. Typical examples of inorganic oxides which are useful as substrates include for example, substrates containing one or more silicate, aluminosilicate, silica, sodium borosilicate, insoluble glass, soda lime glass, soda lime borosilicate glass, silica alumina, titanium dioxide, mica, as well other such glasses, ceramics and minerals which are modified with, for example, another oxide such as titanium dioxide and/or small amounts of iron oxide.
Additional examples of substrates are wollastonite, titanates, such as potassium hexa and octa titanate, carbonates and sulfates of calcium and barium; borates such as aluminum borate, a natural occurring quartz and various inorganic silicates, clays, pyrophyllite and other related silicates.
A particularly unique coated three-dimensional substrate is a flake and/or fiber particle, such as having an average largest dimension, i.e. length of from about 0.1 micron to about 200 microns more preferably from about 1 micron to about 100 microns, and still more preferably from about 5 microns to about 75 microns, particularly wherein the aspect ratio, i.e., the average particle length divided by the thickness of the particle is from about five to one to about 200 to 1, more preferably from about 25 to 1 to about 200 to 1 and still more preferably, from about 50 to 1 to about 200 to 1. Generally, the particles will have a thickness varying from about 0.1 microns to about 15 microns, more preferably from about 0.1 micron to about 10 microns. The average length, i.e., the average of the average length plus average width of the particle, i.e., flake, will generally be within the aspect ratios as set forth above for a given thickness. Thus for example the average length as defined above can from about 1 micron to about 300 microns, more typically from about 20 microns to about 150 microns. In general, the average length can vary according to the type of substrate and the method used to produce the platelet material. For example, C glass in general has an average length which can vary from about 20 microns up to about 300 microns, typical thicknesses of from about 1.5 to about 15 microns. Other particle materials for example, hydrous aluminum silicate mica, in general can vary in length from about 5 to about 100 microns at typical thicknesses or from about 0.1 to about 7.0 microns, preferably within the aspect ratios set forth above. In practice the particles which are preferred for use in such applications in general have an average length less than about 300 microns and an average thickness of from about 0.1 to about 15 microns. Ceramic fibers are particularly useful substrates when the copper oxide coated substrate is to be used as a superconductor.
A particular unique advance in new products resulting from the process of this invention are the production of metal oxide coated nano particle substrates typically having an average particle size less than 1,000 nanometers, typically less than 500 and still typically less than 100 nanometers. In many applications the average particle size will be less than about 50 nanometers. The particle size distribution of the nano particle substrates are skewed towards the smaller particle size and typically have greater than 90%, often greater than 95% of the total number particles on a weight basis, less than 1,000 nanometers, typically less than 500 nanometers, and still more typically less than 100 nanometers. It has been discovered that the use of liquid slurry reaction mixtures particularly metal oxide precursor and optionally interacting component which are soluble in the slurry liquid are able to produce metal oxide coated nanosubstrates which vary in thickness from about 5% to about 75%, more preferably from about 10% to about 60% of the average thickness on the smallest dimension of the substrate particle, such as the thickness in a flake or the diameter in a fiber. The various physical and chemical properties of the substrates and coatings as set forth above are applicable to nanosubstrates. The significant advantage of the soluble metal oxide precursor and/or interacting component is the ability to provide the concentration of these coating forming components that produce the desired coating thickness on the nanosubstrates.
A particular unique substrate is referred to as swelling clays or smectites. These types of clays have a layered structure where in each layer can be treated to expand the spacing between layers such as to provide individual layers of the clay of vary small thicknesses such as from about 1 to 2 nanometers. The aspect ratios are significant particularly if the largest length extends to 1,000 nanometers. The spacing between the different sheets are called the gallery which are expanded upon treatment particularly with polar materials to provide for increased spacing between each sheet.
These phyllosilicates, such as smectite clays, e.g., sodium montmorillonite and calcium montmorillonite, can be treated with polar molecules, such as ammonium ions, to intercalate the molecules between adjacent, planar silicate layers, for intercalation of precursor between the layers, thereby substantially increasing the interlayer (interlaminar) spacing between the adjacent silicate layers. The thus-treated, interclalted phyllosilicates, having interlayer spacings of at least about 10-20. ANG. and up to about 100 .ANG., then can be exfoliated, e.g., the silicate layers are separated, e.g., mechanically, by high shear mixing. The individual layers have been found to substantially improve one or more properties of polymer coatings and composites, such as mechanical strength and/or high temperature characteristics.
Useful swellable layered materials include phyllosilicates, such as smectite clay minerals, e.g., montmorillonite, particularly sodium montmorillonite; magnesium montmorillonite and/or calcium montmorillonite; nontronite; beidellite; volkonskoite; hectorite; saponite; sauconite; sobockite; stevensite; svinfordite; vermiculite; and the like. Other useful layered materials include micaceous minerals, such as illite and mixed layered illite/smectite minerals, such as rectorite, tarosiovite, ledikite and admixtures of illites with the clay minerals set forth above.
As set forth above the reaction mixture can be in a powder form with the metal oxide precursor present on the surface of the substrate as has been illustrated above. The powders can be associated with the surface of the substrate by attraction through opposite static charges. In addition a binder can be associated with the metal oxide precursor powder, which enhances the association of the precursor powder with the substrate. The binder can be inorganic or organic. As set forth above, the binder should not introduce any substantial deleterious contaminants into the metal oxide coating or substantially adversely affect the overall film properties such as conductive or magnetic properties. The binders can be for example polymeric type such as polyvinylalcohol or polyvinylpyrrolidone. In addition, the binder can have both organic and inorganic functionality such as an organic silicate such as an ethyl silicate. In addition, the inorganic binders can be used such as calcium silicate, boric oxide and certain carbonate, nitrates and oxalates. In the case of organic binders it is preferred to use such organic binders that will be converted to a carbon oxide such as carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide under the process conditions in the reaction zone without leaving any substantial deleterious carbon contaminant associated with the metal oxide coated substrate. In addition, the use of organic binders can provide for a reducing atmosphere in a transition from oxidizing conditions to reducing conditions in the reactor zone or the exit of the reactor zone. It is preferred to use a binderless powder substrate reaction mixture in order to eliminate potential contaminant effects. When a binder is used, the concentration of the binder is such as to maintain the individual particle substrate integrity or if agglomeration does occur, to be easily converted to nonagglomerated particles through low severity mechanical processing such as ball milling.
The coated particles are particularly useful in a number of applications, particularly lead acid batteries, including conductivity additives for positive active material, catalysts, heating elements, electrostatic dissipation elements, electromagnetic interference shielding elements, electrostatic bleed elements, protective coatings, field dependent fluids, laser marking and the like. In practice spherical particles for use in applications in general have a roundness associated with such particles, generally greater than about 70% still more preferably, greater than about 85% and still more preferably, greater than about 95%. The spherical products offer particular advantages in many of such applications disclosed herein, including enhanced dispersion and rheology, particularly in various compositions such as polymer compositions, coating compositions, various other liquid and solid type compositions and systems for producing various products such as coatings and polymer composites.
The substrate for use in lead-acid batteries is acid resistant. That is, the substrate exhibits some resistance to corrosion, erosion and/or other forms of deterioration at the conditions present, e.g., at or near the positive plate, or positive side of the plates, in a lead-acid battery.
Ferrite is a generic term describing a class of magnetic oxide compounds that contain iron oxide as a major component. There are several crystal structure classes of compounds broadly defined as ferrites, such as spinel, magnetoplumbite, garnet, and perovskite structures.
Although there are many characterizations specific to a given application, one property is shared by all materials designed as ferrites, namely the existence of a spontaneous magnetization (a magnetic induction in the absence of an external magnetic field).
Any suitable matrix material or materials may be used in a composite with the metal oxide coated substrate. Preferably, the matrix material comprises a polymeric material, e.g., one or more synthetic polymers, more preferably an organic polymeric material. The polymeric material may be either a thermoplastic material or a thermoset material. Among the thermoplastics useful in the present invention are the polyolefins, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethylpentene and mixtures thereof; and poly vinyl polymers, such as polystyrene, polyvinylidene difluoride, combinations of polyphenylene oxide and polystyrene, and mixtures thereof. Among the thermoset polymers useful in the present invention are epoxies, phenol-formaldehyde polymers, polyesters, polyvinyl esters, polyurethanes, melamine-formaldehyde polymers, and urea-formaldehyde polymers.
In yet another embodiment, a metal oxide coated substrate including transition and tin metal oxide, preferably electronically conductive metal oxide, and optionally at least one additional catalyst component can be used as catalysts in an amount effective to promote a chemical reaction. Preferably, the additional catalyst component is a metal and/or a component of a metal effective to promote the chemical reaction. A particularly useful class of chemical reactions are those involving chemical oxidation or reduction. For example, an especially useful and novel chemical reduction includes the chemical reduction of nitrogen oxides, to minimize air pollution, with a reducing gas such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen and mixtures thereof. A particularly useful chemical oxidation application is a combustion, particularly catalytic combustion, wherein the oxidizable compounds, i.e., carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons are combusted to carbon dioxide and water. For example, catalytic converters are used for the control of exhaust gases from internal combustion engines and are used to reduce carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons from such engines. Of course, other chemical reactions, e.g., oxidative coupling of methane to alkanes and alkenes, hydrocarbon reforming, dehydrogenation, such as alkylaromatics to olefins, olefins to dienes, alcohols to ketones hydrodecyclization, isomerization, ammoxidation, such as with olefins, aldol condensations using aldehydes and carboxylic acids and the like, may be promoted using the present catalysts.
Any suitable additional catalyst component (or sensing component) may be employed, provided that it functions as described herein. Among the useful metal catalytic components and metal sensing components are those selected from components of the tins, the rare earth metals, certain other catalytic components and mixtures thereof, in particular catalysts containing gold, silver, copper, vanadium, chromium, cobalt molybdenum, tungsten, zinc, indium, the platinum group metals, i.e., platinum, palladium and rhodium, iron, nickel, manganese, cesium, titanium, etc. Although metal containing compounds may be employed, it is preferred that the metal catalyst component (and/or metal sensing component) included with the metal oxide coated substrates comprise elemental metal and/or metal in one or more active oxidized forms, for example, Cr2O3, Ag2O, etc.
The preferred substrate materials for catalysts include a wide variety of materials used to support catalytic species, particularly porous refractory inorganic oxides. These supports include, for example, alumina, silica, zirconia, magnesia, boria, phosphate, titania, ceria, thoria and the like, as well as multi-oxide type supports such as alumina-phosphorous oxide, silica alumina, zeolite modified inorganic oxides, e.g., silica alumina, and the like. As set forth above, support materials can be in many forms and shapes, especially porous shapes which are not flat surfaces. The catalyst materials can be used as is or further processed such as by sintering of powered catalyst materials into larger aggregates. The aggregates can incorporate other powders, for example, other oxides, to form the aggregates.
A particularly unique property of the ferro magnetic products of this invention is the ability to be able to separate and recover catalysts from solution and/or other non-magnetic or low permeability solids by magnetic separation. This is particularly advantageous in slurry catalysts, such as in liquid systems, such as hydrocarbon and/or aqueous and/or combination systems. This property allows separation including separation from other non-magnetic solids and separate catalyst regeneration if required.
In addition, the ability to vary coating thickness and substrate composition allows designing catalyst for a given density, a feature important in gravity separation processes.
The metal oxide coated/substrate of the present invention are useful in other applications as well. Among these other applications are included porous membranes, heating elements, electrostatic dissipation elements, electromagnetic interference shielding elements, protective coatings, field dependent fluids and the like.
In another embodiment, the porous membrane comprises a porous organic matrix material, e.g., a porous polymeric matrix material, and a metal oxide-containing material in contact with at least a portion of the porous organic matrix material. With the organic matrix material, the metal oxide-containing material may be present in the form of a porous inorganic substrate, having a metal oxide-containing coating, e.g., an electronically conductive and/or ferro magnetic metal oxide-containing coating, thereon.
In addition, an electrostatic dissipation/electromagnetic interference shielding element is provided which comprises a three dimensional substrate, e.g., an inorganic substrate, having an electrically conductive and/or ferromagnetic transition metal oxide-containing coating on at least a portion of all three dimensions thereof. The coated substrate is adapted and structured to provide at least one of the following: electrostatic dissipation and/or bleed and electromagnetic interference shielding.
A very useful application for the products of this invention is for static, for example, electrostatic, dissipation and shielding, particularly for polymeric parts, and more particularly as a means for effecting static dissipation including controlled static discharge and dissipation such as used in certain electro static painting processes and/or electric field absorption in parts, such as parts made of polymers and the like, as described herein. The present products can be incorporated directly into the polymer or a carrier such as a cured or uncured polymer based carrier or other liquid, as for example in the form of a liquid, paste, hot melt, film and the like. These product/carrier based materials can be directly applied to parts to be treated to improve overall performance effectiveness. A heating cycle is generally used to provide for product bonding to the parts. A particularly unexpected advantage is the improved mechanical properties, especially compared to metallic additives which may compromise mechanical properties. In addition, the products of this invention can be used in molding processes to allow for enhanced static dissipation and/or shielding properties of polymeric resins relative to an article or device or part without such product or products, and/or to have a preferential distribution of the product or products at the surface of the part for greater volume effectiveness within the part.
The particular form of the products, i.e., fibers, flakes, irregularly shaped and/or porous particles, or the like, is chosen based upon the particular requirements of the part and its application, with one or more of flakes, fibers and particles, including spheres, being preferred for polymeric parts. In general, it is preferred that the products of the invention have a largest dimension, for example, the length of fiber or particle or side of a flake, of less than about 300 microns, more preferably less than about 150 microns and still more preferably less than about 100 microns. It is preferred that the ratio of the longest dimension, for example, length, side or diameter, to the shortest dimension of the products of the present invention be in the range of about 500 to 1 to about 10 to 1, more preferably about 250 to 1 to about 25 to 1. The concentration of such product or products in the product/carrier and/or mix is preferably less than about 60 weight %, more preferably less than about 40 weight %, and still more preferably less than about 20 weight %. A particularly useful concentration is that which provides the desired performance while minimizing the concentration of product in the final article, device or part.
