Over the last decade, there has been a substantial increase in the use and deployment of wireless client devices, from dual-mode smartphones to tablets capable of operating in accordance with a particular Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard. With “wireless” becoming the de-facto medium for connectivity among users, it has become increasingly important for network systems to intelligently manage connections.
In some systems, multiple access points may be used to cover a particular area. Each of these access points may operate using separate wireless channels. However, in these traditional systems assignment of channels is performed based on the assumption that each channel is equal. This assumption may result in a network system that fails to adequately support particular client devices and/or provides poor network coverage.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.


The instant invention relates to exercise apparatus for exercising the adductor muscles of the legs and more particularly to an adductor exercise apparatus having means for adjusting the angular starting position of the leg receiving members.
Exercise machines, and more particularly, adductor exercise machines, have heretofore been known in the art. In this connection, the U.S. Patents to Scott No. 4,022,463; DeNiro No. 4,892,304; Dela Rosa No. 4,877,239; and Goodman No. 5,026,049 represent the closest prior art to the subject invention of which the applicant is aware.
The patent to Scott discloses an exercise apparatus for exercising the adductor muscles of the legs, however it does not disclose any means for adjusting the starting position of the leg receiving means. The patent to DeNiro discloses an exercise apparatus including a plurality of movable parts which are adjusted by means of pin and hole mechanisms. The patent to Dela Rosa discloses a stretching apparatus having an elongated threaded adjusting shaft in the form of a worm gear for adjusting the degree of split of the leg receiving elements. The patent to Goodman shows leg receiving pads which are adjustable to accommodate different size persons.
The instant invention provides an adductor exercise apparatus which includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the angular starting positions of the leg receiving assemblies. More specifically, the adductor exercise apparatus includes a base, two support legs which extend outwardly from opposite sides of the base, a seat on the base, and two leg receiving assemblies for receiving the legs of a user seated on the seat. The leg assemblies are pivotably mounted to the base so that they are pivotably movable between a spread apart position and a parallel, together position. The leg assemblies include a pad assembly including two pads which respectively engage with the thigh and calf portions of the user's leg. The calf pad is slidably movable with respect to the thigh pad. The apparatus further includes a cabled weight assembly for normally urging the leg assemblies toward the spread apart position. The adjustment mechanism consists of a pair of movable adjustment arms each having a first end which engages the corresponding leg receiving assembly, and a second end which is slidably received and secured in a sleeve assembly mounted on the support leg adjacent to the respective leg receiving assembly. The arms are slidably adjustable in the sleeve assemblies to a plurality of predetermined longitudinal positions. In this manner, as the leg receiving assemblies are urged toward their normal spread apart position, the leg receiving assemblies engage with the projecting ends of the adjustment arms to position the leg receiving assemblies in corresponding angular starting positions. The cabled weight assembly includes stacked weight members and a cable system which extends around a series of pulleys for translating pivoting movement of the leg receiving assemblies into vertical movement of the weight members. The weight members are lifted by an elongated weight bar which is attached to the cable system.
Accordingly, it is an object of the instant invention to provide an exercise apparatus for exercising the adductor muscles of the leg.
It is another object to provide an adductor exercise apparatus having an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the angular starting positions of the leg receiving assemblies.
It is yet another object to provide an adductor exercise apparatus including leg receiving means having two separate pads for engaging with the thigh and calf portions of the user's leg.
It is still another object to provide an adductor exercise apparatus having a cabled weight assembly and an elongated weight bar for lifting the weight members of the weight assembly.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a press for the stamping of plates, particularly vehicle license plates having license numbers. The license plates are made from sheet metal material, itself in the form of strip material or individual plates, that is fed in synchronized manner into the press. The press includes a press stand comprised of a press table and a press stamp, as well as interchangeable stamping tools.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presses of the above type, as found in DE 32 03 801 C2, are furnished with tools, embodied as block tools, having a uniform width. The tools are used for stamping license numbers (having letters and numbers) in vehicle license plates and do so in registered layout, or in a registered print style, as known in Germany.
In other countries such as Austria, the figures on the license plate are stamped in a non-registered layout, or in a free print style. In other words, the stamping tools have a width that can be tailored to the width of letters, numbers and, if need be, coats of arms.
The present invention seeks to develop a press for the stamping of plates, particularly vehicle license plates with license numbers in any linear order, so that it can be furnished with stamping tools of uniform width (i.e. uniform registration) as well as with tools having different widths.


Insulin-like growth factor-1 belongs to a heterogeneous family of peptides which share some of the biological and chemical properties of insulin, but which are antigenically distinct from insulin. Currently available experimental evidence suggests that IGF-1 promotes growth by mediating the effects of growth hormone. Thus, such processes as skeletal growth, call replication and other growth related processes are affected by IGF-1 levels. Physiological concentrations of IGF-1 have been shown to be influenced by such conditions as thyroid disease, diabetes and malnutrition (see Preece (1983) Horm. Blood, 4: 108). IGF-1 has also been shown to act synergistically with other growth factors, for example, in accelerating the healing of soft and mesenchymal tissue wounds (see Lynch et al. (1989) J. Clin., Periodontol, 16: 545; and Lynch et al. (1987) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 84: 7696), and in enhancing the growth of mammalian cells in serum-free tissue culture medium (see Burleigh et al. (1986) American Biotech. Lab., 4: 48).
Considering the many clinical and research applications of IGF-1, a ready supply of IGF-1 would be of great value to the medical and biotechnology fields. Since isolation from natural sources is technically difficult, expensive, and time consuming, recent efforts have centered on the development of efficient recombinant methods for the production of IGF-1.
Among host cells that have been used for the production of heterologous proteins, E. coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker's yeast) are probably the best characterized. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which is a polypeptide of 70 amino acids with a molecular weight of 7648 daltons, is a single chain protein that has three intrachain disulfide bridges. These disulfide bonds, along with numerous hydrogen bonds and hydrophilic interactions, maintain the compact tertiary structure of this molecule. E. coli, however, does not possess the ability to produce disulfide bonds in proteins, so that proteins, such as IGF-1, that include disulfide bonds, when cloned into and expressed in E. coli, frequently are not stable and tend to aggregate into inactive complexes. In addition, IGF-1 produced in E. coli has to be extracted and treated with oxidizing agents to produce the disulfide bonds. Upon reduction and reoxidation, IGF-1 refolds in a variety of ways, forming as many as 15 monomeric configurations (Meng et al. (1988) J. Chrom., 443: 183) because cell breakage and too rapid formation of disulfide linkages results in random disulfide bond formation. In order to produce biologically active IGF-1, the resulting mixture of 15 different forms of IGF-1 must be separated. Consequently, the yield of purified product is very low (Grossgian (1985) Gene, 18: 199).
Furthermore, since E. coli is a prokaryote, in order to produce IGF-1 molecules which contain the authentic N-terminal glycine, and not the initiating methionine present on the primary translation product, it is necessary to express IGF-1 in E. coli as a fusion protein. Cleavage of mature IGF-1 from the initially produced fusion protein necessitates an additional step in the production process. Consequently, attempts to produce this peptide by recombinant means in E. coli host expression systems results in a complex mixture of product forms which must be separated for further use (see, Grossgian (1985) Gene, 18: 199).
Eukaryotic host cells, including yeast cells, thus, are the host cells of choice for the expression of many eukaryotic proteins. Yeast host cells offer clear advantages over bacteria in the production of heterologous proteins, including their ability to properly process pre-pro-heterologous proteins and secrete heterologous proteins into the culture medium. Secretion of proteins from cells is often superior to production of proteins in the cytoplasm because secreted products are obtained in a higher degree of initial purity and further purification of the secreted products is made easier by the absence of cellular debris. In addition, the secretory pathway of the cell and the extracellular medium tend to be oxidizing environments which support disulfide bond formation necessary for proper folding of many proteins (Smith, et al, (1985) Science 229: 1219); whereas, the cytoplasm is a reducing environment in which disulfide bonds do not form. Thus, for production of sulfhydryl-rich proteins that rely on disulfide bonds to maintain the correct tertiary structures, there is a compelling need to develop eukaryotic hosts capable of secreting such proteins into the culture medium. Therefore, production of sulfhydryl-rich proteins, such as IGF-1, that contain appropriately formed disulfide bonds, can best be achieved by transit through the secretory pathway.
IGF-1 has been cloned into and expressed using S. cerevisiae host cells by introducing DNA encoding IGF-1 on autonomously replicating extrachromosomal elements. Gellerfors et al. ((1989) J. Biol, Chem., 264: 11444-11449) describes the production of IGF-1 in S. cerevisiae under the control of the S. cerevisiae actin promoter. The IGF-1 product is encoded by autonomously replicating plasmid-borne DNA. In a similar study, Bayne et al. ((1988) Gene 66: 235-244) describes the production of IGF-1 in S. cerevisiae under the control of the S. cerevisiae alpha mating factor promoter. The latter, however, reports yields of IGF-1 of only about 2 mg of IGF-1 per liter of fermentation broth.
In view of this low yield and the problems generally encountered with up-scaling the production of heterologous proteins in autonomous plasmid-based yeast systems, such as loss of selection for plasmid maintenance and problems concerning plasmid distribution, copy number and stability in fermentors operated at high cell density, there is a need to develop more efficient means for producing large quantities of biologically active IGF-1.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide host cells and expression vectors that stably express IGF-1 and that secrete high concentrations of biologically active IGF-1.
It is another object of this invention to provide an expression system for the production of biologically active IGF-1 that, not only secretes high concentrations of biologically active IGF-1, but that can be readily scaled up to produce large quantities of such IGF-1.


