Author: claimsbot

1. An electric parking brake device comprising:
an electric motor;
a conversion mechanism provided in a housing for converting a rotational drive force given by the electric motor into a linear drive force; and
at least one cable for transmitting the linear drive force from the conversion mechanism to at least one parking brake;
wherein the at least one parking brake is brought into a braking state when the at least one cable is drawn in a drawing direction by the operation of the electric motor in a positive-going direction, but is brought into a release state when the at least one cable is returned in a return direction by the operation of the electric motor in a reverse direction, the device further comprising:
a clutch mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the electric motor to the conversion mechanism, but for blocking the rotation transmission from the conversion mechanism toward the electric motor; and
auxiliary force applying means for conserving energy in the return direction of the at least one cable and for applying an auxiliary force depending on the energy, in the drawing direction of the at least one cable.
2. The electric parking brake device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the conversion mechanism includes a screw shaft rotatable by the electric motor, and wherein a large lead screw is formed on the external surface of the screw shaft.
3. The electric parking brake device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the maximum auxiliary force (Fsm) of the auxiliary force applying means is smaller than the maximum tension (Fbm) of the at least one cable.
4. The electric parking brake device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the auxiliary force applying means comprises an elastic member.
5. The electric parking brake device as set forth in claim 4, wherein:
the conversion mechanism includes a movable member connected to the at least one cable and movable in the moving direction of the at least one cable; and
the elastic member comprises either a compression spring or a tension spring which is arranged between the movable member and the housing.
6. The electric parking brake device as set forth in claim 5, wherein:
the at least one cable comprises a pair of cables for transmitting the linear drive force from the conversion mechanism to a pair of parking brakes including the at least one parking brake;
the conversion mechanism includes a screw shaft rotatable by the electric motor and having a large lead screw formed on the external surface thereof and a nut engaged on the large lead screw to be reciprocatively movable along the screw shaft; and
the movable member is an equalizer pivotally carried on the nut and connected to the pair of cables at opposite ends thereof.
7. The electric parking brake device as set forth in claim 2, wherein:
the auxiliary force applying means comprises a torsion spring arranged between the screw shaft and the housing for urging the screw shaft to rotate.
8. An electric parking brake device comprising:
a housing;
an electric motor mounted on the housing;
a conversion mechanism provided in the housing for converting a rotational drive force given by the electric motor into a linear drive force and including a linear motion member movable to reciprocate along a linear path upon operation of the electric motor;
an equalizer pivotably carried on the linear motion member and extending opposite end portions thereof in a direction transversal to the linear path;
a pair of cables respectively connected to the opposite end portions of the equalizer for transmitting the movement of the linear motion member to a pair of parking brakes;
wherein the parking brakes are brought into a braking state when the cables are drawn in a drawing direction by the operation of the electric motor in a positive-going direction, but is brought into a release state when the cables are returned in a return direction by the operation of the electric motor in a reverse direction, the device further comprising:
a clutch mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the electric motor to the conversion mechanism to reciprocate the linear motion member, but for blocking the rotation transmission from the conversion mechanism toward the electric motor; and
auxiliary force applying means for conserving energy in the return direction of the cables, but applying an auxiliary force depending on the energy, in the drawing direction of the cables.
9. The electric parking brake device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the conversion mechanism further includes:
a screw shaft rotatable by the electric motor and having a large lead screw formed on the external surface thereof; and
a nut engaged on the large lead screw to operate as the linear motion member;
wherein the auxiliary force applying means is arranged to urge the linear motion member in the drawing direction of the cables.
10. The electric parking brake device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the auxiliary force applying means comprises either a compression spring or a tension spring which is arranged between the equalizer and the housing.
11. The electric parking brake device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the auxiliary force applying means comprises a torsion spring arranged between the screw shaft and the housing for urging the screw shaft to rotate in the drawing direction of the cables.

