Numerous papillomavirus sequences were determined, see the publications incorporated herein by reference: HPV-6: de Villiers et al., J. Virology, 40 (1981); HPV-11: Dartmann et al., Virology 151, 124-130 (1986); HPV-16: Seedorf et al., Virology 145, 181-185 (1985); HPV-18: Cole and Danos, Journal of Molecular Biology 93, 599-608 (1987); HPV-31: Goldsborough et al., Virology 171, 306-311 (1989); HPV-33: Cole and Streeck, J. Virology, 58, 991-995 (1986); HPV-54: Favre et al., J. Cancer 45, 40-46 (1990); HPV-56: Lõrincz, J., Gen. Virol. 70, 3099 (1989).
Detecting and typing of HPV is reported in a number of publications, besides Soutern blotting and other hybridisation techniques, the most widely used techniques are the PCR-based methods, since these methods simultaneously provide high sensitivity, specificity and the flexibility of the assay gives more control to comply the analytical requirements.
Human papillomavirus, a member of the Papillomaviridae family, is a DNA tumorvirus, with an 8000 bp of circular genome. The virus shows strong epithelial tropism, and proliferates only in differentiated epithelial cells. The papillomavirus has suspected etiologic role in many different human diseases, for example in different skin diseases, i.e. in verruca, condyloma acuminatum and skin tumours and in other conditions, such as cervical carcinoma, anogenital carcinomas, laryngeal carcinoma. It is well established that the human papillomavirus shows strong correlation with the incidence of these tumors, and this is even true for the pre-cancerous lesions (ClN, VlN, VAIN, PIN, PAIN). HPV can be detected in 99% of the cervical carcinoma patients. This close statistical relationship is possibly caused by the causal role of the HPV in the formation of cervical carcinoma. On the basis of the epidemiological data, the patients to be infected by different HPV genotypes do not have the same level of risk to develop cervical carcinoma. According to these findings the genotypes are classified into low risk, medium risk and high risk classes, and besides these there are not-classified genotypes too. Since the risks are grossly different and the incidence of the HPV infection is very high, the determination of genotype is of great importance.
The HPV virus can not be cultivated. The serological diagnosis of HPV infection is limited to detect the exposure to the virus (past or present infection), but can not exactly identify the genotype, the role is mostly limited to epidemiological investigations.
For papillomaviruses, exact serologic classification (serotyping) does not exist genotyping is the widely accepted classification method. These can be divided into two groups, according to whether detection is preceded by amplification or not. In one embodiment of the latter method, full length genomic RNA probes are used to detect the denatured HPV DNA genomes, and the heteroduplex is detected with specific antibodies (Hybrid Capture—Digene). According to another method, Southern blot technique is used for detection and genotyping the HPV genotypes. The disadvantage of these methods is the relative insensitivity and partial lack of specificity. In the case of the Hybrid Capture method many publications report different cross-reactions, causing false positive reactions in clinical conditions. The authors reported that the cross-reactions were acceptable only with a cut-off control of high (1 ng/ml) DNA concentration, which underlines the non-desirable coupling between sensitivity and specificity.
By the amplification methods this problem does not appear, since the reaction responsible for the sensitivity (amplification) is carried out separately.
Generally the amplification techniques differ in the selected amplified genome segment, number of primers, and the applied detection technique. The most frequently used primers are the GP5+-GP6+, MY9-MY11 and the different type-specific PCR reactions.
The most frequently used detection techniques are the sequence-specific hybridisation, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and the line probe assay (LiPA). Besides these ones, sequencing of amplicons and thymidine pattern generated by dUTP incorporation is used, but less frequently.
The analytical characteristics of the amplification techniques vary in wide ranges. The methods can be characterized by the amplifiable genotypes, the analytical sensitivity of the genotype amplification and the specificity and reliability of the detection. In this field the MY9-MY11 degenerated primer system is considered to be the reference reaction. In case of the MY9-MY11 system LiPA hybridisation detection system exists (Innogenetics). The major drawback of the MY9-MY11 system it is difficult to control the degenerated synthesis of the primers that is why the relative ratio of the primer species produced in the synthesis is varying from synthesis to synthesis, which can result in the unpredictable changes of the analytical behaviour of the PCR reaction; secondly, this reaction can amplify the fewest types, compared to the other widespread used reactions. It is well known from the literature, that the system can amplify genotype 51 only in that case, if the HPV genotype 51 type-specific primers are added to the reaction. Using degenerate primer synthesis the relative ratio of the primer species can not be changed, and it is impossible to tailor the primer ratios to achieve better analytical performance and a balanced amplification of genotypes.
The GP5+-GP6+ reaction solves the problem only by the use of two carefully selected pair of primers—optimised to the genital HPV sequences—the two primer systems are easy to manage, however the flexibility is lower. The GP5+-GP6+ system can amplify a lot of known HPV genotypes, but the analytical characteristics of the system are not optimal (sensitivity is not balanced with different genotypes), and the two primer approach is constrained in optimisation, e.g. balancing the detection sensitivities for the individual genotypes is highly problematic (except the limited optimisation of the melting temperature and concetration of the MgCl2). It is difficult to adapt the GP5+-GP6+ system to the amplification of other genotypes, which in any case influence its future application, since the need for detecting new genotypes permanently occur. The identification of the genotypes is not solved adequately.
Another well known wide genotype-specific amplification method is the L1C method: two-primer system, with two versions, one is using (with the LC1 primer) the L1C2 or the new L1C2 primer, to amplify further genotypes. The detailed description of the L1C amplicon can be found in the literature [Jpn. J. Cancer Research 82, 524-531 (1991)].
Basically two criteria must be fulfilled by the detection postamplification methods: routine diagnostic applicability (simplicity, costs, time), and the requirement of power of discrimination suitable level of discrimination power. A significant group of methods are not suitable in terms of power of discrimination discrimination power. Therefore the application of the RFLP is limited, because of the short amplified regions, there are not enough diagnostic restriction sites, so often the genotypes can only be classified into groups. Another example the SSCP technique is difficult to refer the complex patterns of the SSCP to genotypes, and also, the robustness of these reactions is not satisfactory, either.
The power of discrimination is especially important from the diagnostic point of view to fulfil the requirements of the regulatory authorities. From the aspects of the simplicity and the power of discrimination sequencing is the ideal approach, since its automation is solved and able to detect each genotypes (or even subtypes thereof), if the sample is not a mixture of genotypes. But in the practice it is not widely used, because it is expensive and time-consuming, and its application in routine diagnostic laboratories is not acceptable, and in case of mixed samples none of the genotypes can be determined.
The advantage of the hybridisation methods is that their power of discrimination or stringency can easilybe changed, since several parameters of the reaction can be varied in wide ranges, and some forms are easily automated, the reaction is less expensive, and in case of parallel implementation (with some forms) even the time needed is insignificant.
Therefore there is a need for a new HPV amplification/detection method, which eliminates the disadvantages of the current methods, and it is cheap, easy to reproduce and automate. The invention describes an amplification and hybridisation assay, in which the primers are independently synthesized molecules, therefore their relative ratio can easily be controlled and optimised, and the amplification has a balanced sensitivity. Hybridisation reactions carried out in highly parallel manner comply with the criteria of a low cost, fast, flexible and automatable reaction.


1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to position detecting devices and electro-optical devices, and more particularly, to configurations of devices that obtain position information regarding an object to be detected on the basis of values which have been optically detected.
2. Related Art
In typical display devices equipped with an electro-optical device such as a liquid crystal display body, a lighting device such as a backlight may be incorporated in order to make the display screen visible or enhance the visibility. In addition, in the display devices, the display screen may be provided with a pointed position detecting unit such as a touch panel. In this case, when a given position on the display screen is pointed by a pen, a finger or the like, the pointed position is detected and input into an information processing device or the like.
As the pointed position detecting unit (positional coordinate inputting unit) such as a touch panel, electrostatic capacitive type touch panels, resistive film type touch panels or the like that mechanically or electrically detect the state of a contact on the display screen are known. In addition, optical touch panels are known in which a grid of infrared light beams is formed across the display screen and photosensors are correspondingly provided so as to detect the infrared light beams, so that, when a finger or the like interrupts infrared light beams, the positional coordinates of the finger or the like can be detected. In general, various types of optical touch panels are known, and examples of the optical touch panels include the ones disclosed in JP-A-2004-295644 and JP-A-2004-303172.
However, in the optical touch panels described above, it is necessary to arrange, adjacent to the display screen, multiple light sources and photosensors, optical switches, or light guide structures or the like in order to support the resolution of positional coordinates to be detected. This increases the number of optical elements, whereby there is a problem in that the manufacturing cost is increased and more power is consumed.


