Heretofore, there has been known a cooling apparatus for cooling a heat exchanger with a fan driven by an engine. JP, U, 63-4400, for example, discloses a cooling apparatus comprising a heat exchanger, a propeller fan whose rotary shaft is rotated by the driving force of an engine to produce a stream of cooling air for cooling the heat exchanger, and a shroud provided downstream of the heat exchanger for introducing the cooling air to the suction side of the propeller fan, wherein a substantially disk-shaped back plate is provided just behind rotor blades of the propeller fan on the blowoff side, the back plate having almost the same diameter as an outline of the propeller fan. Such a construction is effective to avoid the occurrence of turbulence caused by interference between a main stream of the cooling air produced in the centrifugal direction on the blowoff side of the propeller fan and a reverse stream tending to return toward the heat exchanger side after being separated from the main stream, and hence to reduce noise generated by the fan.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printed circuit board, and more particularly, it relates to a printed circuit board having a plurality of via-holes which are provided for effectively radiating the heat generated from circuit elements which are mounted on the printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent technology for printed circuit boards more and more tends to prepare semiconductor elements with high integration and to mount them with high density on printed circuit boards. In accordance with this tendency, it is strongly required to cool elements or to radiate heat generated from elements mounted on the printed circuit boards.
In actuality, a cooling apparatus is provided for a large scale electronics apparatus (for example, a large scale computer) in order to cool circuit elements. However, in the case of electronic apparatuses which are required to be small in size, it is difficult to use such a cooling apparatus because of the high cost and large size thereof. Accordingly, conventionally, in such a small scale electronics apparatus, a heat sink, for example, a metal plate, has been used for radiating the heat generated from circuit elements (i.e., heater elements) in stead of the cooling apparatus.
In general, the printed circuit board is made by a resin, for example, an epoxide, and this material has low thermal conductivity so that the radiation of the heat becomes worse. Accordingly, it is necessary to mount a heat sink which has a good characteristic for radiating the heat because of the high thermal conductivity thereof.
On the other hand, the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-257786 and the Japanese U.M. Publication No. 62-42273 disclose another cooling method for a purpose of low cost and small size. According to this method, the heat sink is not provided, and a plurality of through-holes (which are called "thermally conductive through hole" or simply "thermal-via") each containing a thermally conductive material, for example, a metal, are provided on the printed circuit board in order to realize good thermal conductivity in the whole printed circuit board.
Further, in the former document (JPP-62-257786), the through-holes are provided so as to penetrate the printed circuit board by using a drill, and copper (Cu)-plating is provided on a side surface of each through-hole. According to this structure, since the air is filled within a space provided by the through-hole, the thermal conductivity becomes extremely worse. However, since the Cu-plating is provided on the side surface of each through-hole, it is possible to improve the thermal conductivity of the printed circuit board as the whole.
However, although the above method is preferable for the purpose of low cost and small size, there are some limitations, for example, the density of the through-hole and the restriction of a size of hole (i.e., diameter thereof) so that it is very difficult to obtain sufficient radiation of the heat. Accordingly, there is a problem which it is very difficult to utilize this method to elements which radiate large amount of heat.
Still further, in the latter document (JUMP-62-42273), although this discloses the thermally conductive through-holes, it does not disclose a concrete method for improving the thermal conductivity.


1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multi-function apparatus having one or more capabilities of the above devices, and in particular, to an image forming apparatus that can properly correct charging voltage to be applied to a charging member such as a charging roller.
2. Background Art
In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, such as a copier and a printer, it is necessary to adjust the charging voltage to be applied to the charging member in order to reliably form a quality image even though performance of the image carrier, such as a photoconductor drum, or the charging member, such as a charging roller, has been degraded over time or due to environmental changes.
Several approaches have been tried. For example, the current/voltage when the rated voltage or current is applied to the charging roller is measured, and the resistance of the charging roller is obtained from the results. From a relation between the obtained resistance and the temperature detected by a temperature sensor, variation of the charged potential is forecasted and the charging voltage to be applied to the charging roller is corrected as needed. Alternatively, the temperature of the charging roller is detected and the charging voltage to be applied to the charging roller is corrected based on the detection results. Further alternatively, a surface potentiometer is used to detect the surface potential (charged potential or the exposure potential) of the photoconductor drum and image forming conditions, such as charging voltage to be applied to the charging member, are adjusted based on the surface potential of the photoconductor drum detected by the surface potentiometer.


This invention relates to film printers and, more particularly, to apparatus for executing light control operations during bidirectional film transport in a printer.
Film printers are employed to expose a reel of raw film to the frames of photographic images on a reel of master film while the master film and raw film are transported together. Light control operations are commonly executed during the exposure process in high quality film copying operations. For example, red, green, and blue color corrections are made by so-called light valves at the beginning of each scene of the master film to compensate for the different lighting conditions under which the master film was produced and different film characteristics. In order to have one scene fade out and/or the next scene fade in, a fade is executed by gradually changing the intensity of the exposing light on a frame by frame basis.
Notches or RF strips on the film have been used for many years to mark the frames at which light control operations such as color corrections are to be executed. The color corrections are stored on a punched paper tape in the sequence in which they are to be made during film transport. Each time a notch or RF strip is sensed during film transport, the corresponding color correction is read from the tape and made by the light valves. The use of notches or RF strips to mark the master film is objectionable because the master film must be handled to so mark it, and, in the case of RF strips, the strips may come off the film.
Recently the technique of frame count cuing has been developed to indicate the frames at which light control operations are to be executed without marking the master film. The frames of the master film are counted during transport. The frame counts at which the light control operations are to be executed are stored on the tape with the corresponding color corrections. The frame counts on the tape are compared with the actual frame count of the master film during transport to generate cue signals that execute the color corrections at the coincidence of both.


The invention relates to gate hinges and, more particularly, to a gate hinge having a screw for adjusting the hinged members relatively toward or away from one another.
A number of additional features and objects will be apparent in connection with the following discussion of the preferred embodiments and examples with reference to the drawings.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a decorative lamp, and particularly to a figurative structure for clamping a decorative lamp string.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional decorative lamp string for Christmas season, a plurality of sockets are mounted therein by using two or more than two power wires twisted together to connect such sockets in series; such a lamp string is subject to swinging or hanging in the air because of the sockets thereof not being fastened in place.
In the conventional decorative lamp string for a given festival, the figurative lamp-mounting frame is usually made of a metal, on which a plurality of socket assemblies connected in series with twisted power wires are mounted thereon. The power wires and the figurative lamp-mounting frame are usually not fastened together; as a result, the lamp string and the lamp-mounting frame are subject to separating from each other. Some of such lamp strings may be fastened in place with fastening cord; however, the sockets and the power wires are also subject to swinging and hanging in the air.
In the conventional decorative lamp string for Christmas season, please reference the U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,072, it is a direction fixture for decorative lamp series comprising a socket for a bulb, wires connected to said socket and a retaining ring attached to said socket, said retaining ring being provided with a notch extending longitudinally of the socket with the wires that are connected to said socket being positioned and retained in said socket so as to fixed said socket in a desired orientation and wherein said retaining ring has an outer face which is in registry with an end rim of said socket. In the aforesaid invention, the socket assemblies and the power wires are fastened in place with fastening slips, but the socket assemblies and the power wires appear to be out of order; therefore, the lamp string has to be fastened to a lamp-mounting frame with fastening cords.
In another conventional lamp string for Christmas season, please reference the U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,246, the front part of the figurative structure is provided with a fastening base, which is furnished with a plurality of hooks for clamping sockets respectively; then, the sockets are fastened to the figurative structure. When the bulbs wink, the figurative structure will be shown vividly. The back of the figurative structure is provided with a connection plate; as a result, such figurative structure can only be used for one-side decoration.
In still another conventional lamp string for Christmas season, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,872, the bulb-plugging end of the socket assembly has two curved surfaces on both sides thereof, and one side thereof has two symmetrical arm plates extended out; the tail ends of such arm plates have two curved hooks respectively; the inner surface of the hooks each have a curved surface to fit to the figurative lamp-mounting frame. The outer ends of the two hooks form into an opening; each socket assembly has two arm plates to form into an opening so as to click to the metal rod of the figurative lamp-mounting frame, i.e., to have the socket assembly clamped to the metal rod of the figurative lamp-mounting frame.