The building industry including home construction involves fiber glass material being used as insulation above the ceilings and in the walls. This insulation can be either blown in place or sheet laid. The insulation material in either case produces particles injurious to a person's skin, nose, lungs and eyes. Conventionally, protection against the fiber glass particles involves the workman wearing goggles and rubber gloves on the hands. This procedure does not work satisfactorily as the particles can contact the unprotected part of the workman's body and seep behind the goggles through small openings. The rubber gloves interfere with finger gripping of tools and building materials.
What is needed is a garment that will fully protect the person's body but yet allow for complete vision and use of the hands including the fingers.


Cancer is one of the most widespread diseases afflicting mankind and a major cause of death worldwide. In an effort to find an effective treatment or a cure for one or more of the many different types of cancer, over the last couple of decades, numerous groups have invested a tremendous amount of time, effort and financial resources. However, to date, of the available cancer treatments and therapies, only a few offer any considerable degree of success.
Cancer is often characterized by unregulated cell proliferation. Damage to one or more genes, responsible for the cellular pathways, which control progress of proliferation through the cell cycle, typically causes the loss of normal regulation of cell proliferation. These genes code for various proteins, which participate in a cascade of events, including protein phosphorylation, leading to cell-cycling progression and cell proliferation. Various kinase proteins have been identified, which play roles in the cell cycling cascade and in protein phosphorylation in particular.
One class of proteins found to play a part in cell cycling and, therefore, cell proliferation is the Aurora kinase family of proteins. Aurora kinases are enzymes of the serine/threonine kinase family of proteins, which play an important role in protein phosphorylation during the mitotic phase of the cell cycle. There are three known members of the Aurora kinase family, Aurora A, Aurora B and Aurora C, also commonly referred to as Aurora 2, Aurora 1, and Aurora 3, respectively.
The specific function of each Aurora kinase member in mammalian cell cycle has been studied. Aurora-A is localized to the centrosome during interphase and is important for centrosome maturation and to maintain separation during spindle assembly. Aurora-B localizes to the kinetochore in the G2 phase of the cell cycle until metaphase, and relocates to the midbody after anaphase. Aurora-C was thought to function only in meiosis, but more recently has been found to be more closely related to Aurora-B, showing some overlapping functions and similar localization patterns in mitosis. Each aurora kinase appears to share a common structure, including a highly conserved catalytic domain and a very short N-terminal domain that varies in size. (See R. Giet and C. Prigent, J. Cell. Sci., 112:3591-3601 (1999)).
Aurora kinases appear to be viable targets for the treatment of cancer. Aurora kinases are overexpressed in various types of cancers, including colon, breast, lung, pancrease, prostate, bladder, head, neck, cervix, and ovarion cancers. The Aurora-A gene is part of an amplicon found in a subset of breast, colon, ovarian, liver, gastric and pancreatic tumors. Aurora-B has also been found to be overexpressed in most major tumor types. Overexpression of Aurora-B in rodent fibroblasts induces transformation, suggesting that Aurora-B is oncogenic. More recently, Aurora-B mRNA expression has been linked to chromosomal instability in human breast cancer. (Y. Miyoshi et al., Int. J. Cancer, 92:370-373 (2001)).
Further, inhibition of one or more of the Aurora kinases by several parties has been shown to inhibit cell proliferation and trigger apoptosis in several tumor cell lines. Particularly, inhibition of Aurora has been found to arrest cell cycling and promote programmed cell death via apoptosis. Accordingly, there has been a strong interest in finding inhibitors of Aurora kinase proteins.
Thus, the inhibition of Aurora kinases has been regarded as a promising approach for the development of novel anti-cancer agents. For example, WO 04/039774 describes aza-quinazolinones for treating cancer via inhibiton of Aurora kinase, WO 04/037814 describes indazolinones for treating cancer via inhibiton of Aurora-2 kinase, WO 04/016612 describes 2, 6, 9-substituted purine derivatives for treating cancer via inhibiton of Aurora kinase, WO 04/000833 describes tri- and tetra-substituted pyrimidine compounds useful for treating Aurora-meiated diseases, WO 04/092607 describes crystals useful for screening, designing and evaluating compounds as agonists or antagonists of Aurora kinase and U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,338 and WO 03/055491 each describe substituted quinazoline derivatives as inhibitors of Aurora-2 kinase.


A pivotable canopy roof of an air passenger stair or an air passenger bridge of the type mentioned in the introduction is known from DE 10 2004 016 272 B4. The design of this canopy roof has proven of great value and is often used. However, it has turned out that with strongly contoured aircraft fuselages, and here more specifically in the area of the bow side boarding access, the flexible frame with which the canopy roof rests on the outside skin of the aircraft fuselage not always rests flush with the aircraft hull on the bow side, i.e. toward the front end of the aircraft. On the one hand, this can be due to the fact that, as has already been explained, the aircraft fuselage is strongly contoured in that access area, or that more specifically with large canopy roofs, the inherent elasticity of the canopy roof and here more specifically of the articulated arms is minimal due to the stiff design of the articulated arms. This means that the deformation is not sufficient to ensure a full contact of the flexible frame with the bumper.
In order to always ensure a circumferential contact of the flexible frame on the outer skin of the aircraft fuselage, it is proposed according to the invention that the end member of the at least one first articulated arm is pivotable laterally via a swivel joint. Here, laterally pivotable means that the end member is pivotable in the direction of the width of the flexible frame, more specifically in the direction of the interior of the canopy roof. This means that when the flexible frame of the pivotable canopy roof comes to rest on the outer skin of the aircraft, at the moment in which the flexible frame comes in contact with the outer skin in the area of the end member, the end member of the at least one first articulated arm is pivoted slightly inward, and thus ensures full contact of the flexible frame on the outer skin of the aircraft. By pivoting the end member inward, it is ensured that the canopy roof rests on the aircraft fuselage substantially without tension.
Advantageous features and embodiments of the invention can be gathered from the dependent claims. In the following, the structure of the first articulated arm is described in more detail.
Thus, it is more specifically provided that in the one first articulated arm, the upper arm is connected to the lower arm by way of a hinge joint with a hinge axis that is horizontal in the mounted state, the joint axis of the pivot joint for the laterally pivotable or extendable end member running perpendicular to the hinge axis between the upper arm and the lower arm.
According to another feature of the invention, the end member is connected to the lower arm by way of an intermediate member. This means that the first articulated arm consists of a total of four elements, namely an upper arm, a lower arm connected to it in an articulated manner, to which an intermediate member is connected in turn, which is preferably angled in the direction of the pivot plane of the articulated arm relative to the lower arm, and the end member that is receivable by the intermediate member so as to be laterally pivotable around a pivot joint.
According to a particularly advantageous feature, the end member is pivotable out of the plane of the lower arm against the force of a spring. Thus it is ensured that when retracting the canopy roof, the end member and the first articulated arm always lie in one plane.
Furthermore, ensuring that the end member is laterally pivotable in only one direction, namely laterally in the direction of the interior of the canopy roof is advantageous.
The connection between the intermediate member and the end member is configured as a laterally movable connection, the intermediate member comprising a projection that is received with a lateral clearance by the end member. This means that the projection of the intermediate member is mounted in the hollow profile of the end member with a lateral clearance, in order to permit the lateral extendibility of the end member relative to the intermediate member. An elastomer block relative to which the end member is resiliently pivotable is located between the projection and the end member configured as a hollow profile. This means that the distance between the projection of the intermediate member and the interior wall of the end member determines amongst others the degree of deflection of the end member.
According to another feature of the invention, the air passenger stair or the air passenger bridge comprises an actuation device for pivoting the canopy roof, the actuation device including a pulling means at least for the one first articulated arm. A roll for the pulling means is disposed in the area of the portal frame, the pulling means being laterally articulated with the end member of the articulated arm, i.e. on the side toward which the end member does not pivot. This means that the articulation of the pulling means is eccentric. The consequence of this is that the arrangement of the pulling means on the outer side of the end member assists in the straightening of the end member.
The second articulated arm is also advantageously connected to the portal frame by way of a traction mechanism, e.g. a rope or a strap.
In particular, a roll on the portal frame for rolling up and unrolling the pulling means, i.e. for example a strap or a rope, is attributed to each pulling means, the two rolls being connected by way of a shaft to a drive, for example a tubular motor.
In order to initiate the extension movement of the articulated arms, the actuation device includes at least one driving member for the at least one first articulated arm, which is more specifically configured as a gas pressure spring.
In the following, the invention is exemplarily described in more detail based on the drawings.