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 ink jet printing apparatus that forms an image by using a print head having a plurality of ejection ports, comprising:
a wiping member that removes ink adhered around the ejection ports;
dissolving means that dissolves ink adhered to the wiping member by ejecting predetermined ink to the wiping member;
counting means that counts a number of ejections of ink ejected from the ink ejection ports; and
control means that controls the dissolving means so that a number of ejections of the predetermined ink ejected by the dissolving means in a case where the number counted by the counting means is greater than or equal to a threshold is increased to be greater than a number of ejections of the predetermined ink ejected by the dissolving means in a case where the number counted by the counting means is less than the threshold.
2. An ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined ink is ink in which viscosity does not increase easily.
3. An ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined ink is light cyan ink.
4. An ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dissolving means ejects a single or a plurality of kinds of ink from the print head to the wiping member.
5. An ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dissolving means ejects the ink from the print head to the wiping member in synchronism with a sliding motion of the wiping member on an ejection port face of the print head.
6. An ink jet printing apparatus that forms an image by using a print head having a plurality of ejection ports, comprising:
a wiping member that removes ink adhered around the ejection ports;
dissolving means that dissolves ink adhered to the wiping member by applying a predetermined liquid to the wiping member;
counting means that counts a number of ejections of ink ejected from the ink ejection ports; and
control means that changes an amount of the predetermined liquid to be applied by the dissolving means according to the ejection number counted by the counting means.
7. An ejection performance recovery device for recovering an ejection performance of a print head in an ink jet printing apparatus, wherein the ink jet printing apparatus forms an image by using a print head having a plurality of ejection ports, the ejection performance recovery device comprising:
a wiping member that removes ink adhered around the ejection ports;
dissolving means that dissolves ink adhered to the wiping member by ejecting predetermined ink to the wiping member;
counting means that counts a number of ejections of ink ejected from the ink ejection ports; and
control means that controls the dissolving means so that a number of ejections of the predetermined ink ejected by the dissolving means in a case where the number counted by the counting means is greater than or equal to a threshold is increased to be greater than a number of ejections of the predetermined ink ejected by the dissolving means in a case where the number counted by the counting means is less than the threshold.
8. An ejection performance recovery method for recovering an ejection performance of a print head in an ink jet printing apparatus, wherein the ink jet printing apparatus forms an image by using a print head having a plurality of ejection ports, the ejection performance recovery method comprising:
a wiping step of removing ink adhered around the ejection ports by using a wiping member;
a dissolving step of dissolving ink adhered to the wiping member by ejecting predetermined ink to the wiping member;
a counting step of counting a number of ejections of ink ejected from the ink ejection ports; and
a control step of controlling the dissolving step so that a number of ejections of the predetermined ink ejected in the dissolving step in a case where the number counted in the counting step is greater than or equal to a threshold is increased to be greater than a number of ejections of the predetermined ink ejected in the dissolving step in the case where the number counted in the counting step is less than the threshold.
9. An ejection performance recovery device for recovering an ejection performance of a print head in an ink jet printing apparatus, wherein the ink jet printing apparatus forms an image by using a print head having a plurality of ejection ports, the ejection performance recovery device comprising:
a wiping member that removes ink adhered around the ejection ports;
dissolving means that dissolves the ink adhered to the wiping member by applying a predetermined liquid to the wiping member;
counting means that counts a number of ejections of ink from the ink ejection ports; and
control means that changes an amount of the predetermined liquid to be applied by the dissolving means according to the ejection number counted by the counting means.
10. An ejection performance recovery method for recovering an ejection performance of a print head in an ink jet printing apparatus, wherein the ink jet printing apparatus forms an image by using a print head having a plurality of ejection ports, the ejection performance recovery method comprising:
a wiping step of removing ink adhered around the ejection ports by using a wiping member;
a dissolving step of dissolving ink adhered to the wiping member by applying a predetermined liquid to the wiping member;
a counting step of counting a number of ejections of ink ejected from the ink ejection ports; and
a control step of changing an amount of the predetermined liquid to be applied in the dissolving step according to the ejection number counted in the counting step.

That which is claimed is:

1. A method for the pumpless transfer of liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium in a carbon dioxide dry cleaning apparatus having a wash vessel, a working vessel, a vapor vessel, and a compressor, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) storing liquid carbon dioxide dry cleaning medium in said working vessel;
(b) storing a vapor comprising air and carbon dioxide as a gas under pressure in said vapor vessel;
(c) transferring a portion of said vapor from said vapor vessel to said wash vessel, by at least partially equilibrating the pressure between said vapor vessel and said wash vessel, with said wash vessel remaining at a pressure less then that of said working vessel; then
(d) transferring at least a portion of said liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said working vessel to said wash vessel by the force of a pressure differential therebetween;
(e) washing articles to be cleaned in said wash vessel while concurrently
(f) circulating at least a portion of said liquid dry cleaning medium (i) from said wash vessel to said working vessel by compressing vapor from said working vessel into said wash vessel with said compressor, and then (ii) from said working vessel back to said wash vessel by compressing vapor from said wash vessel into said working vessel with said compressor.
2. A method according to claim 1, said apparatus further having a filter, and wherein said circulating is carried out at least in part through said filter.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step (d) of transferring at least a portion of said liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium is carried out by providing a difference in elevation between said working vessel and said wash vessel.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step (d) of transferring at least a portion of said liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium is carried out by:
(i) transferring liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said working vessel to said wash vessel by the force of the pressure differential between said working vessel and said wash vessel; and then
(ii) transferring liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said working vessel to said wash vessel by compressing vapor into said working vessel with said compressor to create a pressure differential between said wash working vessel and said wash vessel, with said cleaning medium transferring in response to said pressure differential.
5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said transferring step (ii) is carried out by compressing vapor from said vapor vessel into said working vessel.
6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said transferring step (ii) is carried out by compressing vapor from said wash vessel into said working vessel.
7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step (d) of transferring at least a portion of said liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium is carried out by:
(i) compressing vapor from said vapor vessel into said wash vessel with said compressor; and then
(ii) transferring liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said working vessel to said wash vessel by compressing vapor into said working vessel with said compressor to create a pressure differential between said wash working vessel and said wash vessel, with said cleaning medium transferring in response to said pressure differential.
8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said transferring step (ii) is carried out by compressing vapor from said vapor vessel into said working vessel.
9. A method according to claim 7, wherein said transferring step (ii) is carried out by compressing vapor from said wash vessel into said working vessel.
10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said transferring step (c) is preceded by at evacuating at least a portion of the air from said wash vessel.
11. A method according to claim 1, wherein said transferring step (c) is preceded by adding carbon dioxide to said wash vessel.
12. A method according to claim 1, wherein said washing step (e) is followed by the steps of:
(f) transferring said liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said wash vessel to said working vessel by the force of a pressure differential created with said compressor; and then
(g) transferring said vapor from said wash vessel to said vapor vessel with said compressor.
13. A method according to claim 10, said apparatus further having a filter, said method further comprising the step of:
filtering said liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium through said filter between washing steps and independently of said wash vessel by the force of a pressure differential created with said compressor.
14. A method according to claim 13, said filtering step carried out by transferring said liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium between said working vessel and said vapor vessel.
15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said filtering step is carried out by (i) transferring said liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said working vessel to said vapor vessel through said filter by the force of a pressure differential created with said compressor, and then (ii) draining said liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said vapor vessel back to said working vessel.
16. A method according to claim 14, wherein said filtering step is carried out by (i) transferring said liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said working vessel to said vapor vessel through said filter by the force of a pressure differential created with said compressor, and then (ii) transferring said liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said vapor vessel back to said working vessel by the force of a pressure differential created with said compressor.
17. A method according to claim 1, wherein said cleaning apparatus contains an overpressurizing gas.
18. A method according to claim 1, wherein said circulating step (f) is cyclically repeated from 4 to 40 times during said washing step
19. A method for the pumpless transfer of liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium in a carbon dioxide dry cleaning apparatus having a wash vessel, a working vessel, a vapor vessel, a compressor and a filter, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) storing liquid carbon dioxide dry cleaning medium in said working vessel;
(b) storing a vapor comprising air and carbon dioxide as a gas under pressure in said vapor vessel;
(c) transferring a portion of said vapor from said vapor vessel to said wash vessel, by at least partially equilibrating the pressure between said vapor vessel and said wash vessel, with said wash vessel remaining at a pressure less then that of said working vessel; then
(d) transferring at least a portion of said liquid carbon dioxide cleaning medium from said working vessel to said wash vessel by the force of a pressure differential therebetween;
(e) washing articles to be cleaned in said wash vessel while concurrently
(f) circulating at least a portion of said liquid dry cleaning medium (i) from said wash vessel to said working vessel by compressing vapor from said working vessel into said wash vessel with said compressor at a flow rate of from one-quarter to two gallons per minute for each pound of articles to be cleaned in said wash vessel, and then (ii) from said working vessel back to said wash vessel by compressing vapor from said wash vessel into said working vessel with said compressor at a flow rate of from one-quarter to two gallons per minute for each pound of articles to be cleaned in said wash vessel;
and wherein said circulating is carried out at least in part through said filter;
and wherein said cleaning apparatus contains an overpressurizing gas.
20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said circulating step (f) is cyclically repeated from 4 to 40 times during said washing step

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

What is claimed is:

1. An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising a polynucleotide having a nucleotide sequence at least 95% identical to a sequence selected from the group consisting of:
(a) a nucleotide sequence encoding the MPIF-1 polypeptide having the complete amino acid sequence in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4)
(b) a nucleotide sequence encoding the mature MPIF-1 polypeptide having the amino acid sequence at positions 22-120 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4);
(c) a nucleotide sequence encoding the MPIF-1 polypeptide having the complete amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA clone contained in ATCC Deposit No. 75676;
(d) a nucleotide sequence encoding the mature MPIF-1 polypeptide having the amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA clone contained in ATCC Deposit No. 75676; and
(e) a nucleotide sequence complementary to any of the nucleotide sequences in (a), (b), (c) or (d).
2. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 wherein said polynucleotide has the complete nucleotide sequence in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4).
3. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 wherein said polynucleotide has the nucleotide sequence in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4) encoding the MPIF-1 polypeptide having the complete amino acid sequence in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4).
4. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 wherein said polynucleotide has the nucleotide sequence in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4) encoding the mature MPIF-1 polypeptide having the amino acid sequence in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4).
5. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 wherein said polynucleotide has the complete nucleotide sequence of the cDNA clone contained in ATCC Deposit No. 75676.
6. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 wherein said polynucleotide has the nucleotide sequence encoding the MPIF-1 polypeptide having the complete amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA clone contained in ATCC Deposit No. 75676.
7. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 wherein said polynucleotide has the nucleotide sequence encoding the mature MPIF-1 polypeptide having the amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA clone contained in ATCC Deposit No. 75676.
8. An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising a polynucleotide which hybridizes under stringent hybridization conditions to a polynucleotide having a nucleotide sequence identical to a nucleotide sequence in (a), (b), (c), (d) or (e) of claim 1 wherein said polynucleotide which hybridizes does not hybridize under stringent hybridization conditions to a polynucleotide having a nucleotide sequence consisting of only A residues or of only T residues.
9. An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising a polynucleotide which encodes the amino acid sequence of an epitope-bearing portion of a MPIF-1 polypeptide having an amino acid sequence in (a), (b), (c) or (d) of claim 1.
10. The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 9, which encodes an epitope-bearing portion of a MPIF-1 polypeptide selected from the group consisting of: a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 21 to about 30 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4); a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 31 to about 44 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4); a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 49 to about 55 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4); a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 59 to about 67 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4); a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 72 to about 83 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4); a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 86 to about 103 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4); and a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 110 to about 120 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4).
11. A method for making a recombinant vector comprising inserting an isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 into a vector.
12. A recombinant vector produced by the method of claim 11.
13. A method of making a recombinant host cell comprising introducing the recombinant vector of claim 12 into a host cell.
14. A recombinant host cell produced by the method of claim 13.
15. A recombinant method for producing a MPIF-1 polypeptide, comprising culturing the recombinant host cell of claim 14 under conditions such that said polypeptide is expressed and recovering said polypeptide.
16. An isolated MPIF-1 polypeptide having an amino acid sequence at least 95% identical to a sequence selected from the group consisting of:
(a) the amino acid sequence of the MPIF-1 polypeptide having the complete amino acid sequence in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4);
(b) the amino acid sequence of the mature MPIF-1 polypeptide having the amino acid sequence at positions 22-120 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4);
(c) the amino acid sequence of the MPIF-1 polypeptide having the complete amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA clone contained in ATCC Deposit No.75676;
(d) the amino acid sequence of the mature MPIF-1 polypeptide having the amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA clone contained in ATCC Deposit No. 75676; and
(e) the amino acid sequence of an epitope-bearing portion of any one of the polypeptides of (a), (b), (c), or (d).
17. An isolated polypeptide comprising an epitope-bearing portion of the MPIF-1 protein, wherein said portion is selected from the group consisting of: a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 21 to about 30 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4); a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 31 to about 44 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4); a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 49 to about 55 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4);a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 59 to about 67 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4);a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 72 to about 83 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4);a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 86 to about 103 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4); and a polypeptide comprising amino acid residues from about 110 to about 120 in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:4).
18. An isolated antibody that binds specifically to a MPIF-1 polypeptide of claim 16.
19. A method of myeloprotection comprising adminstering an effective amount of the polypeptide as claimed in claim 16 to a patient undergoing chemotherapy.
20. A method of ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells comprising contacting bone marrow with an effective amount of the polypeptide of claim 16 to improve colony formation.
21. A method of inhibiting proliferation of leukemia cells comprising administering to said cells an effective amount of the polypeptide of claim 16.
22. A method of inducing monocytes to secrete tumor inhibiting agents comprising contacting said cells with an effective amount of the polypeptide of claim 16.
23. A method of protecting LPP-CFC cells comprising contacting said cells with an effective amount of the polypeptide of claim 16.