Mooring or breasting structures are known in the maritime arts for guiding and securing vessels to a fixed location on a body of water for loading, unloading or storage. One particular type of mooring or breasting structure, known as a dolphin, consists of groups of elongate piles having a first end driven into the bed underlying the body of water and a second end extending above the body of water for contacting the vessel.
Ideally, in order to avoid damage to either the vessel or the dolphin upon a vessel impacting the dolphin, the dolphin must possess considerable powers of resistance and also a high degree of elasticity. Oberschulte, U.S. Pat. No. 1,837,998, is illustrative of one dolphin structure which attempts to provide the combination of resistance and a high degree of elasticity. Oberschulte teaches providing a plurality of vertical hollow metal piles which are interconnected at their lower ends along a length to be imbedded into the bed underlying a body of water. The remaining portion of the piles, which extend above the bed, are unconnected along their remaining length to provide a resilient structure above the bed for elastically opposing horizontal loads. Not only does such a structure help dissipate the energy of a vessel striking fenders surrounding the piles, but by having the piles unconnected "pull out forces" which might otherwise lead to pulling of the piles from the bed are avoided. However, the structure taught in Oberschulte fails to optimize energy dissipation.
The prior art has recognized that fender piles can be utilized as part of a mooring structure in order to help dissipate the force of an impact of a vessel. Illustrative fender structures are those shown in Peterson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,420,677;
Bergfelder, U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,572; and Julian et al, U.S. Statutory Invention Registration H402.
Peterson teaches a fender pile having a distal end rigidly embedded in a sea bed and a proximal end in abutment with a support structure such as a pier supported on a number of piles. Peterson further teaches providing shock absorbing springs at a select point along the length of the pile for allowing the pile to bend as a horizontal load is applied while preventing the pile from bending beyond its elastic limit.
Bergfelder teaches a prestressed concrete fender pile having a proximal end rigidly secured in a sea bed with a distal end abutting a pier or the like. The concrete fender pile is prestressed with high strength fiber prestressing elements which are resistant to the corrosive effects of water. Bergfelder teaches the fender pile as being able to dissipate energy by the pile bending in response to a horizontal load between the distal end and a point above the proximal end of the pile at around the level of the bed.
Julian teaches an energy absorbing prestressed concrete fender pile which includes a rubber fender or insert between the fender pile and the pier, but which otherwise dissipates energy by deflecting in the same manner as described above with regard to Bergfelder.
While each of these fender systems is somewhat effective in helping to dissipate energy which might ultimately have to be born by the pilings of a dolphin, they can result in high bending moments near the proximal end of the fender pile, which can lead to failure of the fender pile. None of these structures therefore present an optimal solution for dissipating horizontal loads.
Holly, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,968, teaches providing cantilevered torque arms with bumpers at their distal ends attached to vertical steel piles. Impacts on the bumpers create torsion and bending forces in the piles to help dissipate energy of an impact. However, Holly requires that the vertical piles be secured against axial rotation at their base, which can be difficult and expensive to achieve. Thus, while making effective use of torsion to absorb a load, the structure taught in Holly is prohibitively expensive in many applications.
One additional known way to assist in the dissipation of energy and to protect a vessel and a fender from wearing from contact therebetween is to provide a bumper on the load impacting fender. Walker, U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,800; Leblanc, U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,556; Thomerson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,046; Sluys, U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,891; and Aks, U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,342, teach a number of bumper structures for use on a fender.
While each of the structures discussed above provides some teaching of energy dissipation for fender or dolphin structures, none of them teach an inexpensive, simple to construct dolphin structure which optimizes energy dissipation through the use of each element of the dolphin structure.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems discussed above.


1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a light weight light modifier having a single-piece molded housing capable of supporting several strobe-light heads, tungsten lights, HMI lights, barndoors, filter holders, diffusers, and other accessories as well as being adaptable for mounting a camera for shadow free photography.
2. Description of Prior Art
One of the most important aspects of photography is the ability to control light. Any device used to control light, its intensity or direction, is called a light modifier. Those used in photography are broadly classified as follows:
a) Bounce umbrellas (modifiers) having reflective under-surface ranging from white to gold or silver metallic. The light source is reversibly mounted under the concave center of the open umbrella bouncing the light back from the reflective surface. PA1 a) Parabolic and ellipsoidal reflectors. These basic reflectors (modifiers) are usually employed with a single light source. The light bulb or a strobe light is positioned near the base of the reflector, facing the opening. The light reflects from the sides of the reflector to the area being illuminated. This type of reflector is usually made from light weight aluminum by metal spinning. Ideally the inside surface of the reflector is made of highly polished material, preferably with a textured pattern to diffuse the light and avoid hot spots. PA1 b) Soft boxes. These modifiers are made of soft, light weight fabric, supported by a framework of rods. The inside of the box is typically lined with reflective fabric and the front portion is covered with a translucent fabric. The outer-shell sides and rear portion are covered with a black fabric. The light source is mounted on the back of the box, facing the translucent front panel. The soft boxes typically employ either a single strobe light or a continuous light source, usually quartz halogen. PA1 c) Fresnel lens equipped light modifiers deliver a direct light beam, which feathers from a hard center toward a softer edge. These lights are typically made with a metal housing and have brackets for attaching accessories such as barndoors, diffusers, and filter holders. PA1 a) to enable multiple lights, either strobe based, or continuous source, to be mounted onto a single light-modifier to obtain a maximum, uniform, light from their collective output; PA1 b) to provide photographers with a light-modifier, which accepts variety of commercially available lights which, are easily mounted with adapter plates; PA1 c) to provide an economical light-modifier with a single-piece, rigid, platform capable of supporting barndoors, filters, and diffusers, and having a pivotable yoke for mounting on a stand; PA1 d) to provide a single-piece molded housing which forms a rigid platform allowing the inside of the housing to be lined with reflective panels for maximum light reflection without distorting their intended shape. PA1 e) to provide a method for mounting a camera for shadow free lighting.
The problem associated with the bounce umbrella is the difficulty in attaching filters for color correction or the inability to attach barndoors or other directional light control devices.
Some of the better known umbrella designs are made and marketed by Lowell, Photogenic, Profoto, and other quality manufacturers.
However, because the spinning process forces the textured surface against a tool, much of this highly reflective surface is damaged, causing less effective, uneven illumination. Typical parabolic and ellipsoidal reflectors are made and marketed by Speedotron, Norman, Profoto, and other quality manufacturers.
This light weight design is usually attached to a light fixture as an accessory and has no independent means for mounting on a stand. Due to its soft design, it has no hard points onto which accessories such as bardoors or filters can be readily added. Well-known soft boxes designs are made and marketed by Lowell, Photogenic, Profoto, Chimera, Westcott, and other quality manufacturers.
While this light modifier successfully projects a highly controllable light beam, it is limited to a single-point light source, either a strobe or a light bulb. Only a more powerful strobe unit or a higher wattage bulb can gain additional light.
Makers of fresnel lens equipped lights include Mole-Richardson Co., Profoto, Admagic, Sinar Bron, Elinchrom, and other quality manufacturers.


1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a sound collecting device designed to minimize electric noises caused by dust, frozen foreign substances lying on an electroacoustic transducer exposed to the air, or electromagnetic noises inputted directly to the transducer.
2. Background Art
FIG. 8 shows a conventional sound collecting device which consists of a horn 1 designed so as to increase in sectional area in a lengthwise direction for ease of collecting the sound wave, an electroacoustic transducer 2 (i.e., a microphone) installed in a base of the horn 1, and a preamplifier 3 connecting electrically with the transducer 2. An audio signal outputted from the transducer 2 is, as clearly shown in FIG. 9, amplified by the preamplifier 3 and outputted to an external device.
The transducer 2 is usually exposed to the air for catching sound waves and thus has the problems in that dust is gathered on a diaphragm of the transducer 2 with time or when the device is used in winter, it may cause the moisture in the air to be frozen solid on the diaphragm, which affects on an operation of the transducer 2, and in that since the transducer 2 needs to be exposed directly to the air, it is difficult to use a shield for protecting the transducer 2 from electromagnetic waves originating from high-voltage cables or transmission antennas, so that the electromagnetic noises are inputted directly to the transducer 2.


Boat ladders which are at least partly collapsible have been proposed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,952. One advantage of a collapsible boat ladder is that in its collapsed condition it occupies less space which facilitates storage and shipment of the ladder. It is also desirable if the length of the ladder can be adjusted. Foldable ladders have been proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,603,638, 2,758,770, and 3,286,789. However, the construction of such ladders has been unduly complicated.


A battery pack typically includes multiple rechargeable battery cells. High-voltage battery packs, such as those used to power a torque-generating electric machine, can generate substantial amounts of heat during sustained operation. As a result, a battery thermal management system is typically used to regulate battery cell temperature. For instance, coolant may be circulated in a closed-loop channel located near the battery cells. Thin thermal plates referred to as cooling fins may be used to help direct circulated coolant between adjacent battery cells to facilitate cooling.
In some battery cells, an insulating separator material may be arranged between oppositely-charged electrodes and enclosed within a sealed outer pouch filled with an electrolyte solution. The separator material, e.g., polyethylene and/or polypropylene film, helps prevent an electrical short condition while permitting the free transfer of electrical charge between electrodes. Positive and negative cell tabs of the battery cell, which are electrically connected to the respective electrodes, extend a short distance outside of the sealed pouch to form electrode terminals for the battery cell. The electrode terminals of multiple battery cells are typically ultrasonically welded together via a conductive interconnecting member positioned outside of the battery cells in order to form the battery pack.