There is such a conventionally known engine block of which cylinder block is comprised of a cylinder block body made of an aluminum alloy, and one or two or more cylinder sleeves of a cast iron formed by casting in the cylinder block body, and to which engine block a cylinder head and bearing caps for a crankshaft are assembled through a plurality of stud bolts provided on the cylinder block.
The conventional engine block suffers from the following problem: An explosion force applied to the cylinder head is received by the cylinder block, and the cylinder block is a member to which the cylinder head and the bearing caps are assembled. Therefore, in order to increase the strength of the cylinder block and thus the strengths of the cylinder block body and the cylinder sleeves, the thickness of them is increased. For this reason, the weight of the cylinder block is increased and hence, it is impossible to meet the demand for a reduction in weight of the engine block.
In a waste heat recovering device for an internal combustion engine utilizing a Rankin cycle, the following problem is encountered: If an exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine is used as a heat source, the higher the temperature of the exhaust gas is, the higher the waste heat recovering efficiency is. If each of the cylinder sleeves of the cast iron is formed by casting in the cylinder block body, as described above, the area of contact of both the members with each other is increased. For this reason, the heat of the exhaust gas is partially diffused from the cylinder sleeves through the cylinder block body, and as a result, the temperature of the exhaust gas dropps.


Hydraulic cylinders are mechanical actuators that get power from pressurized hydraulic fluid. A hydraulic cylinder typically includes a cylinder barrel in which a piston connected to a piston rod moves back and forth. The piston divides the hydraulic cylinder into a first chamber and a second chamber. When the hydraulic pump pushes hydraulic fluid into the first chamber, a valve in the second chamber is open allowing hydraulic fluid to drain from the second chamber into a reservoir as movement of the piston within the hydraulic cylinder increases the volume of the first chamber and correspondingly reduces the volume of the second chamber. Likewise, when the hydraulic pump pushes hydraulic fluid into the second chamber, a valve in the first chamber is open allowing hydraulic fluid to drain from the first chamber into the reservoir as movement of the piston within the hydraulic cylinder increases the volume of the second chamber and correspondingly reduces the volume of the first chamber.
Typically, the hydraulic pump runs at a constant speed to produce hydraulic pressure. If motion is not imminent, the unused pressured hydraulic fluid is returned to the reservoir or stored in an accumulator.


1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments relate to instant messages, and particularly to redirecting instant messages from one system to another system.
2. Description of Related Art
There exists a growing popularity in instant messaging services. Instant messaging (IM) is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. The text is conveyed via computers connected over a network such as the Internet.
Instant messaging offers real-time and/or near-time communication and allows easy collaboration, which might be considered more akin to genuine conversation than email's “letter” format. In contrast to e-mail, the parties know whether the peer is available because most systems allow the user to set an online status or away message so that peers are notified when the user is available, busy, or away from the computer.
Instant messaging allows instantaneous communication between a number of parties simultaneously, by transmitting information quickly and efficiently, featuring immediate receipt of acknowledgment or reply. In certain cases IM involves additional features, which make it even more popular, i.e., to see the other party, e.g. by using web-cams, or to talk directly for free over the Internet.
Currently, when utilizing instant messaging from one computer and then subsequently logging into the instant messaging session from another computer, the first computer may automatically be logged off. Although new messages may be sent to the second computer, messages already delivered to the first computer would remain on the first computer screen until the user returns to the first computer and dismisses them. Thus, the delivered messages would not be delivered to the user in a timely fashion.
Some messengers permit being logged on from multiple (locations) computers at once and allow the current chat record to be fully available at all locations. This requires the instant messenger to support synchronous logins from multiple devices, however, which may be unwanted complexity to support, or may be considered a security issue. Without the extra complexity and security issues, it would be desirable to have a method to prevent messages from being untimely even if messages have been delivered to a computer that has been automatically logged off.


Over time or because of a particular event or condition (e.g., seismic activity, exposure to excessive or uneven loads or moments, exposure to micro-organisms, poor compaction, crown corrosion, corrosive soil, etc.), the structural integrity or capacity of force mains, other pipes and other structures may diminish. For example, such items may crack, corrode, deteriorate and the like. Different methods of repairing or otherwise strengthening damaged pipes and other items are well-known. For example, liners or layers made of fiber reinforced polymers can be attached to one or more portions of a pipe interior. Among other ways, liners of this type can be formed in a tubular shape and dragged in or everted into the pipe to be repaired. Still further, in larger diameter pipes, the lining may be formed by manually adhering sheets of repair material to the walls of the pipe.
Certain high-strength liners or sheets are made of woven fibers of glass, carbon, aramid, or the like impregnated with a polymeric matrix that is, in some embodiments, cured in place. The woven fibrous material typically has a relatively open or loose weave that is water permeable in the absence of the polymeric material. Though the polymeric material in most instances prevents groundwater from infiltrating a pipe for a time, pinhole leaks are known to form in the openings between the woven fibrous strands under certain conditions. Pinhole leaks let undesirable groundwater enter the pipe. Moreover, high strength liners are often used to line pipes that carry pressurized fluids. Pressurized fluid can easily escape through pinhole leaks and cause further damage to the liner.


1. Field
The embodiments discussed herein are related to illuminating devices.
2. Description of Related Art
In mobile devices, such as mobile phone handsets, ornamental elements are provided on a face panel or similar outer material. Light sources are used as one such ornamental element. In some cases, the face panel may be replaced to change the ornamental design. Such ornamental elements contribute to improved flexibility in product design and value (i.e., product appeal).
Technology related to such ornamental elements has been proposed, wherein a face panel is removably attached to a housing of a device. Light from light-emitting mechanisms on the housing is then made to illuminate the face panel, and a translucent display pattern on the face panel is displayed. (See, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-125016.)
In addition, technology has been proposed wherein an illumination case is removably attached to a main body of a mobile device. The illumination case is then made to light up by light from a light source on the housing, or by light from a through-hole formed on the main body. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,690.)


The present invention relates to a device for visually indicating that an object has been stored for an excessive period or above a predetermined temperature or for indicating that a package or seal has been opened or tampered with.
Numerous devices have been proposed which provide a visual indication of the passage of a predetermined period of time, tampering, or storage under undesirable conditions. For example, Olsen et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,670 (1967) describes a time/temperature indicator consisting of a cellulosic material such as filter paper treated with silver nitrate. This indicator exhibits a permanent color change depending solely upon the thermal history of the treated paper. Jackson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,480,402 (1969) discloses a time indicator formed of an absorbent carrier having absorbed thereon at least one chemical compound which changes color upon exposure to oxygen. The carrier and absorbed compound are protected from ambient oxygen by a barrier layer through which oxygen controllably diffuses over a preselected time. Thus, a color change is evident if recommended storage times are exceeded. Kydonieus et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,153 (1980) discloses a time indicator in which migration of an agent from an interior layer to an exterior surface layer produces a visually perceptible color change. In one embodiment the migrating agent is a dye; in another it is an acid or base and the exterior layer contains a pH indicator. Other indicators are described in Yoshikawa et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,811 (1979); Seiter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,579 (1976); and Youngren, U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,700 (1983).