a. Field
The instant disclosure relates to steering mechanism or actuators for steerable medical devices. In particular, the instant disclosure relates to actuators in steerable medical devices employing one or more pull wires to deflect a portion of such medical devices in at least one direction and, preferably, in at least two directions.
b. Background Art
Electrophysiology catheters are used in a variety of diagnostic, therapeutic, and/or mapping and ablative procedures to diagnose and/or correct conditions such as atrial arrhythmias, including for example, ectopic atrial tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and atrial flutter. Arrhythmias can create a variety of conditions including irregular heart rates, loss of synchronous atrioventricular contractions, and stasis of blood flow in a chamber of a heart, which can lead to a variety of symptomatic and asymptomatic ailments and even death.
Typically, a catheter is deployed and manipulated through a patient's vasculature to the intended site, for example, a site within a patient's heart. The catheter typically carries one or more electrodes that can be used for cardiac mapping or diagnosis, ablation, and/or other therapy delivery modes, or both, for example. Once at the intended site, treatment can include, for example, radio frequency (RF) ablation, cryoablation, laser ablation, chemical ablation, high-intensity focused ultrasound-based ablation, microwave ablation, and/or other ablation treatments. The catheter imparts ablative energy to cardiac tissue to create one or more lesions in the cardiac tissue. These lesions disrupt undesirable cardiac activation pathways and thereby limit, corral, or prevent errant conduction signals that can form the basis for arrhythmias.
To position a catheter within the body at a desired site, some type of navigation must be used, such as using mechanical steering features incorporated into the catheter (or an introducer sheath). In some examples, medical personnel may manually manipulate and/or operate the catheter using the mechanical steering features.
In order to facilitate the advancement of catheters through a patient's vasculature, the simultaneous application of torque at the proximal end of the catheter and the ability to selectively deflect the distal tip of the catheter in a desired direction can permit medical personnel to adjust the direction of advancement of the distal end of the catheter and to selectively position the distal portion of the catheter during an electrophysiological procedure. The proximal end of the catheter can be manipulated to guide the catheter through a patient's vasculature. The distal tip can be deflected by a pull wire attached at the distal end of the catheter and extending proximally to an actuator in a control handle that controls the application of tension on the pull wire.
The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate the present field and should not be taken as a disavowal of claim scope.


Ethylenediaminetriacetic acid (ED3A) or its salts (such as ED3ANa.sub.3) has applications in the field of chelating chemistry, and may be used as a starting material in the preparation of strong chelating polymers, oil soluble chelants, surfactants and others. Conventional routes for the synthesis of ethylenediaminetriacetic acid were achieved via its N-benzyl derivative, which was subsequently hydrolyzed in alkaline solutions to ED3ANa.sub.3, thus avoiding cyclization to its 2-oxo-1,4-piperazinediacetic acid (3KP) derivative. Syntheses attempted by both the alkaline condensation of chloroacetic acid with ethylenediamine, and the carboxymethylation of the diamine with formaldehyde and sodium cyanide resulted in complex mixtures requiring complex extraction techniques (e.g. almost exclusive solubility of 3KP in boiling dimethylformamide, Can. J. Chemistry 1970, 48(1), 163-175) to generate the desired product, and then in only relatively poor yield. In addition, conventional processes resulted in large quantities of by-product, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (ED4A). Where the by-products were especially objectionable, complicated blocking techniques were necessary in order to achieve a relatively pure solution.
One example of the synthesis of ethylenediamine-N,N,N'-triacetic acid is shown in Chemical Abstracts 78, Vol. 71, page 451, no. 18369c, 1969. There it is disclosed that ethylenediamine reacts with ClH.sub.2 CCO.sub.2 H in a 1:3 molar ratio in basic solution at 10.degree. C. for 24 hours to form a mixture from which ethylenediamine-N,N,N'-triacetic acid can be separated by complexing the same with Co(III). The resulting cobalt complexes can be isolated through ion exchange.
The instant invention is directed to a novel composition of matter that is useful as an intermediate in the synthesis of ethylenediaminetriacetic acid or its salts in high conversions and excellent yield.


In some applications, the resultant thickness of a coating (e.g., a paint) that is applied to a substrate (e.g., the surface of a metal substrate) by a user may be critical, or at least important, to provide desired performance (e.g., proper protection of the substrate). For example, achieving a specified thickness of an applied coating may be critical to preventing corrosion of a metal substrate used in marine applications. Self-inspecting coatings are used in applications such as, for example, marine applications and oil and gas pipeline applications. A self-inspecting coating often includes a coating (e.g. liquid or powder) that provides a visual indication (e.g., visible or invisible to naked eyes) of coating properties (such as thickness). As an example, the visual indication of the coating properties may be provided as the coating is applied or after the coating is applied. For example, a color of the coating can change as the applied thickness changes, in accordance with an embodiment. In this manner, a user is able to perform a certain level of self-inspecting as the user applies the coating. That is, the user may visually observe the color of the coating as it is applied to the substrate in an attempt to determine if the thickness is correct. However, the ability of a user to discern variations in color (and, therefore, variations in the coating film) by observing the coating with the naked eye is limited.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional, traditional, and proposed approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems and methods with embodiments of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.


Generally, a high voltage semiconductor device may be utilized when high voltage or high current output is required to drive a motor or when a high voltage is input from an external source. Typically, the high voltage semiconductor device includes a high voltage driving region and a low voltage driving region in a system-on-chip structure. In the high voltage device, when a low voltage is applied to a gate electrode and a high voltage is applied only to a drain electrode, the low voltage driving region and the high voltage driving region are formed at the same time. A through gate-oxide implantation (TGI) process is performed during a manufacturing process of a high voltage semiconductor device to form the low voltage driving region and the high voltage driving region on and/or over the chip while maintaining the existing characteristics. In the TGI process, an ion implantation process is performed to form a well region on and/or over a semiconductor substrate on and/or over which a high voltage gate oxide film is deposited.
As illustrated in example FIG. 1, a high voltage semiconductor device includes semiconductor substrate 1 having a high voltage device region and a low voltage device region, well region 2, device isolation film 3, gate oxide film 4, gate electrode 5, liner film 6 and interlayer insulating film 7. Device isolation film 3 is formed to define a device isolation region on and/or over semiconductor substrate 1 having the high voltage device region and the low voltage device region. Gate oxide film 4 is formed on and/or over semiconductor substrate 1 in the high voltage device region. After high voltage gate oxide film 4 is formed, a photoresist pattern is formed at a portion of the entire surface of substrate 1. Then, an ion implantation process is performed on semiconductor substrate 1 using the photoresist pattern as a mask to form well region 2 therein. In the ion implantation process for forming well region 2, ions are also implanted into the exposed high voltage gate oxide film 4. Accordingly, a trap site may be formed in gate oxide film 4 into which the ions are implanted. The photoresist pattern is then removed.
Gate electrode 5 is formed on and/or over semiconductor substrate 1 having well region 2. Gate electrode 5 is formed in an active region of substrate 1. Liner film 6 is formed on and/or over the entire surface of semiconductor substrate 1 including gate electrode 5 by forming a tetra ethyl ortho silicate (TEOS) film using preferential metal deposition (PMD). Interlayer insulating film 7 is formed on and/or over the entire surface of the resultant structure including liner film 6. Materials such as hydrogen and boron included in interlayer insulating film 7 may move to the trap site in gate oxide film 4. Consequently, leakage current increases in a threshold voltage region of the high voltage semiconductor device, thereby causing problems of increasing power consumption and reducing the device characteristics. Further, when the TEOS film is used as liner film 6, leakage current of the semiconductor device may increase significantly according to the state and atmosphere of a chamber in which liner film 6 is deposited. Particularly, C3F8 gas is used in cleaning the chamber in which the TEOS film of liner film 6 is deposited. If fluorine included in the C3F8 gas has a high density, a low level of leakage current of the NMOS transistor is measured. On the other hand, if fluorine included in the C3F8 gas has a low density, a high level of leakage current of the NMOS transistor is measured. Meaning, there is a problem that the leakage current of the semiconductor device largely increases according to the fluorine atmosphere in the chamber in which the TEOS film is deposited.


The present invention is particularly directed to elimination of the current practice of using manual labor to remove printed and cut shingled sheets from a web printing press and loading them onto a pallet prior to folding the sheets. Then at a later date, the pallet is transported to an automatic folding machine at which another manual operation is used to remove the sheets from the pallet and to manually jog the sheets into alignment and then to place the sheets into a receiving hopper from which the sheets are fed by a bottom feeder into a folding station at which a device folds the sheets and provides a continuous outflow of printed folded sheets. The cost of these manual operations and the transportation of the pallets adds significantly to the cost of the ultimate printed fold sheet. Also, the pallets take considerable space and the transportation and storage of pallets are also space consuming. Hence, it would be more efficient to eliminate these separate operations and to be able to directly fold the printed sheets issuing from the web printing press.
It will be appreciated that the outflow of shingled sheets from the web printing press may be at a high rate of speed, for example, as many as 40,000 sheets per hour and that any folding apparatus connected thereto should operate at a similar high rate of speed without frequent breakdowns so that the web printing press may be kept operating at its full production speed.
The sheets leaving the web printing press are shingled on the conveyor and are not accurately aligned on the outcoming conveyor and can not be fed directly to the automatic folding machine because the sheets are too misaligned to be fed automatically from a stack by the existing folding machines. That is, the sheets are often skewed relative to one another with respective sheets being laterally misaligned, or turned slightly, and unevenly spaced in the fore and aft direction on the conveyer with the result that the sheets may not be directly fed into a receiving or storage hopper for automatic refeeding to a folder. Instead, it is the manual operator at the folding machine who corrects the misalignment of the sheets as he lifts the sheets and taps and jogs the same into general alignment prior to placing the aligned sheets into the feed hopper of the automatic folding machine.
Accordingly, a general object of the present invention is to provide an automatic folding machine with an automatic stacking station at which are collected and aligned incoming sheets so that the sheets may be automatically removed from the stack and folded by the folding machine in a continuous process.
A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved automatic stacking and folding apparatus for connection directly to the output conveyor of a web printing press.