The products of this invention find particular advantage in static dissipation parts, for example, parts having a surface resistivity in the range of about 104 ohms/square to about 1012 ohms/square. In addition, those parts generally requiring shielding to a surface resistivity in the range of about 1 ohm/square to about 105 ohms/square and higher find a significant advantage for the above products due to their mechanical properties and overall improved polymer compatibility, for example, matrix bonding properties as compared to difficult to bond metal and carbon-based materials. A further advantage of the above products is their ability to provide static dissipation and/or shielding in adverse environments such as in corrosive water and/or electro galvanic environments. As noted above, the products have the ability to absorb as well as to reflect electro fields. The unique ability of the products to absorb allows parts to be designed which can minimize the amount of reflected electro fields that is given off by the part. This latter property is particularly important where the reflected fields can adversely affect performance of the part.
In addition to the above described applications, zinc oxide is particularly useful in applications which require a large electro mechanical coupling coefficient, such as transducers in surface acoustic wave devices and microwave delay lines and various other acoustic and piezo devices. Such properties also have applications in telephone equipment, strain gauges, acoustic optical devices, i.e., laser deflectors and Fourier transform devices.
The potential applications for superconducting materials include large-scale, passive application such as shields or waveguides, superconductors screen or reflect electromagnetic radiation and uses range from coatings on microwave cavities to shielding against electromagnetic pulses and bearings. Repulsive forces of superconductors excluding magnetic fields provide for noncontact bearings.
In addition, high-current, high-field, applications include magnetic imaging/scientific equipment, such as, Superconducting magnets for nuclear magnetic resonance and imaging spectrometers and particle accelerators; Magnetic separation, such as, magnets used for separation and purification of steel scrap, clays, ore streams, stack gases, and desulfurizing coal.
Magnetic levitation such as high-speed train systems; electromagnetic launch systems which can accelerate objects at high velocity. Possible uses include rapidly repeatable, i.e., earth satellite launching, aircraft catapults, and small guns for military uses.
Other magnet applications include powerful magnets in compact synchrotrons for electronic thin-film lithography, crystal growth, magnetohydrodynamic energy conversion systems, and ship propulsion by superconducting motors or by electromagnetic fields. Other high current high field applications include electric power transmission, such as, transmission cables, carrying more current than conventional conductors without loss. Such conductors must be mechanically rugged and operate under high field and high current conditions; energy storage, such as, large superconducting magnetic coils buried in the ground that can store vast amounts of electrical energy, without power loss, in persistent, circulating currents; load leveling for utilities and as power sources for military systems such as pulsed lasers; generators and motors, such as, low-temperature system operating with liquid helium. Motors can be used in ship propulsion, railway engines, and helicopters.
In the area of electronics, applications include passive devices, such as, high-speed wire interconnects in electronic circuits, digital devises, such as, superconducting components, based on Josephson junctions, to be used as switches or in computer logic and memory. In addition, the potential for hybridized semiconductor/superconductor electronic devices may provide yet unknown applications and devices; sensors, such as, superconducting quantum interference devices, SQUIDs) made from Josephson junctions which are extremely sensitive detectors of electromagnetic signals. Low-temperature SQUIDs are used in biomedical, geophysical, and submarine or airplane detection, infrared and microwave sensors.
Other devices include analog-to-digital convertors, voltage standards, signal processors, microwave mixers, filters, and amplifiers.
The copper oxide coated substrate, such as the 1,2,3 and 1,2,4 copper oxide coated substrate, of the present invention may be, for example, a component itself or a component of a composite together with one or more matrix materials. The composites may be such that the matrix material or materials substantially totally encapsulate or surround the coated substrate, or a portion of the coated substrate may extend away from the matrix material or materials.
The iron oxide/substrate combinations, including Fe3O4, e.g., the iron oxide coated substrates, of the present invention are useful in other applications as well.
The applications for the spinel ferrites can be grouped into several main categories: main cores, and linear, power, and recording-head applications.
Magnetic-core memories are based on switching small turoidal cores of spinel ferrite between two stable magnetic states. Such core memories are used in applications where ruggedness and reliability are necessary, e.g., military applications.
The linear or low signal applications are those in which the magnetic field in the ferrite is well below the saturation level and the relative magnetic permeability can be considered constant over the operating conditions.
The manganese-zinc-ferrite materials characteristically have higher relative permeabilities, higher saturation magnetization, lower losses, and lower resistivities. Since the ferromagnetic resonance frequency is directly related to the permeability the usual area of application is below 2 MHz.
At low signal levels, ferrite cores are used as transformers, low frequency and pulse transformers, or low energy inductors. As inductors, the manganese-zinc-ferrites find numerous applications in the design of telecommunications equipments where they must provide a specific inductance over specific frequency and temperature ranges. Nickel-zinc-ferrites with lower saturation magnetization, generally lower relative magnetic permeabilities, and lower resistivities (106.cm), produce ferromagnetic resonance effects at much higher frequencies than the manganese-zinc-ferrites. They find particular application at frequencies from 1 to 70 MHz (46).
By adjustment of the nickel-zinc ratio it is possible to prepare a series of materials covering the relative permeability range of 10-2000. These rods, high frequency power transformers, and pulse transformers. A variety of materials have been developed to serve these applications.
The lower magnetic losses of ferrite materials and its higher resistance (10 ohm.cm) compared with laminated transformer steel permits ferrite cores to be used as the transformer element in high frequency power supplies. Commonly known as switched-mode power supplies, they operate at a frequency of 15-30 kHz and offer higher efficiencies and smaller size than comparable laminated steel transformers.
Television and audio applications include yoke rings for the deflection coils for television picture tubes, flyback transformers, and various convergence and pincushion intortion corrections, as well as antenna rods.
Manganese-zinc and nickel-zinc-spinel ferrites are used in magnetic recording heads for duplicating magnetic tapes and the recording of digital information. Most recording heads are fabricated from polycrystalline nickel-zinc-ferrite for operating frequencies of 100 kHz to 2.5 GHz.
The unique properties of hexagonal ferrites are low density, and high coercive force.
The ceramic magnet can be used in d-c permanent magnet motors, especially in automotive applications, such window life, flower, and windshield-wiper motors.
Other grades of barium and strontium ferrite material have been developed for similar applications.
Other applications of hexagonal ferrites are used in self-resonant isolators where the strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy permits a resonator without laded-c magnetic biasing fields.
Hexagonal ferrites are also used as magnetic biasing components in magnetic bubble memories. | {
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(i) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an agenda system variously known heretofore as a calendar or diary.
(ii) Description of the Prior Art
Such calendars or diaries generally comprise a book having a marginal index number corresponding to the days of the month. The pages under each number of the index are divided into twelve sections, bearing the designation of the successive months and also the day of the week corresponding to the day of the month represented by the index, e.g. as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 1,368,672, patented Feb. 15, 1921 by G. Wilkinson. A salient feature of such diaries was that entires when made were permanently inscribed in the diary and could not conveniently be transferred to another location.
Attempts have been made to minimize the re-scribing of entries in a diary or other permanent record or chart. For example, Dazey in U.S. Pat. No. 3,115,351 patented Dec. 24, 1963, provided a solicitation kit for fund raising drives. The Dazey invention provided a multisheet individual contributor's pad where carbonized paper was employed and in which a single printing of the individual contributor's name provided various sheets that could be used on the material that would provide a record of the worker's name contacting the contributor, and would further provide a record of the periodic intended contribution of the contributor, as well as a receipt form.
Strom, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,915, patented Jan. 4, 1977, provided a consumer diary. The Strom invention provided a diary and reporting device which had a folder with top and bottom covers hinged together. When opened flat, an information entry sheet composed of a general data section or zone and an item data zone was exposed. The item data zone was keyed or indexed to data entry guide book pages for instructions as to what data to enter for each type of item reported. An entry index facilitated use of the guide book. All components of the folder were removable and/or replaceable, as by means of tabs or edges on each item engaging cooperating slots or pockets in the folder cover, to facilitate regular reporting and periodic changes in the survey information to be gathered.
Lockhart, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,129, patented June 26, 1979, provided a pharmaceutical record and label system. In one embodiment of the Lockhard invention, a backing sheet capable of storing information relative to pharmaceutical perscriptions had a first series of adhesively-backed pharmaceutical prescription label segments removably secured thereto, each label segment having formatted zones thereon for facilitating entry of typed information and accommodating simultaneous transfer of typewriter impressions to the backing sheet. A second series of supplemental data segments on the backing sheet provide for recording of supplementary information with respect of each label segment contemporaneously with the typing of the label segment. After removal of a prescription label segment from the backing sheet, the backing sheet had stored thereon both the formatted information as entered on the label segment, and necessary supplemental data so as to facilitate computerized pharmaceeutical accounting.
Pendergrass, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,017 patented Aug. 23, 1983, provided an integrated budget and check record book. In the patented register for recording budget items and check items, the register had a first plurality of sheets for recording budget items and a second plurality of sheets for recording check items wherein at least a portion of the second plurality of sheets was also reserved for recording a budget category. The first and second plurality of sheets were secured for movement about a central axis in book-like fashion and were independently movable with respect to each other for permitting alignment of longitudinal lines contained on the first plurality of sheets with longitudinal lines contained on the second plurality of sheets.
Martin, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,958, patented Dec. 25, 1984, provided a personal time management instrument. In the patented instrument, a sheet for personal time management was provided with an activity section and a calendar section to provide an entire week's scheduled activities over the same working hours each day. A plurality of such sheets could be incorporated into a book so as to provide a permanent record on a day-to-day basis of what was planned to be done and what had been done. The activity section had a wide vertical column with horizontal lines to define spaces in which an activity may be written. The calendar section had vertical subcolumns, one of which designated each day in the time period, while the other contained blocks which were subdivided to designate sequential times in a day.
Other proposed solutions to this problem have been suggested in the form of auxiliary sheets which could be adhesively secured to various areas of preprinted sheets. For example, Osborne, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,979,283, patented Nov. 6, 1934, provided an accounting system. In the Osborne system, a chart was divided into numbered rows, or columns, and coupons were furnished which were adapted to be secured to the chart with the coupons arranged in rows at right angles to the numbered rows, the various coupons in any row overlapping shingle-wise, so that each attached coupon became associated with a certain specific numbered row or column. Thus, if the first-mentioned rows or columns were numbered from unity consecutively, the number at the head of the last column in which a coupon was attached indicated the number of coupon row. Each coupon was formed with dried adhesive on a portion of the back thereof adjacent one end for a region corresponding to the width of a numbered column. The matter it represented, was printed or written on the face of the coupon. Near the opposite end from the gummed region, the rate or other numeral on which the computation was to be based was printed on the face. When such coupons were secured to the chart, in a horizontal row, for instance, the coupons of the same rate being arranged in the same row, and overlapping each other so that each successive coupon was attached in a succeeding vertical column, then the total amount for any particular row of coupons would be the product of the rate on the coupon times the number at the head of the column to which the last coupon was attached.
Johnson, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,470, patented Sept. 26, 1978, provided a medical information form for a plurality of individual reports. The patented form included a base or carrier sheet which was selectively coated with pressure sensitive adhesive which was concealed by a protective removable release sheet. The release sheet was subdivided into a plurality of interconnected, independently-removable panels, each of which concealed an area of the base or carrier sheet and a portion of the adhesive pattern which was to be occupied by a single report.
Another and significantly different attempted solution to the problem was provided by Townsend, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,070,084, patented Aug. 12, 1912, as a so-called procrastenator's calendar. In that invention, a calendar was provided which included separate extra memorandum pads in connection with the calendar which were independent of the divisions of time insofar as the memoranda on the pads may remain in sight regardless of the disposal made of the sheets of the main calendar pad as time elapsed. Hence, it was said to be possible to keep the memoranda in sight until the different matters referred to therein were attended to, regardless of the lapse of time. | {
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The present embodiments relate to a local coil for a magnetic resonance device.
In magnetic resonance, the use of proximal receiving antennas (e.g., local coils), which may also be embodied for transmission purposes, is known in order to record receiving signals that are spatially close to a patient. After a low-noise preamplification by a low noise amplifier (LNA) and, if necessary, further preprocessing for further evaluation, the recorded signals are wire routed to receive electronics. The receive electronics may form part of a control device, for example. The magnetic resonance signals are evaluated further at the control device, and an image is generated.
A problem with local coils of this type is the cable, where several disadvantages exist. For safety reasons, the cables are provided with shell-type surge blockers in order to avoid burning a patient as a result of high-frequency sheath currents and electrical or thermal coupling with the patient. The cables are also manually tailored to a specific use/a specific magnetic resonance device and therefore also represent an essential factor with regard to price. The cables are disadvantageous in a workflow, since the cables require a measurable part of the time taken for patient preparation. The cables with the shell-type surge blockers that are placed on the patient are perceived as unpleasant and restrictive. | {
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Semiconductor processing often requires spacers for ion implantation. Spacers have been used in process steps, such as transistor lightly-doped drain (LDD) formation and source/drain implantation. LDDs are utilized to reduce hot electron effects in MOS devices. These structures absorb some of the potential in the drain and reduce the resulting electric field. Reducing the electric field also reduces hot electron-induced gate currents, increasing device stability.
In the past, nitride and oxide materials have been utilized for LDD fabrication spacers. Two source/drain implantations are done after formation of a gate. Source/drain regions immediately adjacent to the gate are lightly-doped, and source/drain regions farther from the gate are heavily-doped. Spacers are formed alongside the gate after a light source/drain implantation. Then, a second ion implantation forms heavily-doped regions within the already implanted source/drain regions, farther from the gate. However, spacers can be formed prior to the light source/drain implantation. Then, the source/drain region is heavily-doped with an implantation adjacent to the spacers. Subsequently, the spacers are removed and a lightly-doped implant region is formed adjacent to the gate.
Oxide spacers are often utilized in the formation of self-aligned source/drain regions in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices. Self-aligned source/drain silicide (salicide) films are utilized to decrease circuit resistance in devices. As devices shrink, circuit resistance increases. Furthermore, sheet resistivity of shallow-junctions of source/drain regions also increases. Therefore, saliciding processes attempt to overcome this increased resistance. Spacers are formed alongside the gate after source/drain implantation. Then, a refractory metal silicide is formed alongside the spacers. Silicide can be formed in a variety of ways, such as by depositing a layer of refractory metal and annealing, or depositing a refractory metal silicide. Subsequent contacts to the silicided source/drain regions have decreased resistance throughout the contact area.
