The present disclosure relates generally to medical devices for implantation within a human or animal body for repair of damaged vessels, ducts, or other physiological pathways, and particularly, to prostheses with side branch lumens.
Endovascular methods have been proposed for treatment of diseases of the aorta such as aortic dissection and aortic aneurysm. Using prostheses, such as stent grafts, to treat aneurysms is common in the medical field. Stent grafts are deployed by accessing a vasculature with a small incision in the skin and guiding a delivery system to the target area. This endoluminal delivery is less invasive and generally preferred over more intrusive forms of surgery. Multiple stent grafts may be implanted using endoluminal delivery to provide a system of interconnected stent grafts. Interconnected stent grafts can be made of fenestrated stent grafts and smaller side branch grafts, including bifurcated components.
Such methods have been proposed particularly when the diseased portion of the aorta is adjacent the aorta bifurcation. But when the diseased portion of the aorta is located higher up in the aorta, for example, in the region of the descending aorta adjacent the thoracic arch or in the ascending aorta, endovascular techniques for treating these diseases are somewhat more difficult because of the arched or curved nature of the thoracic arch, the presence of major arteries in the region, and the proximity to the heart.
For instance, for treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms and/or dissections in particular, it is necessary to introduce the stent graft high up in the aorta and in a region of the aorta which is curved and where there can be strong blood flow. Furthermore, in the thoracic aorta there are major branch vessels extending therefrom, such as the brachiocephalic, carotid and/or subclavian arteries. During and/or after treatment of an aneurysm or dissection in the region of the thoracic arch, it is desirable for blood supply to continue to flow to these branch arteries. For this purpose, fenestrations or side branches are provided in a stent graft that is placed in that region, through which side arms or branch extensions may be deployed and extend into the brachiocephalic, carotid and/or subclavian arteries, for example.
Custom made devices, including scalloped and fenestrated devices, have been used in situations where the arch vessels are compromised and entire coverage of the aortic arch is not required. However, deployment of these devices may be difficult.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to battery frames used when stacking flat cells to form a battery, and a battery in which the frames are used.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plurality of single cells is combined in series or parallel to form a battery or a module battery with high power and capacity. For example, it is known that a plurality of flat single cells, each having an electric-power generating element covered with laminate films, is connected to each other in series or parallel to form a battery with high power and capacity (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-256939). A flat single cell in which an electric-power generating element is covered with laminate films is called a laminate cell.
Where a battery is formed using laminate cells of this kind, a plurality of laminate cells is located on the same plane, a plurality of sets of these laminate cells on the same plane is further stacked, and then these laminate cells are connected to each other in series or parallel. By stacking the laminate cells like this, a battery with higher power and capacity can be formed.
When assembling this stack-type battery, locating and stacking laminate cells one by one results in poor workability. Therefore, laminate cells are located on a plate-like frame and a plurality of frames where the cells are located is stacked, thus improving workability in assembling a stack-type battery.
Further, in order to electrically connect the cells located on neighboring frames in the stacking direction, washers made of a conductive material (conductive washers) may be incorporated in the frames at positions where electrode tabs of the laminate cells lie. To electrically insulate cells, washers made of insulating material (insulating washers) may be incorporated in the frames. When electrically connecting or insulating the laminate cells located on neighboring frames in the stacking direction, the frames, where the laminate cells are mounted, are stacked and the frames or washers are pressed from the top and bottom of the stack. This ensures that the electrode tabs and the washers come into contact with to each other, enabling the neighboring cells to be electrically connected or insulated from each other.


This invention relates to an improvement to tags, the sort of tags that are, for example, attached to hospital fluid bags, such as blood bags, saline solution bags and the like. To be able to identify any one bag and match it to a particular patient or operation, a tag has to be attached since the bag itself may not be tampered with or written upon. The tag is pre-printed with all the information required to identify the patient, operation and contents of the bag it is meant to be attached to.
Such tags are well known in the medical field and have been used for quite some time. However, there are drawbacks to the presently available tags. They are supplied either part printed for attaching to the fluid bags they are ordered for, supplied largely blank for writing on, or a self adhesive label is printed and adhered to a luggage style tag. All these forms of identification are then secured to the fluid bag by different methods such as cable tie, nylon attachment or string.


This invention relates to the transmission of pictorial image data. More particularly, it is concerned with the progressive transmission and reconstruction of coded images in which an approximate image is reconstructed based upon partial information and details are added as additional information becomes available.
The progressive transmission and reconstruction of coded images allows an approximate image based upon partially received information to be constructed to which additional details are added as additional information becomes available. This procedure has various applications in the field of image communications, such as for interactive picture retrieving, variable-rate video conferencing, and the quick display of freeze-frame image transmission. One relatively simple scheme proposed by Knowlton U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,076 issued Sept. 9, 1980, deals with spatial domain data for the progressive transmission of gray-scale pictures. This approach has the advantages of simplicity in implementation and no coding distortion in the final reconstructed image. However, due to the nature of successive picture subdivision introduced by this method, the number of accumulated bits of information increases exponentially with each interation.
Other schemes that deal with transform domain data have been described in articles by Takikawa "Fast Progressive Reconstruction of A Transformed Image," IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, vol. IT-30, pp. 111-117, January 1984 and Ngan "Image Display Techniques Using the Cosine Transform," IEEE Trans. Acoust., Speech, Signal Processing, vol. ASSP-32, No. 1, pp. 173-177, February 1984. Transform image coding is well known for its compression efficiency. Its nature renders it also suitable for efficient progressive transmission and reconstruction since low frequency transform coefficients contain most of the energy of image signals. Thus, a small subset of the transform coefficients is good enough for reconstructing a rough version of the whole image, while the remainder of the transform coefficients allow the receiver to add details to the initially reconstructed picture as they are received. In one such scheme the transform coefficients of each block of image data are considered as arranged in a square lattice and are sent and received in a zig-zag pattern in order from the large through the small variance values. This scheme is described in an article of Tescher and Cox "An Adaptive Transform Coding Algorithm," ICC Conference Records, pp. 47.20-24, 1976. Although the zig-zag technique provides better compression efficiency than other proposed transform domain schemes, it is desirable to further improve the efficiency with which image data can be transmitted, particularly during the first few iterations.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an optical measurement system for determination of an object's profile or thickness, and more particularly to such an optical measurement system using two optical heads directing individual light beams to different points on the object's surface to measure distances of these points from a reference plane by triangulation for analyzing the surface profile or the thickness of the object based upon the measured distances of the two points on the object's surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to obtain a depth or height of a step on the surface of an object or thickness of an object by optical triangulation measurement, it has been proposed to use a pair of optical heads disposed to direct individual light beams to different points on the object's surface for measuring the positions of these points. The distances of these points are processed by triangulation and are analyzed to determine the object profile. For example, when the two heads are disposed to measure the positions of the points spaced along the object's surface for measuring individual perpendicular distances to the surface from a reference plane, the difference of the measured distances gives the height or depth of a step existing between these two points. On the other hand, when the optical heads are disposed on the opposite of the object to measure like perpendicular distances of the positions of two points on the opposite surfaces of the object from a reference plane selected to be within the thickness of the object, the addition of the measured distances gives a thickness of the object at these points.
In such optical measurement systems, the optical head is normally designed to have a photo-sensor which receives the light beam reflected on a point on the object's surface and provides an output which varies in proportion to the perpendicular distance of the point from a reference plane selected to be generally parallel to the object's surface. The output from the head is processed in an associated signal processing circuit so as to determine a true distance of the point from the reference plane. In this connection, when the two heads are connected to the individual signal processing circuits, there is a potential problem that the distances measured in these separate processing circuits may include individual deviations or discrepancies due to inherent variations in the circuits, for example, deviations in the temperature characteristics of certain elements consisting the circuits. Since these discrepancies are inherent to the individual circuits, they are difficult to be compensated for in obtaining the step in the object's Surface and the thickness of the object. Thus, no reliable analysis is not expected in this system having two optical heads connected respectively to the individual processing circuits.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an insulated gate field effect semiconductor device (FET) for use in switching devices, integrated circuits (ICs), and display devices such as liquid crystal displays and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Insulated gate FETs heretofore fabricated unexceptionally comprise a semiconductor region in which a source, a channel, and a drain are established. In such insulated gate FETs, the drain is in contact with the channel and the source is in contact with the channel. However, in those types of insulated gate FETs, there have occurred problems such as the reverse current leakage from the drain to the source, and the poor drain voltage resistance.
More specifically, as is illustrated in FIG. 2, an insulated gate FET of the type above often suffers problems ascribed to the reverse current leakage. That is, the current which flows reversely from the drain to the source yields a curve indicated with (B) in the FIGURE; typically, although the gate voltage VG-drain current ID relation should result in a curve indicated with (A).
This phenomenon is ascribed to the occurrence of a punch-through current. That is, even in a gate voltage at which normally no channel forms, i.e., at a condition well below the threshold voltage Vth, an abrupt increase of the drain current occurs if the voltage applied between the source and the drain surpasses a certain value. The generation of this punch-through current is explained by the influence of the reverse bias at the drain junction which also affects the source junction. Since this punch-through current flows between the source and the drain along a path relatively deep with respect to the channel surface, it is possible to cut off the punch-through current by increasing impurity concentration along this path and thereby setting a high resistance between the source and the drain.
The low drain voltage resistance also impairs the output characteristics, as is illustrated in FIG. 3 by the curve (B) which shows the drain current ID against the drain voltage VD. At a voltage below the threshold, typically, the ID-VD curve should have a sharp rise as is shown in FIG. 3, curve (A). The low drain voltage resistance is also ascribed to the punch-through current as explained hereinbefore. If an insulated gate FET having a VD-ID curve (B) in FIG. 3 were to be fabricated, a drain current will flow continuously to result in a throw leakage state even though a voltage well below the threshold voltage were to be applied to the gate electrode. This would result in a switching device having poor reliability and insufficient performance.
As a means to overcome the problem of punch-through current attributed to the low drain voltage resistance, i.e., the poor insulation between the source and the drain, there is proposed, as is shown in FIG. 4, to provide a semiconductor layer having added therein hydrogen as an offset gate 49. Referring to FIG. 4, there is provided an insulated gate FET comprising a quartz substrate 41, a thin film of polycrystalline silicon 42, a silicon oxide film 43, a polycrystalline silicon electrode 44, a source 45, a drain 46, aluminum electrodes 47, and an offset gate 49. The offset gate prevents the electric field from concentrating in this portion. There is proposed another measure which comprises establishing, to the same area as that of the offset gate, a drain having lightly doped with an impurity which imparts one conductivity type thereto. This process, which is known as a light-dope drain (LDD) process, also relaxes concentration of the electric field in the boundary between the channel and the gate or between the channel and the source. In this process, however, the impurity having doped for imparting one conductivity type to a part of the semiconductor layer diffuses from the drain and the source that there still remains a problem to be solved.
This is because the impurity for imparting one conductivity type to the semiconductor layer is the one that is easily diffused by heat. For an insulated gate field effect transistor in which the channel length is not longer than sub-microns, this becomes a major problem. That is, there is a problem that a current flow is continuously formed between the source and the drain in the channel forming region due to diffusion of impurities from the source and the drain to the channel forming region.