1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for fabricating a display, and more particularly to a method for fabricating a flexible display and apparatus and production process thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flexible displays have unique advantages such as high impact resistance, light weight and flexibility. As such, in addition to researched applications in newly emerging products such as electronic paper, electronic tags, credit cards, scrolling displays and electronic advertising boards, further applications are being explored for usages in portable electronic products. As for flat panel displays, developmental trends continue to encompass larger areas, lighter weights and thinner frames. For flexible displays, the main developmental trend is for efficient and economic use of a plastic substrate in place of a glass substrate.
The conventional flexible display fabrication process, using a plastic substrate, requires steps such as film deposition, photolithography and etching. Also, the apparatuses for manufacturing conventional flexible displays are expensive, and the costs for research and development in this field of technology as well as fabrication are high. Furthermore, the conventional flexible display fabrication process is not a continuous process, thus making it difficult to increase manufacturing yields. As a result, with high costs and high product prices, expanding further application of the conventional flexible displays have been hindered.
Thus, development of a novel method for fabricating a flexible display is desirable.


During drilling operations from just after initial spudding of a well through completion and initiation of production, drilling fluid or drilling “mud” fills the interior of the formed well bore. Some types of muds are petroleum-based materials. Petroleum-based materials comprise at least 90 weight percent of an oil-based mud (OBM) as a continuous phase. Examples of suitable base petroleum materials include crude oil, a distilled fraction of crude oil, including diesel, kerosene, asphalt, waxes, lubricating oils, mineral oil, and heavy petroleum refinery liquid residues. Typically, a minor part of the OBM comprises water or an aqueous solution that is in the mud as an internal phase. Such water-in-oil emulsions are useful to transport chemicals that are not otherwise useful in the continuous phase. Other optional OBM components include emulsifiers, wetting agents and additives that give desirable physical properties to the mud or treat the well bore wall.
Oil-based muds also include synthetic oil-based muds (SOBMs). Synthetic oil-based muds are crude oil derivatives that have been chemically treated, modified, altered or refined, or combinations thereof, to enhance and promote certain chemical or physical properties and exclude other aspects of typical OBMs. SOBMs are monolithic systems that behave in a manner as if they were an OBM but provide a limited and predictable range of chemical and physical behaviors. In comparison to a distilled fraction of crude oil, which may contain several classes (for example, alkanes, aromatics, and heteroatomics) representing thousands of individual compounds, a SOBM usually comprises one class representing at most tens of individual compounds (for example, ester compounds in a C8-C14 range). Examples of useful materials for the base fluid of a SOBM include linear alpha olefins, isomerized olefins, poly alpha olefins, linear alkyl benzenes and vegetable oil- and hydrocarbon-derived ester compounds.
A mud with an aqueous continuous phase—a water-based mud (WBM)—typically comprises water in a range of greater than 50% to about 99% water. Unlike OBMs, WBMs may have a significant portion of hydrocarbons, including materials that would normally serve as the basis for an OBM, as part of the WBM. The base fluid for the water-based systems include fresh water, natural and saturated salt waters, natural or artificial brines, sea water, mineral water, and other potable and non-potable waters containing one or more dissolved salts or minerals. In regions where water is scarce or environmental regulations do not permit the disposal of untreated formation water, recycling recovered formation water from other production sites can provide an inexpensive source for a WBM, especially if the formation water contains salts and minerals that are useful to stabilize clay and shale downhole.
Besides salts and minerals, often other additives are useful in attempting to control the viscosity or inhibition of water-based mud. Common additives include sodium or potassium silicates (“silicate muds”) to inhibit shale and seal microfractures that occur during drilling, quebracho (“red mud”) and other tannates, ferrochrome lignosulfonate (“lignosulfate mud”), potassium formate, lignites, phosphates, polyphosphates, gypsum, water-soluble polymers (“polymud”), lime, cellulose and xanthose based polymers, biopolymers, brines, biocides, corrosion inhibitors, foamers and cleaners.
The ability to maintain rotational velocity and fluid flow is a significant attribute of all drilling fluids, but this is especially true when the drilling tools stop their rotation and their introduction/withdrawal movement. Fluid momentum and disturbance of the fluid flow within the well bore by the tools permits suspension of solids, incompatible with the continuous phase liquids and gases to be maintained throughout the course of the drilling fluid flow pathway from the surface, downhole, and then back uphole for recovery and reintroduction. Reduction of fluid momentum due not only to general fluid friction but also friction against the sidewalls and the downhole equipment eventually causes the drilling fluid to settle. To prevent this settling, often it is necessary to continue pumping to the surface or slowly rotating the drilling string to keep the drilling fluid moving to a point where solids do not drop out of the continuous phase and incompatible gases and liquids do not separate.
It is desirable to include with a drilling fluid a composition that can significantly lower the frictional effects of the drilling fluid such that fluid momentum may be maintained with increased ease by action of the drill string or pumping of the drilling fluid to and from the surface. Such a composition would not only provide safer and more predictable operations with the modified drilling fluid, but also energy usage would be significantly reduced. A composition that is also environmentally friendly and that is biodegradable is also advantageous for use in marine and ecologically-sensitive environments.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to emission control of internal combustion engines. In particular, the invention relates to an air/fuel ratio closed loop fuel control of an internal combustion engine equipped with two exhaust gas oxygen (EGO) sensors and a three way catalytic converter. The EGO sensors are located upstream and downstream of the catalyst.
2. Prior Art
It is known that catalyst efficiency is greatly affected by the ratio of air to fuel in the mixture supplied to an engine. If the air/fuel ratio is kept in a narrow range at stoichiometric ratio, catalyst conversion efficiency is high for both oxidation and reduction conversions. Air/fuel stoichiometric ratio is defined as the ratio containing air and fuel in such proportions that in perfect combustion both would be completely consumed, and air/fuel ratio LAMBDA is defined as the amount by weight of air divided by the amount by weight of fuel over air/fuel stoichiometric ratio. The purpose of any closed loop fuel control system is to keep the air/fuel ratio in this narrow range known as a conversion window.
It is also known that a control system utilizing one EGO sensor located either before or after a catalyst does not maintain the air/fuel ratio consistently inside the conversion window. Control systems with one EGO sensor located before a catalyst have acceptable time response characteristics but exhibit long term drift due to EGO sensor contamination and aging. On the other hand, control systems with one EGO sensor located after a catalyst have unacceptable time response characteristics but exhibit good long term stability and can indicate a narrow conversion window. Therefore, a control system utilizing advantages of both EGO sensors, i.e., good time response of an upstream EGO sensor and high accuracy of a downstream EGO sensor, is advantageous.
A number of closed loop fuel control systems utilizing both EGO sensors have been proposed but none are completely satisfactory. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,939,654 issued to Creps and 4,027,477 issued to Storey describe a dual EGO sensor closed loop fuel control system having two control loops. The first control loop includes an upstream EGO sensor and a proportional or proportional with phase lead controller. The second control loop includes a downstream EGO sensor and a dual integrator controller. This arrangement of the control system precludes the usage of integral or proportional and integral controllers in both control loops simultaneously because such a control system is inherently unstable and can not be made stable by calibration. The drawback of these systems is a low accuracy of the first control loop with a proportional controller. The control accuracy may even become unacceptable when the second control loop is not operational as is the case during initial operation before the downstream EGO sensor reaches its operational temperature.
Other teachings, represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,831,838 issued to Nagai et al and 4,840,027 issued Okumura et al, utilize a proportional and integral (PI) controller in the first control loop with an upstream EGO sensor. In one embodiment of these patents, calibratable parameters of the PI controller may be modified based on the output of a downstream EGO sensor, the modified parameters being a skip amount, or jumpback, and an integration amount, or ramp. Some other control system parameters such as time delay and reference voltage may also be modified based on the output of a downstream EGO sensor.
In another embodiment of the same patents, the output of a downstream EGO sensor is used to generate a second air/fuel ratio correction amount which is used as a multiplier in the main fuel equation (the main fuel equation will be introduced later). In both embodiments, a correction introduced by a downstream EGO sensor has a very low frequency limit cycle superimposed on a relatively high frequency limit cycle produced by an upstream EGO sensor control loop. It results in an undesirable effect known in the control field as beat frequency. Moreover, the initial response of a downstream EGO sensor is so slow that elaborate procedures are incorporated to mitigate this disadvantage. Accordingly, both approaches to a dual EGO fuel control system have been found to be unsatisfactory.
Another known control technique using dual EGO sensors, one upstream and one downstream of the catalyst, is a cascade control wherein a signal from the downstream EGO sensor is applied to a summer with a reference signal. The output of the summer is applied to a first proportional and integral controller. A signal from the upstream EGO sensor is applied to a summer and a reference, the reference being the output of the first proportional and integral controller. The output of the second summer is applied to a second proportional and integral controller which then generates the feedback signal to control engine air/fuel ratio.
In another scheme similar to the one just mentioned, both of the summers have an applied reference signal. The output of the first proportional and integral controller is not applied to the second summer but instead controls the parameters of the second proportional and integral controller. This is known as parametric control because the parameters of the second controller are controlled by the output of the first controller. Both this system and the previous system are relatively slow in operation. With respect to the later, parametric control, when a parameter is changed, such as the jumpback, ramp, or delay of a control function, it may well take minutes for the effect to be felt. Further, the system is slow to start. It would be desirable to overcome these problems.
Applicant's invention has a much faster response and uses a single proportional and integral controller having inputs from both the upstream and the downstream EGO sensor.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a window molding member, for instance for automobiles, as well as a method of manufacturing such molding members.
2. Description of the Related Art
An automobile employs various kinds of molding members, of which a typical example is a window molding member adapted to extend along the periphery of the front or rear window panes, i.e. along a pair of front or rear pillars and the front or rear edge of the roof panel of the automobile body. A variety of requirements are imposed on molding members mainly from design and/or functional viewpoint, and result in an increased demand in the automobile industry for the molding members whose cross-sectional shape varies in the longitudinal direction.
Specifically, one proposal is disclosed for example in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-54,416, which is directed to a window molding member having an upper portion with a first predetermined cross-section, at least one side portion with a second predetermined cross-section, and at least one corner portion arranged between the side and upper portions. When the molding member is arranged along the periphery of a front window pane, the first cross-section of the upper portion contributes to form a so-called flush outer surface of the automobile body, while the second cross-section of the side portion serves to define at least one channel or weir along the side edges of the window pane. Such an arrangement of the molding member ensures that, during driving in rainy conditions, the weir effectively prevents rain water on the window pane from flowing across the side portion toward the side window, to preserve the driver's and/or front seat passenger's view through the side windows.
To produce a window molding member with a cross-section which varies in the longitudinal direction, it is possible to physically divide each molding member into first and second extruded portions with the respectively predetermined cross-sectional shapes, which are connected with each other either by an injection molding process or by using a separate corner connection piece. However, connection of these two portions by means of an injection molding results in formation of undesirable burrs along the junctions and deterioration in the appearance, while use of a corner connection piece results in an increased number of the required components and assembly steps.
Another possibility for manufacturing molding members with a longitudinally variable cross-section is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 62-231,814, wherein the main body of the molding member has a lip section in the form of a ridge, and two leg sections both to be inserted into a gap between the automobile body panel and the window pane. In use, the first leg section along the upper and side portions of the molding member is engaged by a retainer member on the automobile body panel such that the molding member is retained in position. Furthermore, the second leg section is directly engaged with the periphery of the window plate along the upper portion whereby the lip section is brought into direct contact with the surface of the window plate along the upper portion, while a separate erection member accommodating the second leg section therein is engaged with the periphery of the window pane along the side portion such that the second leg section is supported by the erection member and urges and deforms the lip section away from the surface of the window pane along the side portion to form the weir between the window plate and the ridge. Such an arrangement provides refined appearance due to the continuous and smooth surface along the corner portions integrally connecting the upper and side portions with each other. However, use of erection members along both side portions is sometimes problematic in that, besides an increased number of required components and assembly steps, the lip section tends to be deformed when applied with external force, and it is difficult to stably maintain the desired cross-section of the weir for a long period.