The common process flow to form a spacer is first to deposit a conformal film, like oxide or nitride, followed by a dry etch. Due to the dry etch process step, the silicon substrate and gate oxide integrity may be degraded. As a result, damaged layers will etch at a faster rate, undesirably altering the thickness of the layers. Another limitation of using oxide or nitride for spacer material is that such layers are often deposited using a high temperature deposition step, which may cause undesirable dopant migration, reflow at undesired times, or other unwanted effects in surrounding device areas. Another problem with using oxide and nitride films for spacer material is that they may not always be removed after the implantation step. Ions implanted into such layers diffuse during subsequent thermal process steps. Thus, if such layers are not of adequate thicknesses, it is hard to control the diffusion of unwanted impurities into device regions masked by the spacers.
There is a need for a spacer material which does not subject surrounding device regions to implantation damage or damage caused by dry etching to form the spacer, as in the case of oxides and nitrides. There is a need for a spacer, which is easy to define on a substrate without the need for precise masking steps. There is a further need for a spacer material that does not require high temperature deposition and is easily removed after its use. | {
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When printing with a laser printer, once the printer starts to move the paper, it cannot stop. Therefore, the image rendering computer in the laser printer must provide the raster information as fast as the laser needs the information to keep-up with the paper. This may pose a problem when a printer must print a complex page such as one containing Asian characters. With present technology of laser printers, all of the unique characters to be printed for a given page are rendered and placed into a "font cache." Also, before a page is committed to the laser, all of the characters used in the following page are cached. As the page is exposed, the characters are pulled out of the cache and then placed in the proper place in memory. This requires sufficient memory for a font cache to store each unique character.
The maximum number of characters on an A3 page can approach 5000. Not all these characters are unique. With many languages, the number of unique characters may actually be relatively small, somewhere on the order of 50 to 100. However with some languages such as Japanese Kanji, which includes Katakana and Hirafiana, it is estimated that a font cache of 1800-2000 characters is required to obtain a "reasonable" font cache hit rate. Also, Chinese characters, and other Asian characters could include over 2000 unique characters. Other languages such as Arabic may also have a high number of unique characters.
The amount of space consumed by a 12 point, 600 dpi character is approximately 1600 bytes. Therefore, a font cache of 3.2 megabyte (2000 characters) is required to support printing an A3 page in the Asian market.
An alternative approach to this problem is to render the characters as the page is being exposed. This is commonly called "racing the laser." This typically requires a new method to render the characters as present formatters render between 6 and 40 Asian characters per second. These numbers are expected to only double with the next generation formatters. To obtain significant improvements usually implies a hardware solution for rendering characters. However, even hardware solutions may not have the bandwidth to process the worst case page. The problem comes in trying to process a "strip" of a page that has too many characters. Such a strip will be overrun by the laser.
Therefore the primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a method that brings the elements of a partial font cache, and a high speed rendering process together to print complex Asian pages quickly with reduced memory requirements. | {
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The present invention relates generally to clock and data recovery circuits and, more particularly, to clock and data recovery circuits operable without an external reference clock.
Some communication systems transmit data serially over a channel such as a fiber optic cable. A transmitter in a serial communication system transmits data in a data signal with clocking information signaled implicitly by the timing of transitions in the data signal. A receiver recovers both the transmitted data and a corresponding clock signal. Circuitry in the receiver performing such operations is often termed a clock and data recovery circuit or more commonly a CDR. The clock and data recovery circuit commonly includes voltage-controlled oscillators, phase detectors, charge pumps, filters, and other circuitry of an analog or quasi-analog nature.
Many clock and data recovery circuits operate using a reference clock signal, for example, to aid in clock recovery by having a reference clock signal with a frequency close to some sub-multiple of the data rate. The reference clock signal may be used to tune or reduce an operating frequency range of circuitry in the clock and data recovery circuit. The reference clock signal often comes from a reference clock in the form of a crystal oscillator or similar precision source. Provisioning of the reference clock may be expensive, occupy a large space, or have other undesirable impacts.
In some applications, serial data may be received at different data rates with the receiver operating at corresponding different frequencies. In such applications, a CDR may be provided with multiple reference clock signals, one for each data rate, sourced from multiple reference clocks. This may substantially increase the expense of or space required for clock and data recovery circuits using external reference clock signals. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system, particularly to an image forming system including a stencil printer or other such image forming apparatus and any of various sheet after-processing apparatuses connected to the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sheet after-processing apparatuses that are combined with an image forming apparatus such as a stencil printer to constitute an image forming system include, for example, sorters for collating and stapling the printed sheets after printing. Among the operating modes using a sorter are included:
(1) Sort mode in which printed sheets are successively sorted by page into multiple sorter bins to produce printed documents, pamphlets, books or the like. PA1 (2) Group mode in which multiple documents are sorted into groups and stored in bins to carry out multiple sorting by document of (sheets.times.groups). PA1 (3) Dry mode in which printed sheets are sequentially distributed into multiple bins one by one to reduce the amount of transfer printing to the backs of the overlaid sheets. PA1 an image forming apparatus for forming desired images on sheets and discharging the image-formed sheets, PA1 a sheet after-processing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus and capable of after-processing the image-formed sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus in any of multiple operating modes, PA1 mode selection means for selecting a sheet after-processing operating mode of the sheet after-processing apparatus, PA1 detection means for detecting presence of sheets stored in the sheet after-processing apparatus, and PA1 control means responsive to detection by the sheet detection means of presence in the sheet after-processing apparatus of sheets stored in a certain mode for disabling operation of the image forming apparatus when an operating mode using the sheet after-processing apparatus that is different from the certain mode is selected by the mode selection means. PA1 an image forming apparatus for forming desired images on sheets and discharging the image-formed sheets, PA1 a sheet after-processing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus and capable of after-processing the image-formed sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus in any of multiple operating modes, PA1 mode selection means for selecting a sheet after-processing operating mode of the sheet after-processing apparatus, PA1 detection means for detecting presence of sheets stored in the sheet after-processing apparatus, and PA1 notification means responsive to detection by the sheet detection means of presence in the sheet after-processing apparatus of sheets stored in a certain mode for issuing an error notice when an operating mode using the sheet after-processing apparatus that is different from the certain mode is selected by the mode selection means.
Operation is also possible in a non-sort mode in which printed sheets are discharged directly onto a sheet output tray without being collated. As the sheet output tray is attached to the image forming apparatus, the non-sort mode can be used to conduct image forming operation even when the sorter is inoperable. Stapling is an operation ordinarily conducted in sort mode.
One problem with such a sorter is that after a first batch of printed sheets has been sorted in one mode, a second batch may be sorted on top of the first in another mode. For instance, printed sheets may be sorted in group mode on top of printed sheets collated in sort mode. This makes the collated printed sheets useless and also causes them to get mixed in with the printed sheets sorted on top of them and the operator has to go to considerable extra work to separate the printed sheets manually.
When an error arises in the sorter, such as when the sorter door is not properly closed, the sorter remains inoperable even after sort mode is selected. To conduct printing, therefore, it is necessary to change the selected mode to one that does not use the sorter, i.e., to non-sort mode. | {
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Vacuum deposition is a common method for coating metals such as aluminum, copper, zinc, and tin onto various substrates of metal, glass and plastic. The metal is vaporized in a vessel commonly referred to as a "vaporization boat" by electric resistance heating. The vessel is connected to a source of electrical power to heat the vessel to a temperature which will cause the metal charge in contact with the boat to vaporize. Typically, the product is placed in an evacuated chamber within which the metal is vaporized. The product may be fed individually or continuously into the chamber or, alternatively, may form part of the chamber itself. A wide variety of product is coated with metal using vapor deposition including, e.g., television picture tubes, automobile headlights, toys and the like.
The metal charge is placed in a cavity recess machined into the top surface of the vessel. Upon reaching the vaporization temperature of the metal the metal charge melts and quickly vaporizes. The charge flashes in a vigorous and abrupt manner and the process is repeated with a new charge of metal. The number of flashes which can be performed in a given time period controls product production. Accordingly, the number of flashes a vessel can sustain without failure is a critical performance characteristic of the process. Conversely, when failure occurs the parts being coated are scrapped or have to be redone which involves additional time and cost. To avoid this extra cost the vaporization vessel may be discarded before anticipated failure. A vaporization vessel with a short lifetime increases the production cost per part and reduces efficiency. | {
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1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to storage containers for medical devices, and more particularly to a storage container for a long, flexible medical implement, such as a catheter, and related medical devices, as well as an instruction manual included therewith.
2. Background Art
Medical devices, including surgical instruments, supplies, and so forth, are generally shipped from manufacturer to medical services provider in sterile packaging. For example, a scalpel may be shipped to a surgeon in a plastic, vacuum-sealed, sterile package. Similarly, bandages may be shipped in paper, plastic, or paper composite sterile wrappers. When the medical services provider is ready to use the medical supply, the sterile package is removed. The medical services provider then uses the object in accordance with the procedure being performed.
While conventional packaging works well for objects having a generally unchanging form factor, special considerations have to be taken into consideration for some medical supplies. By way of example, catheter assemblies and other flexible equipment is generally shipped in a coiled configuration. Once the sterile packaging is removed, the catheter must be uncoiled prior to use. Care must be taken in shipping, unwrapping, and using the catheter. For instance, if a catheter is inadvertently bent, kinked, or otherwise damaged, it may no longer be suitable for use. Compounding this issue, catheters are available in a variety of lengths ranging from 100 centimeters to over 250 centimeters.
Traditional catheters are packaged, for example, in individual packaging. The catheter and card are then sealed in a sterile plastic wrap. These catheters are prone to damage in shipment, storage, and when being unpacked, as the card and wrap provide little physical protection.
Some manufacturers have started shipping catheters and other similar devices in flat plastic trays. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,121 to McGlinch teaches one such tray. The tray has several specifically contoured loops such that one universal tray will accommodate several different sized catheters. Such packaging presents a problem, however, in that large amounts of storage space are taken with a universal tray, especially when a relatively short catheter is shipped therein. Additionally, when in use, these trays occupy large amounts of a medical service provider's sterile workspace or table, leaving little room for related components, such as lubricants, fluid bags, and so forth.
There is thus a need for an improved container for flexible medical devices or catheters that facilitates more effective and simpler deployment of the device during a procedure.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. | {
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This invention relates to electronic circuits for controlling voltage, and more particularly relates to low power circuits for controlling voltage.
Numerous applications exist where it is necessary to have a controlled voltage and/or a constant voltage. In addition, low power consumption of circuits has in recent years become a matter of particular focus, as more and more electronic devices are being made portable, thereby having to rely on battery power. A number of circuits provide relatively low power controlled and/or constant voltage, but there is a need for improvement in gate count and overall power consumption.
The present invention provides a charge pump circuit. The circuit includes an input node for receiving a clock signal having cycles. The charge pump circuit includes a pump circuit coupled to the input node, including a first capacitor and having an output node coupled to a second capacitor, the pump circuit operating to provide a predetermined charge the second capacitor in response to a cycle of the clock signal. The predetermined charge corresponds to the amount of charge accumulated on the first capacitor during the cycle of the clock signal.
These and other features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention, taken together with the accompanying drawings. | {
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In order to secure passenger safety upon collision and to improve fuel efficiency by reducing the weight of automotive bodies, high-strength steel sheets having a tensile strength (TS) of 780 MPa or more, and reduced in thickness, have been increasingly applied to automobile structural members. Further, in recent years, examination has been made of applications of ultra-high-strength steel sheets with 980 MPa and 1180 MPa grade TS.
In general, however, strengthening of steel sheets leads to deterioration in formability. It is thus difficult to achieve both increased strength and excellent formability. Therefore, it is desirable to develop steel sheets with increased strength and excellent formability.
In addition, strengthening of steel sheets and reducing the thickness significantly deteriorates the shape fixability of the steel sheets. To address this problem, a press mold design is widely used that takes into consideration the amount of geometric change after release from the press mold as predicted at the time of press forming.
However, the amount of geometric change is predicted on the basis of TS, and accordingly increased variation in TS of steel sheets results in the predicted value of geometric change deviating more markedly from the amount of actual geometric change, inducing malformation. Such steel sheets suffering malformation require adjustments after subjection to press forming, such as sheet metal working on individual steel sheets, significantly decreasing mass production efficiency. Accordingly, there is a demand for minimizing variation in TS of steel sheets.
To meet this demand, for example, JP2004218025A (PTL 1) describes a high-strength steel sheet with excellent workability and shape fixability comprising: a chemical composition containing, in mass %, C: 0.06% or more and 0.60% or less, Si+Al: 0.5% or more and 3.0% or less, Mn: 0.5% or more and 3.0% or less, P: 0.15% or less, and S: 0.02% or less; and a microstructure that contains tempered martensite: 15% or more by area to the entire microstructure, ferrite: 5% or more and 60% or less by area to the entire microstructure, and retained austenite: 5% or more by volume to the entire microstructure, and that may contain bainite and/or martensite, wherein a ratio of the retained austenite transforming to martensite upon application of a 2% strain is 20% to 50%.
JP2011195956A (PTL 2) describes a high-strength thin steel sheet with excellent elongation and hole expansion formability, comprising: a chemical composition containing, in mass %, C: 0.05% or more and 0.35% or less, Si: 0.05% or more and 2.0% or less, Mn: 0.8% or more and 3.0% or less, P: 0.0010% or more and 0.1000% or less, S: 0.0005% or more and 0.0500% or less, and Al: 0.01% or more and 2.00% or less, and the balance consisting of iron and incidental impurities; and a metallographic structure that includes a dominant phase of ferrite, bainite, or tempered martensite, and retained austenite in an amount of 3% or more and 30% or less, wherein at a phase interface at which the austenite comes in contact with ferrite, bainite, and martensite, austenite grains that satisfy Cgb/Cgc>1.3 are present in an amount of 50% or more, where Cgc is a central carbon concentration and Cgb is a carbon concentration at grain boundaries of austenite grains.
JP201090475A (PTL 3) describes “a high-strength steel sheet comprising a chemical composition containing, in mass %, C: more than 0.17% and 0.73% or less, Si: 3.0% or less, Mn: 0.5% or more and 3.0% or less, P: 0.1% or less, S: 0.07% or less, Al: 3.0% or less, and N: 0.010% or less, where Si+Al is 0.7% or more, and the balance consisting of Fe and incidental impurities; and a microstructure that contains martensite: 10% or more and 90% or less by area to the entire steel sheet microstructure, retained austenite content: 5% or more and 50% or less, and bainitic ferrite in upper bainite: 5% or more by area to the entire steel sheet microstructure, wherein the steel sheet satisfies conditions that 25% or more of the martensite is tempered martensite, a total of the area ratio of the martensite to the entire steel sheet microstructure, the retained austenite content, and the area ratio of the bainitic ferrite in upper bainite to the entire steel sheet microstructure is 65% or more, and an area ratio of polygonal ferrite to the entire steel sheet microstructure is 10% or less, and wherein the steel sheet has a mean carbon concentration of 0.70% or more in the retained austenite and has a tensile strength (TS) of 980 MPa or more.