1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for preforming thermoplastic materials and, more specifically, to apparatuses and methods for bending thermoplastic sheets to form preforms for ducts.
2) Description of Related Art
Ducts provide transport passageways for a wide variety of applications. For example, tubular ducts are widely used for air flow in aircraft environmental control systems. Similarly, ducts provide passageways for transporting gases for heating and ventilation in other vehicles and in buildings. Water distribution systems, hydraulic systems, and other fluid networks also often use ducts for fluid transport. In addition, solid materials, for example, in particulate form can be delivered through ducts. Ducts for the foregoing and other applications can be formed of metals, plastics, ceramics, composites, and other materials.
One conventional aircraft environmental control system utilizes a network of ducts to provide air for heating, cooling, ventilation, filtering, humidity control, and/or pressure control of the cabin. In this conventional system, the ducts are formed of a composite material that includes a thermoset matrix that impregnates, and is reinforced by, a reinforcing material such as Kevlar®, registered trademark of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. The thermoset matrix is typically formed of an epoxy or polyester resin, which hardens when it is subjected to heat and pressure. Ducts formed of this composite material are generally strong and lightweight, as required in many aircraft applications. However, the manufacturing process can be complicated, lengthy, and expensive, especially for ducts that include contours or features such as beads and bells. For example, in one conventional manufacturing process, ducts are formed by forming a disposable plaster mandrel, laying plies of fabric preimpregnated with the thermoset material on the mandrel, and consolidating and curing the plies to form the duct. The tools used to mold the plaster mandrel are specially sized and shaped for creating a duct of specific dimensions, so numerous such tools must be produced and maintained for manufacturing different ducts. The plaster mandrel is formed and destroyed during the manufacture of one duct, requiring time for curing and resulting in plaster that typically must be removed or destroyed as waste. Additionally, the preimpregnated plies change shape during curing and consolidation and, therefore, typically must be trimmed after curing to achieve the desired dimensions. The jigs required for trimming and for locating the proper positions for features such as holes and spuds are also typically used for only a duct of particular dimensions, so numerous jigs are required if different ducts are to be formed. Like the rotatable tools used for forming the mandrels, the jigs require time and expense for manufacture, storage, and maintenance. Additionally, ducts formed of conventional thermoset epoxies typically do not perform well in certain flammability, smoke, and toxicity tests, and the use of such materials can be unacceptable if performance requirements are strict. Further, features such as beads typically must be post-formed, or added after the formation of the duct, requiring additional manufacture time and labor.
Alternatively, ducts can also be formed of thermoplastic materials. A thermoplastic duct can be formed by forming a thermoplastic sheet of material, cutting the sheet to a size and configuration that corresponds to the desired shape of the duct, bending the sheet to the desired configuration of the duct, and joining longitudinal edges of the sheet to form a longitudinal joint or seam. For example, apparatuses and methods for forming thermoplastic ducts and consolidation joining of thermoplastic ducts are provided in U.S. application Ser. Nos. [. . . ] and [. . . ], titled “Thermoplastic Laminate Duct” and “Consolidation Joining of Thermoplastic Laminate Ducts,” both of which are filed concurrently herewith and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Such thermoplastic ducts can be formed by retaining the thermoplastic sheet in the bent configuration until the ends are joined, and then releasing the duct so that the resulting joint continues to restrain the duct in the bent configuration. However, stresses induced in the thermoplastic material during bending can cause the duct to deform or distort from the desired configuration after joining, e.g., when released from the joining apparatus.
Thus, there exists a need for improved apparatuses and methods of preforming ducts, i.e., providing a preform configured to correspond generally to the desired configuration of the duct in a substantially unstressed condition. The method should not require the laying of individual plies on a disposable plaster mandrel. Preferably, the method should be compatible with thermoplastic ducts, including reinforced thermoplastic ducts formed from flat sheets, which provide high strength-to-weight ratios and meet strict flammability, smoke, and toxicity standards.


Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical recording medium which records and reproduces information optically, and a process for producing the recording medium.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pneumatic gripper comprising at least one pneumatic structural element.
2. History of the Related Art
The devices nearest to the present invention are known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,056,625, Timmerman (D1) and JP 05261687, Bridgestone (D2).
D1 describes a gripper for goods which is configured as a clamp and has grippers held movably on its lateral vertically disposed sections by means of hinges. Located between each vertically disposed section and the associated gripper is an inflatable bellows which, under pressure, pushes the gripper away from the vertical section towards the inside of the gripper so that the goods are grasped by the gripper.
D2 also describes a gripper configured in the manner of a clamp with lateral vertically disposed sections. A supporting arm runs parallel to each of the vertical sections, on the inner side thereof, said supporting arm for its part being movably hinged in the cross member of the gripper by means of a hinge. Inflatable cushions are provided on each supporting arm which, when filled with compressed air, press the supporting arms away towards the inside (whereby said cushions also move inwards since they are disposed on the supporting arms).
These known grippers have the disadvantage of a rigid structure, for example, with the consequence that they can only be used in a vertical position.


An abrasive disk is usually prepared by coating an adhesive on a back pad disk, and bonding the back pad to a disk form of a coated abrasive body (comprised of a backsheet and a layer of an abrasive material), followed by heat-pressing. The back pad is generally prepared using glass fibers for dimensional stability, and a conventional abrasive disk comprising a glass fiber textile-containing back pad is shown in FIG. 1.
However, the glass fiber textile has problems in that it is heavy, expensive and stiff, which limits the use of such an abrasive disk.
It is also known that abrasive materials in the edge of the abrasive disk wear down quicker than those in other part of the disk during polishing, leading to lowering of the abrasion efficiency. Thus, the worn abrasive material region is usually ground out together with the unused abrasive materials on the other part of the abrasive disk, by a procedure known as “dressing”. This dressing operation is generally performed in several steps, during which the glass fiber textile generates a glass-fiber dust which irritates the skin and respiratory system of the worker. Further, the glass fiber textile has unsatisfactory wear resistance, which leads to a poor productivity and an increase in the manufacturing cost.


The present specification relates generally to the field of displays. More specifically, the specification relates to virtual displays.
Virtual displays can provide information that is viewable in virtual space for a user of equipment, such as aircraft, ships, boats, naval craft, medical equipment, robotic equipment, remote vehicles, unmanned vehicle systems (UVSs), training simulators, entertainment systems, military equipment, land vehicles, etc. The information can include navigation parameters, guidance parameters, equipment parameters, location information, video information, remote views, symbology, etc.
Virtual displays can be Near Eye Displays (NEDs), such as Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) (e.g., head worn displays, helmet mounted displays and head worn displays) or Head Up Displays (HUDs) with a fixed combiner near the eye position. Virtual displays can be utilized to provide images to an operator or user (e.g., a pilot in a cockpit). In aircraft applications, HUDs generally include a fixed combiner, an optical projector, an image source, and a HUD computer. HMDs generally include a head worn or helmet mounted combiner, optical projection elements, an image source, a HMD computer, and a head orientation sensor. The HUD or HMD computer causes the image source to provide an image which is projected to a combiner. The combiner provides a collimated image to the pilot. The image can include enhanced vision images, flight symbology, targeting data, flight instrument data, synthetic vision images, head up display (HUD) data, etc.
Cockpit and other display technologies have utilized non-virtual displays such as gauges and panel displays (e.g., head down displays (HDDs) in the cockpit environment). The non-virtual display technology has migrated from a multiplicity of independent gauges to a few large panel, non-virtual displays (e.g., large format HDDs in the cockpit environment). The large format HDDs can represent and concentrate information that used to be apportioned to different gauges and smaller HDDs. While this display technology allows for denser and more flexible display of multiple information streams, the denser, larger display formats can present several drawbacks. First, as information density on each panel is increased, the failure of a single display panel can cause degradation in cockpit workflow, pilot workload, and the amount of information provided to the pilot. Second, the larger, denser displays cannot easily direct attention to particular warnings on the HDDs and/or to locations outside of the cockpit and/or off the HDDs. Third, larger displays cannot be designed to cover the entire cockpit area. Dead space or unused areas in the cockpit cannot be filled in with display information due to shape and size constraints. Large HDDs often include bezels which take up space in the cockpit and cannot display information for the pilot. Bezels associated with conventional HDDs can prevent a seamless display experience.
Thus, there is a need for a low cost, lightweight virtual display system for use with a heads down display (HDD). There is also a need for a virtual display system that provides a seamless display system. There is further a need for near eye display system and method that can be easily integrated in the design of a cockpit without requiring extra display space. There is further a need for a near eye display that can provide display redundancy in the event of a malfunction. There is also a need for a virtual display system and method that is optimized to direct attention to warnings in the cockpit or to locations outside of the cockpit. Yet further, there is a need for a near eye display system that displays types of information in positions that are appropriate for the particular type of information.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a display system and/or method that provide(s) one or more of these or other advantageous features. Other features or advantages will be made apparent in the present specification. The teachings disclosed extend to those embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the aforementioned advantages or features.