This invention relates to lifting and towing apparatus for vehicles and more particularly to a rigid metal towing bracket adapted to be mounted on a front cross member of a vehicle frame.
The prior art is replete with various towing hitches or brackets adapted for mounting on vehicles. An example of one type of hitch bracket is found in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,736 issued Nov. 4, 1986, to T. L. Shanks which discloses an adaptor plate for attaching an accessory such as a trailer hitch or winch to the bumper of a vehicle. The plate includes an accessory mount or a wedge insert insertable into a mounting frame or bracket. A tongue and groove assembly cooperates between the bracket and accessory mount for holding the accessory mount in position.
The U.S. Pat. No. 2,380,523 issued July 31, 1945 to H. A. Hicks, et al. discloses a vehicle body structure showing a reinforcing member having a pair of longitudinally spaced flanges welded to floor portions of the body. The flanges are stepped to dispose successive flange portions so as to underlie floor portions to which they are respectively welded.


Energy generated from natural resources, such as sunlight and wind, is desirable due to the environmental-friendly factor associated therewith. For example, wind turbines are known for converting rotational movement of the turbine blades, caused by the wind, into electricity. Specifically, the rotation of turbine blades is utilized for the rotation of a shaft, connected to a generator, for producing electricity.
To achieve an optimum output of a wind turbine, the rotation of the turbine blades need to be regulated with varying wind speeds/conditions. Specifically, the turbine blades should be allowed to rotate at a set rated revolution per minute (rpm) for achieving the optimum output. However, to maintain the set rated rpm of the turbine blades may be difficult during sudden rise in wind speed or storm. Specifically, rise in wind speed may cause over speeding of the turbine blades, which may cause damage to the wind turbine. Further, fixing such damages may become expensive and time consuming affair.


The present invention relates to an assembly kit including structural elements which are connectable with one another by interengaging undercut grooves and projections. More particularly, it relates to an assembly kit including a plate element and an axle element connectable with one another.
A plate element has been proposed in the art, having undercut grooves which are adapted to receive undercut projections of other structural elements so as to connect the latter with this plate element. When such several structural elements are connected with one another, there is possibility for insertion of an axle in the plate elements so as to assemble a vehicle structure. It has also been proposed to provide bores in the above plate elements, each of which bores forms an extension of a respective one of the undercut grooves, in order to increase a region of insertion. The axles are inserted into the above bores of the plate element.
The above known construction possesses some disadvantages. The positioning of the axle as described above is not suitable for an axle adapted to support wheels of the vehicle structure, inasmuch as the necessary stability thereof is not provided in the region of the undercut groove. Furthermore, at the place where the axle is inserted in the plate element there is no possibility to mount a further structural element on the plate element.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) used in an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) system, and more particularly to an FFT method for processing input signals in parallel in order to quickly process the input signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
The basic principle of the OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) system is to convert input data having a high data rate into parallel data which have a low data rate, where the number of parallel data is equal to the number of sub-carriers, and to carry the parallel data on the sub-carriers, respectively, to transmit the data in parallel. The OFDM can reduce relative distortions in the time domain by a multi-path delay spread since the symbol duration of the sub-carrier having the low data rate is increased, and can remove an inter-symbol interference by inserting a protection section that is longer than the delay spread of the channel between OFDM symbols.
Since the OFDM modulation/demodulation is performed using a plurality of sub-carriers, it is quite difficult to work out its hardware design as the number of sub-carriers is increased. Also, due to the difficulty in keeping the orthogonality between the sub-carriers, it becomes difficult to actually implement the system. Although this problem can be solved by adopting a DFT (Discrete Fourier Transform), the DFT has a drawback in that it requires a large amount of computation. In order to reduce the large amount of computation that is the drawback of the DFT, an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) has been proposed. Specifically, in the OFDM system, an N-point DFT is required. However, as N increases, the amount of DFT computation also increases in proportion to N2. Accordingly, it is required to provide an algorithm that can efficiently compute the DFT even if N is large. The FFT is an algorithm that remarkably reduces the amount of DFT computation by successively dividing a sequence having a length of N into sequences having a length shorter than N.
The FFT of the OFDM performs a computation of a complex number that is composed of a real part and an imaginary part. Accordingly, the real part and the imaginary part are separately inputted by hardware, and in designing a processor that performs the FFT, an inverse FFT (IFFT) can be performed by changing the positions of the real part and the imaginary part with each other. The FFT may be implemented in an array type or in a pipeline type. The array FFT structure is very complicated and enlarged by hardware, and thus its implementation is almost impossible if the number of FFT computation points is large. By contrast, the pipeline FFT structure is regular, is relatively easy to control and makes a serial input/output possible, and thus it is most frequently used in application fields that require a high performance.
Hereinafter, the DFT and the FFT will be explained in order. Signals having a predetermined period which are expressed by the DFT are defined by Equation (1):
                              X                                (            k            )                          =                              ∑                          n              =              O                                      N              -              1                                                                                x                                            (                n                )                                                                ⅇ                              j                                                                      2                                                                                π                                    N                                                nk                                                                        (        1        )
wherein N denotes the number of signals, k denotes 0 to N−1, x(n) denotes an input signal and X(k) denotes an output signal. As described in Equation (1), the amount of DFT computation is increased as the value of N is increased.
FIG. 1 is a view exemplifying a process of performing a conventional FFT. Hereinafter, an algorithm that performs the conventional FFT will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. 1.
In particular, FIG. 1 describes a case in which the point (N) of the FFT is 16. Signals inputted to the FFT are x[0] to x[15]. Hereinafter, for the convenience in explanation, horizontal lines from x[n] to X[n] are called computation lines. Referring to FIG. 1, the FFT is composed of first to 16th computation lines. x[0] is divided at point a and transferred to the first computation line and the ninth computation line at point b. x[1] is divided at the point a and transferred to the second computation line and the tenth computation line at the point b. x[14] is divided at the point a and transferred to the seventh computation line and the 15th computation line at the point b. x[15] is divided at the point a and transferred to the eighth computation line and the 16th computation line at the point b.
The first to eighth computation lines at the point b add the transferred signals and output the added signals, and the ninth to 16th computation lines at the point b subtract the transferred signals and output the subtracted signals. The signals outputted from the point b are transferred to point c. The computation lines at the point c perform the same operations as the computation lines at the point a.
The first to fourth computation lines and the ninth to 12th computation lines at point d add the transferred signals and output the added signals, and the fifth to eighth computation lines and the 13th to 16th computation lines at the point d subtract the transferred signals and output the subtracted signals. The signals outputted from the point d are transferred to point e. The computation lines at the point e perform the same operations as the computation lines at the point a. The first to second computation lines, the fifth to sixth computation lines, the ninth to tenth computation lines and the 13th to 14th computation lines at point f add the transferred signals and output the added signals. The third to fourth computation lines, the seventh to eighth computation lines, the 11th to 12th computation lines and the 15th to 16th computation lines at the point f subtract the transferred signals and output the subtracted signals. The signals outputted from the point d are transferred to the point e.
The signals outputted from the point f are transferred to point g. The computation lines at the point g perform the same operations as the computation lines at the point a. The odd-numbered computation lines at point h add the transferred signals and output the added signals, and the even-numbered computation lines at the point h subtract the transferred signals and output the subtracted signals. Through the above-described process, the FFT is performed with respect to the input signals.
However, the FFT has the problems in that as the computation points N are increased, it takes a lot of time to process the input signals. This is because the FFT as illustrated in FIG. 1 does not process all the signals in parallel, but processes only a part of the signals in parallel. Accordingly, the necessity of an FFT that can quickly process the input signals is on the rise.