JP2008174802A (PTL 4) describes a high-strength cold-rolled steel sheet with a high yield ratio and having a tensile strength of 980 MPa or more, the steel sheet comprising, on average, a chemical composition that contains, by mass %, C: more than 0.06% and 0.24% or less, Si: 0.3% or less, Mn: 0.5% or more and 2.0% or less, P 0.06% or less, S: 0.005% or less, Al: 0.06% or less, N 0.006% or less, Mo: 0.05% or more and 0.50% or less, Ti: 0.03% or more and 0.2% or less, and V: more than 0.15% and 1.2% or less, and the balance consisting of Fe and incidental impurities, wherein the contents of C, Ti, Mo, and V satisfy 0.8≤(C/12)/{(Ti/48)+(Mo/96)+(V/51)}≤1.5, and wherein an area ratio of ferrite phase is 95% or more, and carbides containing Ti, Mo, and V with a mean grain size of less than 10 nm are diffused and precipitated, where Ti, Mo, and V contents represented by atomic percentage satisfy V/(Ti+Mo+V)≥0.3.
JP2010275627A (PTL 5) describes a high-strength steel sheet with excellent workability comprising a chemical composition containing, in mass %, C: 0.05% or more and 0.30% or less, Si: 0.01% or more and 2.50% or less, Mn: 0.5% or more and 3.5% or less, P: 0.003% or more and 0.100%, S: 0.02% or less, and Al: 0.010% to 1.500%, where Si+Al: 0.5% to 3.0%, and the balance consisting of Fe and incidental impurities; and a metallic structure that contains, by area, ferrite: 20% or more, tempered martensite: 10% or more and 60% or less, and martensite: 0% to 10%, and that contains, by volume, retained austenite: 3% to 10%, where a ratio m/f of a Vickers hardness (m) of the tempered martensite to a Vickers hardness (f) of the ferrite is 3.0 or less.
JP201132549A (PTL 6) describes a high-strength hot-dip galvanized steel strip that is excellent in formability and that is reduced in material property variation in the steel strip, the steel sheet comprising a chemical composition containing, in mass %, C: 0.05% or more and 0.2% or less, Si: 0.5% or more and 2.5% or less, Mn: 1.5% or more and 3.0% or less, P: 0.001% or more and 0.05% or less, S: 0.0001% or more and 0.01% or less, Al: 0.001% or more and 0.1% or less, and N: 0.0005% or more and 0.01% or less, and the balance consisting of Fe and incidental impurities; and a microstructure that contains ferrite and martensite, wherein the ferrite phase accounts for 50% or more by area of the entire microstructure and the martensite accounts for 30% or more and 50% or less by area of the entire microstructure, and wherein the difference between the highest tensile strength and the lowest tensile strength is 60 MPa or less in the steel strip. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In the cryogenic rectification of feed air into nitrogen and oxygen products, the oxygen is typically produced at a purity of about 99.5 mole percent. Because of the relative volatilities of the components of air, the argon in the feed air tends to concentrate with the oxygen rather than with the nitrogen. Accordingly, the remainder of the typical oxygen product stream from a conventional cryogenic air separation process is comprised primarily of argon.
For most uses, the presence of this small amount of argon in the oxygen stream is not a problem. However, in some situations, such as in the use of oxygen in the production of chemicals such as ethylene oxide, the argon, owing to its inertness, undergoes a buildup within the chemical reactor requiring a periodic venting of the reactor so as to avoid retarding the production reaction. This periodic venting causes a loss of valuable products.
The problem of production reaction burden due to argon buildup can be addressed by increasing the purity of the oxygen input to the reactor, and systems for producing oxygen of higher than conventional purity are known. However, such systems generally can produce only relatively small quantities of elevated purity oxygen. Moreover, such systems are generally not readily adaptable to existing cryogenic rectification systems designed to produce oxygen of conventional purity.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved cryogenic rectification system for the production of very high purity oxygen.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved cryogenic rectification system for the production of very high purity oxygen which can be easily retrofitted to existing systems designed to produce oxygen of conventional purity. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Photolithography process in semiconductor manufacturing includes a process to pattern a photoresist. In this process, the photoresist is disposed on a substrate and exposed by a light through a photomask. The photomask includes a design pattern having main features formed according to a design layout of integrated circuits. After the exposure, the photoresist is developed to form a projected pattern therein same as the design patter of the photomask.
In the process, an optical proximity effect (OPE), which interferes the critical dimension (CD) of the linewidth of the projected pattern, may deviate the projected pattern formed on the photoresist from the design pattern of the photomask. Various optical proximity correction (OPC) techniques are utilized to decrease the deviation, such as simulating the design layout with an OPC model to from a corrected layout. Although existing process have been generally adequate for the intended purposes, it is not entirely satisfactory in all respects. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image coding apparatus that encodes a moving picture with high efficiency, and particularly to an image coding apparatus and an image coding program that execute a quantization control so that a generating bit is made close to a target bit.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a method of encoding data of a moving picture such as a television signal with high efficiency for recording or transmission, an encoding system such as a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) system has been designed. As for the ISO standard of MPEG, coding methods such as the MPEG-1 standard, the MPEG-2 standard, the MPEG-4 standard are employed. In addition, as a system for further improving a compression ratio, the H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) standard and the like have been specified.
In general, a method of encoding and compressing a moving picture employs a so-called hybrid coding method in which compression using a temporal correlation and compression using a spatial correlation are combined.
The compression using a temporal correlation utilizes a similarity (high correlation) between a previous picture and a subsequent picture. Specifically, in the case where there is no change between a previous frame and a current frame, no data is transmitted, or only a motion vector and residual data of portions that are most alike between the previous frame and the current frame are transmitted. By doing so, the data amount can be reduced. This is called the Motion Compensated Prediction.
On the other hand, the compression using a spatial correlation utilizes an approximation of values (high correlation) between adjacent pixels in a picture. Specifically, there is employed a method in which the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) is used to perform a frequency transform on a certain area unit in a picture.
A signal which has the image data redundancy removed by the Motion Compensated Prediction and the DCT is quantized so as to compress the data. The quantization is a process in which a DCT coefficient is divided by a quantization step value to be converted into a smaller value and then the quotient is rounded to an integer. With this process, values of high frequency components most of which have small values can be held down to 0, thus largely eliminating a generating bit.
In a conventional quantization control method, for example, a frame unit quantization control section determines quantization characteristics to be used in a current image frame based on the generated information quantity of a previous image frame. A block unit generated information quantity calculating section calculates the generated information quantity per one block from the generated information quantity accumulated up to the current time for the current image frame. A maximum allowable information quantity calculating section calculates maximum allowable information quantity per block every time when one block in the current image frame is encoded. A comparing section compares the generated information quantity per block with the maximum allowable information quantity every time when one block in the current image frame is encoded. Based on the comparison results, a block unit quantization control section determines quantization characteristics of the next block within a predetermined range around quantization characteristics determined at the frame unit quantization control section. Such an apparatus is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-77905 A (Patent Reference 1).
According to the technology described in Patent Reference 1, a quantization step as a basis for the use of encoding an image frame or blocks constituting an image frame to be processed is determined on the basis of the generated bit that is the amount of data produced in encoding the previous image frame. That is, depending on a residual value between a predetermined target bit and a generated bit, a generating bit is controlled so as to be decreased by increasing a quantization parameter in the case where the generated bit is larger than the target bit. On the contrary, in the case where the generated bit is smaller than the target bit, a generating bit is controlled so as to be increased by decreasing the quantization parameter. Accordingly, a generating bit is controlled so as to be close to the target bit. | {
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The invention relates to a process for increasing the proportion of components which are non-volatile under processing conditions, in basecoat compositions containing predominantly organic diluents or solvents, for the production of multicoat finishes, preferably metallic finishes.
In the area of automotive finishing in particular, but also in other areas, considerable interest centers on basecoat compositions for the production of multicoat finishes.
Multicoat finishes of the basecoat-clearcoat type have gained wide acceptance in automotive finishing, in particular for metallic finishes.
Basecoat-clearcoat finishes are produced in such a way that a pigmented basecoat is applied first, and after a short flash-off period without baking (the wet-on-wet process), a clearcoat is applied over the basecoat and subsequently the basecoat and clearcoat are baked together.
The paints for the production of these basecoats must be capable of being processed by the today""s customary economical wet-on-wet process, ie. they must be capable of being coated by a (transparent) topcoat after a predrying period as short as possible without baking, without manifesting interfering dissolution and strike-in phenomena.
In addition, still further problems must be solved in the development of paints for metallic finish basecoats. The metallic effect depends crucially on the orientation of the metallic pigment particles in the paint film. A metallic finish basecoat suitable for the wet-on-wet process must therefore produce paint films in which the metallic pigments are present, after application, in a favorable spatial orientation and in which this orientation is rapidly fixed in such a way that it cannot be disturbed in the course of the coating process.
A whole range of basecoat compositions containing predominantly organic diluents or solvents for the production of multicoat finishes, in particular metallic finishes, is known which is suitable for producing multicoat finishes with excellent properties.
However, these basecoat compositions belonging to the state of the art have the disadvantage of containing a relatively low proportion of components which are non-volatile under the processing conditions.
It is a declared aim of paint manufacturers to reduce the proportion of components which are volatile under processing conditions in basecoat compositions containing predominantly organic diluents or solvents, for the production of multicoat finishes, preferably metallic finishes.
There has been no shortage of experiments aiming at increasing the proportion of non-volatile components at the expense of the volatile components.
Thus attempts have been made, for example, to reduce the mean molecular weight of the binders contained in the basecoat compositions and/or to add microgels and/or solid fillers to the basecoat compositions.
All these measures, however, have disadvantages.
If, for example, the mean molecular weight of the binder components in established, optimally balanced basecoat compositions containing metallic pigments is reduced, it is true that a part of the organic diluents or solvents which are volatile under processing conditions can be dispensed with, but against that one must put up with a poorer metallic effect, redissolution problems, deterioration of color retention and loss of reliability in application.
The addition of microgels usually affects the rheological properties of the paint systems; in addition, compatibility problems can occur.
Microgels cannot be added to established, optimally balanced basecoat compositions, in particular basecoat compositions containing metallic pigments, without creating further problems. They require an expensive adaptation of the total paint system to the amounts and type of the microgels to be added.
The addition of solid fillers to the basecoat compositions, in particular to basecoat compositions containing metallic pigments, has a negative effect on the appearance of the resultant finishes and usually does not permit any reduction of the absolute amount of components which are volatile under processing conditions, contained in the basecoat compositions.
The present invention is based on the object of providing a process for increasing the proportion of the components which are non-volatile under processing conditions, in basecoat compositions containing predominantly organic diluents or solvents, for the production of multicoat finishes, preferably metallic finishes.
The process should be applicable to as many established, optimally balanced basecoat compositions as possible, in particular to basecoat compositions containing metallic pigments, without any large technical outlay, and it should not affect negatively the quality (for example redissolution behavior, color retention, reliability in application and achievable metallic effect) of the established, optimally balanced basecoat compositions.
Surprisingly, these objects can be achieved by replacing up to 10% by weight of the components which are volatile under processing conditions, by an aliphatic polyether or by mixtures of aliphatic polyethers, the aliphatic polyethers having a mean molecular weight of not less than 300, containing not less than one, preferably ably not less than two, hydroxyl groups per molecule and being liquid under normal conditions.
The invention also relates to the use of aliphatic polyethers which are liquid under normal conditions or of mixtures of aliphatic polyethers, preferably polypropylene oxides, having a mean molecular weight of not less than 300 and containing not less than one, preferably not less than two, hydroxyl groups per molecule, for increasing the proportion of components which are non-volatile under processing conditions, in basecoat compositions containing predominantly organic diluents or solvents, for the production of multicoat finishes, preferably metallic finishes.
The process according to the invention can be employed for all basecoat compositions containing predominantly organic diluents or solvents and containing or not containing microgels, for the production of multicoat finishes, and is suitable for basecoat compositions containing or not containing metallic pigments.
The process according to the invention is preferably used for basecoat compositions containing predominantly organic diluents or solvents, which are suitable for the production of metallic finishes of the basecoat-clearcoat type. Many such basecoat compositions are described in the literature. There are for example the patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,639,147, 4,576,868, 4,220,679 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,536. Paints containing metallic pigments and based on cellulose acetobutyrate/polyester, cellulose acetobutyrate/acrylate resin, polyurethane/ polyester, microgel/acrylate resin or microgel/polyurethane/polyester binder systems are particularly preferred.
The basecoat compositions under discussion are basecoat compositions which contain non-aqueous organic diluents or solvents. These basecoat compositions are supplied to the paint finisher with a defined on-delivery viscosity which is higher than that required for the application. There the paint is processed in such a way that
(1) it is brought to the viscosity required for the application by the addition of organic solvents or diluents,
(2) it is applied to the substrate by means of generally known application methods (in particular by pneumatic application or by electrostatic high-speed rotary atomization),
(3) it is overcoated with a clearcoat after a flash-off period generally lasting 30 to 500 seconds, and finally
(4) it is baked in general from about 120 to 140xc2x0 C. for 20 minutes.
The term xe2x80x9ccomponents non-volatile under processing conditionsxe2x80x9d is in this context understood to mean paint components which do not lose more than 5% of their weight by volatilization, ie. by evaporation, under conditions prevailing in the processing stages (1) to (4).
The term xe2x80x9caliphatic polyethersxe2x80x9d is understood to mean substances containing several structural units of the general formula xe2x80x94(Rxe2x80x94O)xe2x80x94, in which R represents an alkylene radical of 2 to 6 carbon atoms.
The aliphatic polyethers which can be used according to the invention, must possess a mean molecular weight of not less than 300. Furthermore, they must contain not less than one, preferably not less than two, hydroxyl groups per molecule and they must be liquid under normal conditions (20xc2x0 C., 760 Torr).