The present disclosure is related to cache memory, and more particularly, to a prefetching data to a lower level cache memory address translation.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of analyzing wear particles in used lubricants. More specifically, the present invention discloses a sample preparation system for separating wear particles from such fluids by size and magnetic characteristics.
2. Statement of the Problem
The present invention is designed to filter and separate wear particles suspended in used lubricants or hydraulic fluids by particle size and magnetic characteristics. These samples can then be analyzed qualitatively or quantitatively using a conventional energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) system or other analysis techniques.
More specifically, the present invention is designed to meet the particular needs of the Joint Oil Analysis Program (JOAP) laboratories. These laboratories belong to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and other Department of Defense (DoD) agencies. All of these laboratories are part of an interagency cooperative effort to implement an effective condition monitoring response to threats, and to increase safety of service personnel and the longevity of the hardware transporting the personnel. It is the responsibility of the JOAP Technical Support Center (TSC) to set the equipment standards for analysis for each of the individual condition monitoring and oil analysis programs operated by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and other DoD agencies. If a piece of equipment is to be used in the condition monitoring program of any DoD agency, the analysis system or technique to be used must first receive approval from the JOAP-TSC in Pensacola, Fla.
Current atomic emission spectrographs used by the JOAP are most sensitive to particles having a size of approximately 10 microns or less. Particles larger than 8 to 10 microns in size cannot be vaporized by the high-voltage arc of the atomic emission spectrograph and therefore are not part of the sample analysis. A growing number of people in the engine condition monitoring field are now of the opinion that analysis of a wide range of particle sizes, including larger particles of 10 microns and up, is far more indicative of abnormal wear and provides the best indication of impending, possibly catastrophic failure. This seems reasonable because small metal particles present in the oil are the result of both normal wear and large particles being ground into small particles by the mechanism. Therefore, any analytical technique that is capable of analyzing only small particles is going to be less effective in predicting a need for engine maintenance, and will only occasionally be able to predict the impending catastrophic failures that are most hazardous. It is estimated that current atomic emission spectroscopy techniques detect abnormal wear only an average of once in every 5,000 analyses performed on used oil samples. There have also been several instances where an aircraft has had an in-flight failure shortly after having an oil analysis by atomic emission spectroscopy indicating no unusual quantities of wear metal. Visual inspection of the oil filter and other interior portions of the engines after the crash revealed numerous large particles, chips, and chunks of metal debris. An atomic emission spectroscopy analysis of the used oil collected after the crash still showed nothing abnormal.
An analytical technique that is sensitive to a wide range of particle sizes, including large particles, is advantageous and would allow detection of impending failures that are not observed with the current technique. This translates to a reduction in maintenance costs, increased safety for personnel, and fewer in-flight failures. EDXRF is sensitive to all particle sizes and therefore offers an opportunity to significantly improve the early detection of abnormal wear in aircraft. As a result of these concerns, there is a need for a system to prepare filtration samples in which particles are separated into multiple categories by size and magnetic characteristics. In addition, the system should allow the operator to easily identify any samples containing significant quantities of oversize particles.
Although the present invention was specifically developed to support aircraft engines used for helicopters and jet fighters, it should be expressly understood that the invention is also applicable to analysis of used lubricants and hydraulic fluids from commercial aircraft, ground-based equipment such as heavy construction equipment, trucks, power generation stations, ocean liners, other types of ships, and high performance automobiles.
A number of particle filtration systems have been used in the past for analysis of used oil and lubricants, including the following:
______________________________________ Inventor Patent No. Issue Date ______________________________________ Thornton et al. 4,555,331 Nov. 26, 1985 Cox et al. 4,550,591 Nov. 5, 1985 Luria 4,169,677 Oct. 2, 1979 Westcott 4,047,814 Sep. 13, 1977 Vobach et al. 2,105,851 Jan. 18, 1938 ______________________________________
Thornton et al. disclose a semi-automatic quantitative filtration assembly having means to measure and present a known quantity of fluid for filtering. An in-process fluid holding tank (e.g., moat) adjacent to the filter medium receives any excess fluid during filtering to prevent excess fluid from intermixing with the known quantity of fluid to be filtered.
Cox et al. disclose an apparatus for monitoring particulates in a fluid. The fluid flows through a filter 28. A pressure sensing means 46 senses the fluid pressure difference across the filter. A processor evaluates the rate of change of the pressure difference in order to give an indication of the particulate matter levels in the fluid.
Luria discloses a system for analyzing used oil in which a plurality of samples are separated according to the different mobility rates of its particles through a liquid medium. The samples are separated by passing them through a large mesh screen at the bottom end of a tubular holder in which the centrifuging is effected.
Westcott discloses a system for detecting and analyzing particulate matter suspended in a fluid. The fluid flows over a collecting substrate in the presence of a magnetic or electric field having an intense gradient. The particles are deposited on the substrate in accordance with their size with the larger particles being deposited first and the smaller particles being deposited last.
Vobach et al. disclose a system for measuring contaminants in lubricants. A magnetic field is used to separate magnetic metal particles suspended in the lubricant.
3. Solution to the Problem
None of the prior art references uncovered in the search show a sample preparation system for analysis of wear particles in lubricants that produces filtration samples in which wear particles are separated into multiple categories by size and magnetic characteristics. In addition, the system allows the operator to easily identify any samples containing significant quantities of oversize wear particles.