The present invention relates generally to material handling equipment and relates more particularly to pneumatic pop-up units adapted for use in material handling equipment.
The manufacture and/or packaging of many types of commercial articles often involves the use of material handling equipment. One example of material handling equipment is a bench or workstation at which certain assembly or packaging steps for an article are performed. Another example of material handling equipment is a conveyor system for transporting an article from one workstation to another.
As can readily be appreciated, an article that is seated on top of a bench or workstation often must be re-positioned or rotated thereon so that certain assembly or packaging steps can be performed. Similarly, it is often the case that the direction in which an article is traveling along a conveyor system must be altered or its movement altogether stopped. For these reasons, various omni-directional devices and stopping devices have been devised that are adapted for use in material handling equipment.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,526, inventor Masciarelli, which issued Dec. 9, 1986, and which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a conveyor system which includes a number of driven rollers mounted in a spaced, parallel relationship. A conveyor element is located between adjacent driven rollers, the conveyor element consisting of a main body having a series of passages in which plungers are slidably carried. An inflatable bladder moves each of the plungers from a retracted position to an operative position. More specifically, each passage is a bore in the main body, and each plunger consists of a sphere rotatably carried in a sheath whose outer surface is formed to slide smoothly in the bore. In this manner, when the bladder is inflated, the spheres are moved from their retracted positions to their operative positions, where they engage the article and lift the article above the top level of the driven rollers, thereby enabling the article to be re-positioned relative to the rollers (or pushed off of the driven rollers, for example, onto a lateral conveyor). When the bladder is then deflated, the spheres retract and an article situated thereon is lowered back onto the driven rollers. Alternatively, instead of including a sphere, the plunger may include a stop pin for use in stopping the movement of the article across the series of driven rollers.
As another example of an omni-directional device adapted for material handling equipment, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,994, inventor Masciarelli, which issued Apr. 28, 1987, and which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed an anti-friction (i.e., omni-directional) assembly adapted for use in material handling equipment. More specifically, the aforementioned assembly comprises a main body having a first bore entering one surface and a second bore concentric with but non-coextensive with the first bore. A piston is slidable in the second bore and has a stem whose free end is slidable in the first bore. The stem carries a ball which is rotatable on a nest of secondary balls in a cavity in the free end of the stem. The piston and the stem are movable from a first position in which the ball lies substantially within the first bore below a friction element (e.g., the workstation, driven rollers, etc.) to a second position in which the ball protrudes from the first bore above the friction element. Means are provided for introducing fluid under pressure to the second bore to move the piston and to carry the ball from the first position to the second position. In addition, means are provided in the second bore to bias the piston to normally maintain the piston and the ball in the first position.
As still another such example., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,211, inventor Masciarelli, Jr., which issued Feb. 1, 2000, and which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a conveyor having a plurality of spaced rollers mounted between a pair of elongated horizontal frame members for supporting an article and enabling the article to be conveyed longitudinally of the frame members. The conveyor has a workstation formed by a plurality of interrupter strips extending in the spaces between rollers. Each interrupter strip has a plurality of lifting pads which are selectively movable between a lower position in which the upper surface of the pads are below the tops of the rollers and an upper position in which the upper surface of the pads are above the tops of the rollers for supporting the article and frictionally engaging the article to maintain the article in a stable position above the strips. The interrupter strips also have a plurality of balls mounted for omnidirectional rotation on the interrupter strips. Each ball is selectively movable between a lower position in which the top of the ball is below the top of the rollers and an upper position in which the top of the ball is above the top of the rollers. The balls are selectively moved independently of the lifting pads so that the article can be supported solely by the balls or by the lifting pads.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 4, there are shown various views of still yet another example of a conventional pneumatic pop-up unit, said unit being of the omni-directional variety and being represented generally by reference numeral 11. Unit 11 comprises a housing 13, housing 13 being a generally cylindrical, cup-shaped member having a circular side wall 15, a bottom wall 17 and an open top. A nipple 19 is mounted in bottom wall 17, nipple 19 being adapted for connection to a pressurized gas (or other fluid) supply. Housing 13 is typically made of machined metal (e.g., aluminum, steel).
Unit 11 also comprises a cap 21, cap 21 also being made of machined metal (e.g., aluminum, steel). Cap 21 comprises a top wall 23 and a side wall 25. Top wall 23 is flat and annular in shape. Side wall 25, which extends downwardly from the inside diameter of top wall 23, is circular in cross-section. Side wall 25 is dimensioned to fit closely inside side wall 15 of housing 13, with top wall 23 extending radially outwardly across side wall 15 and defining a circumferential flange 27 used to mount unit 11 in a hole H formed in a workbench W or the like. A pair of spaced apart circumferential lips 29 and 31 are formed on the outside surface of side wall 25 of cap 21, lips 29 and 31 defining a groove 33 therebetween. The outside surface of side wall 25 tapers slightly inwardly in diameter from lip 31 to the bottom surface thereof. Housing 13 and cap 21 are secured to one another by staking (i.e., mechanically deforming) housing 13 into groove 33 at approximately four points 34 equidistantly spaced around the circumference of housing 13.
Unit 11 further comprises a piston 41, piston 41 being slidably mounted within housing 13. Piston 41, which is made by stamping and rolling a suitable sheet of metal, is a generally cylindrical, hollow member and includes a bottom wall 43, a circular side wall 45 and an open top. A ring 47 is fixedly secured by a press-fit to the outside surface of side wall 45, ring 47 being disposed a short distance from bottom wall 43. The top surface of ring 47 is used to engage the bottom end of a spring 49, the top end of spring 49 being engaged by lip 31 of cap 21. Spring 49 serves to bias piston 41 downwardly towards bottom wall 17 of housing 13. A rubber seal 51 is snugly fitted around side wall 45 of piston 41 and is engaged at its top surface by the bottom surface of ring 47 in such a way that ring 47 keeps seal 51 from sliding up on piston 41. Seal 51 serves to create an air-tight chamber between the bottom end of piston 41 and housing 13, seal 51 typically being of the split design variety (e.g., U-cup, block-V) so that, when seal 51 is subjected to upward fluid pressure, its outer leg is urged against the inside surface of wall 15 of housing 13 and its inner leg is urged against the outside surface of wall 45 of piston 41.
Unit 11 further comprises a bowl-shaped race 55, race 55 being disposed inside of piston 41. Race 55 is seated on top of a race support 57, race support 57 being seated directly on top of the inside surface of wall 43 of piston 41. Race 55, which is made by stamping, has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of piston 41 and is adapted to hold a plurality of ball bearings 59. Race support 57 is shaped to include a circular side wall 61, on which race 55 is seated, and an annular bottom wall 63, which extends radially outwardly from side wall 61 to slightly less than the inner diameter of piston 41. A primary ball 65 is seated on ball bearings 59 and extends partially through the open top of piston 41, the top of side wall 45 being, rolled around ball 65 to retain ball 65 within piston 41. Ball 65 is aligned with the central opening in cap 21 and is appropriately sized relative thereto to partially extend therethrough.
Although unit 11 has been found to be generally satisfactory for its intended purpose, the present inventor has observed the following shortcomings in connection therewith: First, as noted above, housing 13 and cap 21 are made by metal machining processes (either by screw machining or by powdered metal technology). Unfortunately, however, these metal machining processes often result in tolerances that are greater than optimally desired to enable housing 13 and cap 21 to fit together properly on a consistent basis when both are mass-produced. In addition, the aforementioned machining processes can be time-intensive and labor-intensive and, therefore, costly.
Second, as explained above, housing 13 and cap 21 are secured to one another by staking housing 13 into groove 33 of cap 21 at four equally spaced points 34 around the perimeter of housing 13. Unfortunately, however, said staking technique is, on occasion, not secure enough for cap 21 and housing 13 to withstand becoming separated by the force of the pressurized gas admitted into housing 13 to raise piston 41 therewithin and/or by the force of articles dropped or loaded on top of unit 11 during routine material handling steps.
Third, once cap 21 has been staked to housing 13 in the above-described manner, cap 21 cannot be removed from housing 13 and thereafter re-attached without causing damage to cap 21 and/or to housing 13 (see, for example, breaks 36 in lip 31 of cap 21, as shown in FIG. 4). This is unfortunate since the internal components of a unit can become worn and/or dirty over time. Consequently, at present, the only viable option is to replace the entire unit.
Fourth, as described above, the upper end of spring 49 wraps around side wall 25 of cap 21 and is abutted at its top surface by lower lip 31. Consequently, when piston 41 is elevated to its uppermost position within housing 13, spring 49 becomes completely compressedxe2x80x94an undesirable condition since it may result in spring 49 weakening or locking in its compressed state. Moreover, because the outside surface of side wall 25 tapers inwardly from lip 31 to the bottom of side wall 25, the diameter of the wire used to make spring 49 must be small enough to allow spring 49 at its top end to fit between the rather small space left between side wall 25 of cap 21 and housing 13. Typically, this amounts to a wire diameter of about seventy-thousandths of an inch for spring 49.
Fifth, the manner in which piston 41 is finished, with race 55, race support 57, bearings 59 and ball 65 all arranged therewithin is as follows: First, piston 41 is stamped into the shape of a hollow cylindrical can having an open top. Race support 57, race 55, bearings 59 and ball 65 are then positioned within piston 41 in the manner described above. Finally, the top edges of side wall 45 of piston 41 are rolled or coined inwardly around ball 65 so as to entrap ball 65 and the other contents of piston 41 therewithin. Unfortunately, the metal used to form piston 41 has a tendency to xe2x80x9cspring-backxe2x80x9d to its original shape after having been stamped or rolled/coined; consequently, it is necessary to xe2x80x9coverbendxe2x80x9d the metal to compensate for anticipated spring-back. Such overbending, however, can create its own problems. For example, the overbending of the top edges of piston 41 around ball 65 can create nicks or cuts in ball 65 or can otherwise damage ball 65, particularly if ball 65 is made of a soft material, such as a soft plastic. In addition, the overbending of the top edges of piston 41 against ball 65 results in a considerable force being applied by race support 57 to the bottom of piston 41, thereby occasionally resulting in the bottom of piston 41 becoming deformed (i.e., spreading radially outwardly and/or buckling downwardly towards the middle). Furthermore, the overbending of the top edges of piston 41 against ball 65 can cause bearings 59 to be driven into and to deform race 55.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel pneumatic pop-up unit adapted for use in material handling equipment.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic pop-unit as described above that overcomes at least some of the disadvantages associated with existing pneumatic pop-up units.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic pop-up unit that can be mass-produced readily and relatively inexpensively.
Additional objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth, in part, in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments for practicing the invention. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for determining an occurrence of a failure related to a head in a magnetic disk device that includes an automatic amplifying adjustment function.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various techniques are know for preventing destruction or loss of data stored in the storage devices such as a magnetic disk device. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H9-139040 discloses a technology for preventing destruction or loss of data in the storage devices by assuring an operation to be properly performed for writing and reading of data to and from the storage devices.
According to the conventional techniques, as shown in FIG. 13, when a magnetic disk device 1 (see, FIG. 11 and FIG. 12), which has been connected to a higher-level device via a host interface or the like, is performing a data writing processing, if a head 14 of the magnetic disk device 1 comes in contact with dust 25 on a surface 26 of a disk medium 15, the head 14 temporarily floats abnormally due to a shock from the contact and moves to a position described with a reference numeral 22. Accordingly, an extra distance shown with reference numeral 23 is generated between the head 14 and the surface 26 of the disk medium 15, and there causes a problem that data cannot be written onto the disk medium 15 because a magnetic field 24 of the head 14 cannot reach the surface 26 of the disk medium 15 so that a weak signal is output from the head 14. When a weak signal is output from the head 14, the processing is terminated to prevent the data destruction, and a new attempt is made to perform the data writing processing.
According to the conventional techniques, floating of the head can be detected only after the occurrence of the floating. Thus, there is a need of a technology that can predict occurrence of the floating of the head.