Electrodeposited zinc/iron alloys of a semi-bright to lustrous appearance are desirable to provide a decorative plating appearance while simultaneously imparting excellent corrosion protection. Generally speaking, zinc/iron alloys can be deposited on a conductive substrate by means of a zinc/iron alloy electroplating bath. Such electroplating baths and the processes using them are employed to provide alloy deposits on a variety of substrates and are often used in conjunction with ferrous substrates, such as iron or steel.
The zinc/iron alloy plating baths and process of the present invention involve the use of a brightening additive which can be used in a wide variety of types of plating baths over broad pH and current density ranges to provide a semi-bright to bright zinc/iron alloy deposit. The plating baths of the present invention are commercially useful and are characterized, in part, by their flexibility and versatility in use to obtain excellent zinc/iron alloy plating results.
A further understanding of the present invention will be obtained from the following description and examples thereof. Unless otherwise indicated, in the following description and examples, all parts are percents by weight and all temperatures are in degrees Farenheit.


Conventionally used photo or picture frame, whether elegant or general, is totally unable to give photo or picture viewers any benefit of illumination to help them see it clearly at night. Such inconvenience exists particularly when a photo or picture is decoratively mounted high in the dimness of lights. To solve the problem, an illuminant photo frame is greatly needed.


The present invention relates to a brewing head of an espresso maker. The brewing head includes a pressure sealed brewing chamber, and a movable lifting piston forming a floor of the brewing chamber. The movable lifting piston has apertures therethrough. A fill opening is in communication with the brewing chamber for supplying the brewing chamber with fresh ground espresso. A water inlet is provided for feeding hot water through the apertures and into the brewing chamber. The movable lifting piston lifts a cake of used ground espresso located thereon up to an upper edge of the brewing chamber after brewing the espresso. A clearing element laterally pushes the cake off from the lifting piston after the cake is moved to the upper edge of the brewing chamber by the lifting piston, so as to clear the brewing chamber of used ground espresso.
Such an espresso maker is described by European Patent No. 0 443 054. In this known espresso maker, the water supply and the clearing blade are arranged on a carriage which is linearly displaceable above the brewing chamber. The brewing process of this device occurs at a pressure of approximately 12 bar.
A cake of leached espresso grounds is lifted by the lifting piston, and laterally transported off the lifting piston, by a semicircular-shaped clearing element disposed on the aforementioned carriage.
The inlet for the hot water is configured as a flexible hose, which represents a source of danger because of the very high pressure involved.
This known espresso maker has several drawbacks. For example, during the brewing process, the brewing chamber and the carriage must be sealed from each other. Seals are used which are located in a region of a sliding plane between the brewing chamber and carriage, and are therefore subjected to heavy wear. Further, the linear, reciprocating movement of the carriage also requires a very complicated mechanical control system and a flexible water supply (i.e., a flexible hose). Moreover, the water supply is also under a pressure of 12 bar, and therefore represents a source of danger.


The present invention relates generally to casters, and more particularly to, casters having springs to absorb shock and vibrations.
Casters have been employed to protect loads being transported by motorized or non-powered material handling equipment from damage due to rough and uneven surfaces, and obstacles that strike the caster wheels. Shock from obstacles or uneven surfaces may be greatly reduced by using spring loaded casters. The shock dampening effect of spring loaded casters reduces wear on the wheel, caster and conveyance as well. Noise may also be greatly reduced when spring loaded casters are used.
Typically, a spring loaded caster may be a swivel or rigid caster where the wheel and axle assembly is supported with two or more springs to absorb shock and vibrations caused by uneven surfaces, foreign objects and other irregularities of the wheel-engaging surface. Once the spring loaded caster encounters any interference, the springs are compressed so as to absorb the shock, which protects the load from possible damage or sliding off the conveyance.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a pivotable spring loaded caster includes a support plate adapted to be affixed to the underside of an article to be transported. A swivel bearing assembly is attached at a top side to the underside of the support plate. Two caster legs depend downwardly from the rotatable portion of the swivel bearing assembly. The caster legs are spaced apart and preferably substantially parallel with each other. Each of the caster legs includes an elongated slot for receiving an axle. A pair of spring brackets is provided that are of a generally L-shaped configuration and are disposed on an outer surface of a corresponding caster leg. The spring bracket may include a wear plate.
A spring sleeve is disposed on the underside of one leg of each of the spring brackets. Additionally, two or more spring block assemblies are provided. Each spring block assembly includes an axle-receiving segment that includes a passage for receiving an axle therethrough. On each spring block, a spring is held in place by a spring pin and is received in the corresponding spring sleeve. A wheel is provided in the space between the caster leg and an axle that holds the various parts components together is threaded through the spring block assemblies, caster legs, and the wheel.
In an alternate embodiment, the rigid spring loaded caster is provided which lacks the swivel bearing assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention. Instead, the two caster legs depend downwardly from the underside of the support plate. Preferably, in this alternate embodiment, first and second wear plates are provided on each of the spring brackets.