This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/859,296, filed May 17, 2001, entitled “DOMESTIC ORIGINATION TO INTERNATIONAL TERMINATION COUNTRY SET LOGIC”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,618,475, which has a common assignee and inventorship to the present application, and the above noted patent application, is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
1. Technological Field
The present application relates generally to fraud control in telecommunications systems and, in particular, to preventing fraud in calls from a domestic origin point to an international terminating point in a long distance telecommunications network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The telecommunications industry has experienced significant changes in the way that customers are billed for their telephone calls. From the once simple method of billing the originating caller, many methods have been developed, allowing greater flexibility for the telecommunications customer. A predominant method for making telephone calls away from home or the office is by utilizing the telephone calling card to charge the call.
Calling card customers may use any telephone facility, including public facilities, to make a call that will be charged to their account. The process of making calls using a calling card typically includes dialing an “800” number, waiting for an audio prompt, and then entering an account number and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) into a telephone key pad device. The “800” (and now “888”) number phone calls are one type of a category of phone calls called “special service” calls. These special service calls, which include “700”, “800/888”, and “900” number calls, allow contemporary telecommunications networks to provide many services beyond direct distance dialing. It is the long distance carriers that provide this special service call processing, which allows for toll-free calls, calling card calls, special rate calls, etc.
Following the example of a calling card call, once the account number and PIN have been entered, the calling card customer can make one or more calls from whatever location the customer is dialing in from. These calls are subsequently charged to the customer's calling card account. Calling cards can also be used to avoid having to pay additional surcharges when making calls from certain public facilities such as hotels and telephone booths.
As with many new technologies, the ease and flexibility of the use of calling cards has led to abuse, and has consequently brought about new types of fraud. Calling card fraud costs businesses (and consumers) millions of dollars annually. Current security mechanisms, while effective, are not fail-safe, and protection mechanisms for consumers and businesses require improvement to stem these fraud-related losses.
There is a virtual underground industry in stolen calling cards and authorization codes. The multitude of ways that calling cards and authorization numbers find their way into unscrupulous hands need not be discussed here, but suffice it to say there is no end to the ingenuity of the criminal mind. One example of calling card fraud is the technique of “surfing” banks of public telephones, such as are at airports. Criminals “surf” by looking over the shoulders of legitimate card users as they key in the account number and PIN. Then they sell or distribute these numbers and rampant fraud results. In some cases, a single account may incur charges in excess of $100,000 in a single weekend. Calling card fraud and other forms of fraudulent use present pervasive problems for telephone carriers, particularly long distance carriers.
One method of fraud control is to simply remove calling card numbers against which it is suspected that fraudulent calls are being charged. In order to recognize fraudulent calls, a “billing number”—a billing product and an account number, such as a calling card, pre-paid phone card, etc.—is monitored over time. For example, where the number of domestic calls placed within a certain amount of time using the same billing number exceeds a certain threshold, an alert is generated. International calls may have a lower threshold so that fewer calls within the time period generate an alert. In addition, the threshold may be further adjusted for calls to countries where a high percentage of fraudulent calls are directed.
Another method of fraud control is to identify particular origin points that are linked to suspicious activity and to block certain calls from those particular origin points. For example, a large number of long duration calls to China may be generated from an exchange in Manhattan. This would generate a threshold alert, which is typically sent to a fraud analyst. A fraud analyst would be stationed at a fraud control console 100, as shown in FIG. 1. The fraud analyst analyzes the alert and the history of that exchange in order to determine whether or not to block that exchange from calling China. If the fraud analyst decides that there is fraudulent activity, he sets up a block on that exchange which will prevent subsequent calls to China or other international destinations that the fraud analyst selects.
The present invention concerns this type of blockage and, in particular, blocks on special service calls that originate domestically and terminate internationally. An example of this type of special service call is shown with reference to FIG. 1. The caller, using telephone 111, makes a calling card call by dialing a number in the format of 1-NPA-NXX-XXXX. NPA stands for Number Plan Area, often referred to as the “area code”, which defines the geographic region of the number; NXX is the terminating exchange, typically identifying a switch within the geographic region; and XXXX is the unique station designation. For most calling cards, the number will take the form 1-800-NXX-XXXX, where the “800” signifies that the call is a special service call, rather than a geographic region. The call is routed through Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) 120. LEC refers to local telephone companies, such as the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs), which provide local transmission services for their customers. Because of the 1-800 format of the dialed number, the routers in the LEC will forward the call to the network of the appropriate long distance carrier (or Inter-Exchange Carrier IXC) 130. Special service telephone calls, such as “800” number calls, are provided by IXCs, such as MCI-Worldcom.
Returning to our call, after switching through LEC switches 122 and 124, the “800” number is routed from POP (Point-of-Presence) switch 125 into the IXC 130, and then through IXC switches 131 and 136, to a bridge switch 135. The purpose of the bridge switch 135 is to receive calls from the IXC network and bridge them to the Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) 140 and, ultimately, into the Intelligent Services Network platform (ISN) 150. Because special service calls require special call processing, they are typically routed to a call processing platform, such as the ISN platform 150. There are a number of ISNs within the IXC, but, for the purpose of understanding the present invention, one ISN will suffice.
An exemplary and simplified diagram of the ISN platform 150 will now be described with reference to FIG. 2. The ACD 140 is under the direct control of the Application Processor APP 156, which is a general purpose computer that functions as the central point for call routing control in the ISN 150. When the “800” number call arrives at the ACD 140, the ACD 140 makes a request to the APP 156 for directions as to how the call should be handled. Such a request would usually be accompanied by information concerning the call; i.e. the Automatic Number Identifier (ANI) of the caller and the destination number of the call. The APP 156 would recognize by the “800” prefix of the destination number that the call is a special services call and, consequently, the APP 156 would instruct the ACD 140 to deliver the call to the appropriate queue. In this case, assuming that the call is to a calling card “800” number, the call would queue up to the Automatic Response Unit (ARU) 152. The ARU 152 comprises two components, one to process the call, the other to prompt the caller with a voice response system. It is the ARU 152 that will ask the caller for the required final destination number, calling card number, and PIN. When a live operator is required, the call is routed to the Manual Telecommunications Operator Console (MTOC) 154. Whether the call is routed to the ARU 152 or the MTOC 154, the same informational decisions will have to be made. In other words, regardless of whether it is entered by the operator at the MTOC 154 or by the caller at her telephone 111 to the ARU 152, items such as the calling card account number will have to be entered.
During the course of servicing a call, the need often arises to “park” a call on the ACD 140. When a call is parked on the ACD 140, the call is active, i.e., there is a party on the call with an established voice channel connected to the ACD 140. The call is monitored and maintained at the ACD. Once a call is parked at the ACD, it is no longer under direct control of either the ARU 152 or the MTOC 154 that parked the call. This allows the facilities at the ISN 150 to be freed up to perform other tasks or services. When call processing is completed, and the call is authorized and validated, the call is released from the ACD 140 and the bridge switch 135 to the automated switching of the IXC network 130. As shown on FIG. 1, the call is then connected through IXC switch 137 to a telephone 199 in China.
Now, a simplified and exemplary call processing procedure will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3A, and 3B. Many steps that are required for call processing have been eliminated from the description as unnecessary for the understanding of Country Set Logic. Assuming that the special services call is a calling card call from a domestic origin to an international destination, the caller needs to enter her account number, PIN, and the terminating ANI. It is assumed that all of this data is input before the procedure begins, but, as one skilled in the relevant art would know, some of the data could just as well be entered during the procedure. Following this example, once input is complete, the access code is looked up in an access-level database, such as the Authorization Property Database (AUTH PROP) 168, at step 300 in FIG. 3A. The access code is the original 1-800-NXX-XXXX dialed in to access special services, and an access-level database is a database keyed to the various access codes.
Records in the Authorization Property Database 168 contain various items keyed to the access code, including operator scripts, billing products, and options. The AUTH PROP records also contain a field for Country Set Logic in order to indicate limitations on international destinations. Basically, Country Set Logic consists of this extra field where a term in the form CSETX (where X represents a number from 1 to 999) can be placed. For example, the access code “1-800-555-6543” might contain “CSET16” in its Country Set field (CSET). This means that, when the destination number is looked up in the international database, if the term “CSET16” appears in the international database, the call will be blocked. In step 305 of FIG. 3A, it is determined whether there is an access-level CSET term in the AUTH PROP 168. If there is, the CSET term is saved in step 307. If either there is no CSET term in step 305, or after the CSET term is stored in step 307, the call processing continues at step 310.
At step 310, the billing number associated with the customer account is looked up in the Billed Number Screening (BNS) database 160. The BNS contains records keyed by billing numbers and has flags to indicate various limitations on particular billing numbers. It is determined whether the billing number is flagged in step 315. If the billing number is flagged, the call may be re-routed to an MTOC 154, a fraud analyst at a fraud console 100, or simply disconnected. If the billing number is not flagged in step 315, the exchange of the originating ANI (the prefix NPA-NXX of the originating number) is looked up in an exchange-level database, such as the Exchange Master (X-MASTER) database 162, in step 320. The X-MASTER has records keyed on the various NPA-NXXs and also includes flags that indicate various limitations on particular exchanges. The records in the X-MASTER also contain a CSET field in order to indicate limitations on international destinations. In the same manner as the access-level database, if the originating exchange NPA-NXX contains “CSET32” in its CSET field and the term “CSET32” appears in the international database, the call will be blocked.
The CSET logic is the primary focus for the rest of this application. With this in mind, the X-MASTER 162 and other databases discussed here would likely be accessed for other purposes, such as viewing other flags and fields. For example, X-MASTER 162, like the BNS 160 in step 310, is typically accessed to determine if there are other blocking flags on the originating exchange. This step, and others, have been left out as extraneous to an understanding of Country Set logic and the present invention.
Returning to the call processing procedure, in step 325, it is determined whether there is a CSET term in the particular NPA-NXX record in X-MASTER 162. If there is, the CSET term is saved in step 327. In step 327, if there was a previously stored access-level CSET, it is deleted and replaced with the exchange-level CSET. This establishes greater granularity, because the exchange-level is much narrower than the access-level. If either there is no CSET term in step 325, or after the CSET term is stored in step 327, the call processing continues at step 330.
In step 330, the originating ANI is looked up in an ANI-level database, such as the ANI Property database (ANI PROP) 169. The ANI PROP 169 contains records keyed to ANIs, and the records contain flags, fields, and other information unique to that ANI. This provides the greatest granularity, because a particular payphone can be blocked using an ANI-level database. There is also a CSET field in the ANI PROP 169 records and, in step 335, it is determined whether there is a CSET term in the originating ANI's record in the ANI PROP 169. If there is, the CSET term is saved in step 337. In step 337, if there was a previously stored access- or exchange-level CSET, it is deleted and replaced with the ANI-level CSET.
Since the focus is on the CSET logic, if there is either no CSET term in step 335, or after the CSET term is stored in step 337, the procedure jumps to step 350 on FIG. 3B, leaving out many call processing details. In step 350, the destination number is checked against the International Country Code Database (INTERNAT'L COUNTRY) 164. The INTERNAT'L COUNTRY has records keyed on the various international country codes and also includes flags that indicate various limitations on the particular countries. The records in the INTERNAT'L COUNTRY also contain a field for Country Set Logic in order to indicate limitations on international destinations. In step 355, it is determined whether there is a matching CSET in the INTERNAT'L COUNTRY. If there is a matching CSET in step 355, the call is blocked. If not, call processing continues until completion. During the continuation of call processing, other databases, including the International City Code (INTERNAT'L CITY) database 166, are accessed.
This method is effective in eliminating fraudulent calls made from origin points that have been recognized as generating a large amount of fraudulent calls to particular international destinations. Typically, fraud control 100 maintains a fraud-to-revenue ratio in relation to particular exchanges calling particular countries. Once this fraud-to-revenue ratio reaches a certain threshold, some form of CSET logic is placed on the originating exchange/destination country combination. This type of block makes sense because most hackers will move from phone to phone within a certain area. Thus, the conventional method eliminates a great deal of fraud; however, it is troublesome to legitimate callers within that exchange. A calling card customer making a non-fraudulent call within that exchange will be blocked from calling that international destination. In addition, blocking the entire country will sometimes cast a much larger net than is needed for the task.
Therefore, there is a need to allow legitimate callers to make calls from blocked exchanges to international destinations. In addition, there is a need to permit finer granularity in blocking calls to international destinations.