A non-aqueous electrochemical cell using lithium as an active anode material has high energy density, good storage characteristics and wide operation temperature range. A non-aqueous electrochemical cell is therefore often used as a power source for a calculator, a watch or a memory back up system. Such a cell comprises an anode, an electrolyte and a cathode. In general, such a cell uses as an anode an alkali metal such as lithium or sodium; as an electrolyte or electrolytic solution, a solution of a solute such as lithium perchlorate or lithium tetrafluoroborate in a non-aqueous solvent such as propylene carbonate, .gamma.-butyrolactone or diglyme; and as a cathode, manganese dioxide or polycarbonmonofluoride.
The combination of relatively high theoretical energy density, potentially long life, and low cost materials such as reported in the sodium-sulfur system high temperature batteries is suitable primarily for low rate performance work such as electric road vehicle propulsion or load leveling of electric power supplies. The sodium-sulfur systems, first proposed in 1966, have had a great deal of effort expended in trying to develop a practical system. The basic operating principle involves the separation of two active molten materials, sodium and sulfur, by either a ceramic membrane of beta alumina or sodium glass, which at about 300.degree. C. or higher allows the passage of sodium ions that form with the sulfur any of the several polysulfides. The open circuit voltage of the system is at just over 2 volts, about the same as the lead-acid cell. Two formidable problems exist at the present time, viz., cracking of the separator and corrosion of the casing and seal.
Another somewhat similar system is the lithium-iron sulfide system, operating at about 450.degree. C. However, insufficient development has been done to date to demonstrate the widespread practicality of this system.
Another of the developments being pursued involves a lithium-based cell, in which the negative electrode is a lithium alloy (typically either lithium-aluminum or lithium-silicon), the positive electrode is an iron sulfide, and the electrolyte is a molten salt, such as the eutectic composition in the lithium chloride potassium chloride system. Because of the high melting point of such salts, such cells must be operated in the temperature range of 400-500 degrees centigrade.
This requirement to operate at such high temperatures has several important disadvantages. One of these is that various degradation processes, such as corrosion of the cell container, seals, and other components are accelerated by such high temperatures. Another is that a substantial amount of energy is lost through heat transfer to the surroundings. Still another is that the voltage obtained from such cells is lower at elevated temperatures, due to the fundamental property of the negative temperature dependence of the free energy of the cell reaction. Furthermore, the higher the temperature of operation, the greater the potential problems related to damage to the cell during cooling to ambient temperature and reheating, whether deliberate or inadvertent. Differences in thermal expansion, as well as dimensional changes accompanying phase changes, such as the freezing of the molten salt, can cause severe mechanical distortions, and therefore damage the cell components.
Cells involving a lower temperature molten salt electrolyte have been investigated where the molten salt is based upon a solution of aluminum chloride and an alkali metal chloride. However, the soluble positive electrode materials are not stable in the presence of the respective alkali metals. As a result, an auxiliary solid electrolyte must be used to separate the alkali metal and the counter electrode. One example of such a cell involves a molten sodium negative electrode, a solid electrolyte of sodium beta alumina, a molten aluminum chloride-sodium chloride salt, and either antimony chloride or an oxychloride dissolved in the chloride salt as the positive electrode reactant. Such a cell can operate in the temperature range of 150-250 degrees centigrade. It has the disadvantage of having to employ an electrolyte, which increases the cell impedance, as well as adding to the cost and complexity.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,837 to Bennion et al discloses a non-aqueous battery in which the anode may be lithium and/or graphite on which lithium metal is deposited and as a positive electrode a platinum cup filled with powdered K.sub.2 SO.sub.4 and graphite is utilized. The electrolytes disclosed are LiClO.sub.4, LiCF.sub.3 SO.sub.3 or LiB.sub.4 dissolved in dimethyl sulfite.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,695 discloses a non-aqueous electrochemical cell for use in primary rechargeable storage devices in which the cathode comprises an electrically conductive carbonaceous material, the anode is a molten mixture of two elements selected from the group consisting of sodium, potassium, cesium and rubidium, and the electrolyte comprises a solvent and an electrolyte salt selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal tetrafluoroborate and a tetraalkylammonium tetrafluoroborate. The present invention provides a specific improvement in the electrochemical cell of the patent by increasing its energy and power density.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,715 discloses a primary rechargeable energy storage device comprising an anode which is an alkaline earth or alkali metal and a carbonaceous fiber cathode. The electrolyte is a membrane comprising lithium laurate.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to beverage containers which have separate ice and beverage compartments. In such containers, the ice compartment is in heat exchange contact with the beverage compartment to keep the beverage cold while it is being consumed, without diluting the beverage as the ice melts.
2. Description of Related Art
Many beverages are best when served cold, including beer, soda and iced tea among others. Ice is the preferred way to keep the beverage cold as it is consumed, and for some beverages, such as soda and iced tea, it is common to place the ice directly into the beverage container where it dilutes the beverage as it melts. For other beverages, such as beer, this dilution is unacceptable.
For such beverages, even where the beverage and the beverage container are chilled prior to serving, the beverage rapidly becomes unacceptably warm even in an insulated container. The problem is compounded by the fact that many chilled beverages are consumed during the warmest months of year.
To eliminate the problem of dilution, various methods of cooling the beverage have been tried. One method has been to use a plastic-coated freezable gel material either as an artificial ice cube floating in the beverage, or as a strap-on coolant pack outside, but in contact with the beverage compartment. Both methods are expensive, and require additional freezer equipment and/or space for the numerous gel-cubes or gel-packs to be used. The artificial ice cube method has the added difficulties of risk of contamination from the gel material and sterilization costs in reusing the cubes.
Another method has been to use standard ice to cool the beverage, but to isolate the ice from the beverage in a separate compartment, thereby excluding the meltwater from the beverage compartment. This method has proven somewhat more satisfactory due to the existing investment and wide availability of ice-makers found in most homes and food service businesses.
Nonetheless, previous beverage containers employing the separate compartment design suffer from several deficiencies which have prevented their wide acceptance. One difficulty has been that most such containers fill both the ice compartment and the beverage compartment from the top. In this arrangement, the opening for the ice must compete for space with the opening for the beverage. The opening to the ice compartment is invariably too small making it difficult to fill with ice quickly. Enlarging the opening of the ice compartment makes it easier to fill with ice, but more difficult to fill with beverage.
A related difficulty has been that it is too easy to inadvertently get ice in the beverage compartment or beverage in the ice compartment when filling the separate compartments. The difficulty of filling the ice compartment in prior designs is less objectionable in low volume applications, but in commercial establishments the time involved to carefully fill the ice compartment of each beverage container cannot be justified.
Even those beverage containers which may be filled from the bottom, thereby eliminating the possibility of mixing beverage and ice, have not been satisfactory in commercial establishments. In some cases the beverage container is too fragile, too thin or is made of a material not suitable for scooping into the ice (such as glass, porcelain or other material which may chip). In other cases, the container has no handle, has a handle that is too thin and cannot be gripped tightly, or has a handle not positioned properly on the container. These problems prevent the container from being comfortably used in the inverted position to quickly scoop crushed ice or ice cubes into the ice compartment. Each of these deficiencies leads to a decrease in the speed with which the container can be filled.
Yet another problem has been that prior art designs do not cool the beverage efficiently. In normal use, the beverage container is initially filled with a pre-cooled beverage. Since a large percentage of the beverage will be immediately consumed, there is little time for the beverage to be warmed by the surrounding air and a relatively low ratio of cooling area to beverage volume is required. Later, with a partially full beverage container, the cooling ratio needs to be increased to keep the remaining beverage cool against the warming effect of the surrounding air. Prior art containers have not been designed to provide this variable cooling ratio.
Still another difficulty with prior art designs is the relatively low heat transfer rate between the beverage and ice. When ice is directly mixed with the beverage, the large surface area of the ice results in rapid heat transfer. However, in prior art designs, the wall between the ice compartment and the beverage compartment has significantly less surface area than ice immersed in the beverage, resulting in a low heat transfer rate. Consequently, the beverage may not be cooled sufficiently rapidly to counteract heat transferred into the beverage from the surroundings.
A final difficulty with prior art designs is that the ice and beverage compartments have usually been formed as separate components. This requires additional assembly and fastening or sealing operations during manufacture that greatly increase the cost of such containers and make them uncompetitive with simpler containers lacking the ice compartment.
In view of these deficiencies in the prior art, one object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive beverage container with an ice compartment which can be easily handled when inverted and quickly filled by scooping in the crushed or cubed ice commonly found in most beverage serving commercial establishments.
Yet another object is to provide a beverage container with an ice compartment which can be sealed to inhibit melting of the ice. It is still another object of the present invention to provide an ice compartment which provides greater cooling relative to the remaining volume of beverage as the beverage is consumed.
A further object of the invention is to provide a beverage container with an improved heat transfer rate between the beverage and the ice.