Provided that these limitations are observed, any aliphatic polyether which is soluble or dispersible in the organic solvents or diluents can be used for increasing the proportion of components which are non-volatile under processing conditions. Examples of such aliphatic polyethers are polyalkylene oxide polyols, such as for example polyethylene oxide polyols, polypropylene oxide polyols as well as ethoxylation and/or propoxylation products of suitable di- to hexavalent starter molecules, such as for example glycerol, trimethylolpropane, hexanetriol, pentaery-thritol, sorbitol, sucrose, ammonia, ethylenediamine, aniline etc. Mixtures of aliphatic polyethers can also be used. Polypropylene oxide polyols are preferably used.
The addition of the aliphatic polyethers according to the invention is limited by two factors: on the one hand the aliphatic polyethers according to the invention behave in the coatings produced from the basecoat compositions as plasticizers, and on the other hand the aliphatic polyethers according to the invention increase the hydrophilicity of the coatings produced from the basecoat compositions. The extent of the two effects depends as much on the composition of the basecoat compositions as on the nature of the aliphatic polyethers used. The average person skilled in the art can rapidly determine by simple means in what amount a particular aliphatic polyether can be incorporated in a basecoat composition without the coatings produced from it being too soft or too hydrophilic.
Surprisingly, up to 10% by weight of the components which are volatile under processing conditions can be replaced in established, optimally balanced basecoat compositions preferably containing metallic pigments, by the aliphatic polyethers according to the invention without negatively affecting redissolution behavior, color retention, reliability in application or metallic effect of the coatings produced from the basecoat compositions.
The aliphatic polyethers according to the invention probably act as reactive diluents or solvents. They do not have a negative effect on the good properties of optimally balanced basecoat compositions, they are non-volatile under processing conditions and probably react in the baking process via their hydroxyl groups with suitable binder components, for example melamine-formaldehyde resins.
Surprisingly, it has been further found that the addition according to the invention of the aliphatic polyethers according to the invention also improves the spray mist pick-up and facilitates the electrostatic application.
By the process according to the invention a process has been made available which permits to increase, by very simple means, the proportion of components which are non-volatile under processing conditions, in the basecoat compositions under discussion or to adjust it to a given value. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Technical Field
The disclosure relates to training devices, methods and systems.
Discussion of Related Field
Many people engage various training devices, methods and systems aimed at developing a particular skill. For example, golfers may go to the driving range and practice their swing, baseball players may go to the practice field to practice hitting baseballs, tennis players may hire a trainer to help them perfect their swing, softball pitchers may have another person catch their pitches in order to help them develop as a pitcher, etc.
Individuals may lift weights or engage resistance machines in order to build muscle, strength, endurance and speed. The costs of weights, resistance machines and/or gym or club memberships can be considerable. In addition, weights and resistance machines may not track or follow the natural range of motion of a particular activity (such as, for example, swinging a golf club or bat or throwing a football or softball) and/or do not naturally increase resistance as a user's strength increases. Some resistance machines attempt to simulate the natural range of motion, but either require fixed devices (such as, for example, bungee cords, throwing wheels) lack portability and compactness, and/or require significant set up time, which make them undesirable. Some training devices, methods and systems can only be performed in certain environments and in conjunction with certain activities.
In light of the foregoing discussion, there may be a need for improved training devices, methods and systems which may be easy to use, portable, compact, light, and do not require significant set up time. There may be a need for training devices, methods and systems that strengthen a user's muscles, promote endurance and increase speed, while at the same time simulating a user's natural motion of the desired exercise and naturally increasing resistance as a user's strength increases. There may be a need for training devices, methods and systems that may be used to development multiple skills in a variety of settings. | {
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Sheet handlers are well known and, generally, such sheet handlers have a defined path through which sheet material is transported to and from one or more process stations. In image input devices, electrophotographic devices, ink jet printing devices and other such devices, sheet handling devices are employed to sequentially transport sheet material (i.e., sheets of paper and paper-like substrates, such as mylar, vellum, and the like and hereinafter collectively referred to as sheets) to and from image processing stations, such as scanning devices, imaging devices, fusing stations, imprinting stations, and the like.
Sheet handlers of the type to which this invention relates include both sheet handlers which are known as document handlers for sequentially feeding individual documents from a document input station to a document image processing station and then to a document output station, as well as sheet handlers of the type for sequentially feeding individual copy sheets from a copy sheet input station, to a copy sheet imprinting, and to a copy output station. In general, in devices having a flat surface or a relatively flat surface upon which an image processing operation occurs a sheet handler is employed to transport the sheets across the surface. For example, in document handling devices having a imaging platen, in general, a roller, friction belt, or vacuum belt transport is employed to move a document across the surface.
These devices are functional, and they produce reasonably satisfactory results. However, they also tend to be somewhat expensive, not entirely simple, and not always entirely effective. Furthermore, with some or all of these devices, actuated registration means such as scuffer wheels, cross rollers and the like must be employed either concurrently with the drive mechanism or at an upstream portion of the path so that the transported sheets are registered at a processing station. Thus, there exists a need for a relatively simple, low cost apparatus for transporting documents and sheets in general across a flat surface to a process station in a registered manner.
The following disclosures may be relevant to various aspects of the present invention.
______________________________________ EP-A-90850156.2 Publication No. 0399970 Filed: April 24, 1990 Inventor: Fujino U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,602 Patentee: Kress et al. Issued: November 5, 1991 U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,421 Patentee: Stemmle Issued: April 24, 1990 U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,762 Patentee: Beery Issued: July 18, 1989 ______________________________________
European Application No. 90850156.2, Publication No. 0399970 discloses an image scanning apparatus comprising a document feed mechanism which includes a light source and an image sensor reciprocally moved from a home position and a starting position. the document feeding mechanism is mechanically connected to the image sensing unit and moves with the sensing unit. The document feed mechanism includes a functional roller unit which contacts a glass platen, for positioning an image bearing surface face down, and which is coupled to a shaft through a one-way clutch. The clutch inhibits rotation of the roller during movement of the scanning unit and feed mechanism from the home position to the scan starting position and allows rotation during the reverse movement. An operator inserts a document in proper orientation between the frictional roller and the glass platen; the document is then fed or movement to the proper position by the movement of the scanning unit and the feed mechanism from the home position to the scanning position. The document is then scanned during the return movement of the feeder mechanism and scanning unit as the roller freely rotates on the document.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,602 discloses the use of a one-way fibrous cloth or pad material, which has fibers oriented toward the rear or upstream position of a feeder tray. The fibers engage the trailing or upstream edge of the sheet above the feed sheet as the feed sheet is fed from a bottom sheet feeder to functionally resist the downstream movement of the sheet above the feed sheet to reduce feeding of multiple sheets from the tray at one time
U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,421 discloses a combined input and output scanner assembly including a copy sheet transport for transporting copy sheets through the assembly moving a scanning and printing assembly to enable the printing of the copy sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,762 discloses a sheet feed apparatus for feeding a sheet from a stack of sheets. A plurality of sheet engaging pressure pads are employed to engage a sheet so that a sheet may be fed from planar and non-planar stacks.
The foregoing references failed to provide a relatively simple, sheet transport for transporting sheets across a flat surface to a processing station for processing.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a sheet transport for transporting sheets across a surface comprises an elongated member, a multiplicity of fibers extending outwardly from the elongated members with the fibers forming a sheet receiving area with the surface, and means for moving said member across the surface so as to translate a sheet in the sheet receiving area across the surface. The invention can further include a base substrate for supporting the fibers and securing the fibers to the member. The invention may also include orienting the fibers in substantially the same direction extending in a transverse direction from the horizontal plane. The invention can further include a lateral registration member for laterally registering sheets translated across the surface. A lead edge registration member may be included within this aspect of the invention for engaging and registering the leading edge of sheets transported across the surface. The invention may also include clamping means for selectively and releasably securing sheets to the surface, and the clamping means can include the registering edge. The moving means in accordance with this aspect of the invention may also enable moving said member in a second direction transverse to the first mentioned direction away from said lead edge registration means so as to smooth and straighten a sheet secured by said clamping means.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transporting sheets across a surface to processing station. This method comprising the steps of providing a fibrous brush-like material so that the fibers contact a sheet on a relatively smooth surface, orienting the fibers of said brush-like material in substantially a first direction, and moving the material in the first direction to translate the sheet in contact with the fibers of the brush-like material. The method of this aspect of the invention may also include translating the sheet from a sheet receiving area to a processing station. Further steps also includable within this aspect of the invention are registering the sheet along an edge thereof substantially perpendicular to the first direction, as well as, translating the sheet in a second direction, transverse to the first direction, to laterally register the sheet along a lateral edge guide substantially parallel to the first direction so as to register the sheet along two adjacent edges.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a sheet actuator for translating a sheet across a substantially flat surface is provided. This sheet actuator comprises an elongated fibrous material supported adjacent the flat surface so that the fibers of the material engage a sheet disposed on the surface. the sheet actuator further comprises means for moving the material relative to the surface so as to transport the sheet relative to the surface. This aspect of the invention can also include means for urging the sheet to a position between the surface and the material so that actuation of the moving means moves the sheet. In addition, this aspect of the invention can further include means for registering the sheet transported by said moving means. The sheet actuator of this aspect of the invention may also include means for securing the sheet to the surface at a predetermined position on the surface. | {
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The flight path of an arrow is influenced by many factors. Some factors, such as air currents, cannot be controlled by the archer. The major influences, however, on arrow trajectory are the physical actions of the archer. Accordingly, it is important for an archer to command the physically controllable factors to facilitate consistency and accuracy.
The draw and release of the bowstring play an important part in defining the flight path of the arrow. After the arrow is nocked to the bowstring, the archer pulls the bowstring to a drawn position in preparation for firing. This places the bowstring in considerable tension. The archer then releases the bowstring by relaxing his grip. The bowstring is energized and responds by advancing instantaneously from the drawn position. This firing action propels the arrow. While this technique may be mastered for consistency through repetition, it can be appreciated that slight unintended and unnoticed adjustments or twitches during the release motion can significantly alter the desired trajectory of the arrow.
Various bowstring release devices have been developed in order to normalize the release motion. The mechanics of these devices is intended to provide uniformity and consistency from use to use.
Many prior art bowstring release devices utilize a trigger mechanism that is actuated by the archer. U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,206 to Wilson discloses a bowstring release device having a pivotable trigger mechanism that initiates the bowstring release mode. A rope loop is attached to the housing of the release device and extends around the bowstring for engagement. The rope loop is hooked in a notch formed in a release wheel to hold the bowstring as it is drawn. A sear block bears against the release wheel and is held against movement by a trigger block, thus holding the release wheel in position for drawing the bowstring. When the archer pulls the trigger lever on the trigger block, the trigger block pivots to disengage from the sear block. The sear block is no longer able to hold the release wheel which rotates to allow release of the bowstring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,720 to Todd discloses a bowstring release device with a pivotable trigger that operates to extend and retract a sleeve mounted on the housing. A pair of ball bearings are mounted in the housing on opposing sides of a slot that receives the bowstring. When the sleeve is in the extended position, the ball bearings are pressed firmly together and restrain the bowstring in the slot. The sleeve retracts when the trigger is pulled, allowing the ball bearings to separate and release the bowstring.
Even though the prior art designs have provided more consistency in the release of the bowstring, they still have disadvantages. More particularly, since bowstring release devices are exposed to tremendous force in restraining the bowstring in the fully drawn position, they are subject to significant wear with use over time. As a result, the trigger must be continuously adjusted in order to maintain consistent operation. In addition, component wear introduces the opportunity for jerkiness in release motion. This substantially reduces the advantage of consistent bowstring release for which the device was designed. In extreme cases, the release device may fail, creating a hazardous situation.
Accordingly, there remains a need to provide an improved bowstring release assembly that functions with precision for its intended purpose. The device should not require constant adjustment in order to maintain uniform operation. In addition, the bowstring release assembly should have a long service life. Thus, the assembly should be formed of durable components while being of simple design. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The invention relates to agents that inhibit hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). The invention also relates to the use of such compounds in pharmaceutical compositions and therapeutic treatments useful for inhibition of HCV replication.
HCV is an enveloped RNA virus containing a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome approximately 9.5 kb in length (Choo, et al., Science 244:359–362 (1989)). The RNA genome contains a 5′-nontranslated region (5′ NTR) of 341 nucleotides (Brown, et al., Nucl. Acids Res. 20:5041–5045 (1992); Bukh, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:4942–4946 (1992)), a large open reading frame (ORF) encoding a single polypeptide of 3,010 to 3,040 amino acids (Choo, et al. (1989), supra;), and a 3′-nontranslated region (3′-NTR) of variable length of about 230 nucleotides (Kolykhalov, et al., J. Virol. 70:3363–3371 (1996); Tanaka, et al., J. Virol. 70:3307–3312 (1996)).
The 5′ NTR is one of the most conserved regions of the viral genome and plays a pivotal role in the initiation of translation of the viral polyprotein. A single ORF encodes a polyprotein that is co- or post-translationally processed into structural (core, E1, and E2) and nonstructural (NS2, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5A, and NS5B) viral proteins by either cellular or viral proteinases (Bartenschlager (1997), supra). The 3′ NTR consists of three distinct regions: a variable region of about 38 nucleotides following the stop codon of the polyprotein, a polyuridine tract of variable length with interspersed substitutions of cystines, and 98 nucleotides (nt) at the very 3′ end which are highly conserved among various HCV isolates. The order of the genes within the genome is: NH2—C-E1-E2-p7-NS2-NS3-NS4A-NS4B-NS5A-NS5B—COOH (Grakoui, et al., J. Virol. 67:1385–1395 (1993)).
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a member of the hepacivirus genus in the family Flaviviridae. It is the major causative agent of non-A, non-B viral hepatitis and is the major cause of transfusion-associated hepatitis and accounts for a significant proportion of hepatitis cases worldwide. Although acute HCV infection is often asymptomatic, nearly 80% of cases resolve to chronic hepatitis. The persistent property of the HCV infection has been explained by its ability to escape from the host immune surveillance through hypermutability of the exposed regions in the envelope protein E2 (Weiner, et al., Virology 180:842–848 (1991); Weiner, et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:3468–3472 (1992).