The present invention is a layered electrophotographic photoconductor, i.e., a photoconductor having a metal ground plane member on which a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer are coated, in that order. Although these layers are generally separate from each other, they may be combined into a single layer, which provides both charge generation and charge transport functions. Such a photoconductor may optionally include a barrier layer located between the metal ground plane member and the charge generation layer, and/or an adhesion-promoting layer located between the barrier (or ground plane member) and charge generation layer, and/or an overcoat layer on the top surface of the charge transport layer.
In electrophotography, a latent image is created on the surface of an insulating, photoconducting material by selectively exposing an area of this surface to light. A difference in electrostatic charge density is created between the areas on the surface exposed and those unexposed to the light. The latent electrostatic image is developed into a visible image by electrostatic toners containing pigment components and thermoplastic components. The toners, which may be liquids or powders, are selectively attracted to the photoconductor surface, either exposed or unexposed to light, depending upon the relative electrostatic charge on the photoconductor surface and the toner. The photoconductor may be either positively or negatively charged, and the toner system similarly may contain negatively- or positively-charged particles.
A sheet of paper or intermediate transfer medium is given an electrostatic charge opposite that of the toner and then passed close to the photoconductor's surface, pulling the toner from the photoconductor surface onto the paper or the transfer medium still in the pattern of the image developed from the photoconductor surface. A set of fuser rolls melts and fixes the toner on the paper, subsequent to direct transfer or indirect transfer when an intermediate transfer medium is used, producing the printed image.
The electrostatic printing process, therefore, comprises an on-going series of steps in which the photoconductor surface is charged and discharged as the printing takes place. It is important to keep the charge voltage on the surface of the photoconductor relatively constant as different pages are printed to make sure that the quality of the images produced is uniform (cycling stability). If the charge/discharge voltage is changed significantly each time the drum is cycled, i.e., if there is fatigue or other significant change in the photoconductor surface, the quality of the pages printed will not be uniform and will not be satisfactory.
Hydrazone derivatives, which have frequently been employed as charge transfer molecules and organic photoconductors for electrophotography, possess interesting photochemical properties which are known to connect closely with the so-called fatigue phenomenon of photoconductors. A good deal of research supports the fact that photoisomerization and photochemical reactions are responsible in large part for the fatigue phenomenon. For example, p-(diethylamino) benzaldehyde diphenyl hydrazone (DEH) undergoes a photochemically-induced unimolecular rearrangement to the indazole derivative, 1-phenyl-3-(4-(diethylamino)-1-phenyl)-1,3-indazole. The following articles give an overview of the mechanism of photo-induced fatigue in electrophotographic conductors: J. Pacansky, et al., Chem. Mater. 4:401(1992); T. Nakazawa, et al, Chem. Lett. 1992, 1125; and E. Matsuda, et al., Chem. Lett. 1992, 1129.
In order to use hydrazones as charge transport molecules for electrophotographic applications, photo-induced fatigue has to be reduced to an acceptable level. There are two major paths to minimize photo-induced chemical changes in hydrazone molecules such that photo-induced fatigue of photoconductors can be improved: (1) introducing appropriate substitution on the hydrazone molecules to increase rigidity such that photo-induced cyclization or isomerization can be hindered; and (2) formulating with additives, e.g., a light absorber, in the charge transport layer to filter away the harmful wavelength light (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,798, Anderson, et al.). The former approach will inevitably increase the cost to produce the molecules as compared with the corresponding unsubstituted hydrazones. Therefore, the approach of current choice is the use of additives, such as Acetosol Yellow, to serve as a light filter. Although this approach is effective in reducing room light fatigue of the photoconductor to a certain degree, it also negatively effects the electrical properties of the photoreceptor by increasing discharge voltage and dark decay.
Azines, which are the product of condensing the remaining NH.sub.2 of a hydrazone with a carbonyl compound, have been disclosed for use in electrophotographic applications, both as transport molecules and as dopants in charge transport layers. Several series of hydrazones and azines are disclosed as charge transport materials in DE3716982, JP62006262 and JP61209456. In addition, some azines have been taught to be used in combination with hydrazones in electrophotographic conductors (see, for example, JP61043752, JP61043753, and JP61043754). It is important to note that these azines are not the fluorenyl-azine derivatives used in the present invention.
Fluorenyl-azines are known in the art. For example, 9-[p-(diethylamino) benzylidenehydrazono)] fluorene has been disclosed in JP57138644 and JP59195659 as a charge transport agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,640, Goto, et al, issued Nov. 15, 1983, discloses flourenyl-azines of the type utilized in the present development. The materials are disclosed as charge transport materials, not as adjunct materials used together with another charge transport molecule (see, for example, column 6, lines 52-54; column 7, lines 30-32; and column 8, lines 62-68). The use of these fluorenyl-azines as charge transport materials is taught to minimize photoconductor fatigue.
It has now unexpectedly been found that addition to a DEH-containing charge-transport layer of a flourenyl-azine material provides elimination of room light fatigue and cycling fatigue in the resulting photoconductor. For example, a photoconductor containing a DEH-charge transport layer doped with 2-5% azine, exhibits no fatigue after four hours of fluorescent light exposure, while the same photoconductor containing the standard Acetosol Yellow filtering agent exhibits negative fatigue. Increasing the Acetosol Yellow concentration in the charge transport layer, results in negative affects on the sensitivity of the photoconductor and dark decay, while no such effects are observed with the azine material.


1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to materials handling. In particular, this application relates to a system, method, and apparatus for tracking items in transit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, when items are in transit between an origin and a destination location, external marking is generally placed on the items to provide information about the item. The information provided about the item by the external marking may be related to the contents or other attributes of the item (e.g., routing, type of handling necessary, etc.). These external markings and other documents are often enclosed in shipping envelopes that are affixed to the item. These shipping envelopes are typically applied by hand, and require a one-time labor effort performed the first time the item is handled during transit.
Recently, in order to improve the ability to track the location of items, newer tracking technologies have been developed. One of these technologies is radio frequency identification (RFID). RFID technology uses radio waves to obtain information regarding objects involved in the transit process. Electronic tags that carry unique identification and descriptive information are embedded in objects. These tags emit low-power radio frequency signals to RFID readers. RFID readers read RFID tags to obtain the information programmed within the tag's microchip. Readers emit electromagnetic waves from their antennas. Like shipping envelopes, RFID tags are typically affixed to units at the time of shipping, requiring another separate labor effort performed when the item begins its journey.
Thus, items having both shipping envelopes and RFID tags typically require an adhesive for both the shipping envelope and the RFID tag, and they further require two separate labor efforts to affix them both to the item. This duplication of effort and materials results in increased labor and materials costs. Thus, it would be useful to provide a materials handling solution that allows for the affixation of both RFID tags and shipping envelopes without an increase in materials cost or labor.


The present invention generally relates to fuel-fired water heaters and, in representatively illustrated embodiments thereof provides a specially designed high efficiency downfired gas water heater.
Fuel-fired storage type water heaters are commonly used in both commercial and residential applications to provide on-demand hot water to various types of hot water-utilizing plumbing fixtures such as sinks, showers, dishwashers and the like. In one conventional construction thereof, this type of water heater has a tank for holding pressurized water to be heated, a combustion chamber with a fuel burner therein for generating hot combustion products, and a flue extending through the tank interior. During firing of the water heater, hot combustion gases generated by the burner flow through the flue, with heat from the combustion gases being transferred from within the flue to stored tank water through which the flue extends.
With increasing demands for both higher energy efficiency and lowered water heater production costs, it has become necessary to design fuel-fired water heaters which are both simpler in structure and capable of transferring a greater percentage of burner-generated combustion heat to the stored tank water. It is to these design goals that the present invention is primarily directed.