These inventions relate to methods, an apparatus for their implementation, of unique player participation games, and for improved methods of play for games of chance. More particularly, these inventions relate to new and improved games involving player participation in a broadcast medium, such as television, and in other communication media, such as over the Internet or other communications network.
Player participation games fall broadly under the categories of games of chance and games of skill. One of the main forms of games of chance is lotteries, which by definition, involve the three elements of: 1) prize, 2) chance and 3) consideration. If these three elements are present, then the game is considered to be a lottery, and is typically then run by a governmental entity. In the United States, lotteries are typically run by the individual states, or collectively by a group of states. In other countries, it is typically the national government that runs the lottery. Countries and states attempt to strictly limit the game play to their geographic boundaries. For example, in Austria, while electronic access to the game may be available over the Internet, or in order to play, the person must have a bank account in Austria, and be able to navigate the non-english menu.
Games have been conducted in any of a number of formats. Certainly, live, in person games have been performed. Yet other games have been played and broadcast over a broadcast medium, such as radio or television. Yet other games have been played through active communication media, such as the telephone, or over a communication network such as the Internet.
Various attempts have been made to provide game play over the Internet. By way of example, the game show Jeopardy has been placed on the web at http://www.sony.com.
Various other attempts have been made to extend the general concept of gambling to broad communication media, such as the Internet. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,268 entitled, xe2x80x9cMethod of Participating in a Live Casino Game from a Remote Locationxe2x80x9d has been asserted in a litigation in against an off shore corporation. The ""268 patent discloses a system in which a player may participate in a live casino game from a location remote from the casino. A player interface station, such as a computer terminal or other special input device, is connected by a communication line to the casino. A second communication line is established from the casino to the player""s financial institution. The player is presented with an image of an actual xe2x80x9clivexe2x80x9d game. The player then participates directly as if they were physically present at the casino. A wager is cleared with the player""s financial institution to insure adequate resources to cover the bet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,739 to Ronald A. Katz is entitled, xe2x80x9cTelephonic Interface Statistical Analysis Systemxe2x80x9d. The patent describes various operating formats, including a format the to be performed in association with television media. Specifically, in one embodiment, a real-time format is provided in which television viewers participate on a real-time basis in a game show for prizes. Expanded audience participation is achieved. Various levels of qualification are provided, such as for a child""s television game format is utilized, parental clearance may be required. The use of personal identification numbers (pin numbers) is disclosed. In one implementation, the caller is prompted to identify which of the actual studio of audience participants the caller will be aligned with. Additionally, the caller may be instructed to indicate the extent of a wager. As the game progresses, the individual player""s accounts are credited or debited, thereby providing on-going accounting data. In yet another implementation, a non real-time operation is provided. Such a show might involve a quiz for callers based on their ability to perceive and remember occurrences within the show. Pre-registration is optionally utilized. In this implementation, a sequence or time clock would be utilized in order to limit or control individual interfaces to a specific time or geographic xe2x80x9cwindowxe2x80x9d. In this way, the caller questions may be utilized across various time zones without the caller having obtained the question earlier than other callers within a given time zone.
Berman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,115 discloses a game show and method entitled xe2x80x9cInteractive Game Show and Method for Achieving Interactive Communication Therewithxe2x80x9d. An interactive communication system is provided which permits individuals to electronically select at least one possible outcome of a plurality of outcomes of a future event. Successful contestants possibly share in a prize aware associated with the event. A home audience of a televised game show may electronically communicate a series of random numbers using their touch tone telephone to participate in the show.
Recently, various governmental entities and trade organization have addressed the issue of game play over the Internet. Congressman Kye has introduced a bill which would preclude the offering of Internet based gaming, though permitting states to offer Internet gambling. Consideration has been given to requiring that the states sponsored gaming be limited to an intranet, in an effort to limit those participating to persons physically resident within the states boundaries. Various international lottery organizations have promoted similar restrictions, namely, precluding the individuals offering of games of chance, and reserving that option exclusively to the state.
Various lottery formats are known to the art. In one classic format, a predetermined number of tickets are provided with certain printed matter, such as numbers or other indicia, where the information is then obscured by a scratch off layer. By removing the layer and revealing the underlying information, the ticket holder may determine whether they have won or not. Various extensions have been made to a xe2x80x9cvirtualxe2x80x9d scratch off ticket where no physical is provided.
A conventional lottery proceeds as follows. First, a series of numbers are selected, either by the player or by some automated selection system, such as by computer. Upon the occurrence of a pre-determined event, such as on a set date and time, numbers are randomly chosen. Both mechanical methods, such as selection of ping-pong balls bearing numeric designations, or electronic means such as through a random number generator, may be utilized. The selected numbers are then provided to the participants, such as through a broadcast medium like newspapers, radio and television. Finally, the holder or holders of winning the tickets then present their ticket for payment.
In yet another aspect of game play, a typical television presented game show lasts on the order of one half hour. Various shorter format games or shows have been utilized, for example, a football based advertisement or game has been presented by IBM during televised football games under the name xe2x80x9cyou make the callxe2x80x9d. Yet other shorter version games have been presented over web TV or on the game show network.
The television game show xe2x80x9cWho Wants to be a Millionairexe2x80x9d is believed to have originated in Britain, and has become extremely popular in the United States. The game is a trivia game. While being principally a game of skill, the nature of the questions, or the contestants knowledge of the potential answers, makes the game at times a guessing game or game of chance. The format consists of one contestant and one host. The contestant is presented with a question and four possible answers. If the contestant answers the question correctly, they advance to a next level, each level being associated with a higher monetary prize amount, which is roughly twice the amount of the preceding level. A contestant is given three xe2x80x9clife linesxe2x80x9d: a xe2x80x9c50/50xe2x80x9d where in two incorrect answers are removed, thereby leaving the correct answer and one incorrect answer, the xe2x80x9cphone a friendxe2x80x9d, wherein the contestant may call a friend by telephone and solicit their response to the question, subject to a 30 second time limit, and an xe2x80x9cask the audiencexe2x80x9d option where the audience is polled regarding their view of the correct answer to the question. Various safe levels are established, such as at $1,000.00 such that the contestant would be awarded that amount of money in the even that they fail to correctly answer a question. Finally, after a question is posed, the contestant may elect to discontinue play, and to receive that amount of money won at the preceding level.
Despite the wide spread participation in various forms of game play, as well as the suggestions for implementing those games on a mass communication network, such as through the telephone or Internet, the possibility for new games, or improved game play exists. In particular, there is a need for improved games of chance, which provide excitement for the player, and optionally a viewer audience.
This invention relates to methods and associated apparatus for novel game play. In the preferred embodiment, the game is a game of chance.
In the preferred embodiment, the game is played at a multiple number of levels. At each level, the contestant is presented with multiple options, such as a depiction of four uniquely labeled boxes, amongst which the contestant may choose. The options would include at least one positive outcome and at least one negative outcome. In the case of four boxes, e.g., one could include a strike, two could include a monetary amount, which may be either the same or different and optionally, the fourth box could comprise a mystery box, described below. The contestant selects, at random, one of the options. If the option selected is one of the positive options, such as a monetary amount, they proceed to the next level and the winnings are added to the prior winnings total. If a negative option is selected, such as a strike, in the preferred embodiment, the level is reset and play continues at that level. Preferably, the player is allowed a predetermined number of negative events, such as three strikes, prior to discontinuing play.
The xe2x80x98mystery boxxe2x80x99 consists of a decision within a decision. A first decision was to select that option, which then was revealed as comprising a mystery box. The player is then given the option of whether to reveal that option. The option within the mystery box would include at least one positive result and at least one negative result. In the preferred embodiment, there would be three results possible with a mystery box, a positive result such as a multiplier for the money, such as a doubler of the contestantxe2x80x99 prior winnings, an updating of the safe level for the player or an additional monetary amount. Alternatively, other positive results such as a free play or a reduction in the number of negative events is possible. Preferably, the probability of a negative result from the opening of the mystery box should be equal to the probability of a negative event if the mystery box were not selected.
The prizes at the various levels may be set as desired to result in a predetermined pay out for the game. Optionally, guaranteed low end prize structures (GLEPS) may require payment of predetermined prize amounts, and possibly payment of a minimum amount of a prize e.g., $500.00. The monetary spacing between various levels may be set as desired, either as an arithmetic progression or as a multiplicative progression, e.g., a substantial doubling of the prize amount at every level. Optionally, when a maximum game level is reached a jackpot or other proportionally large prize may be awarded. If the jackpot is not won in a given game, it may then roll over to a subsequent game. Alternative forms of progressive play may be utilized.
In another aspect of this invention, game play in a first game may require progression through a plurality of levels, leading to game play on a second game for those who have reached the maximum level on the first game. In one implementation, the maximum prize level in the first game may be equal to the minimum prize level in the second game.
Various modes of play are contemplated. In studio game play may be utilized with a broadcast, either live or for taped replay. Yet another mode of game play involves playing at a gaming venue, such as where other games of chance, e.g., slot machines, are played. Yet another venue may consist of game play by the player from their hotel room in a venue which allows gambling. In yet another mode of game play, a network, such as the internet, may be utilized to permit game play, whether for a monetary amount or to provide other points or indications of score. The game may be played in any venue where not prohibited, whether on land or in an airplane or ship, and may be played in any form of wired or wireless environment, such as via hand-held web enabled communication devices.
The game may be played by a single individual, or may be played with multiple players. The multiple players may play against one another, for scoring, or may merely play in parallel without further interaction.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved game of chance having a higher level of audience interest and potential participation.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide for an improved Internet game of chance.
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide for enhanced modes of game play in association with existing forms of game play.