This subject matter concerns a dispensing system for a fluid in general, and more particularly a disposable inverted dispensing system for dispensing shampoo or other liquid materials (such as soap or conditioner, or gel or lotion of any type) for use in a shower.
The manufacture and sale of hair care and personal hygiene products constitutes an expansive market. As can be seen in almost any household, shampoo, conditioners, liquid soaps, and other materials represent a large portion of this market. Conventionally, such products are sold in plastic containers which stand upright with a capping device on top through which the fluid, for example, shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap, or other lotions is dispensed. The designs of such containers create several different drawbacks and problems from storage to dispensing. Such plastic containers litter the bathroom shower area of many households creating unsightly clutter. Often, the containers are not readily accessible within the shower area which can lead to the spilling of the container's content. Such clutter, inaccessibility and possible spills can create safety hazards within the shower area, as well as create waste and other disadvantages.
The upright containers also create a dispensing issue due to the configuration of the container in which it is contained and/or the potentially viscous nature of the content being dispensed. The nature of these containers requires the user to perform several steps to dispense the contents of the container. The user typically must pick up the container, invert it and usually squeeze it by applying the user's own pressure on multiple sides of the container to extract the fluid of the container. Further, with the dispensing opening of these containers on the upper end of the container when it is in a stored position, the fluid settles in the bottom of the container prior to use. The more the fluid in the container is used, the longer the distance the fluid must travel with less momentum due to the decrease in the mass of the fluid after each use, and the greater the effort and time required to dispense what fluid remains in the container. Often, the user must shake or otherwise manipulate the container to obtain sufficient fluid from the container.
Other devices and containers have tried to address these problems of the upright containers with varying degrees of success, but all have their own distinct disadvantages. Hanger mechanisms can be attached to upright containers or can hold the upright containers to allow them to be hung upside down on the shower rod or the neck of the showerhead, thereby removing the containers from the floor of the shower and allowing the contents of the containers to settle at the dispensing zone of the container. However, these hanger mechanisms require the user to spend time attaching the hanger mechanism to the container. Some require a hanger to be screwed into the container, creating the opportunity for inadvertent discharge of the fluid. Others require the container to be inserted into a holding mechanism which is then tightened around the container. After the content is dispensed from the container, the holding mechanism is then loosened and the container has to be removed from the hanger mechanism requiring more time consumption.
Also, such hanger mechanisms impede the shower curtain when hung on the shower curtain rod or crowd the neck of the showerhead which has become an often-used location to otherwise hang personal care items. Further, the user still must grab the container on multiple sides and squeeze to dispense the contents.
Permanent soap dispensers as seen in many public restrooms may tend to alleviate certain aspects of clutter, but the user has the burden of filling the dispenser on a periodic basis. For these permanent dispensers, containers of shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap, or other liquid material must be purchased in a store and then the contents of these containers must be transferred into the permanent dispensers. The transfer of such fluid is time consuming and, if care is not taken, creates an opportunity to spill (i.e., waste) the fluid, which in many instances may be rather expensive, particularly for “premium” products such as designer hair care formulas. Further, permanent soap dispensers are affixed to a shower wall in such a manner that, upon removal, lasting marks are left on the wall where the dispenser had been attached.
A need still exists for a dispensing system for shampoos, conditioners, liquid soaps or other consumable personal care fluids that does not add to the clutter around a shower area, is easily accessible in the shower, and decreases the possibility of spillage. A need also exists for the dispensing system to be easily assembled and disassembled to allow for the quick set up (i.e. installation) and disposal of the dispensing system, while still permitting the user to dispense the shampoo, conditioner, soap, or other liquid in a well facilitated fashion without having to shake or manipulate any part of the dispensing system.


In recent years, many medical appliances such as an endoscope, a medical manipulator, and the like, which have a tubular portion which is long and thin and a tip end thereof is inserted into a body cavity for observation or an operation, have been developed and used. Since the medical appliances are used by being inserted into a body cavity of a patient, from a hygiene viewpoint for prevention of infection, it is necessary to wash and clean both inside and outside of the medical appliances for them to be clean, by washing treatment such as washing, sterilizing, and rinsing, or with combination thereof, when re-using the medical appliances. However, since the medical appliances have long and thin tubes as those are necessary for functions and usages, a cleaning agent or a disinfectant does not sufficiently pass through the inside of the thin tubes during the washing treatment.
A washing treatment apparatus and a washing treatment method of the related art for such medical appliances having a thin tubular structure are disclosed in Patent Literature 1, for example. The washing treatment apparatus of the related art includes a washing bath in which an endoscope is loaded, a connection tube to which at least a washing solution is supplied, a guide member which guides the connection tube to an axial direction of a channel port of the endoscope provided on an external side of the washing bath, a movement mechanism which moves the connection tube through the guide member, a sealing member for sealing the connection tube and the channel port, and a partition which forms a sealed structure in which the movement mechanism and a part of the connection tube are provided.