1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to high voltage power distribution systems and more particularly to apparatus and methods for monitoring for a fault condition in such systems
2. Description of Related Art
Power distribution transformers in a high voltage power distribution system are susceptible to internal and external faults. Internal faults may occur due to gradual degradation and/or sudden breakdown of insulating properties of internal structures of the transformer resulting from thermal, electrical and mechanical stresses. The loss of insulating properties of internal structures can lead to a short circuit within the transformer, creating an internal arcing fault. Such fault may occur in a winding of the transformer, for example. A short circuit of this type usually causes burning of the winding, ultimately resulting in an open circuit in the primary winding, whether the fault was initiated in the primary or secondary winding. When such a fault occurs, a fuse, normally installed in series between the high voltage line and the transformer, blows, interrupting current flow to the transformer. Attempts to re-energize the transformer by replacing the fuse can result in further arcing within the transformer and this can rapidly increase the pressure inside the transformer to the point of explosion where burning oil and shards of th transformer casing may be rapidly expelled at the risk of injuring persons and property nearby.
External faults may occur due to insulation failures in a secondary circuit connected to the secondary winding of the transformer. External faults are normally detectable by inspection of the secondary circuit. Re-energizing a transformer having a fault in the secondary circuit do s not normally cause an increase in pressure inside the transformer sufficient to create an explosive threat. Internal faults are thus normally more dangerous than external faults.
Various mechanical devices have been devised to detect internal faults, most of which rely on pressure build-up caused by arcing to activate a mechanism. Such devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,078,078, 5,623,891, and 6,429,662, for example. Each of these devices employs an efficient but relatively elaborate mechanism to operate a signal device in response to a pressure surge in a transformer caused by an internal fault.


Syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene (SPBD) is a thermoplastic resin which can be utilized in making films, fibers and molded articles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,473 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,970 disclose the use of SPBD in making bags and packaging. It can also be blended into elastomers, such as polydiene rubbers. Because SPBD contains double bonds which are attached in an alternating fashion to its backbone, it can be cocured with the rubbers in such blends. In fact, SPBD/rubber blends provide a unique combination of properties which make them useful in various tire compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,365 discloses that incorporation of SPBD into rubber compositions which are utilized in the supporting carcass or innerliner of tires greatly improves the green strength of those compositions. Electron beam precure (microwave precure) is a technique which has gained wide commercial acceptance as a means of improving the green strength of synthetic elastomers which are used in building tires. However, electron beam precure techniques are costly. The incorporation of SPBD into blends of such synthetic elastomers can often improve green strength to the degree that electron beam precure is not required. The incorporation of SPBD into halogenated butyl rubbers which are utilized as the innerliner compositions for tires also greatly improves the scorch safety of such compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,462 disclosed that pneumatic tires having improved resistance against heat build-up can be prepared by utilizing SPBD fibers in their tread base rubber.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,365, the SPBD utilized in making the supporting carcass for tires has a melting point which is within the range of 120.degree. C. to 190.degree. C. and that it is preferred for the SPBD utilized in making the supporting carcass to have a melting point which is within the range of 150.degree. C. to 165.degree. C. The SPBD utilized in making tire innerliners has a melting point which is within the range of 120.degree. C. to 160.degree. C. and preferably has a melting point which is within the range of 125.degree. C. to 150.degree. C. The melting points referred to herein are minimum endotherm values determined from DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) curves.
Techniques for preparing SPBD by polymerizing 1,3-butadiene monomer are well known in the art. These techniques include solution polymerization, suspension polymerization and emulsion polymerization. The SPBD made utilizing these techniques typically have a melting point within the range of about 195.degree. C. to about 215.degree. C. It is accordingly necessary to reduce the melting point of the SPBD to render it suitable for utilization in some applications.
A process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,424 for the preparation of syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene which comprises polymerizing 1,3-butadiene in an organic solvent in the presence of a catalyst composition composed of:
(a) a cobalt compound,
(b) an organoaluminum compound of the formula AlR.sub.3, in which R is a hydrocarbon radical of 1-6 carbons, and
(c) carbon disulfide.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,868 reveals a process for producing a butadiene polymer consisting essentially of syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene by the successive steps of:
(a) preparing a catalyst component solution by dissolving, in an inert organic solvent containing 1,3-butadiene, a cobalt compound, soluble in the organic solvent, such as (i) cobalt-.beta.-diketone complex, (ii) cobalt-.beta.-keto acid ester complex, (iii) cobalt salt of organic carboxylic acid, and (iv) halogenated cobalt-ligand compound complex, and an organoaluminum compound,
(b) preparing a catalyst composition by mixing the catalyst component solution (prepared in step a) with an alcohol, ketone or aldehyde compound and carbon disulfide,
(c) providing a polymerization mixture containing desired amounts of 1,3-butadiene, the catalyst composition and an inert organic solvent, and
(d) polymerizing 1,3-butadiene at a temperature which is within the range of -20.degree. C. to 90.degree. C.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,868 indicates that the melting point of the SPBD produced varies in response to the proportion of alcohol, ketone or aldehyde in the polymerization mixture. U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,767 shows that amide compounds, such as N,N-dimethylformamide, can be used in solution polymerizations to reduce the melting point of SPBD being synthesized.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,085 discloses a process for producing syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene by suspension polymerization in an aqueous medium. In this aqueous polymerization process polybutadiene which has an essentially syndiotactic 1,2-microstructure is made by the steps of:
(A) preparing a catalyst component solution by dissolving, in an inert organic solvent containing 1,3-butadiene (a) at least one cobalt compound selected from the group consisting of (i) .beta.-diketone complexes of cobalt, (ii) .beta.-keto acid ester complexes of cobalt, (iii) cobalt salts of organic carboxylic acids having 6 to 15 carbon atoms, and (iv) complexes of halogenated cobalt compounds of the formula CoX.sub.n, wherein X represents a halogen atom and n represents 2 or 3, with an organic compound selected from the group consisting of tertiary amine alcohols, tertiary phosphines, ketones and N,N-dialkylamides, and (b) at least one organoaluminum compound of the formula AlR.sub.3, wherein R represents a hydrocarbon radical of 1 to 6 carbon atoms;
(B) preparing a reaction mixture by mixing said catalyst component solution with a 1,3-butadiene/water mixture containing desired amounts of said 1,3-butadiene;
(C) preparing a polymerization mixture by mixing carbon disulfide throughout said reaction mixture, and
(D) polymerizing said 1,3-butadiene in said polymerization mixture into polybutadiene while agitating said polymerization mixture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,275 discloses a process for the preparation of SPBD by the solution polymerization of 1,3-butadiene in a hydrocarbon polymerization medium, such as benzene, toluene, cyclohexane, or n-hexane. The catalyst system used in this solution polymerization contains a chromium-III compound which is soluble in hydrocarbons, a trialkylaluminum compound, and a dialkylphosphite, such as di-neopentylphosphite or di-butylphosphite.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,741 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,381 discloses a process for preparing a syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene latex by emulsion polymerization which comprises polymerizing 1,3-butadiene monomer in an aqueous reaction mixture which is comprised of (1) water, (2) at least one emulsifier, (3) 1,3-butadiene monomer, (4) a catalyst emulsion composition which is prepared by dissolving in an inert organic solvent containing at least one polyene (a) at least one cobalt compound selected from the group consisting of (i) .beta.-ketone complexes of cobalt, (ii) .beta.-keto acid ester complexes of cobalt, (iii) cobalt salts of organic carboxylic acids having 6 to 15 carbon atoms, and (iv) complexes of halogenated cobalt compounds of the formula CoX.sub.n, wherein X represents a halogen atom and n represents 2 or 3, with an organic compound selected from the group consisting of tertiary amine alcohols, tertiary phosphines, ketones and N,N-dialkylamides, and (b) at least one organoaluminum compound of the formula AlR.sub.3 wherein R represents a hydrocarbon radical of 1 to 6 carbon atoms to produce a catalyst component solution, and microfluidizing the catalyst component solution with an oil, a surfactant, and water to an average particle size which is within the range of about 10 nanometers to about 1000 nanometers; and (5) at least one member selected from the group consisting of carbon disulfide and phenyl isothiocyanate.
The synthesis of SPBD in an aqueous medium offers several important advantages over solution polymerizations. Water, as a medium in which to carry out such a polymerization, is less expensive, more easily purified, less sensitive to oxygen, and has a higher heat capacity. Conducting such polymerizations in an aqueous medium also permits for higher monomer and higher solids concentrations because of the lower viscosity of a polymer suspension or emulsion compared with that of a polymer solution. The main drawback associated with aqueous suspension and emulsion polymerizations for producing SPBD is the difficulty associated with reducing the melting point of the SPBD. In other words, it is difficult to control the chemical structure and hence the crystallinity and melting point of SPBD which is synthesized in an aqueous medium. Even though numerous modifiers can be used to reduce the level of crystallinity and resulting melting point of SPBD which is synthesized in solution, there are few efficient modifiers for reducing the crystallinity of SPBD which is synthesized in an aqueous medium.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,896 discloses the use of 4-(alkylamino)benzaldehydes, 4-(dialkylamino)benzaldehydes, 2,4-di-(alkoxy)benzaldehydes, 2,6-di-(alkoxy)benzaldehydes, 2,4,6-tri-(alkoxy)benzaldehydes, and 4-(1-azacycloalkyl)benzaldehydes, and 4-(1-azacycloalkyl)benzaldehydes as modifiers for reducing the melting point of SPBD which is synthesized in an aqueous medium. Nevertheless, there is still a need for more highly efficient modifiers which can be used on a commercial basis.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a monitoring apparatus configured to monitor an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus monitored by the monitoring apparatus, and a monitoring system including the image forming apparatus and the monitoring apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known system for monitoring success or failure of change of a network setting and recovering the original setting in case of failure is available.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-251337 discloses a system in which a device instructed by a server to change its network setting recovers the network setting values before the change in the case where no instruction is given from the server within a predetermined period of time after the change of the network setting.
The technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-251337 is suitable for the case where the server is controlling the change of the network setting. However, the technique is not suitable for the case where a key role in changing the network setting is played not by the server, but by a customer at which an image forming apparatus is placed.
In a system where an image forming apparatus at a customer's site is remotely monitored, various services are provided on the basis of counter information and error information communicated from the image forming apparatus to a remote monitoring server via the Internet. Because a network setting of the image forming apparatus can be implemented easily by the customer on an operation screen of the image forming apparatus, a network breakdown easily occurs due to an incorrect or mistaken change of the setting. In the remote monitoring system, a user of the image forming apparatus does not generally pay attention to the fact that the remote monitoring server and the image forming apparatus are performing network communication with each other. Thus, such an incorrect change of the setting may be left for a while without being corrected. In contrast, since the remote monitoring server detects the occurrence of a network breakdown or the like on the basis of the presence of once-per-day regular communication from the image forming apparatus, there may be a maximum delay of one day from the occurrence to the detection of such a communication breakdown. The remote monitoring system must detect a network breakdown as soon as possible, specify the cause of the network breakdown, and prompts an appropriate person in charge of maintenance of the image forming apparatus to take appropriate measures to correct the network breakdown because of the characteristics of such services as error monitoring and toner inventory management at the image forming apparatus.
As in the related art, in case of network breakdown, it is not suitable for the image forming apparatus to recover the original setting or to display an error on a screen of the image forming apparatus because of the following reasons.
Since a change of the network setting of the image forming apparatus is implemented by a system administrator in change of customer information, changing the setting for the sake of the remote monitoring server can be regarded as ultra vires.
Further, in the case where an error is displayed when the image forming apparatus' print operation including a copy operation except for communication with the remote monitoring server is normal, the user may be misled into believing that the image forming apparatus is broken although the operation used by the user is normal. An exemplary network setting that does not influence the use of the image forming apparatus and that hinders communication between the image forming apparatus and the remote monitoring server is a proxy server. A proxy server is used to establish connection from an intranet environment to an Internet environment.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ground transportation management, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for advanced ground transportation management.
2. Background of the Invention
Many state and local agencies use Geographical Information System (GIS) databases to manage, plan, and record geographical information in their jurisdictions. For example, the placement of roads, sewers, and other municipal information that are used for planning and management purposes are kept in GIS databases. However, these GIS databases are used only to map these geographical data points for realty purposes, e.g., to know where a public road ends and a private road begins, to know where a sewer line is for purposes of repair, etc. Each municipality typically updates these databases as repairs are undertaken and completed.
Municipalities also operate safety departments such as police, fire, and paramedic services. These departments are not provided access to the GIS databases for the associated municipality, and, as such, are unaware of any changes in the database that may affect their operations or assist in managing the operations they control. For example, paramedics may be unaware that a given street is closed for repairs, and be delayed in responding to a call because the paramedics en route to an accident scene tried to use the street that is closed.
Further, current routing systems perform routings based upon static speed data. They do not take into account the dynamically changing traffic situation. At best they merely report a status, and are not integrated with a GIS system for use in planning purposes. Many mapping databases report that there is an accident on a given freeway, but do not determine any time of travel on the road, segment, or interval containing the accident. Further, these routing systems are generically determined based on only one data input, namely, a road closure. These systems do not take into account other factors such as equipment status or time of travel between two given points on the roads, segments, alleys, etc. that connect these two points. These systems also do not retain data for analysis after events have occurred to root out systemic problems or determine corrective actions.
The large GIS databases, even if combined with other services and data, do not have the capability to provide information to commercial and consumer markets for use in managing fleet and personal travel itineraries. Such access would provide lower fuel costs and shorter travel times, as well as better management of fleet resources.
Even if the GIS databases were combined with existing services, the number of sensors and other data sources used to augment the GIS databases do not provide proper coverage to accurately predict or determine the optimal route between two points. Even in large metropolitan areas, the percentage of roads monitored by sensors is a small fraction of the number of roads that are in service, and, as such, the data available cannot provide an accurate model of real-time traffic conditions.
Emergency management operations, typically deployed during times of evacuation, do not utilize GIS databases. Some typical reasons for evacuation, including hurricanes threatening an area, wildfires, biological, nuclear, or chemical attacks, have fixed evacuation routes, and use the same evacuation routes for all different types of emergencies. Emergency operations centers typically do not have access to the tools necessary to dynamically identify the optimal routes for evacuation. As such, there are typically signs marking predetermined roadways as “evacuation routes” rather than dynamic determinations of what route may be best at any given time or for any given emergency. More complex incidents, such as wildfires and terrorist attacks, are more dynamic in nature, and the optimal evacuation plan cannot be predicted due to uncertainties in how the emergency will unfold prior to the actual event.
From the foregoing, it can be seen, then, that there is a need in the art for interconnectivity between the GIS databases and other sources of data. It can also be seen, then, that there is a need in the art to provide access to the combined GIS database for management and operations beyond the municipal schema for use by emergency personnel to determine evacuation routes. It can also be seen that there is a need in the art for a method of dynamically determining evacuation routes based on the imminent or ongoing emergency.


There is significant evidence in the medical literature that repositioning the papillary muscles within the ventricles of the heart during atrioventrical valve repair surgery improves outcomes. The displacement of the papillary muscles, due to ischemia, heart failure, or other causes of ventricular reshaping, results in tethering of the valve leaflets which interferes with their normal functioning. Repairs that focus only on the valve annulus often result in recurrence of regurgitation due to leaflet tethering.
Numerous methods of papillary muscle repositioning are described in the medical and patent literature. However, these methods of papillary muscle repositioning are typically performed during an open heart surgery. Therefore, there is a need for a less invasive device and method of performing papillary muscle repositioning. In particular, there is a need for a device and method of performing papillary muscle repositioning via a catheter. Moreover, although the literature suggests papillary muscle repositioning, suggested devices and methods have had little commercial success. There is therefore a need for improved devices and methods, regardless of whether delivered via a catheter or in some other way.