Embodiments presented herein are related to electronic devices, and more specifically, to determining whether a speech user interface would be a constructive addition to a graphical user interface (GUI) of an application.
A GUI, is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons, visual indicators, or the like, which are collectively referred to herein as GUI objects. Users may interact with the electronic device through direct manipulation of the GUI objects displayed in the GUI. Beyond computers, GUIs are used in many handheld mobile devices such as smartphones, MP3 players, portable media players, gaming devices, tablets, and smaller household, office and industrial devices.
A voice user interface (VUI) makes user interaction with the electronic device possible by using voice/speech. In general, the more complex the user's speech interactions, the more challenging it is for the VUI to recognize those speech interactions. On the other hand, a VUI may be beneficial for handling quick and routine user interactions with the electronic device.
Some electronic devices, such as mobile electronic devices, are ripe for speech based interfaces due to the typically small display size. In such devices, challenges exist both in providing input (e.g. via small virtual keyboards) and output (e.g. must tap/swipe/pinch to scroll through content). Additionally, speech can provide a hands-free mechanism to interact with the GUI of an application which can be useful for the user. Thus, it may be beneficial to determine whether the user's efficiency and/or experience of interacting with the GUI would be increased by adding a VUI.


Typically, subsea equipment used in oil and gas applications must be lowered to a wellhead, a subsea equipment or system, such as a Christmas tree, or other site at the seabed. One type of subsea equipment that is lowered into the sea for installation may be a flow control module, for example. A flow control module is typically a preassembled package that may include a flow control valve and a production fluid connection that can mate with a hub on a subsea equipment or system, such as a Christmas tree. The hub on the Christmas tree may include a production fluid conduit to allow for the flow of production fluid from the well. The Christmas tree is typically mounted to a wellhead.
Typically, the flow control module may also include electrical and hydraulic connections as well as gaskets. The electrical and hydraulic connections may be used to control and serve components on the tree, such as valves. These connections or gaskets may be assembled on a flange of the production fluid connection for mating with corresponding connections on the tree hub. A stab and funnel system between the tree and flow package is typically used to align the production conduit and the several connections on the flow control package with those on the tree hub. Hard landing the flow control package on the tree may damage the connections at the hub, given the heavy weight of many equipment packages. To reduce the possibility of damage to the connections, the flow control module can be soft landed onto the tree. Soft landing is carried out by a running tool having a complex system of hydraulic cylinders and valves that slow the descent of the flow module package as it is landed onto the tree. However, the use of such soft landing running tools can be very expensive.
A need exists for a technique to achieve soft landing of subsea equipment without the use of a running tool.


This invention concerns an attachment device for a woodworking plane, and is further directed to a woodworking plane provided with an attachment which enables said plane to produce straight edge surfaces of various desired angles with respect to the face of a workpiece.
In the course of woodworking operations, a manually operated plane is frequently utilized to smooth or straighten surfaces, particularly the end or edge surfaces of a relatively large flat workpiece having at least one substantially straight edge. In the case of panels such as doors, and in other woodworking applications, it is often found desirable to cause the edge surface to be angled at other than 90.degree. with respect to the front or rear surfaces of the panel. It is sometimes sought to cause said edge surfaces to deviate by about 5 to 20 degrees from the 90 degree configuration initially present at the edges of the panel.
Numerous devices have been proposed as attachments to woodworking planes to facilitate the cutting of edge surfaces at accurate angles with respect to face surfaces. Such devices, however, have either been inaccurate, expensive or cumbersome to use.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an attachment device which will enable a woodworking plane to cut straight edge surfaces of a workpiece at an accurate and adjustable angle with respect to a face surface of said workpiece.
It is another object to provide a device of the aforesaid nature of simple and rugged construction which may be economically manufactured.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature which may be rapidly applied to and removed from a plane, and is simple to operate.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a woodworking plane equipped with an improved attachment device which enables said plane to cut straight edge surfaces of a workpiece at an accurate angle with respect to a face surface of said workpiece.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.


The malfunctioning of protein kinases (PKs) is the hallmark of numerous diseases. A large share of the oncogenes and proto-oncogenes involved in human cancers encode for PKs. The enhanced activities of PKs are also implicated in many non-malignant diseases, such as benign prostate hyperplasia, familial adenomatosis, polyposis, neuro-fibromatosis, psoriasis, vascular smooth cell proliferation associated with atherosclerosis, pulmonary fibrosis, arthritis glomerulonephritis and post-surgical stenosis and restenosis.
PKs are also implicated in inflammatory conditions and in the multiplication of viruses and parasites. PKs may also play a major role in the pathogenesis and development of neurodegenerative disorders.
For a general reference to PKs malfunctioning or deregulation see, for instance, Current Opinion in Chemical Biology 1999, 3:459-465.
Neuroblastoma, a pediatric malignancy of the sympathetic nervous system, is characterized by clinical and biological heterogeneity. Approximately one-half of neuroblastoma patients present with advanced-stage disease, and despite intensive multimodality therapy, including myeloablative regimens, survival for these children is less than 40%. Identification of tumor targets and advances in target-specific therapies with minimal non-specific toxicity are needed for this patient population. The Trk family of receptor tyrosine kinases is critical for neuronal survival and differentiation during the development of the nervous system. The Trk receptors are differentially expressed in human neuroblastoma and likely play a central role in tumorigenesis and/or cell survival. TrkA is highly expressed by neuroblastomas with favorable biological and clinical features, and expression is associated with patient outcome. In contrast, TrkB expression is restricted to a malignant subset of neuroblastomas. Co-expression of TrkB and its ligand, BDNF, in the majority of neuroblastomas, provides a potential autocrine survival pathway in biologically aggressive, high-risk tumors. Additionally, the recent identification of a constitutively active TrkA splice variant (TrkAIII) that is preferentially expressed in advanced-staged tumors highlights the complex role of Trk signaling in neuroblastoma biology and its potential as a therapeutic target.
Neurotrophin signaling through the Trk family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) plays a critical role in the development, maintenance and function of the nervous system. Activation of these receptors regulates cell survival, proliferation, migration, differentiation, and apoptosis during development. They exert this influence by modulating the responses of neurons to the neurotrophin family of growth factors in a temporally and spatially regulated manner. The neurotrophins nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophin-3 (NT3) are the cognate ligands for TrkA (NTRK1), TrkB (NTRK2), and TrkC (NTRK3), respectively.
Neuroblastoma, a common pediatric tumor of the postganglionic sympathetic nervous system, provides an ideal model for the study of Trk signaling and inhibition in cancer. Neuroblastomas are characterized by clinical heterogeneity, from spontaneous regression in infants to relentless progression in older children. The prognosis for these latter patients remains poor, with three-year event-free survival (EFS) probabilities of 30-40% (5-7). Indeed, neuroblastomas can be classified into distinct subsets based on genetic alterations and biologic features (8), and the expression of Trk receptors likely contributes to these distinct behaviors.
Expression of TrkA in neuroblastoma cell lines has been shown to mediate neuronal differentiation, growth arrest and inhibition of angiogenesis in response to NGF. In contrast, unfavorable neuroblastomas frequently express TrkB and its ligand BDNF, which together comprise an autocrine or paracrine survival pathway. These tumors typically have gross segmental chromosomal aberrations including amplification of the MYCN proto-oncogene. The TrkB/BNDF pathway promotes cell survival, protects cells from injury, and blocks chemotherapy-mediated cell death in vitro. Although a number of genes are likely involved in the development and clinical behavior of favorable and unfavorable neuroblastomas, the pattern of Trk gene expression (TrkA versus TrkB) likely plays a role.
Recent literature has also shown that overexpression, activation, amplification and/or mutation of Trk's are associated with many cancers including neuroblastoma (Brodeur, G. M., Nat. Rev. Cancer 2003, 3, 203-216), ovarian cancer (Davidson. B., et al., Clin. Cancer Res. 2003, 9, 2248-2259), breast cancer (Kruettgen et al, Brain Pathology 2006, 16: 304-310), prostate cancer (Dionne et al, Clin. Cancer Res. 1998, 4(8): 1887-1898), pancreatic cancer (Dang et al, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2006, 21(5): 850-858), multiple myeloma (Hu et al, Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics 2007, 178: 1-10), astrocytoma and medulloblastoma (Kruettgen et al, Brain Pathology 2006, 16: 304-310) glioma (Hansen et al, Journal of Neurochemistry 2007, 103: 259-275), melanoma (Truzzi et al, Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2008, 128(8): 2031-2040, thyroid carcinoma (Brzezianska et al, Neuroendocrinology Letters 2007, 28(3), 221-229.), lung adenocarcinoma (Perez-Pinera et al, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 2007, 295(1&2), 19-26), large cell neuroendocrine tumors (Marchetti et al, Human Mutation 2008, 29(5), 609-616), and colorectal cancer (Bardelli, A., Science 2003, 300, 949). In preclinical models of cancer, Trk inhibitors are efficacious in both inhibiting tumor growth and stopping tumor metastasis. In particular, non-selective small molecule inhibitors of Trk A, B and C and Trk/Fc chimeras were efficacious in both inhibiting tumor growth and stopping tumor metastasis (Nakagawara, A. (2001) Cancer Letters 169:107-114; Meyer, J. et al. (2007) Leukemia, 1-10; Pierottia, M. A. and Greco A., (2006) Cancer Letters 232:90-98; Eric Adriaenssens, E. et al. Cancer Res (2008) 68:(2) 346-351) (Truzzi et al, Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2008, 128(8): 2031-2040. Therefore, an inhibitor of the Trk family of kinases is expected to have utility in the treatment of cancer.
Various gene rearrangements of the Trk gene have been implicated in human malignancies. For example, the MPRIP-NTRK1 and CD74-NTRK1 gene rearrangements have been implicated in the development of non-small cell lung cancer. Gene rearrangements TPM3-NTRK1, TGF-NTRK1 and TPR-NTRK1 have been implicated in the development of papillary thyroid cancer. The TPM3-NTRK1 gene rearrangement has been implicated in the development of colorectal cancer. NTRK1, NTRK2 or NTRK3 gene rearrangements have also been identified in glioblastoma, AML and secretory breast cancer. In 2013, Vaishnavi et al. reported novel NTRK1 fusions in 3/91 pan-negative patients with lung adenocarcinoma using NGS and FISH (Vaishnavi et al. Nat Med. 2013 November; 19(11):1469-72).