Various machines, such as mining trucks, are known to employ drive propulsion systems to propel or retard the machine, such as a mechanical drive or an electric drive. An electric drive propulsion system, for example, generally includes an alternator, or other electrical power generator, driven by an internal combustion engine. The alternator, in turn, supplies electrical power to one or more electric drive motors connected to wheels of the machine. The motors are generally connected to the wheels by way of a final drive assembly that reduces the rotational speed of the motor. The final drive of a machine may employ one or more planetary gear sets to reduce the output speed of the propulsion system. Such planetary gear sets may be partially submerged in an oil bath for cooling and/or lubrication. At high rotational speeds, turbulence and churning created in such oil baths may contribute to the loss of energy and/or the generation of heat.
Some gear train assemblies attempt to reduce turbulence and churning by providing a stationary shroud that fits closely to the gears and fully encloses the sides and outer diameters of meshing gears. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,370 (the “'370 Patent”) teaches a shroud for enclosing several gears within a gear train. The shroud taught in the '370 Patent includes an input and output port for injection and ejection, respectively, of cooling fluid. However, a close fitting, stationary shroud may not be an effective or feasible solution for reducing turbulence created by large planetary gears that are used in the powertrain of many machines, particularly planetary gear sets having rotating carriers that are partially submerged in an oil bath.


Problems associated with fuel lubricity arose in the mid- 1960's when a number of aviation fuel pump failures occurred. After considerable research, it was realized that advances in the refining of aviation turbine fuel had resulted in the almost complete removal of the naturally occurring lubricating components from the fuel. The removal of these natural lubricants resulted in the seizure of fuel pump parts. By the mid-1980's, it seemed likely that a similar problem was imminent in diesel fuel pumps. Fuel injection pump pressures had been steadily increasing while there was also a growing concern to reduce the sulfur content of the diesel fuel. The desire to reduce the sulfur content of the diesel fuel, in an effort to reduce pollution, required the use of more rigorous fuel refining processes. It was determined that as refining processes became more stringent, the naturally occurring oxygen containing compounds and polyaromatics which contribute to diesel fuel's inherent lubricity were eliminated.
Environmental concerns have led to a need for fuels with reduced sulfur content, especially diesel fuels. However, the refining processes that are used to produce fuels with low sulfur contents also result in a product of lower viscosity and a lower content of other components in the fuel that contribute to its lubricity, for example, polycyclic aromatics and polar compounds. Furthermore, sulfur containing compounds in general are regarded as providing anti-wear properties and a result of the reduction in their proportions, together with a reduction in proportions of other components providing lubricity, has been an increase in reported failures of fuel pumps in diesel engines using low sulfur fuels.
This problem may be expected to become worse in the future because in order to meet stricter requirements on exhaust emissions, high-pressure fuel pumps are being introduced and are expected to have more stringent lubricity requirements than present equipment.
In certain types of in-line diesel injection pumps, engine oil contacts diesel fuel. Engine oil may also come into contact with the diesel fuel through direct addition of used engine oil to the fuel. Certain types of lubricity additives used in low sulfur diesel fuel have been found to contribute to fuel filter blockage and to pump plunger sticking. Lubricity additives having poor compatibility with engine oil have been shown to cause these problems. Compatibility is defined as the tendency for the diesel fuel containing the lubricity additive not to form fuel insoluble deposits, gels or heavy sticky residues when in contact with engine oil. These deposits, gels or residues have been shown to cause fuel filter blockage and injection pump sticking. The additives of the present invention are compatible with engine oil.
Mannich reaction products have been taught for use as detergent/dispersants in fuels, primarily gasoline, for years. The prior art Mannich reaction products typically contain high molecular weight alkyl groups on the hydroxyaromatic compounds. In contrast, the Mannich reaction products of the present invention are obtained from alkyl-substituted hydroxyaromatic compounds wherein the alkyl group contains from 9 to 30 carbon atoms.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,889 discloses Mannich bases useful as additives for liquid fuels to impart dispersancy, anti-icing and rust inhibiting properties. The reference fails to teach the use of said Mannich reaction products as lubricity additives in low sulfur compression ignition fuels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,759 teaches reaction products obtained from the Mannich condensation of high molecular weight alkyl-substituted hydroxy aromatic compounds, amines and aldehydes for improving the detergency of liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,436 discloses diesel fuel compositions containing a lubricity enhancing amount of a salt of an alkyl hydroxyaromatic compound and an aliphatic amine. These salts are different than the reaction products of the present invention.
While the prior art is replete with numerous treatments for fuels, it does not disclose the addition of the present additives to low sulfur compression ignition fuels or teach their use for providing enhanced lubricity to said fuels.


The present invention relates to a braid and a braiding machine, and more particularly, to a polygonal braid and a braiding machine therefor, in which a guide plate having a track capable of braiding a polygonal braid and a feed gear corresponding thereto are provided. The polygonal braid braided in a square or triangular shape can be utilized as a binding string for shoes or clothes etc because of increased binding force by a polygonal. Braids of various quality and colors may be created by using different qualities or colors of strands.
Braids are utilized in several fields, for example, as part of an electric wire or hose, as a binding string etc. A specific braid is formed on the outer circumference of the electric wire or the string and provides an elastic and relaxed covering for an interior electrc wire or a string etc. and protects the interior electric wire from being contaminated or damaged by impact, braids are often used in place of string for daily use in shoes or clothes etc., in addition to specialized uses.
A general braider is composed of a guide plate having a track on which a spool is moved, a feed gear for moving an electric spool along the track the guide plate, a driving gear for driving a plurality of feed gears and a plural number of rollers on which a braided wire is wound, etc.
FIG. 6a shows a guide plate for manufacturing a general cylindric braid and its braid. On this guide plate 100, two tracks 101, 101xe2x80x2 on a gentle circular curve line of a jig jag shape are formed, intersected with each other. As shown in FIG. 6b, on its lower part, a plurality of feed gears 102, 102xe2x80x2 are positioned beneath and aligned within the intersected curves of tracks 101, 101xe2x80x2. In such construction, the plurality of feed gears 102, 102xe2x80x2 are simultaneously rotated by a rotation of the driving gear 103, yarn from separate spools are combined within feed gears 102, 102xe2x80x2 onto the guid plate 100 which is rotated.
Therefore, a plural number of spools of yarn are rotated, repeatedly performing a rotation and a revolution centering around a center point of the guide plate 100, feeding out yarn, which are intersected with one another, rotating along the track 101, 101xe2x80x2.
On an outer circumference of the central yarn, thus, a braid based on a cylindric shape is produced by the rotation of the spool as shown in FIG. 6c.
The ordinary cylindrical braid as described above, when used as a binding of shoes, has a low frictional force due to the cylindrical shape which can result in the shoe lace coming loose.
Whan a braid is made using a single color, by prior art methods, the brain color is monotonous; when using a single color, by prior art methods, the braid color is monotonous; when using various colored braid, the braid color may appear untidy.
In order to overcome the problems presented in prior art braiding methods, the present invention teaches a braid formed in a polygonal shape such as a triangle or a square shape with each edge of each face the polygon intersecting with an edge of the adjoining face of the polygon.