The spine includes lumbar vertebra, thoracic vertebrae and cervical vertebrae, protects the spinal cord and nerve root, supports the body and relieves the external impact. The spine of the human body has a structure formed by stacking multiple vertebrae. The intervertebral disc is located between the vertebrae and evenly distributes the load and impact to the entire spine.
However, recently, spinal diseases continue to increase due to the lack of exercise and incorrect postures. The treatment of diseases related to the spine generally includes an indirect treatment using physical therapy and a direct treatment for correcting and fixing the spine by attaching a separate fixing device to the injured vertebrae.
There are various causes of spine injury. Among the causes, the bio-mechanic cause is known as the most likely cause. Therefore, for the purpose of the physical chiropractic of the injured spine, a spinal fixing device such as a pedicle screw is generally operated.
A general spinal fixing operation using the pedicle screw, that is, the above-mentioned direct treatment, is performed by inserting (at least two) pedicle screws into the vertebrae respectively and then by fixing and coupling the housing coupled with the each pedicle screw to the spine rod disposed approximately parallel with the longitudinal direction of the spine.
Meanwhile, the pedicle screw is divided into a mono type where the screw and the housing are integrally formed with each other and a polyaxial type where the screw and the housing are separately made such that a predetermined rotation is allowed between the screw and the housing, and then are coupled to each other.
The shape of the vertebra (into which the pedicle screw is inserted) is not constant according to patients and operation position. Therefore, at the time of the operation, the polyaxial type pedicle screw is widely used in order that a doctor is allowed to insert the pedicle screw more easily to a part into which the mono type pedicle screw cannot be inserted.


1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to medical retrieval devices for removing objects from a body, particularly calculi from the urinary and biliary systems.
2. Description of Prior Art
Medical instruments are currently in use which reduce the invasiveness and potential trauma previously associated with various medical procedures. One such procedure is the removal of objects, such as kidney stones and gallstones, from the body. Various surgical devices are available which allow objects to be removed from the body without requiring major surgery. One type of surgical device is a mechanical retrieval device. Typically, such instruments consist of 2 or more flexible elements that are joined at their proximal ends and may or may not be joined at their distal ends. The flexible elements are formed in the shape of a basket, cage, grasper, or other entrapping configuration. This basket is attached to a drive wire that passes through the lumen of a small diameter (typically 2.3 mm (7.0 Fr) or less) flexible sheath, which is usually greater than 50 cm in length. The proximal ends of the sheath and drive wire are attached to a multi-part handle, normally constructed of thermoplastic materials, which can typically be operated by the user with a single hand. By manipulating the handle, the drive wire can be pulled back relative to the sheath, collapsing the basket as it retracts into the sheath. In this closed position, the sheath can be passed through the working channel of an endoscope to the proximity of the object to be removed within the patient's body. The basket is expanded to the open position by manipulating the handle, which remains outside the endoscope and the patient's body. The device is then manipulated using the handle until the object becomes enclosed within the basket. This manipulation may include advancing, withdrawing and/or rotating the basket in order to get the object to pass between the flexible elements that comprise the basket. When the object has been successfully engaged within the basket, the endoscope and the retrieval device containing the object are then simultaneously removed from the body.
A number of designs for the handle of medical retrieval devices are in use. Typically, these handles consist of two main elements, a handle base and an actuation mechanism. The sheath is attached to one of these elements, and the drive wire is attached to the other. By moving the actuation mechanism relative to the handle base, the basket can be retracted into the sheath and extended from it. The handle design that appears to be preferred, based on actual current use and sales volumes, is of a thumb slide design. This design features a main handle base that remains stationary and a thumb slide actuator that slides along a portion of the handle body and has a thumb pad. This handle is held in one hand by wrapping the four fingers of the hand partially around the handle base. The thumb of the same hand is placed on the thumb pad. The device is actuated in one direction by moving the thumb pad away from the proximal end of the handle base, and in the other direction by moving the thumb pad toward the proximal end of the handle base. This type of handle can normally be held in such a way that the range of motion of the thumb required to fully actuate the device is located in a natural and comfortable area near the thumb's resting position. Since considerable skill and dexterity can be required of the user in order to retrieve an object, user comfort is of primary importance.
There are many variations of the thumb slide handle in use. However, these and other prior art handle designs do not have a mechanism for rotating the basket to facilitate capturing the object. Rotation can only be accomplished by rotating the entire handle. This method has a number of disadvantages. By rotating the entire handle, the user must accordingly rotate their hand. Since the hand would initially be placed in a natural position, the position of the hand after rotation would not necessarily be comfortable for further manipulation of the handle. Again, user comfort is significant due to the considerable skill and dexterity needed to successfully complete a stone retrieval procedure. Additionally, since the entire handle must be rotated in order to rotate the basket, the sheath must rotate as well as the drive wire. This is a disadvantage because the friction between the sheath and the endoscope's working channel can prevent a smooth 1:1 torque ratio between the handle and the basket. This is particularly relevant when the endoscope is flexible and is in an articulated position. Lack of precise rotational control can increase the difficulty of engaging the object in the basket, thereby lengthening the procedure.
Certain handle designs have been used which allow rotation of the basket without rotating the entire handle and thus the sheath as well. U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,150 (1977) to Schwartz et al. discloses a retrieval basket with such a handle. This handle has a first member that is attached to the sheath. A second member, which is attached to the drive wire, is located at the proximal end of the first member. The device is actuated by sliding the second member into and out of the first member, which is held stationary. The basket is rotated relative to the sheath by rotating the second member relative to the first member. However, this handle is not of the preferred thumb slide style, and requires the use of two hands to actuate. Also, the actuational and rotational controls are not independent of each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,932 (1999) to Bates et al. discloses a retrieval basket with yet another type of handle. This handle is of a pistol grip style, with a control knob located at the proximal end of the handle. The sheath is attached to the main body of the handle, and the drive wire is attached to the control knob. The device is actuated by pulling the control knob out from the main body of the handle and pushing it in. The control knob can also be rotated to rotate the basket. When the trigger portion of the handle is squeezed, mechanical advantage is applied to the actuation of the device. This design has several disadvantages. It requires two hands for normal actuation. And since the control knob is used for both actuation and rotation of the basket, the actuation and rotation are not independent of each other. It also uses a larger number of parts than other handle designs and is therefore is more complex and more expensive to manufacture. The above patents to Schwartz and Bates are incorporated herein by reference.
Another type of prior art handle, which is not referenced in any patents, is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. A handle assembly 190 consists of a stationary portion or handle base 110 and a thumb slide 130 with a thumb pad 131. Handle base 110 has a distal end 181, a proximal end 182, and a length 180. Thumb slide 130 fits partially within handle base 110 and extends out from distal end 181, with thumb pad 131 remaining beyond distal end 181. A hollow tube or sheath 150 has a working length 186 and is attached to thumb slide 130. A drive wire (not shown) passes through the lumen of sheath 150 attaches at the proximal end to handle base 110 and at the distal end to a basket 160. To operate this device, handle base 110 is held in one hand with the four fingers of the hand. The thumb of the same hand is placed on thumb pad 131. When the thumb is extended away from the hand, thumb slide 130 slides out from distal end 181 of handle base 110. This results in the device being in the closed position, as shown in FIG. 7. When the thumb is pulled back toward the hand, thumb pad 131 slides toward distal end 181 of handle base 110. This results in sheath 150 being pulled back to expose basket 160. When thumb pad 131 is pulled back completely to handle base 110, the device is in the open position, as shown in FIG. 8. To rotate basket 160, handle base 110 is rotated relative to thumb slide 130. This design has the disadvantage that the actuation mechanism and the rotation mechanism are not independent. Both actuation and rotation are achieved by movement of the thumb slide and the handle base relative to each other. This design also has the disadvantage that the thumb pad is located beyond the distal end of the stationary handle base. This is a disadvantage because manipulation of the thumb slide is done with the user's thumb extended away from the hand in a somewhat awkward position, which results in less than ideal tactile control over the actuation of the device.
The prior art handle designs that do allow rotation of the basket without rotating the entire handle have the disadvantage that the rotation mechanism and actuation mechanism are not independent. As a result, while the basket is being rotated, it may be inadvertently and undesirably expanded or retracted, or while it is being expanded or retracted, it may be inadvertently and undesirably rotated. The retrieval of an object from within a patient's body using an endoscope and a retrieval device is a precise and delicate procedure that requires considerable user skill and dexterity. Since the user's control of the basket is limited by the handle of the device, it is desirable that the handle allows precise and independent control of both the actuation and rotation of the basket, and is comfortable to use.