1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to semiconductor gain media, especially to those devices that include an integrated multimode region and single mode region and more particularly to laser devices with single spatial mode, diffraction-limited emission with flared gain regions.
2. Background Art
External-cavity semiconductor lasers, including lasers with frequency selective tuning elements in the cavity, are well known and have been extensively studied. For example, T. Fujita, et al., in Applied Physics Letters 51(6), pages 392-394 (1987), describe a laser having a buried heterostructure laser that has been antireflection (AR) coated on the intracavity facet, a collimating lens, a polarization beamsplitter, external cavity mirrors in each of the TE and TM polarization light paths, and an electro-optic modulator in the TE polarization path between the beamsplitter and cavity mirror. The configuration allows selection of either the TE or TM mode of oscillation by adjusting the modulator's bias voltage. W. Sorin, et al., in Optics Letters 13(9), pages 731-733 (1988), describe a laser having a laser diode with one of its facets AR coated to reduce its reflectivity, a lens, a single mode optical fiber and a tunable evanescent grating reflector for providing feedback. The laser is wavelength tunable by sliding the feedback grating laterally over the fiber. P. Zorabedian et al., in Optics Letters 13(10), pages 826-828 (1988), describe another wavelength tunable laser using either a rotatable interference filter in an external Fabry-Perot cavity or an external grating reflector providing frequency-selective feedback.
A problem with previously available external-cavity semiconductor lasers is their generally low output power (on the order of 10 mW cw and 200-300 mW pulsed). Further, higher output powers are associated with unstable output intensity and frequency and less than good modal quality.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,780, Scifres et al. describe semiconductor injection lasers that are provided with a stripe offset geometry in order to enhance and stabilize operation in the lowest order or fundamental transverse mode. In one configuration, the stripe geometry has a horn shaped or trapezoidal section connected to a straight section, in which the width of the horn shaped or trapezoidal section expands from 8 .mu.m at the straight section to 25 .mu.m at the cleaved end facet. In contrast to configurations in which the edges of the stripe waveguides are linear and orthogonal to the cleaved end facets of the lasers, the nonorthogonal angled or curved edges of the offset stripe geometries cause higher order modes to reflect or radiate out of the waveguide, thereby increasing the threshold of the higher order modes relative to the fundamental mode.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,084, Scifres et al. describe semiconductor lasers and laser arrays in which lenses and other optical elements have been integrated into the semiconductor bodies of the lasers by means of refractive index changes at boundaries in the light guiding region, where the boundaries are characterized by a lateral geometric contour corresponding to surfaces of selected optical elements so as to cause changes in shape of phase fronts of lightwaves propagating across the boundaries in a manner analogous to the change produced by the optical elements. In one embodiment, a biconcave or plano-concave diverging lens element is integrated within the laser in order to counteract the self-focusing that usually occurs in broad area lasers and that can lead to optical filamentation and lateral incoherence across the laser. The diverging lens in the laser allows the laser to operate as an unstable resonator, leading to high output power and good coherence across the lateral wavefront.
An object of the invention is to provide a high power, semiconductor gain medium which emits a single spatial mode, diffraction-limited output beam.
Another object of the invention is to provide a semiconductor gain medium chip that includes a multimode region and a single spatial mode region with an optical cavity that includes a cleaved facet reflector and a grating reflector.


Conventionally, as a known technology, at the time of switching from self-driving to manual driving, an attentiveness of a driver is detected, and the switching operation is performed according to the detected attentiveness of the driver.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the structure of a compact ceramic multi-layer substrate for dealing with high frequency signals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Previously, there have been known monolithic substrates integrating active and passive elements on a semiconductor substrate and hybrid substrates integrating various active and passive elements on a dielectric layer such as alumina. In general, the hybrid substrate has a single layer structure. A multi-layer structure of electric circuits is also known for a dielectric substrate made of alumina or the like.
In the above-mentioned structure of a monolithic substrate, single layer structures are integrated. Therefore, if the sizes of electronics components to be integrated are determined, the total size can be determined depending on how the components are packed in the same plane. However, for a high frequency circuit, electromagnetic coupling exists through the space or the substrate. Therefore, it is difficult to integrate a circuit at a density more than a certain value.
Further, for a hybrid substrate, the structure may be made from multi-layers. However, only metallization is made from multi-layers, so that electronics components have been put on the surface. Therefore, this limits the integration and the compactness.
Further, in general, a high frequency circuit is liable to be coupled electromagnetically through a space. In order to prevent such coupling, various techniques such as a metallic shield plate arranged at the top are needed to shield the electromagnetic coupling. Then, high frequency characteristics may be damaged if the profile becomes complicated, if the size becomes large or if the shield is incomplete.
In order to solve these problems, various structures of ceramic multi-layer substrates have been proposed. For example, T. Nishikawa et al. proposed a compact high frequency filter circuit composed of passive components such as inductances (L) and capacitances (C) by using a multi-layer structure made from dielectric ceramics and electrodes (RF Front End Circuit Components Miniaturized Using Dielectric Resonators for Cellular Telephones, IEICE Transactions, Vol. E 74, No. 6, (1991), pp. 1556-1562). This structure is made from the same dielectric material. However, for a circuit such as a resonator including active elements for example transistors, it is not appropriate to use a first dielectric material of large dielectric constant on a substrate section wherein discrete components are set because a phase shift occurs at high frequencies. On the other hand, it is preferable that the dielectric constant of a second dielectric material for constructing the resonator is larger than that of the former dielectric material.
In order to solve this problem, for example, K. Hayashi discloses a structure wherein the dielectric constant of a first dielectric material for constructing a resonator is larger than that of a second dielectric material in a section for setting discrete components (Japanese Patent laid open Publication No. 79,601/1992). However, in a circuit including active components such as transistors, a capacitor of large capacitance such as a bypass capacitor is needed for a direct current bias circuit. Therefore, this structure is not sufficient for miniaturization. Further, in a circuit such as a high frequency amplifier, a path for direct current bias is connected to a high frequency transmission line. Then, if high frequency components pass the direct current bias circuit, unfavorable phenomena such as a loss or unstableness inducing oscillation may occur.
In a structure disclosed in Japanese Patent laid open Publication No. 25,082/1991, the diameter of a throughhole of a multi-layer substrate connected to an electrical conduction line for power supply is decreased or the length thereof is increased to increase an inductance component, so as to avoid high frequency components in the connection line for power supply. However, if the diameter is decreased, the amount of the current is limited, while if the length is increased, the miniaturization is difficult.


It is known that electrical noise occurs in large scale integration (LSI) semiconductor circuits because of, for example, the presence of alpha (α) rays or neutron beams that cause the semiconductor circuits to malfunction. The a rays are emitted when radioisotopes included in the packages, wiring, etc. of the LSI semiconductor circuits have decayed, and the neutron beams originate from cosmic rays. The above malfunction is called a soft error in contrast to a hard error caused by a failure of hardware in a semiconductor circuit or the like. Accordingly, the soft error differs from the hard error in that the soft error causes transient malfunction in which the operation of the semiconductor circuit can be recovered while the hard error causes permanent destruction at a specific part in the circuit.
However, if the transient malfunction caused by the soft error is stored in a latch circuit making up the LSI semiconductor circuit, the malfunction caused by the soft error may cause a fixed error in the semiconductor circuit.
The increasing integration and decrease in size of LSI semiconductor circuits reduce the charge capacities of storage nodes of latch circuits included in the LSI semiconductor circuits to increase the probability of soft errors caused by occurrences of electrical noises becoming fixed errors. This is because the logical states of the storage nodes of the latch circuits are apt to reverse due to the electrical noise to increase the frequency of the malfunction states.
Under such situations, approaches to improve the soft-error resistance of logic LSI circuits including latch circuits have been proposed in recent years. For example, a method of determining the output by a decision of the majority of signals output from three or more latch circuits receiving the same data is proposed. However, with this method of avoiding errors, the number and area of circuits are increased because of the three or more latch circuits, a majority circuit, and so on to cause a reduction in the circuit performance. In addition, such a latch circuit in the related art can keep the normal output if a soft error occurs at a single node but cannot keep the normal output if soft errors continuously occur before new data is input. This is because the output is determined on the basis of the majority rule.
In order to reduce the effects of the above problems, a latch circuit including multiple circuit units and feedback paths through which and the multiple circuit units the input is fed back to the input is known. Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) inverter circuits are generally used as the circuit units. In each of the CMOS inverter circuits, inverter circuits, particularly, P-channel transistor (PTr) and N-channel transistor (NTr) are coupled in series to each other.
Accordingly, it is desired to realize a latch circuit having an improved soft-error resistance.