Processing of the structural proteins core (C), envelope protein 1 and (E1, E2), and the p7 region is mediated by host signal peptidases. In contrast, maturation of the nonstructural (NS) region is accomplished by two viral enzymes. The HCV polyprotein is first cleaved by a host signal peptidase generating the structural proteins C/E1, E1/E2, E2/p7, and p7/NS2 (Hijikata, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:5547–5551 (1991); Lin, et al., J. Virol. 68:5063–5073 (1994)). The NS2-3 proteinase, which is a metalloprotease, then cleaves at the NS2/NS3 junction. The NS3/4A proteinase complex (NS3 serine protease/NS4A cofactor), then at all the remaining cleavage sites (Bartenschlager, et al., J. Virol. 67:3835–3844 (1993); Bartenschlager, (1997), supra). RNA helicase and NTPase activities have also been identified in the NS3 protein. The N-terminal one-third of the NS3 protein functions as a protease, and the remaining two-thirds of the molecule acts as a helicase/ATPase, which is thought to be involved in HCV replication (Bartenschlager, (1997), supra). NS5A may be phosphorylated and act as a putative cofactor of NS5B. The fourth viral enzyme, NS5B, is an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and a key component responsible for replication of the viral RNA genome (Lohmann, et al., J. Virol. 71:8416–8428 (1997)).
Replication of HCV is thought to occur in membrane-associated replication complexes. Within these, the genomic plus-strand RNA is transcribed into minus-strand RNA, which in turn can be used as a template for synthesis of progeny genomic plus strands. Two viral proteins appear to be involved in this reaction: the NS3 protein, which carries in the carboxy terminal two-thirds a nucleoside triphosphatase/RNA helicase, and the NS5B protein, which is a membrane-associated phosphoprotein with an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity (RdRp) (Hwang, et al., J. Virol. 227:439–446 (1997)). While the role of NS3 in RNA replication is less clear, NS5B apparently is the key enzyme responsible for synthesis of progeny RNA strands. Using recombinant baculoviruses to express NS5B in insect cells and a synthetic nonviral RNA as a substrate, two enzymatic activities have been identified as being associated with NS5B. The two activities include a primer-dependent RdRp and a terminal transferase (TNTase) activity. NS5B's activity was confirmed and further characterized through the use of the HCV RNA genome as a substrate (Lohmann, et al., Virology 249:108–118 (1998)). Recent studies have shown that NS5B with a C-terminal 21 amino-acid truncation expressed in Escherichia coli is also active for in vitro RNA synthesis (Ferrari, et al., J. Virol. 73:1649–1654 (1999); Yamashita, et al., J. Biol. Chem. 273:15479–15486 (1998)).
Since persistent infection of HCV is related to chronic hepatitis and eventually to hepatocarcinogenesis, HCV replication is one of the targets to eliminate HCV reproduction and to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma. Unfortunately, present treatment approaches for HCV infection are characterized by relatively poor efficacy and an unfavorable side-effect profile. Therefore, intensive effort is directed at the discovery of molecules to treat this disease, including the discovery of drugs designed to inhibit HC replication, as there is a persistent need for non-peptide, small-molecule compounds that are HCV RdRp inhibitors having desirable or improved physical and chemical properties appropriate for pharmaceutical applications. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention concerns an identity card comprising an easy-to-use, more specifically a card-shaped, information carrier provided with an electronically readable memory which is capable of digitally storing personal user data including the user's physical characteristics.
At present, an identity card is usually a document issued by the government, such as a passport or a driving licence, or a proof of identity which is applied within a specific business environment or for a particular professional group. In all these cases, the identity card comprises a representation in the form of a passport photograph of a user in combination with the printed personal data of the user,
However, this type of identity card has the disadvantage of being susceptible to fraud After all, the picture on the photo is the only indication that the data on the card belong to its user. The comparison between this picture and the actual appearance of the user is based on the subjective interpretation of the controlling officer, which may also be affected by the user's changes in appearance after the identity card was issued. In addition, this regular type of identity cards are to a varying degree susceptible to forgery, as well as to loss and theft.
Nowadays there are also identity cards known, which are based on memory cards, which may or may not be smart cards, as information carriers. An example of this has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,068. In this the external characteristics of the card user are written to the card's memory in encrypted form. In case of an access control the user's characteristics are recorded and compared with the information stored on the card by means of a central processing unit. Only if the data match is the desired access granted.
Although this means of identification in itself is highly reliable and fraud-proof, nevertheless a disadvantage lies in the fact that the implementation. requires relatively advanced and specifically suited equipment which will not be generally available everywhere. This makes this type of identity card only suitable for a closed circuit of users, e.g. a specific professional group or employees/co-workers within a particular business environment or (government) institution. This type of identity card, however, is less suitable as a travelling document because, for instance, it leaves no room for making notes, such as is required for visa, and, moreover, because the required equipment will not be available world-wide. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to a circuit interrupter in which a movable contact is moved to open by an electromagnetic repulsive force resulting from a massive current irrespective of the interrupting operation by an automatic trip mechanism.
A conventional circuit interrupter to which the present invention pertains will be described in conjunction with FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. 1 is a sectional side view of the conventional circuit interrupter, FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged sectional view of FIG. 1 showing the ON position, FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating the OFF position, FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating the TRIP position, FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating the electromagnetically operated position, and FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2. but illustrating the position at which the first contact arm is being reset.
In these figures, the circuit interrupter comprises an electrically insulating housing 1 composed of a base 1a and a cover 1b. A stationary source side conductor 2 is mounted on the base 1a and has a stationary contact 3 secured thereon. An automatic trip unit 4 is mounted in the housing 1, and a stationary load side conductor 4 is electrically connected to the automatic trip unit 4. A movable contact 6 is secured to a movable member 7 which is electrically connected to the automatic trip unit 4 through a flexible conductor 8 and a connector 9. The movable member 7 is supported by a contact arm assembly 10 comprising a first contact arm 10a connected to an operating mechanism 20 which will be described in more detail later, and a second contact arm 10b on which the movable member 7 is pivotally supported by a first pin 11. The first contact arm 10a of each pole unit is also connected to a cross bar 13 for the simultaneous movement of the pole units. The first contact arm 10a and the second contact arm 10b are pivotally supported independently within the housing by a pivot pin 12. The first contact arm 10a has formed therein a first guide hole 14 extending substantially in the direction of the movement of the contact arm 10a. The second contact arm 10b has formed therein a second elongated guide hole 15 extending in the direction of extension of the arm 10b. A pin 16 extends through the first and the second guide holes 14 and 15 to limit the relative pivotal movement between the first and the second contact arms 10a and 10b. The pin 16 is biased toward the free end of the contact arm 10b by a tension spring mounted between the pin 16 and the pin 11 pivotally connecting the movable member 7 to the second contact arm 10b. In order to provide a contact biasing force between the movable and the stationary contacts 6 and 3, a contact pressure spring 18 is disposed between the movable member 7 and the second contact arm 10b. An operating handle 19 is connected to an operating mechanism 20 comprising a releasable cradle 20a having a stop pin 21 and a pair of toggle links 20b and 20c connected between the cradle 20a and the first contact arm 10a by pivot pins 22a and 22b. As is well known, an arc extinguisher 23 is disposed in order to extinguish the arc generated between the separated contacts when they are separated.
When the circuit interrupter is in the ON position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an electric current flows from the source side stationary conductor 2 to the load side stationary conductor 5 through the stationary contact 3, the movable contact 6, the movable member 7, the flexible conductor 8, the connector 9 and the automatic trip unit in the named order. When the operating handle 19 is moved into the OFF position as shown by an arrow 24 of FIG. 2, the contact arm assembly 10 is lifted by the operating mechanism 20 so that the movable contact 6 together with the movable member 7 is moved away from the stationary contact 3 as shown in FIG. 3 to open the contacts 3 and 6. At this time, since the second pin 16 is positioned in the recessed portion 14a of the guide hole 14 due to the biasing function of the tension spring 17, the second contact arm 10b is rotated about the pivot pin 12 in the opening direction by the operating mechanism 20 together with the first contact arm 10a until it abuts against the stopper pin 21.
In the ON position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when an overload current flows through the circuit interrupter, the automatic trip unit 4 is actuated to release the cradle 20a of the operating mechanism 20 to allow it to rotate in the direction of an arrow 25 of FIG. 2. Then, the toggle links 20b and 20c of the operating mechanism 20 rotate the contact arm assembly 10 in the clockwise direction in the figure to separate the movable contact 6 from the stationary contact 3, thereby interrupting the overload current. This is the socalled tripped position. During this operation, since the second pin 16 is positioned within the recessed portion 14a of the guide hole 14 due to action of the tension spring 17 similarly to the OFF position shown in FIG. 3, the second contact arm 10b is rotated clockwise about the pivot shaft 12 by the operating mechanism 20 together with the first contact arm 10a until it abuts against the stopper pin 21.
When a large current such as a short-circuit current flows through the circuit interrupter in the ON position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an electromagnetic repulsive force generated between the stationary conductor 2 and the movable member 7 causes the movable member 7 to immediately separate from the stationary conductor 2 as shown in FIG. 5. At this time, since the operating mechanism 20 does not allow the first contact arm 10a to be actuated because it has not yet been actuated itself, the second contact arm 10b rotates clockwise as shown by an arrow 26 about the shaft 12 by moving the second pin 16 against the spring force of the tension spring 17 from the recessed portion 14a along the guide hole 14 until it abuts against the end portion 14b of the guide hole 14. An electromagnetic repulsive force is generated very quickly upon the occurence of a short-circuit current and therefore the contact separation is achieved before the automatic try unit 4 is actuated, providing a high current limiting capability.
Immediately after the electromagnetic repulsive separation is achieved, the automatic trip unit 4 trips and rotates the first contact arm 10a to return the second pin 16 into the recessed portion 14a of the guide hole 14 after it has passed the position shown in FIG. 6 to take up the tripped position shown in FIG. 4. This is called the resetting of the contact arm assembly 10. At this time, the second pin 16 is moved along the pin sliding surface 15a of the elongated hole 15 while being biased by the tension spring 17 against the pin sliding surface 14c of the guide hole 14.
With the conventional circuit interrupter as above described, the angle .theta..sub.1 defined between the pin sliding surface 15a of the elongated hole 15 along which the second pin 16 slides and the pin sliding surface 14c of the guide hole 14 is smaller than 90.degree., the resetting force (upward) of the first contact arm 10a causes a force that presses the second pin 16 downward against the pin sliding surface 15a of the elongated hole 15. Then, the second pin 16 is sandwiched between the pin sliding surface 15a of the elongated hole 15 and the pin sliding surface 14c of the guide hole 14 by the above resetting force, making the movement of the first contact arm 10a poor and increasing the resetting load, to require a disadvantageously large mechanical force. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to the discovery of a new and distinct cultivar of southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium hybrid) plant. The parents of the new variety are Palmetto and Reveille. The male parent of the new Vaccinium plant variety ‘Southern Splendour’ is ‘Palmetto’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,756). The female parent of the new Vaccinium plant variety ‘Southern Splendour’ is Reveille, which is a non-patented variety released by North Carolina State University in 1990. The new plant variety ‘Southern Splendour’ has been evaluated and tested in Waycross, Ga. and Griffin, Ga.
The new Vaccinium plant variety ‘Southern Splendour’ has been shown to maintain its distinguishing characteristics through successive asexual propagations by, for example, softwood cuttings. Plants from softwood cuttings have been directly planted in the ground. Clones propagated from cuttings have maintained the vegetative and fruit characteristics of the original selection. The original means of asexual reproduction was a seedling derived from the cross of Palmetto and Reveille. From the original plant, softwood cuttings were taken in Griffin, Ga. in 2001 to multiply the original. Subsequent propagations were made from those plants via softwood propagation in the years to follow as needed. All softwood cuttings appeared true to type, with no deviations observed.
‘Southern Splendour’ has been compared with southern highbush cultivars ‘Rebel’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,138), ‘Palmetto’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,756), and ‘Reveille’ (not patented). The fruit of ‘Southern Splendour’ is larger than the fruit of ‘Palmetto.’ The fruit development period of ‘Southern Splendour’ is 54 to 58 days, shorter than the fruit development period of ‘Palmetto’, which is 65-69 days.
The chilling requirement of ‘Southern Splendour’ is 450 to 500 hours of temperatures at or below 7 C, compared to 350 to 400 hours for ‘Palmetto’ and over 700 hours for ‘Reveille’. The cold hardiness of ‘Southern Splendour’ is similar to ‘Star’ and ‘Rebel’. Resistance to diseases of ‘Southern Splendour’ is also similar to ‘Star’, ‘Rebel’, and ‘Palmetto’, with no exceptional disease resistance or susceptibility observed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Removal of a lens in an eye is required by such physical conditions as cataracts, disease, or trauma to the eye. Typically, the removal of the lens is accomplished by making an opening in an anterior wall of a capsule that contains the lens, and then using surgical techniques such as phacoemulsification to fragment and aspirate the fragmented lens pieces. Thereafter, an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) is inserted through the opening in the lens capsule to replace the damaged or diseased lens.
To make an opening in the lens capsule, a physician or surgeon will first retract the iris, thus dilating the pupil, to provide an adequate exposure of the lens capsule. This may be typically done through chemical dilation of the iris. However, for some patients a mechanical iris retractor must be utilized to retract or pressure the leading edges of the iris. This might be done in the case of a small or damaged iris or where chemical dilation is otherwise inappropriate. The mechanical iris retractor may be a simple elongate rod with a hook, which may be placed through an incision in the cornea and located to pull back the iris. Multiple hooks would need to be used to provide an adequate operating space or aperture within which to work. Alternatively, some retractors form a continuous frame and may be collapsed for being injected through an incision in the cornea and then resiliently expanded within the anterior chamber of the eye. Once the iris is retracted and the anterior capsule wall is adequately exposed within a window or aperture of the iris retractor, the surgeon will use surgical instruments such as forceps or a needle to puncture the anterior capsular wall, then grip the wall at the site of the puncture and tug or tear the wall, preferably in a circular pattern to remove a portion of the wall large enough and appropriately shaped to receive an artificial IOL.
The above-discussed procedure requires significant skill on the part of the surgeon. It is not uncommon for the delicate tissues of the iris to become functionally and cosmetically damaged by over-tensioning or over-pressurizing by mechanical retraction. Further, some prior art mechanical retractors only have a single size or mode of operation. For some hook-like mechanical retractors, several incisions must be made in a cornea in addition to time consuming manual adjustments of the hook tension.
It would be desirable to provide an improved surgical apparatus wherein the above-discussed problems could be eliminated, or at least substantially minimized.
It would further be desirable to provide an improved iris retractor that may be utilized for a variety of patients having differing pupil sizes or iris health.
It would also be desirable to provide an improved iris retractor that could quickly be reconfigured or adjusted to provide a variable pressure in-situ within the eye.