Some conventional vehicles include an electrical wiring harness extending between a roof and a roof liner of the vehicle. The electrical wiring harness is attached to the roof liner using tape and also using two-piece clips. A first piece of each clip is glued to the roof liner and a second piece of each clip is taped to the electrical wiring harness and is snapped into the respective first piece.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to encoding of data to provide for robust error recovery due to data losses typically incurred during transmission or storage of signals.
2. Art Background
A number of techniques exist for reconstructing lost/damaged data due to random errors that may occur during signal transmission or storage. However, these techniques are limited at handling the loss of consecutive packets of data. Consecutive loss of packets of data is described in the art as burst error. Burst errors may result in a reconstructed signal with such a degraded quality that it is easily apparent to the end user.
Additionally, compression methodologies used to facilitate high speed communications compound the signal degradation caused by burst errors, thus adding to the degradation of the reconstructed signal. Examples of burst error loss affecting transmitted and/or stored signals is seen in high definition television (xe2x80x9cHDTVxe2x80x9d) signals, mobile telecommunication applications, as well as video storage technologies including compact disc (CD), video disk (e.g., DVD), and video cassette recorders (VCRs).
In one application, the advent of HDTV has led to television systems with a much higher resolution than the current standards proposed by the National Television Systems Committee (xe2x80x9cNTSCxe2x80x9d). Proposed HDTV signals are predominantly digital. Accordingly, when a color television signal is converted for digital use the luminance and chrominance signals can be digitized using eight bits. Digital transmission of NTSC color television so encoded requires a nominal bit rate of about two hundred and sixteen megabits per second. The transmission rate is greater for HDTV which would nominally require about 1200 megabits per second. Such high transmission rates are well beyond the bandwidths supported by current wireless standards. Accordingly, an efficient compression methodology is required.
Compression methodologies also play an important role in mobile telecommunication applications. Typically, packets of data are communicated between remote terminals in mobile telecommunication applications. The limited number of transmission channels in mobile communications requires an effective compression methodology prior to the transmission of packets. A number of compression techniques are available to facilitate high transmission rates.
Adaptive Dynamic Range Coding (xe2x80x9cADRCxe2x80x9d) and Discrete Cosine Transform (xe2x80x9cDCTxe2x80x9d) coding provide image compression techniques known in the art. Both techniques take advantage of the local correlation within an image to achieve a high compression ratio. However, an efficient compression algorithm can result in compounded error propagation because errors in an encoded signal are more prominent when subsequently decoded. This error multiplication can result in a degraded video image that is readily apparent to the user.
The present invention provides a method for compressing data by determining a central value that is greater than the minimum value and less than the maximum value of the range of data. In one embodiment, the central value is chosen to be a value that substantially reduces a decoding error in the event that the range of values is subsequently estimated. In one embodiment, the central value is the value that minimizes the expected mean square error during reconstruction when there is an error. In one embodiment, the maximum and minimum values represent intensity data for pixels of an image. In another embodiment, the compression process is Adaptive Dynamic Range Coding, and the central value is a value within the dynamic range, excluding the maximum and minimum values.


It is well recognized in the petroleum industry that boron containing compounds are desirable additives for lubricating oils. One such boron containing compound is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,224,971 to Knowles et al. which relates to intracomplexed borate esters and to lubricating compositions containing said esters. The borate esters are organo-boron compounds derived from boric acid and a bis (o-hydroxy-alkylphenyl) amine or sulfide.
Another extreme pressure lubrication composition is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,644 to Knowles et al., which relates to lubricating compositions containing amine salts of boron-containing compounds. The amine salts are formed by reaction of a hydroxy substituted amine and a trihydrocarbyl borate. The amine-borate compounds thus formed are described as useful as load carrying additives for mineral and synthetic base lubricating oils.
Boric-acid-alkylolamine reaction products and lubricating oils containing the same are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,739 to Versteeg. These amine type products are prepared by reacting equal molar proportions of diethanolamine or dipropanolamine and a long chain, 1, 2-epoxide. The intermediate reaction product thus produced is reacted with boric acid to produce the final reaction product. These compounds are added to lubricants to prevent rust formation.
Another boron ester composition is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,853 to English et al. which discloses a boron ester curing agent which consists of a cyclic ring structure containing boron, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen.
Another boron composition is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,598,855 to Cyba which relates to cyclic borates of polymeric alkanolamines formed by reacting a borylating agent with a polymeric alkanolamine. The compounds thus formed are described as additives for a wide variety of petroleum products including lubricating oils.
Currently, there are phosphorus-containing additives which provide extreme pressure, anti-wear and/or friction-reducing properties to automotive engine oils. However, with the advent of the catalytic converter, alternative additives are needed. During combustion in an automotive engine, any oil which leaks or seeps into the combustion chamber yields phosphorus deposits which poison the catalyst in the catalytic converter. As a result, there is a need for automotive engine oil additives which are phosphorus-free but provide useful extreme pressure, anti-wear, and/or friction-reducing properties to the oil.
Accordingly, it is one object of the invention to provide a phosphorus-free additive having such properties and which, upon combustion, will not adversely affect the catalyst in the automotive catalytic converter.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide boron-containing, heterocyclic compounds or derivatives thereof which have extreme pressure, anti-wear and friction-reducing properties.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a lubricating composition having extreme pressure, anti-wear and friction-reducing properties.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a lubricating composition containing extreme pressure, anti-wear, friction-reducing and corrosion prevention additives, and in addition, an anti-oxidant to prevent attack of oxidants upon metal bearings.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.


Spring retractable rule assemblies have been available commercially for many years. One of the most desirable characteristics commercial rule assemblies can possess is a relatively long blade standout. To date, as a practical matter, that standout length of most blades has rarely exceeded 7 feet or at most approximately 9 feet. Standout is generally measured by the length of the rule assembly blade that can be extended in a self-sustaining manner without the blade buckling under its own weight. An important characteristic of standout relates to the vertical bend that the blade takes in its maximum self-sustained extension. This is generally expressed in terms of the height the housing assumes from a horizontal surface when the free end of the blade is just touching the horizontal surface. The vertical height of the housing above the horizontal surface, the position at which the free end of the blade touches the horizontal surface and the vertical projection of the position of the housing onto the horizontal surface roughly define three points of a right angle triangle. The hypotenuse of the triangle represents a close approximation of the actual length of the blade extending from the housing and the horizontal leg of the triangle represents the linear horizontal extension of the blade. It is generally recognized to be desirable to maintain the ratio between the linear horizontal extension to the actual extension as near to one as possible. There always exists a need to provide a retractable rule assembly that will provide greater standout with a greater ratio of linear horizontal standout to actual standout.