This patent relates to the field of devices for indicating loss of pressure and imminent failure of pneumatic tires in vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,686,493 shows, mounted to the fixed axle portion of the vehicle, at the axle-leaf spring connection, a sounding wire, consisting of a curved wire extending vertically downward to make a resonant sound through the frame of the vehicle upon contact to the wire with the ground.
This is extended by U.S. Pat. No. 2,794,411, which improves this concept by providing a resonator, a metal cup and an adjustment mechanism for varying and fixing the length of the contact wire.
Another ground contact detector is a sound generating device which is wheel mounted. Reeder U.S. Pat. No. 1,601,604 to Reeder shows an attachment in the hubcap of the vehicle in which a single striker mechanism is depended radially outward along the wheel of the vehicle. Contact with the ground causes it to strike and ring an internal bell mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,785,614 is typical of the majority of patents for tire pressure loss detectors in that it utilizes a mechanism physically mounted upon the wheel which responds to the outward expansion of a tire carcass during deflation. All such patents, of course, represent mechanisms whose behavior cannot be predicted in the event of a sudden failure, such as a blowout, with the attended collapse of the tire structure. Boyer shows a spring supported mechanism which is triggered from an inner to an outer position, if the tire wall extends to an outward point. The outward motion is not visually detectable but is rather used to trigger a microswitch creating an electrical signal for an electric signaling circuit.
U.S. Pat. No. 902,693 is an earlier mechanism for responding to the outward expansion of the tire. A spring loaded arm swings to an outward position to create a sound signal by striking against a vibrating member located on the frame of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,947,760 is a frame rather than wheel mounted deflection indicator of this basic type; the outward deflection of the tire pulls a cable mechanism which then triggers a mechanical sensor. This device is mounted upon the fixed portion of a brake drum of a car, and it would appear to be subject to high failure rate in the event of a strike by road debris and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,020 shows an alternate form: a hubcap mounted sound alarm in which spring wires within a hubcap are set so that they will strike the ground during deflation, creating a ringing effect on the hubcap. An apparently unpatentable version is shown in FIGS. 8 through 9, which appear to be a duplicate of an earlier patent to Neiswanger.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,542 shows an electric low pressure sensor with indicator in which an electric pressure sensor is mounted within the valve stem of a tire and coupled to a motor vehicle indicator mounted through an insulated slip spring and brush mechanism on the frame of a car.
Perry U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,896 discloses a pneumatically actuated signal flag mounted upon the axle hub of a vehicle and responsive to the pneumatic pressure to indicate a low pressure condition in a vehicle tire.


The delivery of text-based messages (i.e. data packets) from a sending device to one or more receiving devices over a wireless LAN, presents special challenges. Typically, the message is routed through a wireless gateway where it is stored until it has been transmitted to, and stored within, an electronic mail server of the data network. Receiving devices are then able to retrieve stored messages from the electronic mail server at their convenience. The speed at which electronic messages are transmitted from a sending to a receiving device depends in part on how efficiently data packets are transported from a sending mobile device to an electronic mail server through wireless communication networks.
When a wireless gateway receives a data packet from a mobile device over a wireless network, the received data packet is sent to a destination electronic mail server. However, to ensure that the data packet is successfully transmitted to the destination electronic mail server and not lost in the meantime, the wireless gateway generally stores the data packet in an internal permanent storage device (e.g. a database server or a file system) before transmitting the data packet. Typically, the wireless gateway waits until the permanent storage device confirms storage of the data packet before proceeding with processing the data packet or even with sending acknowledgement of the receipt of the data packet back to the mobile device. This kind of storage procedure appreciably slows down the processing of data packets within the router.


This disclosure relates generally to tracking devices, and more specifically, to locating a tracking device or when the tracking device is in a communicatively-restricted environment, such as out of range of mobile devices.
Electronic tracking devices have created numerous ways for people to track the locations of objects. For example, a user can attach a tracking device to an important object, such as keys or a wallet, and use the features of the tracking device to more quickly locate the object (e.g., if it becomes lost). In particular, the tracking device can emit a tracking signal that can be detected by one of a community of mobile devices. The location of a community mobile device that is within range of the tracking device and receives the tracking signal can be used to estimate the location of the tracking device. This location can be reported to the user's mobile device so that the user can find the lost object.
As community mobile devices move around, they enter and exit the ranges of tracking devices. However, if none of the community of mobile devices come within range of a lost tracking device, the user may be unable to find a lost object. Thus, current tracking devices are limited by the range of the tracking devices and the coverage provided by the community of mobile devices.
The figures depict various embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.


The G protein coupled nociceptin receptor known as ORL1 has been shown to be involved in the modulation of pain in animal models. It bears high homology to the classic opioid receptors (μ, k, δ), but has little cross reactivity with their native ligands. Current opioid analgesics target these classic opioid receptors, but have limiting side effect profiles (e.g. tolerance, physical dependence, respiratory depression and decrease of gastrointestinal function). ORL1 receptors are colocalized in regions of the CNS similar to the opiod receptors, as well as in the periphery.
Nociceptin, the endogenous ligand to ORL1, was discovered in 1995 and shown to be a peptide ligand that activates the ORL1 receptor, but not the classic opioid receptors. Initial reports have suggested that nociceptin and the ORL1 receptor are involved in a newly discovered pathway involved in the perception of pain. Further reports have shown nociceptin to be analgesic when administered intrathecally to rodents. The in vivo efficacy of nociceptin in animal models of pain is similar to that of the endogenous opioids. Nociceptin is also reported to act as an anxiolytic agent when administered into the brains of rodents. The in vivo efficacy in rodent anxiety models is similar to classic benzodiazepine anxiolytics. In addition, nociceptin has been recently reported to inhibit capsaicin induced bronchoconstriction in isolated guinea pig lung tissue, suggesting a role for ORL1 agonists in the treatment of cough. Together, these data suggest that nociceptin receptor agonists may have significant analgesic, anxiolytic, or antitussive properties.


Level shifters, which receive and convert input signal(s) of smaller signal range to output signal(s) of larger signal range, are important blocks of interface circuits. For example, in gate driver chip for driving display panel, internal control signals inside the chip have a signal range of 0 to 3 Volts, but signals outputted to gates of display panel require a signal range of −8 to 3 Volts. For conversion between two different signal ranges, a level shifter is adopted to convert an input signal range of 0 to 3 Volts to an output signal range of −8 to 3 Volts.
Please refer to FIG. 1 illustrating a conventional shifter 10. The conventional level shifter 10 includes a pair of (p-channel MOS, Metal-Oxide-Silicon) transistors TP1, TP2 and a pair of (n-channel MOS) transistors TN1 and TN2. An input signal IN is inverted to another input signal INB by an inverter INV, wherein the input signals IN and INV have a signal range between voltages VPP and VSS. The level shifter 10 operates between voltages VPP and VGL for respectively providing output signals OUT and OUTB at nodes n2 and n1 according to the input signals IN and INB, with a signal range of the output signals OUT/OUTB expanded between voltages VPP and VGL. Gates of the transistors TP1 and TP2 respectively receive the input signals IN and INB, and gates of the transistor TN1 and TN2 are respectively coupled to the nodes n2 and n1.
In the prior art, the operation of level shifter 10 can be described as follows. For example, when the input signal IN transits from the voltage VPP to the voltage VSS, the transistor TP1 starts to turn on, and then pulls the voltage of the node n1 (i.e., the output signal OUTB) up to the voltage VPP. As the voltage of the node n1 raises, the transistor TN2 starts to turn on, and then pulls the voltage of the node n2 (the output signal OUT) down to the voltage VGL.
However, when the input signal is originally maintained at the voltage VPP, the transistor TN1 is turned on. When the input signal IN transits from the voltage VPP to the voltage VSS, the turned-on transistor TP1 has to compete against the turned-on transistor TN1. The turned-on transistor TN1 tends to keep the node n1 to the lower voltage VGL, so the transistor TP1 has to conduct more current than the transistor TN1 with better conduction for pulling the voltage of the node n1 up to the voltage VPP.
Since the transistor TP1 is a p-channel transistor, it suffers from lower current driving ability (e.g., lower carrier mobility). Therefore, a larger aspect ratio (ratio of channel width to length, W/L) is required to drive enough current against the transistor TN1. This requirement leads to a disadvantage that the layout area of the transistors TP1 and TP2, as well as the total layout area of the level shifter 10, can not be reduced.
In addition, when the transistor TP1 competes against the transistor TN1 owing to transition of the input signal IN, the large current conducted by the transistor TP1 causes a larger short current of longer duration which continues to drain power from the voltage VPP during the competition, and increases power consumption of the conventional level shifter 10.
Furthermore, in the prior art, the level shifter 10 is driven by voltage. That is, the transistors TP1 to TP2 and TN1 to TN2 operate respectively according to cross voltages between their gates and sources. Thus, circuit design must be specifically customized according to voltage ranges of the input and output signals. The circuit design has to be tailored for different applications. For example, if an application requires a level shifting from an input signal range of 0 to 3 Volts to an output signal range of −3 to 3 Volts, and another application needs a level shifting from an input signal range of 0 to 3 Volts to an output signal range of −20 to 3 Volts, the level shifter designed for former application can not be adopted for the latter application in the prior. The level shifter has to be re-designed with different parameters (e.g., larger circuit dimensions) to fit the latter application.