Further, it would be beneficial if such an improved iris retractor could be manufactured without incurring excessive costs or expenses. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foldable display apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to a foldable display apparatus for minimizing a bending stress of a display panel.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A display apparatus using a flat display panel, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus, a plasma display apparatus, an organic light emitting display apparatus, an electrophoretic display apparatus, or an electro-wetting display apparatus, is generally applied to notebook computers, portable electronic devices, televisions (TVs), and monitors.
Recently, even in portable electronic devices, the demand for a large screen is increasing, and thus, an apparatus including a display unit displaying a large screen is being developed and commercialized by connecting a flat display panel. In particular, foldable display apparatuses using the merits of a flexible display panel which is bendable or foldable provide portable convenience and include a display unit which displays a large screen, and thus are attracting much attention as next-generation technology of the display field. The foldable display apparatus may be applied to various fields such as TVs and monitors, in addition to portable electronic devices such as mobile communication terminals, electronic notes, e-books, portable multimedia players (PMPs), navigation devices, ultra mobile personal computers (PCs), mobile phones, smartphones, tablet PCs.
Examples of foldable display apparatuses may include a flexible display apparatus disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0010405 (hereinafter referred to as a prior art reference).
The flexible display apparatus disclosed in the prior art reference unfolds a flexible display with respect to a hinge having a link structure, thereby providing a large screen.
However, the flexible display apparatus disclosed in the prior art reference cannot stably maintain a bending curvature of a folded flexible display due to an empty space between housings caused by the hinge having the link structure, and cannot maintain a bending display area of an unfolded flexible display in a plane state. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a device for mounting antifriction bearings in place.
Most common of the conventional methods of mounting antifriction bearings consists in first setting the outer race of the bearing in the bore provided in the housing of a machine, then bringing one end of the outer race into contact with the peripherally stepped portion formed on the inner periphery of the housing's bore and stopping the other end thereof with a stopper ring set in the inner periphery of the housing's bore to thereby prevent displacement thereof along axial direction with respect to the bearing.
This method, however, is troublesome in that machining is required for forming the peripherally stepped portion in the inner periphery of the housing and also for providing an inner circumferential groove for fixing the stopper ring. Moreover, the method necessitates designing of the housing bore with allowance in length and thickness for accommodating the stopper ring/s at one or both ends thereof taken into due consideration. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a file, and more particularly to a compartmented file.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The closest prior art of which the applicant is aware is his prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,509 to Su and comprise an accordion type configuration. However, the accordion portion of the file may not be solidly retained in place such that the documents may be easily disengaged from the file.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional compartmented files. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ventilating fans and in particular to ceiling mounted ventilating fans.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,594,688 of Eli Shapiro, a window cooler is illustrated having a hinged door carrying the motor driven fan to provide facilitated servicing.
William M. Marker, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,710,573, shows an air handling apparatus which, in FIG. 14 thereof, is adapted to be installed between the rafters of a ceiling.
Allen W. Lundstrum, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,770,955, shows an air conditioning device adapted to be installed in an attic with the lower portion thereof received between the rafters.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,621, of Robert C. Greenheck, discloses an inline centrifugal fan having the air moving means mounted to a wall hingedly mounted to the housing for facilitated servicing.
William R. Traham, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,560, shows a ceiling box for distributing air adapted to be secured to a rafter with the box being disposed between a pair of rafters.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,593, Robert E. Steiner shows an exhaust fan wherein the air is turned 90 degrees from the inlet to the outlet thereof. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The semiconductor industry has experienced rapid growth due to continuous improvements in the integration density of a variety of electronic components (e.g., transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors, etc.). For the most part, this improvement in integration density has come from repeated reductions in minimum feature size, which allows more components to be integrated into a given area.
As transistor sizes decrease, the size of each feature decreases. One such feature is the shallow trench isolation (STI) used between active areas to isolate one semiconductor device from another and another is the inter-layer dielectric (ILD) between gate structures. Feature size reduction often results in increased aspect ratios because the widths of the openings are smaller but the depths may be the same as before. Techniques used to fill openings (e.g. STIs in substrates or ILDs between gate structures) having lower aspect ratios may provide poor filling results for openings of advanced technologies having high aspect ratios, such as aspect ratios of 8:1 or more.
Flowable chemical vapor deposition (FCVD) process improves the filling results by using flowable dielectric materials. Flowable dielectric materials, as their name suggest, can flow to fill voids in a gap. Usually, various chemistries are added to the silicon-containing precursors to allow the deposited film to flow. After the flowable film is deposited, it is cured and then annealed to remove the added chemistry to form dielectric layer, e.g., silicon oxide. The flowable film is usually cured and annealed at a high temperature, e.g., greater than 600° C. or greater than 1000° C., to obtain desired mechanical property. However, such a high temperature may not be allowed by the thermal budget of the semiconductor device. When cured at lower temperatures (e.g., between 300° C. and 700° C.), mechanical properties, such as the wet etch rate (WER), of the flowable film degrades (e.g., having increased WER), which may adversely affect subsequent processing. There is a need in the art for low-temperature deposition methods that could fill high aspect ratio openings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an electronic device and, more particularly, to a method of manufacturing an electronic device having microlenses.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic device such as a solid-state image sensor or a liquid crystal display device can include microlenses for light collection. In a microlens forming method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-148704, a mask layer having the three-dimensional shape of a microlens array is formed on a material layer, and the mask layer and the material layer are etched to form the microlens array in the material layer.
When forming microlenses by the method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-148704, the shape of the microlenses is determined by the three-dimensional shape of the mask layer. For this reason, when the three-dimensional shape varies, the microlens shape varies. The three-dimensional shape of the mask layer can vary in the exposure step of forming the mask layer due to halation of light that enters a resist layer to be used to form the mask layer and is reflected by a layer (for example, a color filter layer, a wiring layer, or an underlying substrate) under the resist layer. The variation in the microlens shape undesirably influences the electro-optical characteristics (for example, color unevenness, sensitivity, and f-number proportion) of a solid-state image sensor. Especially in a 3-chip solid-state image sensor such as 3-CCD or 3-CMOS type solid-state image sensor, the three-dimensional shape of the mask layer readily varies when forming it by photolithography. This is because the 3-chip solid-state image sensor includes no color filter, and the light that has passed through the mask layer in the exposure step is not absorbed by the color filter. Hence, a technique of stabilizing the microlens shape is particularly important for the 3-chip solid-state image sensor. The 3-chip solid-state image sensor is a device which includes three chips each having a plurality of photoelectric conversion units to sense light separated by an optical element, such as a prism, and which obtains one image based on the lights sensed by the three chips.
In addition, as the pixel size of the solid-state image sensor becomes smaller, the variation in the microlens shape more largely affects the optical characteristics. This is because the variation in the light collection efficiency caused by the variation in the microlens shape readily affects the optical characteristics when the area of the light receiving unit is reduced along with the pixel size reduction of the solid-state image sensor. Hence, the technique of stabilizing the microlens shape is also important for pixel size reduction of the solid-state image sensor. In a liquid crystal display device as well, as the pixel size becomes smaller, the variation in the microlens shape largely affects the optical characteristics. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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A browser application allows a user to retrieve and present information from resources on a network, such as the Internet or a private network, as well as from resources on a user computer. An information resource or a resource can be a file stored on a computer, for example, a document, an image file, a video file or any other media file. In a typical use case, a web server sends information to a browser application running on a client device in the form of documents written in a markup language, such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). A markup language document retrieved by a browser application can contain data and instructions that are executed on by the browser application. For example, a markup language document can include scripts for execution by a scripting engine supported by the browser application. An example of a scripting language supported by browser applications is JAVASCRIPT. A markup language document may also include instructions written in the markup language for rendering and drawing a user interface on the client device by the browser application.
To avoid intentional and unintentional harm caused by instructions in the markup language document, browser applications restrict the capabilities of the instructions that can be executed by a markup language document. For example, a markup language document is allowed to access only restricted portions of the file system of the client device. If the markup language document instructions were allowed unrestricted access to the file system of the client device, a malicious website could steal private information stored on client devices or even delete user files stored on client devices causing loss of data. The framework that restricts the capabilities of the browser application is referred to as a “sandbox.” Moreover, the capabilities of the instructions that can be included in a markup language document are limited as compared to processes written using general purpose programming languages, for example, C or C++. The performance obtained by implementing certain functionality using the scripting capabilities available in a markup language document can also be slow compared to an implementation using a general purpose programming language. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Cancer is one of the most important and troublesome diseases that confront mankind, and an enormous amount of research effort into the treatment thereof is being carried out. Cancer is a disease in which cells grow uncontrollably due to gene mutation, epigenetic abnormality, etc. With regard to genetic abnormalities in cancer, a large number have already been reported (e.g., Non-Patent Literature 1, etc.), and it is thought that many thereof are somehow associated with signal transduction related to cell proliferation, differentiation and survival. Furthermore, due to such genetic abnormalities, abnormalities occur in signal transduction in cells consisting of normal molecules, and this causes activation or inactivation of a specific signal cascade and can finally become one factor triggering abnormal cell proliferation. Early cancer treatment has focused on suppression of cell proliferation itself, but since such a treatment also suppresses proliferation of cells with physiologically normal proliferation, it was accompanied by side effects such as hair loss, gastrointestinal dysfunction, or bone marrow suppression. In order to reduce such side effects, development of drugs for the treatment of cancer based on a new concept such as molecularly targeted drugs that target cancer-specific genetic abnormalities or abnormalities in signal transduction is being undertaken.
As a cancer-specific genetic abnormality, abnormalities in KRAS (V-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog) are well known. KRAS is a low molecular weight GTP-binding protein (also called a low molecular weight G protein) positioned downstream of a tyrosine kinase receptor such as EGFR (Epidermal growth factor receptor) or PDGFR (Platelet-derived growth factor receptor), and plays a part in transferring a signal related to growth or differentiation from these receptors to a downstream MAPK (Mitogen-activated protein kinase) cascade. Normal KRAS is activated via Grb2 (Growth factor receptor-bound protein 2) and SOS (Son of Sevenless) by means of tyrosine kinase activation of a receptor activated by ligand binding, and phosphorylates a MAPK such as Raf (Rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma) so as to drive the MAPK cascade, but mutant type KRAS is constantly activated without stimulation from a receptor and continues to transmit a growth signal. It is thought that because of this, abnormal cell growth occurs.
Expression of glutathione-S-transferase (GST), which is one of the enzymes that catalyze glutathione conjugation, in particular GST-π (glutathione S-transferase pi, also called GSTP1), increases in various cancer cells, and it has been pointed out that there is a possibility that this is one factor for resistance to some anticancer agents. In fact, it is known that when GST-π antisense DNA or a GST-π inhibitor is made to act on a cancer cell line that is overexpressing GST-π and exhibiting drug resistance, the drug resistance is suppressed (Non-Patent Literatures 2 to 4). Furthermore, in a recent report, when GST-π siRNA is made to act on an androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line that is overexpressing GST-π, proliferation thereof is suppressed and apoptosis is increased (Non-Patent Literature 5). Moreover, it has been reported that, when GST-π siRNA is made to act on a cancer line that has a KRAS mutation, activation of Akt is suppressed, and autophagy increases, but there is only a medium degree of induction of apoptosis (Non-Patent Literature 6), and Patent Literature 1 describes an apoptosis-inducing agent, etc. that includes a drug that suppresses GST-π and a drug that suppresses autophagy as active ingredients.
However, there has so far been hardly any clarification of the relationship between GST-π and cell proliferation or apoptosis, the molecular mechanism of GST-π, and the role, etc., of GST-π in various types of intracellular signal transduction. Intracellular signal transduction is very complicated; one molecule may influence the effect of a plurality of molecules, or conversely one molecule may be influenced by a plurality of molecules, when the effect of a certain molecule is inhibited, another signal cascade may be activated, and an expected effect often cannot be obtained. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate the complicated cell signal transduction mechanism in order to develop superior molecularly targeted drugs, but only a very small part of the mechanism has been elucidated in many years of research, and further research effort is needed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and a method for driving a display panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional display panel employing organic electroluminescence elements (referred to simply as EL elements hereinafter), the organic EL elements are arranged in a matrix and are illuminated by using a driving device which includes an anode driver and a cathode driver (for example, Japanese Patent Kokai No. 2000-40074, No. 2001-350431, and No. H06-301355). The drivers are often built in the form of a single chip IC so that the driving device can be made small.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional organic EL display panel having a so-called simple matrix configuration with a plurality of row electrode lines and a plurality of column electrode lines, and also shows the configuration of a driving device for the display panel.
In FIG. 1, organic EL elements ELD are arranged in a matrix (n rows×m columns) in an organic EL display panel 1.
Each of the organic EL elements consists of an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and an organic EL light emitting layer sandwiched between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, and has rectifying properties like ordinary diodes. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, since each of the organic EL elements ELD has a parasitic capacitance C in the organic EL light emitting layer, the parasitic capacitor C is indicated as an element equivalently connected in parallel to each of the organic EL elements ELD.
The anode electrodes of the organic EL elements ELD are connected to an anode driver IC 2 through the corresponding column electrode line of the matrix for each column. Also, the cathode electrodes are connected to a cathode driver IC 3 through the corresponding row electrode line of the matrix for each row.
The anode driver IC 2 includes switching elements Sa1 to Sam, constant current driving circuits CCg, and pull-down resistors Ra corresponding to the column electrode lines, respectively. Each of the switching elements Sa1 to Sam is controlled in accordance with an anode driver control signal that is supplied from a control circuit (not shown). Each of the constant current driving circuits CCg is a constant current driving circuit having an output stage transistor is for example a PMOS-FET, and supplies a constant current signal to the organic EL elements, which serve as loads, on the basis of a voltage Va that is supplied from an anode driver power circuit (not shown). The pull-down resistors Ra are connected to a ground.
On the other hand, the cathode driver IC 3 includes switching elements Sc1 to Scn, pull-up resistors Rc, and pull-down resistors Rg corresponding to the row electrode lines, respectively. Each of the switching elements Sc1 to Scn is controlled in accordance with a cathode driver control signal that is supplied from the control circuit. The pull-up resistors Rc are connected to a supply line of a voltage Vc that is supplied from a cathode driver power circuit (not shown), and the pull-down resistors Rg are connected to a ground.
The operation of the circuit shown in FIG. 1 will be described below. First, in a reset period in synchronization with a line synchronization pulse included in the anode driver control signal, all the switching elements of the anode driver IC 2 and the cathode driver IC 3 are switched to the pull-down resistor side so as to uniform residual charges in all parasitic capacitances.