A variety of methods for preparation of polysuccinimide and subsequent hydrolysis to polyaspartic acid (or salts) have been described in the literature and patents. In addition methods of preparation of copolymers of polyaspartic acid have also been reported in the literature.
In a series of patents, Koskan et al. discloses a method for thermal polymerization of aspartic acid in a fluidized bed to form polysuccinimide which is then hydrolyzed to polyaspartic acid (sodium salt) using sodium hydroxide (U.S. Pat No. 5,057,597; U.S. Pat No. 5,116,513; U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,902 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,733). Uses of polyaspartic acid as calcium carbonate, calcium and barium sulfate and calcium phosphate scale inhibitors are also described in these patents.
Production of polysuccinimide and polyaspartic acid (and salts) from maleic anhydride, water and aqueous ammonia is taught in patents by Koskan and Meah (U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,952 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,578). Polysuccinimide is produced in at least 90% of theoretical yield by heating the maleic anhydride, water, ammonia mixture at 220.degree.-260.degree. C. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,461, Boemke teaches the production of a polyaspartic acid salt by the reaction of maleic acid and aqueous ammonia at 120.degree.-150.degree. C. followed by hydrolysis of the resulting acid with metal hydroxides or ammonium hydroxide. A process is disclosed (in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,783) for the preparation of a salt of polyaspartic acid by reacting maleic acid and ammonia in a molar ratio of 1:1-2.1 at 190.degree.-350.degree. C. for a time followed by hydrolysis of the resultant polymer using metal or ammonium hydroxide.
Fox and Harada ("A Laboratory Manual of Analytical Methods of Protein Chemistry Including Polypeptides," P. Alexander and H. P. Lundgren, Ed., Pergamon Press, Elmsford, N.Y., 1966, p127-151) thermally polymerized aspartic acid using 85% phosphoric acid and polyphosphoric acid to obtain improved yields and higher molecular weight polysuccinimide. Neri et al [J. Med Chem., 16, 893 (1973)] also used phosphoric acid to facilitate condensation of aspartic acid under vacuum and in a thin film process to obtain high molecular weight polysuccinimide.
Aspartic acid has been thermally copolymerized simultaneously with seventeen amino acids at 175.degree.180.degree. to obtain polymers of molecular weight range 3000-9000.[S. W. Fox and K. Harada, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 82, 3745 (1960).]Copolymers of aspartic acid with glutamic acid and terpolymers of aspartic acid, glutamic acid and alanine have also been reported in the literature (S. W. Fox and K. Harada, "A Laboratory Manual of Analytical Methods of Protein Chemistry Including Polypeptides," P. Alexander and H. P. Lundgren., Ed., Pergamon Press, Elmsford, N.Y., 1966, p 127-151). Lysine has been copolymerized with aspartic acid and other amino acids and with non-amino acid monomers such as caprolactam, succinic acid, terephthalic acid (S. W. Fox and K. Harada, vida supra).
Harada [K.Harada, J. Org. Chem., 24 1662 (1959)] reported preparation of polysuccinimide by thermally condensing precursors of aspartic acid such as monoammonium malate, monoammonium maleate, maleamic acid and combinations of asparagine and malic acid, maleamic acid and malic acid, monoammonium malate and maleamic acid, malic acid and ammonium maleamate, maleic anhydride and ammonium maleamate, fumaric acid and ammonium maleamate.
Copolyamino acids of aspartic acid are prepared by Harada, et al (U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,260) by thermally polymerizing at least one amino acid with at least one precursor of aspartic acid such as monoammonium malate, ammonium salts of maleic or fumaric acid, an ammonium salt of maleic, malic, fumaric acid monoamide or diamide and hydrolyzing the reaction mixture under neutral or alkaline conditions.
Harada and Shimoyama (U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,981) prepared polysuccinimide from precursors of aspartic acid such as monoammonium, diammonium, monoamide, diamide and monoamideammonium salts of malic, maleic and fumaric acid and mixtures of these materials by irradiating them with microwaves. The resulting polysuccinimide was hydrolyzed to form polyaspartic acid. Similarly mixtures of at least one amino acid and precursors of aspartic acid were irradiated with microwaves followed by hydrolysis to produce copolyamino acids of aspartic acid (Harada and Shimoyama, U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,981).
German laid open document No. 4217847 discloses preparation of aspartic acid-amino acid copolymers, prepared by thermal condensation of L-aspartic acid with other amino acids followed by hydrolysis of the condensation reaction mixture.
These polymers were used to prevent encrustation during sugar juice evaporation.
Modified polyaspartic acids are prepared by polycocondensation of aspartic acid with carboxylic acids (monobasic and polybasic) and anhydrides, hydroxycarboxlic acids, alcohols, amines, alkoxylated alcohols and amines, amino-sugars, carbohydrates, sugar carboxylic acids, and non-protein forming amino-carboxylic acids (Ger. laid open document No. 4221875).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,810 discloses the preparation of higher molecular weight copolymers of polyaspartic acid which are suitable for the inhibition of scale deposition by reacting maleic acid and ammonia in stoichiometric excess with a diamine or a triamine at 120.degree.350.degree. C. The resulting copolymers of polysuccinimide are converted to a salt of the copolymer of polyaspartic acid by hydrolysis with a hydroxide.
Copolymers of polyaspartic acid are also made by reaction of part of the succinimide units in polysuccinimide with amines followed by hydrolysis of the remaining succinimide units to form aspartic acid units (Fujimoto et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,846,380; Jaquet et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,797).
Copolymers of polyaspartic acid are prepared by making maleic half esters followed by addition of an equivalent of ammonia and an amine and heating to 120.degree.-350.degree. C. When an equivalent of alcohol is distilled off, a copolymer of polysuccinimide is formed which is hydrolyzed with hydroxides to form amide copolymers of polyaspartic acid (Wood, U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,858).


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the game of pool.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable pool game.
3. Description of the Prior Art
Every pool player, whether because of playing a better player or because of playing someone on a run, has unhappily experienced watching the game more than shooting in the game. In a conventional game of pool, players shot until they missed. If a player was good he could end up shooting for a long period of time.
Now through the games of "Super Pool", and "Hourglass Pool", of the present invention, all of the old games, and the new games introduced through the addition of six new balls, can be played using equal shooting time, if desired. The option to play equal shooting time games is still present, if desired.
Numerous innovations for the game of pool have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.