The microcomputer revolution began two decades ago, but for most of that time it was required only that the system being designed comply with rather unforgiving requirements of size (on the order of a desktop) and power consumption (several dozens or hundreds of watts). The early personal computers used large numbers of discrete components, but thereafter it became commonplace to use "chip sets" which reduce the computer system to half a dozen integrated circuits each with dozens or hundreds of pins, or preassembled "mother boards", either of which leaves little or no room for optimization by the individual system designer. Thus the individual designer cannot do much in the way of reducing power consumption or changing physical size or form factor.
In more recent years, however, the marketplace has come to demand computer systems, such as personal computer systems, which run independently of AC (mains) power and which are meant to be carried from place to place and used in portable fashion. In such systems there is a renewed attention to issues of power consumption, weight, and size. One consequence of the greater attention to power consumption is the development of communications channels and protocols according to which system elements which provide and consume power are in communication with each other to permit sophisticated power management. It is desirable that the power management communications channel and protocol satisfy several requirements, for example, small pin count (so that batteries need not have too many connector pins) and undemanding protocols (so that devices can be slow if necessary). One approach is to employ a synchronous bus, that is, a bus in which data is passed with reference to a clock line. The clock line is "high" in a quiescent state, and is pulled low if a device on the bus (the "bus master") wishes to pass a bit of data on the line for reading by any or all of the devices on the bus. At a later time, the bus master raises the clock line and again pulls the line low to indicate that a subsequent bit of data is readable by any or all of the devices on the bus. In this way a message composed of many data bits is communicated across the bus.
To accommodate a range of types of bus devices with varying response times and latencies, it is desirable to define a "clock stretching" element of the protocol. According to this aspect of the protocol, any bus device, having noted that the clock line has been pulled low, can itself pull the clock line low. Indeed in the general case it is assumed that any number of bus devices may have done so. During the time that the clock line remains low, the defined behavior of the bus master is to maintain the data level on the data line. In this way, a bus device can take as long as desired to read the data value (and to prepare for the reading of subsequent data values). In colloquial terms, it can be said that the clock line remains low until the slowest of the bus devices has managed to get up to speed and to process data on the data line.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that power consumption in a microprocessor or microcontroller is monotonically (and generally linearly) related to the clock speed thereof. Thus the system designer who is attempting to maximize battery life (or to minimize power consumption) will consider a variety of measures including switching a microcontroller to a very slow clock speed, or indeed powering down the microcontroller, during times of low or zero workload. (This may be termed "putting the controller to sleep".) For example the designer of a microcontroller for a computer keyboard may actually power down the microcontroller except when a key has been pressed. If the user makes a thousand keystrokes, the microcontroller is powered up and down a thousand times.
Returning now to the above-mentioned synchronous bus with clock stretching, it may happen that the system designer chooses to have a bus device go to sleep, only to be awakened when there is activity on the bus. But a block of data transmitted on the bus may be intended for the very device that is asleep, and yet it is desired that no data be lost. The "clock stretching" aspect of the protocol may be employed to prevent such data loss. The circuitry that accomplishes the "clock stretching" cannot itself be put to sleep, of course, but must be kept functioning at all times in case data is transmitted on the bus. The clock stretching circuit cannot have any clocks running continuously. In at least one known prior art design, it is necessary that the clock stretching circuitry be served by a clock that runs continuously, at a megahertz or so. This leads to non-negligible power consumption.
A further concern is that there be minimal power leakage into any particular bus device while it is asleep.
FIG. 10 shows a typical prior art circuit that permits microcontroller 8051SL to go to sleep if desired and includes a clock stretching function. Four flip-flops ("start det", "clk hold", "busy", and "stop") are required along with several logic gates and comparators. There are many components to be assembled during manufacture and they take up space and consume power.
It would be extremely desirable to provide a "clock stretching" circuit that would permit putting a microcontroller to sleep so as to save power, such a circuit having substantially smaller component count, power consumption, and assembly cost. It would be additionally desirable to provide a level shifting circuit that isolates the bus device from the bus when the bus device is in a power saving mode, has its power removed, or is operating at a power supply voltage lower than that of the bus itself.


Developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect nearly 14% of children in the United States. Diagnostic methods for conditions such as ASD vary considerably, and even the use of “best practice” tools provides rather poor sensitivity and specificity to the conditions. Late diagnosis of developmental disabilities reduces effectiveness of treatments and often results in poor outcomes. Furthermore, treatment providers (e.g., pediatricians or other medical professionals) lack adequate tools for measuring progress in these conditions.


Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and natural killer (NK) cells perform tumour surveillance and provide a defense against viral infection and intracellular pathogens, by inducing apoptosis of virus-infected or transformed cells. A major component of this defense is the glycoprotein perforin. Upon stable conjugation of the CTL or NK cell with a target cell, perforin is released, binds calcium and assembles into aggregates of 12-18 molecules that form trans-membrane pores in the plasma membrane. This allows leakage of cell contents and the entry of secreted serine proteases (granzymes) which promote apoptosis.
Stimulation of CTL and NK cells, leading to abnormal cellular destruction, occurs in several autoimmune diseases (e.g., insulin-dependent diabetes) and in therapy-induced conditions (e.g., allograft rejection, graft-versus-host disease). In this context, small-molecule inhibitors of perforin function are of potential interest as a new class of therapeutic immunosuppressive agents.
To date, the only reported direct inhibitors of perforin function are those published by the present inventors (Lena et al, J. Med. Chem., 51(23), 7614-7624, 2008; Lyons et al, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 19, 4091-4100, 2011; Spicer et al, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 20, 1319-1336, 2012). Other reported inhibitors of perforin function are non-selective, complex natural products, primarily concanamycin A and other V-ATPase inhibitors such as bafilomycin A and prodigiosin 25-Cs that inhibit acidification. Other reported non-selective perforin inhibitors include cytochalasin D (an inhibitor of actin polymerisation), antimycin A and oligomycin A (inhibitors of cell respiration) and some protein kinase inhibitors (calphostin C, herbimycin A, staurosporine). However, such non-selective compounds display a broad spectrum of biological effects that generally make them undesirable for use in the treatment or prevention of conditions associated with aberrant perforin expression and/or activity.
In one or more aspects, the present invention may advantageously provide a class of compounds and their analogues as drugs for immunosuppressive therapies, or to at least provide a useful alternative to existing treatment modalities.


Online media services allow users to access their media on a wide range of devices, including devices owned by other people. For example, when a friend is hosting a guest, the guest may use the host's home media player to access and play music over the internet from the guest's online media account. In many circumstances a guest will remain logged in to the host's media player after accessing a particular song because the guest and friend do not want to go through the log in process again in order to have access to additional music, or because the host's media account does not contain the same type of music. This can result in the guest forgetting she was logged in or getting distracted and not paying attention to other people who may be accessing the media player. Once the guest logs in to the host's media player, any person with access to the media player may access aspects of the guest's media account unless the guest logs out. For example, the guest's purchasing account may be accessed to purchase additional media without the guest's consent, or the guest's credentials may be used to view the guest's confidential data or gain access to other online accounts belonging to the guest. Thus, conventional techniques for allowing users access to their online media content often place users at risk for significant financial, privacy, and data security concerns.


1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to cigarette lighters having a child-resistent mechanism and more specifically to lighters employing a double-button child-resistent mechanism.
2. Related art
Cigarette lighters containing piezoelectric units are very useful and have become quite prevalent in modern times. Cigarette lighters of the type described herein generally contain a lighter housing that is small enough to be held in the palm of an adult hand. The operation of piezoelectric cigarette lighters is somewhat simpler than that of the traditional flint/spark-wheel lighter. Generally, the lighter is operated by depressing an actuator button, which both activates the piezoelectric unit and acts on a fuel-release lever to release fuel. As a result, a flame is produced at a location opposite the actuator button. As is evident, this process avoids the need for operation of a spark wheel simultaneously with operation of a fuel-release button in order to generate a flame. Obviously, there is an advantage to the simplicity that is offered by piezoelectric cigarette lighters. On the other hand, in the hands of children, or others who do not know how to safely and properly operate the lighter, such lighters are as dangerous as any other spark and/or flame-producing device. Therefore, a need has been realized to equip cigarette lighters with safety features that minimize accidental or improper use by inexperienced persons, especially young children.
Many inventions have been created to address this safety-related concern. Generally, these inventions have sought to introduce safety mechanisms that disable operation of the actuator button of the lighter. As such, these lighters normally consist of a safety feature whereby the operational path of the actuator button is blocked by a latch, button, slide, or other blocking means. Proper operation of the lighter requires that the blocking means be moved out of the path of the actuator button, or other structure that might be integral with the actuator button, before a flame can be produced. Only then is the operator able to depress the actuator button and produce a flame. As such, the prior art requires additional structural members, as well as additional steps (e.g., lateral or longitudinal disengagement of a blocking means), to operate the lighter.
In some of the aforementioned cigarette lighters, the safety mechanism is passive. That is, once the safety feature is de-activated by moving the blocking member from the "locked" to the "unlocked" position, the lighter remains in the "unlocked" position, and thus is operable as a cigarette lighter with no safety feature at all. In these devices, the lighter remains in the "unlocked" position until the safety feature is activated again by manually re-engaging the safety mechanism (e.g., by manually returning the blocking means to the "locked" position).
In order to address this problem, some inventions have introduced safety mechanisms that are activated automatically after each use of the lighter. In general, this improvement has alleviated some of the fears associated with leaving the lighter in an "unlocked", operable position after the operator has finished using the lighter. Nevertheless, a disadvantage that is common to the passive, as well as the active, cigarette lighters is that their operation is usually quite cumbersome. Frequently, in order to use such cigarette lighters, the operator must use more than one finger, and sometimes more than one hand, to perform several functions simultaneously. As such, loss of ease of use is the price that is paid for any additional amount of safety that might be achieved.
Therefore, there is a need for a device that not only achieves the stated safety goals, but also is amenable to operation with relative ease. The invention described herein offers such a combination and consists of a safety button that is similar in size and physical location to the conventional activation button. The invention requires that an ignition button, located in a cavity within the safety button, be depressed simultaneously with the safety button before a flame can be produced. In this way, young children are coaxed into believing that they can operate the lighter in the usual way, i.e., by pressing only the safety button. However, such operation will produce neither a spark nor a flame. Moreover, given the relatively small size of the ignition button, operation of this button requires an amount of strength and pulp that are rarely found in the fingers of young children. At the same time, due to the placement of the ignition button, simultaneous operation of both the safety button and the ignition button requires use of only one finger, so that operation of the lighter by the intended adult user is no different from operation of a lighter with no safety mechanism at all.


Makeup cases of this type generally contain a grille over a shallow cup of makeup product of powder cake, as well as an applicator puff enclosed between the grille and the cover. These cases can only be used dry.
There are also known cases of the same type containing a moistenable sponge for moist use.