After that, in a light emission period, the switching element corresponding to a scanned line (row) in the cathode driver IC 3 is selected and is maintained in the selection state of the pull-down resistor side. On the other hand, the other switching elements of the non-scan lines are switched to the pull-up resistor Rc side. Also, in the anode driver IC 2, any switching elements corresponding to EL elements to be driven are switched in accordance with the anode driver control signal supplied from the control circuit, the constant current circuits CCg are connected to the column electrode lines, and the other column electrode lines corresponding to non-light emission elements are connected to the ground via the pull-down resistors Ra.
In the circuit shown in FIG. 1, more specifically, the second row is selected as the scanned line and grounded through the pull-down resistor Rg, and the first column and the m-th column electrode lines are connected to the constant current circuits CCg, in correspondence with the elements that are to be light-emitted. Thus, a drive current is allowed to flow from the anode to the cathode of each of the organic EL elements at the points of intersection of these column electrode lines and the row electrode line, and the organic EL elements shown in white in the organic EL display panel of FIG. 1 are light-emitted.
As described above, in conventional display panel driving devices, it is necessary to provide the constant current driving circuit CCg for each column in the anode driver IC 2. As a result, the structure of the anode driver IC becomes complex, making it difficult to downsize the anode driver IC and to reduce the cost. Also, since a current is constantly supplied from the constant current driving circuit to the column electrode line corresponding to an EL element to be driven for light emission, there is a problem in that the overall power consumption of the IC increases. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In tasks that classify instances with few known features, it is usually difficult to build useful classifiers without adequate information because the results are inaccurate or unreliable. To improve the accuracy, the classifier needs to gather more information before classification. As an example, in a technical support center, a customer calls the technical support center with a technical issue. At the beginning, the customer (the information source) may only provide limited information (feature values) to a representative at the center. To identify the issue (classification), the representative asks questions (unknown features), and the customer provides some answers (values of probed features) or maybe volunteers some additional information (values of non-probed features). After a few rounds, the representative may identify (classify) the problem correctly and provide a suitable solution. In such tasks, additional to the accuracy of identifying the problem, the efficiency or the number of probing is also an importance criterion to evaluate the performance.
A pre-built decision tree may be considered as a straightforward approach to such a task. At each non-leaf node, the tree classifier probes the feature values. With the supplied feature value, the classifier follows the branch. Repeating the process, the classifier reaches a leaf node and makes the prediction with adequate information. However, ignoring the given feature values at the beginning and the volunteered feature values during the process makes this approach inefficient. Moreover, the data source may not be able to provide all feature values for some instances, which requires the tree to have an “unknown” branch for each split. Instead of using static pre-built decision trees, the system dynamically creates a split based on the given information.
To dynamically probe feature values, the system needs to estimate which features are the most informative to make the decision. To estimate the information given by an unknown feature, the system needs to classify the instance given the known feature values and the unknown feature under estimation. On one hand, building classifiers for all possible feature subsets is impractical, because the number of possible combinations of features is exponentially large when the number of features is large. On the other hand, building classifiers on-the-fly is also impractical because of the cost of building classifiers. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates particularly to an image forming apparatus using an electron source.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, there are known two types of electron emitting devices, i.e., a thermionic cathode and a cold cathode. Of these two types, known examples of the cold cathode include a surface conductive type electron emitting device, a field emission type electron emitting device (referred to as “FE type” hereinafter), and a metal/insulator/metal type electron emitting device (referred to as “MIM type”-hereinafter).
Some examples of the surface conductive type electron emitting devices are described in M. I. Elinson, Radio Eng. Electron Phys., 10, 1290(1965) and other papers mentioned below.
A surface conductive type electron emitting device utilizes a phenomenon that electron emission occurs when an electric current is supplied to a small-area thin film formed on a substrate so as to flow parallel to the film surface. Surface conductive type electron emitting devices known so far employ an SnO2 thin film, as reported by M. I. Elinson et al., an Au thin film [see, e.g., G. Dittmer: “Thin Solid Films”, 9, 317(1972)], an In2O3/SnO2, thin film [see, e.g., M. Hartwell and G. G. Fonstad: “IEEE Trans. ED conf.”, 519(1975)], a carbon thin film [see, e.g., Hisashi Araki et al.: Shinku (Vacuum), vol. 26, No. 1, 22(1983)], etc.
As a typical example of one of those surface conductive type electron emitting devices, FIG. 12 shows a plan view of the device reported by M. Hartwell et al.
Referring to FIG. 12, numeral 3001 denotes a substrate and 3004 denotes a conductive thin film of a metal oxide formed by sputtering. As shown, the conductive thin film 3004 is formed into an H-shape as viewed from above. An electron emitting portion 3005 is formed by carrying out an energization process to be described later, called “energization forming”, on the conductive thin film 3004. A spacing L shown in FIG. 12 is set to 0.5–1 mm and a width W is set to 0.1 mm. Note that although the electron emitting portion 3005 is shown as having a rectangular shape at the center of the conductive thin film 3004, the drawing has been illustrated for the sake of easier understanding and does not exactly express the exact position and shape of electron emitting portions actually physically produced.
Known FE type electron emitting devices are reported, for example, by W. P. Dyke & W. W. Dolan, “Field Emission”, Advance in Electron Physics, 8, 89(1956) and C. A. Spindt, “Physical properties of thin-film field emission cathodes with molybdenum cones”, J. Appl. Phys., 47, 5248(1976).
As a typical example of a construction of a FE type electron emitting device, FIG. 13 shows a sectional view of the device reported by C. A. Spindt et al.
Referring to FIG. 13, numeral 3010 denotes a substrate, and 3011 denotes an emitter wire made of a conductive material. Numeral 3012 denotes an emitter cone, 3013 denotes an insulating layer, and 3014 denotes a gate electrode. In the FE type device, field emission occurs from the top of the emitter cone 3012 by applying an appropriate voltage between the emitter cone 3012 and the gate electrode 3014.
As another example of a FE type device construction, there also is known a planar structure wherein an emitter and a gate electrode are arranged on a substrate, and lay substantially parallel to a flat surface of the substrate, rather than as shown in FIG. 13.
A known MIM type electron emitting device is reported, for example, by C. A. Mead, “Operation of Tunnel-emission Devices”, J. Appl. Phys., 32, 646(1961).
A typical example of a construction of the MIM type electron emitting device is shown in a sectional view of FIG. 14. Referring to FIG. 14, numeral 3020 denotes a substrate, and 3021 denotes a metal lower electrode. Numeral 3022 denotes a thin insulating layer having a thickness of about 10 nm, and 3023 denotes a metal upper electrode having a thickness of about 8–30 nm. In the MIM type device, electron emission occurs from the surface of the upper electrode 3023 by applying an appropriate voltage between the upper electrode 3023 and the lower electrode 3021.
Any of the cold cathodes described above do not require a heater for heating the devices because the cold cathodes can produce an electron emission at a lower temperature than that needed in the thermionic cathode. Therefore, a cold cathode can be formed with a simpler structure and a finer pattern than a thermionic cathode. Also, when a large number of cathodes are arrayed on a substrate with a high density, a problem such as thermal fusion of the substrate is less likely to occur. Further, a cold cathode has a high response speed, whereas a thermionic cathode has a low response speed because it starts operation upon heating by the heater.
For those reasons, studies regarding applications of cold cathodes have been actively conducted.
As to applications of the electron emitting devices, image forming apparatuses such as an image display unit and an image recording apparatus, charged beam sources, etc., have been studied.
Applications of the electron emitting devices to image forming apparatuses are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,532,548, 5,770,918 and 5,903,108, WO Nos. 98/28774 and 99/03126, as well as Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 01-241742, 04-094038, 04-098744, 04-163833 and 04-284340.
Of those image forming apparatuses employing the electron emitting devices, attention often is focused on a flat display which has a thin body contributing to saving space, and which also is lightweight and expected to be eventually substituted for a CRT type display.
FIG. 20 is a perspective view schematically showing a partially uncovered flat image forming apparatus (airtight container) that employs an electron source comprising a number of electron emitting devices arrayed in the form of a matrix. In FIG. 20, numeral 27 denotes an electron emitting device of any type described above, and numerals 23 and 24 denote wires connected to the electron emitting device 27. Numeral 1 denotes a rear plate on which the electron emitting devices are arrayed, 20 denotes an image forming member made up of a phosphor, etc., and 19 denotes a metal film (metal back) to which a high voltage (Hv) is applied for irradiating electrons emitted from the electron emitting devices towards the image forming member. Numeral 11 denotes a face plate on one side of which the image forming member is arranged, and 4 denotes a support frame which, together with the face plate 11 and the rear plate 1, constitutes an airtight container 100. An inner space of the airtight container 100 is held in a vacuum state at a level of about 10−4 Pa (Pascal). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The following descriptions and examples do not constitute an admission as prior art by virtue of their inclusion within this section.
Deposition processes are commonly used in semiconductor manufacturing to deposit a layer of material onto a substrate. Other processes are used to remove layers, define features (e.g., etch), prepare layers (e.g., clean) and dope elements. “Processes” shall be used throughout the application to refer to these and other possible known processes used for semiconductor manufacturing and any reference to a specific process should be read in the context of these other possible processes. In addition, deposition processes may apply to the manufacture of integrated circuits (IC) in semiconductor devices, flat panel displays, optoelectronic devices, data storage devices, magneto electronic devices, magneto optic devices, packaged devices, and the like. As integrated circuit sizes continue to shrink, improvements in materials, unit processes, and process sequences are continually being developed.
Thin film deposition is one method for manufacture of integrated circuits by depositing extremely thin layers of material on substrates or on previously existing layers. Sputter deposition is a physical vapor deposition (PVD) method of depositing thin films by ejecting (or sputtering) material from a target, which ejected material then deposits onto the substrate. Co-sputter deposition is a type of sputter deposition involving more than one PVD gun used to sputter target materials simultaneously to a substrate to provide a particular film composition (e.g., dopant level) on the substrate. Controlling dopant levels in current co-sputter deposition processes may involve using pre-doped targets in sputtering or co-sputtering processes and controlling process power applied to physical vapor deposition (PVD) guns. However, using multiple pre-doped targets to obtain a desired range of film compositions may be prohibitively expensive. Regarding control of process power, in general, providing a low process power results in a thin deposition film, whereas providing a high process power results in a thicker deposition film. However, it is undesirable to rely solely on process power control when attempting to provide a desired dopant level, particularly for very low dopant levels. If the process power is too low, plasma formation may not occur. If the process power is too high, the system may overheat, resulting in cracking or melting of PVD targets.
Collimated physical vapor deposition (i.e., use of a collimator for PVD applications) involves the placement of a single collimator between a target (i.e., the source of the sputtered material) and the substrate to ensure that sputtered atoms from the target arrive at the substrate at angles as close to a normal to substrate surface. Collimated PVD may be used to prevent substantially non-vertical target material flux from reaching a substrate by causing sputtered atoms from the target to impact with portions of the collimator. Such processes have been utilized to provide the seed required for electroplating to fill through-silicon vias (TSV), or improved step coverage of high-aspect-ratio device structures in general. Besides the use of pre-doped alloy targets, there is a need for precise control of film composition (including dopant levels) in co-sputter deposition techniques. Provided herein are systems and methods for control of film composition (including dopant levels) in co-sputter deposition by using collimators. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Engines with direct cylinder injection may utilize various configurations of pumps to deliver fuel to the cylinders. One example includes a dual stage fuel pump system. The dual stage fuel pump system may have two pumps connected in series allowing the pressure to be increased in each of two stages. The two stage system allows the size and power of the high pressure pump to be reduced, and also may allow the fuel to reach a higher injection pressure of under certain conditions. Further, such fueling systems may utilize a bypass that recirculates fuel back into the fuel tank. For example, fuel may be recirculated when the amount of fuel required by the injectors is decreased or the operation of the higher pressure pump and the injectors are stopped. Systems where the circulation occurs within or near the fuel tank are known as Mechanical Return-less Fuel Systems (MRFS).
One such example system is described by U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,090, which utilizes a pressure regulator that bypasses the low pressure pump allowing fuel to flow back into the fuel tank. In the example of '090, the regulation of the pressure at the bypass is electronically controlled by a CPU to allow the fuel system to deliver fuel to the injectors at three pressures levels.
The inventors of the present application have recognized various issues with such an approach. For example, during starting, the accuracy of pressure control at the bypass, and the response of the pressure control at the bypass, may degrade.
Further, the inventors herein have also recognized that certain engine operating conditions, such as a hot restart, may require a high lift pump pressure for a short time. One of those conditions may include operation during the engine start sequence when the fuel rail requires refilling and re-pressurization, that is, to pressurize the fuel vapor into fuel liquid. Another condition may be when the fuel lines are experiencing vapor lock (i.e. when vapor is formed in the fuel lines). The high lift pump pressure may be used to fill the fuel rail rapidly. A fully filled fuel rail may be a prerequisite for an engine-driven, positive displacement pump to be fully effective in raising fuel rail pressure.
One approach to at least partially address the above issue, as well others, may include a method for operating fuel system that supplies fuel to a plurality of injectors in an internal combustion engine via a first pump and a second pump with a bypass coupled between the first and second pump for returning fuel to a fuel tank, the pumps connected in series. The method comprises: before actuating fuel injectors during an engine start, operating the first pump, where fuel is driven through the bypass that generates increased fuel pressure delivered to the injectors increasing with said fuel flow rate driven through the bypass; and during actuation of the fuel injectors after an engine start, operating the first and second pumps, where fuel pressure is regulated at a specified pressure via bypass flow in the bypass.
For example, pressure generated by the first pump before the injectors are actuated can be used to advantage to provide increased pressure for the first injection before the second pump has generated significant pressure, or in addition to any pressure generated by the second pump. Further, by reducing the bypass fuel flow rate during injector actuation, fuel system energy efficiency can be increased while heat transfer to the fuel is reduced. In this way, it is possible to, in one example, utilize mechanical components to generate such operation, and thus increase response time during the engine start. Further, it is possible to enable a high pressure to be reached in the fuel line during engine start up, increasing the efficiency and power of the engine, and improving cold start emissions.
Thus, at one point of operation, the short-duration objective is high pressure. The above approach can exploit the fact that this requirement occurs at what would normally be maximum bypass regulator flow rate. At other points of operation, the objective is minimum or zero bypass regulator flow rate to minimize lift pump electrical power consumption. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
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