Author: claimsbot

1. A refrigerator, comprising:
a main body provided with a storage chamber;
a door to open and close the storage chamber;
a dispenser installed on the door; and
a switch module to operate the dispenser,
wherein the switch module comprises:
a push button having a front surface thereof disposed in a vertical direction and moving forwards and backwards by external force, and
a link assembly allowing an upper portion and a lower portion of the push button to simultaneously move forwards and backwards while maintaining the front surface of the push button to be in a vertical direction during the forward and backward movement of the push button.
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a switch pressed by the push button.
3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the push button includes a pressure part protruding backwardly from the rear surface of the push button, and the switch includes a switching protrusion protruding forwardly such that pressure is applied to the switching protrusion by the pressure part.
4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the link assembly includes an upper link provided with a front end rotatably installed on the upper portion of the rear surface of the push button, a lower link provided with a front end rotatably installed on the lower portion of the rear surface of the push button, and an interlock link provided with an upper end rotatably installed on a rear end of the upper link and a lower end rotatably installed on a rear end of the lower link.
5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the upper link includes a pair of upper link parts provided with front ends rotatably installed at both sides of the upper portion of the rear surface of the push button and an upper connection shaft interconnecting the pair of upper link parts, the lower link includes a pair of lower link parts provided with front ends rotatably installed at both sides of the lower portion of the rear surface of the push button and a lower connection shaft interconnecting the pair of lower link parts, and the interlock link includes a pair of interlock link parts provided with upper ends rotatably installed on rear ends of the two upper link parts and the lower ends rotatably installed on rear ends of the two lower link parts and an interlock connection shaft interconnecting the pair of the interlock link parts.
6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the switch module further includes a switch case provided with a front surface on which the push button is arranged,
wherein the upper connection shaft and lower connection shaft are rotatably installed in the switch case.
7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the pair of upper link parts and the pair of lower link parts are formed in a V shape respectively, and
both ends of the upper connection shaft are connected to the centers of the pair of the upper link parts, and
both ends of the lower connection shaft are connected to the centers of the pair of the lower link parts.
8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the switch module further includes a restoring spring to elastically support the push button moved forwards.
9. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the switch module further includes first buffering members to elastically support the rear surface of the push button moved backwards.
10. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the switch module further includes second buffering members installed opposite to the upper ends of the interlock link parts to elastically support the upper end of the interlock link moved upwards.
11. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the switch module further includes a pair of light sources to inclinedly irradiate light towards both sides in a forward direction.
12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the push button includes a transparent member made of a transparent material to transmit the light irradiated from the light sources, and an opaque member made of an opaque material and covering a front surface of the transparent member.
13. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the switch module further includes a switch case provided with a front surface on which the push button is arranged, the dispenser includes a dispenser case provided with a discharge part formed at a lower portion thereof, and the switch case is arranged on a rear surface of the discharge part.
14. The refrigerator according to claim 13, wherein the switch case is formed integrally with the discharge part.
15. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the switch module further includes a switch case provided with a front surface on which the push button is arranged, the one door includes a discharge part formed by depressing a part of a front surface thereof, and the switch case is arranged on the front surface of the door forming the discharge part.
16. The refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein the switch case is formed integrally with the front surface of the door.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

I claim:

1. A reloading system for placing an array of pipette tips in an empty pipette holder, the pipette tips each having a lower tapered tip end and an upper mounting sleeve and the pipette holder having a generally flat support surface provided with an array of openings adapted to receive and hold the array of tips in a tip support position, said system comprising:
a transfer tray having an array of apertures arranged to align with the array of openings in the pipette holder, each of the apertures having a peripheral edge portion adapted to hold a pipette tip by its mounting sleeve with the tip end extending downwardly from the underside of the transfer tray; and,
a push plate adapted to overlie the transfer tray and to engage the mounting sleeves of the tips and push the same through the apertures, separated completely from the transfer tray and into the tip support position on the pipette holder.
2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the transfer tray has a flat upper surface, and the apertures are sized to support the pipette tip mounting sleeves at their lower edges.
3. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the transfer tray has a main body portion of generally uniform thickness, said apertures are formed in said main body portion, and the peripheral edge portions of the apertures comprise a plurality of flexible lips extending radially inwardly from the edges of the apertures.
4. The system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said flexible lips are substantially thinner than the thickness of said main body portion.
5. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the main body portion of said transfer tray has a generally flat underside and said flexible lips are generally coplanar with said flat underside.
6. The system as set forth in claim 3 comprising three flexible lips for each aperture, said lips positioned equally spaced around the aperture.
7. The system as set forth in claim 1 including a support structure depending downwardly from the underside of the transfer tray and engageable with the flat support surface of the pipette holder to hold the tips above the support position with the tip ends extending into the pipette holder openings.
8. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein the radially inner edges of the lips comprise circular arcs defining a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the openings in the pipette holder.
9. The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said support structure comprises a plurality of legs extending generally perpendicular to the transfer tray and positioned between adjacent apertures.
10. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the push plate comprises an upper body having a generally planar undersurface and an array of fingers extending downwardly from the undersurface arranged to align with and extend into the mounting sleeves of the tips
11. The system as set forth in claim 10 wherein each of said fingers comprises a tapered distal end sized to extend into the mounting sleeve of a tip, and a generally cylindrical proximal end sized to pass through a transfer tray aperture and forming at the juncture with the distal end a shoulder adapted to engage the upper edge of the pipette tip mounting sleeve.
12. A method of reloading a pipette tip holder of the type having a generally flat support surface provided with an array of openings adapted to receive and hold an array of tips in a tip support position with the ends pointing downwardly, said method comprising the steps of:
(1) supporting the array of tips in an array of apertures on a transfer device, said apertures arranged to align with the array of openings in the pipette tip holder;
(2) positioning the transfer device and the array of tips supported thereon over the holder with the tip ends extending into the openings; and,
(3) pushing the tips downwardly through the transfer device and into the tip support position on the tip holder.
13. The method as set forth in claim 12 wherein the pipette tips are of the type having a tapered tip end and an upper mounting sleeve defining a shoulder with the tip end and wherein said supporting step comprises engaging the shoulders of the mounting sleeves of the tips on the peripheries of the apertures in the transfer device.
14. The method as set forth in claim 12 wherein said transfer device comprises a generally flat upper body containing said apertures and a support structure depending downwardly from the body, and wherein said positioning step comprises engaging the flat support surface of the holder with said support structure.
15. The method as set forth in claim 12 wherein said pushing step comprises the steps of:
(1) placing a push plate on top of the tip mounting sleeves in the transfer device; and,
(2) pushing the push plate downwardly to simultaneously push all the tips through the transfer device.
16. The method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the step of placing the push plate on top of the tip mounting sleeves in the transfer device is preformed prior to said positioning step.
17. A method for reloading an empty pipette tip holder with an array of pipette tips, the pipette tips each having a lower tapered tip end and an upper mounting sleeve and the pipette tip holder having a generally flat support surface provided with an array of openings adapted to receive and loosely hold the array of tips in a tip support position, said method comprising the steps of:
(1) providing a transfer tray having a generally flat body with an array of apertures arranged to align with the array of openings in the holder;
(2) forming each of the apertures with a flexible peripheral edge portion sized to hold a pipette tip by its mounting sleeve with the tip end extending downwardly from the underside of the transfer tray body;
(3) engaging the mounting sleeves of the tips with a push plate having a plurality of downwardly depending protrusions corresponding to and alignable with the pipette tips in the transfer tray; and,
(4) pushing the tips with the push plate through the apertures, past the edge portions and free of the transfer tray into the tip support position on the pipette holder.
18. The method as set forth in claim 17 comprising, prior to the pushing step, the step of holding the pipette tips above the support position with a support structure depending downwardly from the underside of the transfer tray and in engagement with the flat support surface of the pipette holder.
19. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the holding step comprises supporting the pipette tips in the transfer tray with the tip ends extending downwardly past the support structure.