Virtual machine high availability (referred to herein simply as “high availability,” or HA) and hypervisor-converged object-based (HC/OB) storage are two emerging technologies in the field of computer virtualization. HA is designed to minimize virtual machine (VM) downtime by monitoring the availability of host systems and VMs in a host cluster. If an outage, such as a host or network failure, causes one or more VMs to stop executing, HA detects the outage and automatically restarts the affected VMs on active host systems in the cluster. In this way, HA ensures that guest applications running within the VMs continue to remain operational throughout the outage. One exemplary HA implementation is described in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0278801, published Nov. 1, 2012, entitled “Maintaining High Availability of a Group of Virtual Machines Using Heartbeat Messages.”
HC/OB storage is a distributed, software-based storage technology that leverages the local or direct attached storage resources (e.g., solid state disks, spinning hard disks, etc.) of host systems in a host cluster by aggregating these locally-attached resources into a single, logical storage pool. Thus, this technology effectively re-purposes the host cluster to also act as a distributed storage cluster. A hypervisor-based storage system layer (referred to herein generically as a “VSAN layer” comprising “VSAN modules”) manages the logical storage pool and enables interactions between the logical storage pool and storage clients, such as VMs running on host systems in the cluster. For example, the VSAN layer allows the VMs to access the logical storage pool during VM runtime in order to store and retrieve persistent VM data (e.g., virtual disk data).
The qualifier “object-based” in “hypervisor-converged object-based storage” refers to the manner in which VMs are maintained within HC/OB storage—in particular, the state of each VM is organized as a hierarchical collection of distinct storage objects (or simply “objects”). For example, the files that hold the metadata/configuration of a VM may reside in a file system that is created within a namespace object (also known as a “file system object”), the virtual disks of the VM may reside in virtual disk objects, and so on. Each of these storage objects may be composed of multiple component objects. The VSAN layer provisions, manages, and monitors each of these storage objects individually. For instance, in order to meet a particular storage policy for a particular virtual disk VMDK1, the VSAN layer may determine that the component storage objects that make up the virtual disk object corresponding to VMDK1 should be striped across the locally-attached storage of three different host systems. Through these and other mechanisms, HC/OB storage can provide improved ease of management, scalability, and resource utilization over traditional storage solutions. One exemplary implementation of an HC/OB storage system is described in commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/010,293, filed Aug. 26, 2013, entitled “Scalable Distributed Storage Architecture.”
Unlike non-object-based storage systems, the state of a VM is not contained within a larger, coarse storage container (e.g., a LUN). Having such storage containers provide a couple of benefits. First, a coarse storage container provides a convenient location to store information common to all VMs that use the container. For example, it is possible to create a file system on top of a LUN, create a directory within the file system for each VM whose state is stored on the underlying storage device(s), and then create a directory at the root to store shared information. Second, for a given class of failures, one can reason about the availability/accessibility of all of the VM data stored within a storage container by reasoning about the availability/accessibility of the container itself. For instance, one can determine whether a network failure impacts the accessibility of the VM data by determining if the container is accessible. As a result, there is no need to track the accessibility of each individual VM stored in a single storage container—instead, it is sufficient to track the accessibility of the container itself.
The lack of coarse storage containers raises unique challenges when attempting to use HC/OB storage and HA concurrently in the same virtualized compute environment. As one example, existing HA implementations typically maintain information known as “HA protection state” that identifies the VMs in a host cluster that should be failed-over/restarted in the event of a failure. The “master” HA module in the cluster (i.e., the HA module that is responsible for detecting failures and orchestrating VM failovers/restarts) manages this HA protection state by persisting it to a centralized file (or set of files) on the storage tier. If there is an outage that affects a subset of host systems in the cluster, one or more new master HA modules may be elected. Each newly elected master HA module may then retrieve the file from the storage tier to determine which VMs are HA protected. This approach works well if the storage tier is implemented using dedicated shared storage, since the HA protection file can be placed in the storage container storing the configurations for the protected VMs. On the other hand, if the storage tier is implemented using HC/OB storage, there is no convenient location to store such information that is shared across VMs.
As another example, in existing HA implementations, when a master HA module detects a failure that requires one or more VMs to be failed-over/restarted, the master HA module executes a conventional failover workflow that involves (1) identifying active host systems for placing the VMs that can meet the VMs' resource needs, and (2) initiating VM restarts on the identified host systems. If the VMs are stored on dedicated shared storage, these two steps are generally sufficient for successfully completing the failover. However, if the VMs are stored on HC/OB storage, there may be cases where a VM cannot be restarted because one or more of its storage objects are not yet accessible to the host system executing on the master HA module (and/or to the host system on which the restart is being attempted). This situation cannot be uncovered using conventional coarse-grained storage accessibility checks. This, in turn, can cause the conventional failover workflow to break down, or result in multiple continuous restart attempts, which can increase the load on the affected host systems.
As yet another example, there are certain types of network partitions that can further complicate the HA protection state persistence and VM failover/restart workflows noted above. As one example, if there is a failure that causes the VSAN modules to observe a partition while the HA modules do not, there may be instances where the host system on which the master HA module is running does not have access/visibility to a particular VM (and thus cannot update/retrieve HA protection state information for the VM, or determine its accessibility for failover purposes), while the host systems of other, slave HA modules do have such access/visibility.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have techniques for integrating HA with distributed object-based storage systems like HC/OB storage that overcome these, and other similar, issues.


According to some technical analysts, there will be over 50 billion connected “things” by the year 2020. This will completely transform current infrastructures and will drive new innovations in industry, products, and services. Internet-of-Things (IoT) is term that represents devices and systems that communicate over a network, such as the internet. The devices and systems may include sensors.
Exposure to certain gasses is detrimental to human health. Depending on the level and duration of exposure, significant health effects may be incurred, up to and including death. Exposure to these gasses occurs when individuals are in proximity to sources of the gas. Sensors are used to measure gas concentrations.