Removal of an intervertebral disc is often desired if and when the disc degenerates. The disc may be replaced with a device such as a cage or other spacer that restores the height of the disc space and allows bone growth through the device to fuse the adjacent vertebrae. Spacers often do not intimately connect the two vertebral bodies and a combination of plates and screws are often used to obtain the rigidity necessary to enable bone to grow and fuse the adjacent vertebral bodies.
Implants for spinal fusion that are impacted into the disc space and allow growth of bone from adjacent vertebral bodies through the upper and lower surfaces of the implant are known in the art. Such implants are typically provided with a lordotic taper to enable a surgeon to recreate an appropriate lordotic curvature to the motion segment. In order to create the appropriate environment for fusion, fixation hardware is applied to the spinal segment to limit the relative motion between the vertebral bodies to be fused.
Furthermore, interbody implants that feature a screw thread form connected to a central body have been developed, such as the well-known cylindrical threaded spacers. These devices are typically hollow and allow bone growth through fenestrations in the device. Clinically, these devices are associated with the risk of post-operative loss of disc height due to the small surface area available to resist subsidence into the adjacent vertebral body relative to design of the impacted cages.
Attempts to combine the features of the impacted implants with the implants using screw thread forms, provide a greater resistance to subsidence; however, they offer little resistance to anatomic motions where the vertebral bodies move apart from each other, such as is typical in flexion and lateral bending.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ignition system for an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to an ignition system for an internal combustion engine of the current interruption type.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such an ignition system of the current interruption type in which a battery is used for its power supply is typically disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 10812/1963. The conventional ignition system disclosed generally includes a transistor switch which is turned off at an ignition position of an internal combustion engine and constantly turned on at an position other than the ignition position, a pulse signal generating device for generating a pulse signal at the ignition position, and a circuit for turning off the transistor switch when the pulse signal generating device generates the pulse signal.
In the conventional ignition system constructed as described above, when the transistor switch is turned off, a high voltage is induced across a primary winding of the ignition coil. The so-induced high voltage is further increased by the ignition coil, so that a high voltage for ignition may be induced across a secondary winding of the ignition coil.
In the above-described construction of the conventional ignition system, the transistor switch which functions to control the primary current of the ignition coil is turned off for a short period of time at the ignition position, however, it is turned on at any position other than the ignition position. This causes the primary current flowing through the ignition coil to lead to the generation of much heat from the ignition coil, thereby increasing power consumption. In order to solve such a problem, an ignition system is proposed which includes a time control circuit for controlling the time for which a primary current flows from a battery to an ignition coil, as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,713. Unfortunately, such a conventional time control circuit is highly complicated to a degree sufficient to complicate a circuit structure of the ignition system. Thus, the conventional time control circuit is not suitable for use for an ignition system in which a decrease in the number of parts is required for a reduction of its manufacturing cost.
Also, the conventional ignition system is encountered with a problem that the ignition coil is overheated when the primary current continues to flow therethrough after a stop of the internal combustion engine. In view of such a problem, an ignition system is proposed which is adapted to interrupt the flow of a primary current through an ignition coil when an internal combustion engine is stopped, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,208. However, the ignition system fails to control a time for which the primary current flows.


Numerous healthcare and cosmetic products are applied to the skin in order to provide various benefits. Such products can include, for instance, lotions, creams, moisturizers, and the like. In some circumstances, the products are intended to provide a cooling feeling or cooling sensation to the skin once applied. Existing products typically provide skin cooling by combining skin cooling agents with other substances.
There are several different means to impart a cooling sensation to the skin, including using evaporation, neurosensory components, or thermodynamic agents such as phase change materials. One example of a cooling agent is menthol which provides cooling in the form of a physiological or neurosensory effect on nerve endings in the human body that sense temperature. The cooling sensation from menthol is not due to latent heat of evaporation but appears to be the result of direct stimulus on the cold receptors at the nerve endings.
The use of phase change materials to impart cooling is discussed, for instance, in PCT International Publication No. WO 2006/007564 entitled “Cosmetic Compositions and Methods for Sensory Cooling”, which is incorporated herein by reference. In the '564 application, a skincare cosmetic composition is described in the form of a lotion that is intended for use in after-sun products, after-shave products, and body moisturizing products. The lotion is intended to create a cooling sensation on the skin by incorporating into the lotion components that absorb heat from the skin. In particular, ingredients are incorporated into the lotion that absorb heat from the skin and melt. The components have a relatively high heat of fusion which is defined in the '564 application as the heat absorbed by unit of mass of a solid chemical element at its melting point in order to convert the solid into a liquid at the same temperature. The '564 application states that the relatively high heat of fusion facilitates the absorption of heat from the skin to aid in melting the solid ingredient when applied to the skin, thereby cooling the skin temperature.
The use of phase change agents to impart cooling in tissues is disclosed, for instance, in PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IB2009/051515 entitled “Tissue Products having a Cooling Sensation When Contacted with Skin”. The '515 application discloses the use of a phase change agent between multiple layers of a dry tissue web with a separate hydrophobic lotion layer on the exterior surfaces of the tissue product to provide a cooling sensation. This approach is problematic since components of the hydrophobic lotion can migrate into the hydrophobic phase change agent and disrupt its ability to cool. Alternatively, the phase change agent can migrate into the lotion on the exterior of the tissue and may cause irritation to the skin.
Therefore, a need exists for a means to effectively hold a phase change agent on or within a substrate, such as a tissue, such that it will cool the skin without allowing irritation to the skin. There also exists a need for a substrate, such as a tissue containing the composition, such that the composition can be delivered to the nose to moisturize, cool and soothe irritated noses, while holding this phase change agent within the substrate, keeping it from irritating skin.


Television viewers frequently search available real-time television programs by using a remote control device to change channels. The viewer could use the numeric keys on the viewer's remote control device to enter the precise number of a particular channel. After the viewer enters the digits for a particular channel, the viewer must wait until the channel change device recognizes the viewer's entry of the digits as an instruction to change channels to the particular channel. Often, the time that the viewer must wait after the time that the viewer has entered the last digit of the channel until the time that the television displays the content of the identified channel is much longer than the viewer expects.
Alternatively, the viewer can sequentially, incrementally change channels, typically by using the up and down channel keys on the viewer's remote control device. Television viewers who incrementally change channels typically disapprove of, and become impatient with, a long lag time between the viewer's pressing an up or down channel key on the viewer's remote control device and the actual changing of the channel.
Incremental channel change speed may be set by a particular manufacturer to occur more slowly than desired by a particular viewer. Furthermore, incremental channel change speed can depend upon the level of integration of the viewer's entertainment system components. Mixing components of different manufacturers, or even different technology advancements by a single manufacturer, in a single entertainment system can result in degradation of incremental channel change speed.
There is a need, therefore, for a method and apparatus that is capable of learning, for the components of a particular entertainment system, the optimal speed and timing with which the viewer's instruction to the channel change device to change channels will be recognized by the components of a particular entertainment system. Similarly, there is a further need for a method and apparatus that is capable of constructing and delivering a change channel instruction to the components of a particular entertainment system according to the optimal speed and timing with which the viewer's instruction to the channel change device to change channels will be recognized by the components of that particular entertainment system.


The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) possesses many advantages of being ultra thin, power saved and radiation free. It has been widely utilized in, such as LCD TVs, mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), digital cameras, laptop screens or notebook screens, and dominates the flat panel display field.
Most of the liquid crystal displays on the present market are backlight type liquid crystal displays, which comprise a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight module. The working principle of the liquid crystal display panel is that the Liquid Crystal is injected between the Thin Film Transistor Array Substrate (TFT array substrate) and the Color Filter (CF). The light of backlight module is refracted to generate images by applying driving voltages to the two substrates for controlling the rotations of the liquid crystal molecules.
With the constant development of the industry manufacture technology of the liquid crystal display, the cost decrease has already become one of the most development directions in the present industry. Except optimizing the manufacture process of the liquid crystal display, and developing new material to reduce the production cost, the technology of integrating the related function modules, circuits inside the liquid crystal display panel, such as directly manufacturing the gate scan drive circuit on the thin film transistor array substrate with the array manufacture process (Gate Driver on Array, GOA) to replace the external gate scan drive IC is also the popular content of the developments which many liquid crystal display panel makers compete to involve for reducing the production cost in advance.
As conducting the high integration liquid crystal display panel manufacture process, it requires the manufacture environment which is severer. If the particles in the manufacture environment, the metal particles generated by the production apparatus fall on the glass substrate in the manufacture process, it does not only result in the bad quality of the liquid crystal display panel but also the short circuit phenomenon in the circuit. Such short circuit phenomenon causes the image display abnormal, and the continuous usage will make the temperature of the circuit raise and even the burning of the liquid crystal display panel. If the short circuit in the circuit cannot be detected in the production, the product must have highly possible quality risk and the yield descends, which results in the customer complaints and the Call Back of the products. It leads to the massive production cost increase.
The temperature detection to the inside of the liquid crystal display panel according to prior art is accomplished with the temperature detection component outside the liquid crystal display panel. The result of the external temperature detection component must be restricted by the position, and cannot perform detection to the arbitrary positions inside the entire liquid crystal display panel, and the detection precision is not enough.