1. A seal equipped bearing assembly including a plurality of rolling elements interposed between opposite raceway surfaces defined in respective raceway rings and a sealing member for sealing a bearing space delimited between the raceway rings referred to above, in which the sealing member is a contact seal, which has a base end secured to one of raceway rings and also has a sealing lip held in sliding contact with the other of the raceway rings, and in that a gap formation facilitating element is defined in a seal contact face of such other of the raceway rings, with which the sealing lip contacts, the gap formation facilitating element being, when used under a condition of the bearing assembly being rotated, operable to render the sealing member to be a non-contact seal or to contact so lightly that the contact pressure can assume zero.
2. The seal equipped bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the raceway ring having the seal contact face is a rotatable raceway ring and a seal groove is defined in the rotatable raceway ring, this seal groove having an inner surface which defines the seal contact face.
3. The seal equipped bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the gap formation facilitating element is a minute projection provided in a circumferential portion of a sealing face in the raceway ring, with which the sealing lip contacts.
4. The seal equipped bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the gap formation facilitating element is a high friction paint applied area provided in a sealing face in the raceway ring, with which the sealing lip contacts.
5. The seal equipped bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the sealing member is provided with a suction preventing device for preventing the sealing member from being sucked onto such other of the raceway rings.
6. The seal equipped bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the sealing lip is provided with a slit communicated inside and outside of the sealing lip.
7. The seal equipped bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the seal contact face is an inclined face inclined relative to a radial direction of the raceway rings and the sealing lip is shaped to represent a shape allowing the sealing lip to be engaged in an axial direction with the seal contact face, defined by this inclined face.
8. The seal equipped bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the sealing lip is shaped to represent a shape allowing the sealing lip to be engaged in a radial direction with the seal contact face.
9. The seal equipped bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, which is a bearing assembly for use in an automobile transmission for supporting a drive transmitting shaft in the automobile transmission.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. An information processing system capable of communicating with an external apparatus via a network,
the information processing system capable of operating in at least three operation modes including: a first mode; a second mode, which consumes less power than the first mode; and a third mode, which consumes less power than the second mode and where the communication via the network is not performed,
the information processing system comprising:
a mode control section configured to, when the information processing system operates in the third mode, shift the operation mode to the second mode periodically or in accordance with a predetermined time schedule; and
a second mode processing section configured to perform a communication process via the network as information processing in the second mode.
2. An information processing system capable of communicating with an external apparatus via a network,
the information processing system capable of operating in at least three operation modes including: (a) a first mode, where at least a first processing unit configured to execute an application in accordance with an operation of a user starts;
(b) a second mode, which consumes less power than the first mode and where the first processing unit does not start, and a second processing unit configured to automatically perform a communication process via the network starts; and (c) a third mode, where the first processing unit and the second processing unit do not start, and a power source control unit configured to measure time and control the start of the second processing unit based on the measured time starts,
the information processing system comprising:
a mode control section configured to, when the information processing system operates in the third mode, shift the operation mode to the second mode periodically or in accordance with a predetermined time schedule; and
a second mode processing section configured to cause the second processing unit to perform a communication process via the network as information processing in the second mode.
3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
in accordance with the fact that the information processing has ended in the second mode, the mode control section shifts the operation mode to the third mode.
4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
the first mode is a mode where software can be executed in accordance with an instruction from the user,
the second mode is a mode where, as the information processing,
software can be added andor updated using data acquired from the external apparatus via the network, and
the third mode is a mode where the software is not executed, added, or updated.
5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
in the second mode, the second mode processing section acquires, via the network, data for updating andor adding software executable by the information processing system.
6. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising an application information storage section configured to store application information indicating an application executable by the information processing system, wherein
the second mode processing section acquires data regarding the application indicated by the application information.
7. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
in the second mode, the second mode processing section performs information processing for acquiring a new application from the external apparatus via the network and installing the acquired new application.
8. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
in the initial second mode after an end of the first mode, the second mode processing section performs at least a predetermined setting process, and in the second mode after the setting process has been completed, the second mode processing section performs information processing related to the setting process.