Fibrous batts, mats or boards are used to thermally insulate various surfaces, such as the inside or outside of pipes and ducts, as well as refrigerators, air conditioners, furnaces, automobile hoods and the like. Heating, cooling or ventilating systems usually use air ducts, through which flows air as the heating and cooling medium. These ducts are constructed in various shapes, for example as round tubes or having a rectangular shape. They are usually made of sheet metals, such as galvanized steel, or plastics, or fiberglass reinforced plastics, or cellulosic materials such as wood or fiberboard, and the like. The construction and method of making these ducts and conduits is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,092,529; 3,212,529; and 3,394,737. The inside of these ducts is usually black so as not to see the duct through the vents. The innner surface of these ducts should be smooth, to allow the air to flow with as little friction as possible, to save energy in transporting the air. This is usually achieved by first coating the fiberglass insulation which is then installed in the air ducts. The coating of the fiberglass insulation normally does not interfere with the excellent noise dampening qualities of the fiberglass insulation. The duct noise is often generated by the fan and by the flowing air, or, in the case of refrigerators, automobiles, furnaces and the like, by the engines and motors. Generally, the fiberglass mats, or batts are coated with an aqueous coating composition, often after the surface of the fiberglass mat has first been covered with a woven or nonwoven fabric.
Conventionally, the coatings are applied by spraying the coating composition onto the surface of the fiberglass batting. The coating is then dried in heated ovens, or by radiant heat. These procedures are generally carried out continuously. The finished fiberglass batting is then pulled up and often compressed by applying vacuum before shipping in order to save on shipping costs.
One such coating composition is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,894. The coating composition of U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,894 consists of a halogenated organophosphorous plasticizer, a latex binder and a mineral filler. However, a serious disadvantage of such a coating composition is the relative volatility of the plasticizer, especially in air ducts where large volumes of heated air pass over the coating, which makes the coating environmentally undesirable because the vapors emanating from the plasticizers are quite toxic.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a coating having good mechanical properties, low volatility of the ingredients, fire retardation, as well as low black smoke generation. Furthermore, it is an object of this invention to apply the coating more efficiently to the fiberglass insulation by whipping air into the coating composition and applying the coating as a heat collapsible foam by roller or knife coating.


The present disclosure is generally related to methods of forming metal oxide nanostructures and nanostructures thereof, in particular, titania nanostructures.
Titania is a well-know material with a broad range of applications including photonic crystals, photocatalysts, and photovoltaic cells. While several methods are known for nanostructuring titania, including thermal imprinting, many challenges remain mainly due to the properties of commonly-used sol-gel type titania precursors. The sol-gel type titania precursors are formed at low pH (approximately 1), are generally highly reactive and moisture sensitive, and form gels. They are often diluted in organic solvents during the sol-gel reaction to mitigate gelation, which causes large volume shrinkages during the nanostructuring process. Further, they are usually highly viscous and require high pressure for the nanostructuring process. Prior work directed toward thermal imprinting titania nanostructures used sol-gel type precursors [C. Goh, K. M. Coakley, M. D. McGehee, Nano Lett. 5, 1545 (2005), P. Yang, T. Deng, D. Zhao, P. Feng, D. Pine, B. F. Chmelka, G. M. Whitesides, G. D. Stucky, Science, 282, 2244, (1998)] or a mixture of titania colloidal particles and polymers [M. Wang, H.-G. Braun, and E. Meyer, Chem. Mater. 14, 4812 (2002)].


1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a surface-mount light-emitting diode (LED). More particularly, the invention relates to a surface-mounted LED including an LED chip mounted in a recess provided in a substrate, in which a sealant resin is applied to seal the LED chip.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional surface-mounted LED may have the structure shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a top view and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 8. It includes a pair of circuit patterns 51a, 51b formed in the upper surface of an insulator 50 at both opposite ends. The circuit patterns 51a, 51b extend from edges of the insulator 50 to the lower surface around sides of the insulator 50. A recess 52 is provided almost at the center in the upper surface of the insulator 50. A circuit pattern is formed over the entire bottom 53 and the entire inner circumferential surface 54 in the recess 52. This circuit pattern is connected as an extension from the one circuit pattern 51a of the pair of circuit patterns 51a, 51b formed in the upper surface of the insulator 50. The other circuit pattern 51b extends toward the center of the insulator 50.
An LED chip 56 is mounted on the bottom 53 in the recess 52 via a conductive adhesive 55. In this case, the lower electrode of the LED chip 56 is connected to the circuit pattern 51a formed on the bottom 53 in the recess 52 for achievement of the electrical conduction therebetween. The upper electrode of the LED chip 56 is connected via a bonding wire 57 to the circuit pattern 51b that extends substantially toward the center of the substrate for achievement of the electrical conduction therebetween.
A light transmissive resin 58 is applied to cover the LED chip 56 and the bonding wire 57 for sealing and protecting the LED chip 56 from the external environmental elements such as humidity, dirt, and gases. In addition, it protects the bonding wire 57 from mechanical stresses such as vibrations and impacts (see, for example, Patent Publication 1: JP-A 7/202271 along with its associated English Abstract, machine translation, and drawings, which are submitted herewith in an Information Disclosure Statement and are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference).
Surface-mounted LEDs are often employed together with other surface-mounted electronic components and are generally surface-mounted on a component-mounting board in an electronic instrument through a solder reflow furnace. In this case, the surface-mounted LED is extremely small and, accordingly, the temperature of the whole LED may elevate almost up to the heating temperature of the solder reflow furnace.
At the elevated temperature, the light transmissive resin for use in sealing the LED chip and the bonding wire have a difference in thermal expansion coefficient as compared to the circuit pattern formed on the bottom in the recess. This difference and other factors may cause a stress that results in peel at a contact interface between the circuit pattern and the resin. Then, the light transmissive resin exerts a force on the conductive adhesive and the LED chip to lift them above the circuit pattern. In this case, the light transmissive resin may peel off the circuit pattern, possibly resulting in an electrical property failure.
Even after the surface-mounted LED is mounted on the component-mounting board, the repetition of switching the LED on/off can cause repeated thermal expansion and contraction of the light transmissive resin. In addition, the stress at that time may exert the same action as described above and possibly result in an electrical property failure.


1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a rear wheel suspension controller for a vehicle, particularly to a rear wheel suspension controller which is effective against a sporadic shock caused by a protrusion or a sinking of a road surface on which an automobile is running.
2. Prior art
Conventionally, the spring constant, damping force, bush characteristic or stabilizer characteristic of each of various suspension components provided between a body of a vehicle and its wheels is altered under control depending on conditions of a road surface or running conditions of the vehicle in order to prevent the vehicle from being shocked or vibrated and keep the controllability and the stability of the vehicle good. For example, altering the spring constant of the air spring of a suspension depending on conditions of the road surface, altering the damping force of a shock absorber, and simply making the characteristic of a bush or a stabilizer variable were proposed in published unexamined Japanese patent applications No. sho 59-23712 and No. sho 59-26638, in those No. sho 58-30542 and No. sho 59-23712, and in Japanese utility model application No. sho 58-26605 and published unexamined Japanese utility model application No. sho 59-129613, respectively. In such control, when it is detected by a vehicle height sensor that the vehicle is running on a rough road or when it is detected by a brake sensor or an accelerator sensor that the front of the vehicle has gone up or down, the characteristic of each suspension of the vehicle is altered to maintain a good controllability and stability of the vehicle running on the rough road, or to prevent the front of the vehicle from going up or down further. However, under the above-mentioned conventional control, the vehicle is not judged to be running on a rough road, until a large turbulence is continuously detected by the vehicle height sensor. When the vehicle is judged to be running on a rough road, the spring constants of the suspensions for all the wheels of the vehicle or the damping forces of the shock absorbers for all the wheels are increased to produce a desired effect. If the vehicle passes over a joint of road patches or its sporadic protrusion or sinking, the vehicle usually receives only one shock and resumes running on a flat part of the road again, so that the characteristic of each suspension is not altered. For that reason, passengers of the vehicle are not protected from an unpleasant shock due to such sporadic protrusion or sinking, which is different from the case that the vehicle is running on a rough road having continuous protrusions or sinkings. In some cases of passing over such sporadic protrusion or sinking, the controllability and the stability of the vehicle deteriorate as well.


Augmented reality is a technology in which a person's conception of reality can be enhanced, typically through augmented sound, video or graphics displays. The augmentation is typically implemented via various technologies, such as a headset that may be worn by the person. One or more augmented views may be presented to the person through the headset.
The augmented reality headset typically includes a wearable computer and an optical display mounted to the headset. The wearable computer may include a wireless telecommunication capability, permitting a wireless connection from the wearable computer to a server computer. Because of the wireless telecommunication capability, the augmented reality headset may be used to interact with the server computer to accomplish various tasks.