9. The information processing system according to claim 8, wherein
based on a processing result of the setting process, the second mode processing section performs an operation in the second mode after the setting process has been completed.
10. The information processing system according to claim 8, wherein
the second mode processing section performs as the setting process a process of acquiring information to be used in the information processing to be performed in the second mode after the setting process has been completed.
11. The information processing system according to claim 8, wherein
if, in the initial second mode after the end of the first mode, it has been determined that the information processing cannot be performed based on the processing result of the setting process, the second mode processing section performs the setting process again in the next second mode.
12. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
the mode control section shifts the operation mode of the information processing system from the first mode to the third mode, and then shifts the operation mode from the third mode to the second mode periodically or in accordance with a predetermined time schedule.
13. The information processing system according to claim 12, wherein
the mode control section sets a time interval between the end of the first mode and the shift to the initial second mode to be shorter than a time interval between the second mode and the next second mode.
14. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
based on an instruction given by the user in the first mode before the operation mode shifts to the third mode, the mode control section determines timing of shifting to the second mode when the information processing system operates in the third mode.
15. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
in the second mode, the second mode processing section acquires, via the network, shift time information indicating a time when the operation mode shifts to the second mode next, and
after the shift time information has been acquired, the mode control section determines based on the shift time information a time when the third mode shifts to the second mode next.
16. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage device control section configured to, in the second mode, determine based on a storage content, acquired in advance, of a storage device accessible by the information processing system whether or not to start the storage device.
17. The information processing system according to claim 16, wherein
the information processing system is allowed to be connected to an additional storage device, and
in the second mode, the storage device control section determines based on a storage content of the additional storage device acquired in advance whether or not to start the additional storage device.
18. The information processing system according to claim 17, wherein
in the initial second mode after the end of the first mode, the second mode processing section acquires the storage content of the additional storage device.
19. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
the information processing system is allowed to be connected to an additional device, and
the second mode processing section acquires data from the external apparatus via the network and determines whether or not it is necessary to access the additional device for a process regarding the acquired data,
the information processing system further comprising an additional device control section configured to, based on a result of the determination of whether or not it is necessary to access the additional device, determine whether or not to start the additional device.
20. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising an application execution section configured to, in the first mode, execute an application in accordance with an instruction from the user, wherein
the second mode processing section, if a predetermined condition has been satisfied in the first mode, performs the information processing, and at least if the application is being executed, performs the information processing in a background.
21. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
in accordance with the fact that a predetermined condition has been satisfied in the second mode, the mode control section shifts the operation mode of the information processing system to the first mode, and
if the operation mode has shifted to the first mode while the information processing in the second mode was being performed, the second mode processing section continuously performs in the first mode the information processing that was being performed.
22. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
in the second mode, the second mode processing section is allowed to perform a first process and a second process in parallel, and
the second mode processing section repeatedly performs the second process in the second mode and ends the second mode at least under the condition that the first process has been completed.
23. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
in the third mode, in accordance with the fact that a predetermined condition different from a condition for shifting to the second mode has been satisfied, the mode control section shifts the operation mode to the first mode.
24. The information processing system according to claim 23, wherein
in the third mode, under the condition that predetermined timing that periodically arrives or timing based on a predetermined time schedule has come, the mode control section shifts the operation mode to the second mode, and under the condition that a start instruction has been given by the user, the mode control section shifts the operation mode to the first mode.
25. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein
the mode control section includes a first processing circuit, which is a circuit capable of measuring time and operates in the third mode,
the second mode processing section further includes a second processing circuit, which is a circuit for performing the information processing in the second mode, operates in the second mode, and does not operate in the third mode,
if the processing in the second mode has been completed, the second processing circuit notifies the first processing circuit of time information for shifting to the second mode next, and halts, and
in the third mode, if the measured time has reached a time indicated by the time information notified by the second processing circuit, the first processing circuit starts the second processing circuit, thereby shifting from the third mode to the second mode.
26. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:
a cooling fan configured to cool an information processing section in the information processing system; and
a fan control section configured to, in the second mode, drive the cooling fan at a lower rotation speed than in the first mode.
27. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a timer circuit configured to operate in the third mode and capable of measuring time, wherein
the mode control section manages the time schedule using the timer circuit.
28. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a mode display section configured to display at least the second mode and the third mode so as to be distinguishable from each other.
29. An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an external apparatus via a network,
the information processing apparatus capable of operating in at least three operation modes including: a first mode; a second mode, which consumes less power than the first mode; and a third mode, which consumes less power than the second mode and where the communication via the network is not performed,
the information processing apparatus comprising:
a mode control section configured to, when the information processing apparatus operates in the third mode, shift the operation mode to the second mode periodically or in accordance with a predetermined time schedule; and
a second mode processing section configured to perform a communication process via the network as information processing in the second mode.
30. An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an external apparatus via a network,
the information processing apparatus capable of operating in at least three operation modes including: (a) a first mode, where at least a first processing unit configured to execute an application in accordance with an operation of a user starts; (b) a second mode, which consumes less power than the first mode and where the first processing unit does not start, and a second processing unit configured to automatically perform a communication process via the network starts; and (c) a third mode, where the first processing unit and the second processing unit do not start, and a power source control unit configured to measure time and control the start of the second processing unit based on the measured time starts,
the information processing apparatus comprising:
a mode control section configured to, when the information processing apparatus operates in the third mode, shift the operation mode to the second mode periodically or in accordance with a predetermined time schedule; and
a second mode processing section configured to cause the second processing unit to perform a communication process via the network as information processing in the second mode.
31. An information processing program to be executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an external apparatus via a network,
the information processing apparatus capable of operating in at least three operation modes including: a first mode; a second mode, which consumes less power than the first mode; and a third mode, which consumes less power than the second mode and where the communication via the network is not performed,
the information processing program causing the computer to function as:
mode control means for, when the information processing apparatus operates in the third mode, controlling the operation mode to shift to the second mode periodically or in accordance with a predetermined time schedule; and
second mode processing means for performing a communication process via the network as information processing in the second mode.
32. An information processing program to be executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an external apparatus via a network,
the information processing apparatus capable of operating in at least three operation modes including: (a) a first mode, where at least a first processing unit configured to execute an application in accordance with an operation of a user starts; (b) a second mode, which consumes less power than the first mode and where the first processing unit does not start, and a second processing unit configured to automatically perform a communication process via the network starts; and (c) a third mode, where the first processing unit and the second processing unit do not start, and a power source control unit configured to measure time and control the start of the second processing unit based on the measured time starts,
the information processing program causing the computer to function as:
mode control means for, when the information processing apparatus operates in the third mode, shifting the operation mode to the second mode periodically or in accordance with a predetermined time schedule; and
second mode processing means for causing the second processing unit to perform a communication process via the network as information processing in the second mode.
33. A method of controlling an operation mode to be performed in an information processing system capable of communicating with an external apparatus via a network,
the information processing system capable of operating in at least three operation modes including: a first mode; a second mode, which consumes less power than the first mode; and a third mode, which consumes less power than the second mode and where the communication via the network is not performed,
the information processing system comprising:
a mode control step of, when the information processing system operates in the third mode, shifting the operation mode to the second mode periodically or in accordance with a predetermined time schedule; and
a second mode processing step of performing a communication process via the network as information processing in the second mode.
34. A method of controlling an operation mode to be performed in an information processing system capable of communicating with an external apparatus via a network,
the information processing system capable of operating in at least three operation modes including: (a) a first mode, where at least a first processing unit configured to execute an application in accordance with an operation of a user starts; (b) a second mode, which consumes less power than the first mode and where the first processing unit does not start, and a second processing unit configured to automatically perform a communication process via the network starts; and (c) a third mode, where the first processing unit and the second processing unit do not start, and a power source control unit configured to measure time and control the start of the second processing unit based on the measured time starts,
the information processing system comprising:
a mode control step of, when the information processing system operates in the third mode, shifting the operation mode to the second mode periodically or in accordance with a predetermined time schedule; and
a second mode processing step of causing the second processing unit to perform a communication process via the network as information processing in the second mode.