Author: claimsbot

1. A sintered reinforced material comprising:
a) an inorganic base material;
b) a plurality of carbon nanostructures incorporated into said base material and
c) carbon diffused into said inorganic base material from surface amorphous carbon particles on said nanostructures, wherein said inorganic base material with said diffused carbon and said nanostructures form the sintered reinforced material.
2. A sintered reinforced material comprising:
a) a metallic alloy base material;
b) a plurality of carbon nanostructures incorporated into said metallic alloy base material and
c) carbon diffused into said metallic alloy base material from surface amorphous carbon particles on said nanostructures, wherein said metallic alloy base material with said diffused carbon and said nanostructures form the sintered reinforced material.
3. The reinforced material of claim 2, wherein said metallic alloy base material is iron-based.
4. The sintered reinforced material of claim 1, wherein said reinforced material has grains and said nanostructures are aligned along the grains.
5. The sintered reinforced material of claim 2, wherein said reinforced material has grains and said nanostructures are aligned along the grains.
6. The sintered reinforced material of claim 3, wherein said reinforced material has grains and said nanostructures are aligned along the grains.
7. A sintered reinforced material, comprising:
a) a non-polymeric base material;
b) a plurality of carbon nanostructures incorporated into said base material; and
c) carbon diffused into said non-polymeric base material from surface amorphous carbon particles on said nanostructures, wherein said non-polymeric base material with said diffused carbon and said nanostructures form the sintered reinforced material.
8. The sintered reinforced material of claim 7, wherein said reinforced material has grains and said nanostructures are aligned along the grains.
9. The sintered reinforced material of claim 1 wherein:
said inorganic base material and said nanostructures comprise a liquid-phase-sintered reinforced material; and wherein
said inorganic base material with said diffused carbon and said nanostructures form the sintered reinforced material.
10. The sintered reinforced material of claim 2 wherein:
said metallic alloy base material and said nanostructures comprise a liquid-phase-sintered reinforced material; and wherein
said metallic alloy base material with said diffused carbon and said nanostructures form the sintered reinforced material.
11. The sintered reinforced material of claim 7 wherein:
said non-polymeric base material and said nanostructures comprise a liquid-phase-sintered reinforced material; and wherein
said non-polymeric base material with said diffused carbon and said nanostructures form the sintered reinforced material.
12. The sintered reinforced material of claim 1, wherein said reinforced material has grains and said nanostructures are aligned across the grains.
13. The sintered reinforced material of claim 2, wherein said reinforced material has grains and said nanostructures are aligned across the grains.
14. The sintered reinforced material of claim 7, wherein said reinforced material has grains and said nanostructures are aligned across the grains.
15. The sintered reinforced material of claim 3, wherein said reinforced material has grains and said nanostructures are aligned across the grains.
16. A sintered reinforced material comprising:
a) an inorganic base material; and
b) a plurality of nanostructures incorporated into said base material, said nanostructures consisting of boron wherein said inorganic base material and said nanostructures form the sintered reinforced material and wherein said reinforced material has grains and said nanostructures are aligned along the grains.
17. A sintered reinforced material comprising:
a) an inorganic base material; and
b) a plurality of nanostructures incorporated into said base material, said nanostructures consisting of boron wherein said inorganic base material and said nanostructures form the sintered reinforced material and wherein said reinforced material has grains and said nanostructures are aligned across the grains.
18. A sintered reinforced material comprising:
a) a metallic alloy base material; and
b) a plurality of nanostructures incorporated into said base material, said nanostructures consisting of boron wherein said base material and said nanostructures form the sintered reinforced material and wherein said reinforced material has grains and said nanostructures are aligned along the grains.
19. A sintered reinforced material comprising:
a) a metallic alloy base material; and
b) a plurality of nanostructures incorporated into said base material, said nanostructures consisting of boron wherein said base material and said nanostructures form the sintered reinforced material and wherein said reinforced material has grains and said nanostructures are aligned across the grains.

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 electronic switch for a device in an automotive vehicle, the electronic switch comprising:
an input pad mounted in an interior of the automotive vehicle, the input pad comprising a software programmable sensing mechanism operable to generate a plurality of control signals associated with a plurality of sensing positions of the input pad; and
a controller in communication with the input pad and the device, the controller configured to actuate a plurality of switch control functions of the device in response to the plurality of control signals.
2. The electronic switch of claim 1, wherein the sensing mechanism comprises a projected capacitive sensing unit, which allows functionality before the sensing input pad is touched.
3. The electronic switch of claim 1, wherein the input pad is operable either on or behind various materials, these materials being molded or wrapped skins of instrument panels, dashboards, door trims, center consoles, overhead consoles, seats, pillars, and the like.
4. The electronic switch of claim 1, wherein the input pad comprises a continuum of sensing positions.
5. The electronic switch of claim 1, wherein the electronic switch is mountable for optimal access by an operator.
6. The electronic switch of claim 1, wherein the electronic switch generates each of the plurality of control signals by transitory sensing detections of an object by the input pad.
7. The electronic switch of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmable such that each of the plurality of sensing positions of the input pad corresponds to a unique resultant control signal.
8. The electronic switch of claim 1, further comprising a light source so as to be visible and readable whenever surrounding light is insufficient.
9. The electronic switch of claim 8, wherein the light source is controllable by the controller to provide visual feedbacks.
10. The electronic switch of claim 9, wherein the visual feedbacks correspond to control functions that are requested, are being executed, have been executed or are un-executable.
11. The electronic switch of claim 1, further comprising a haptic feedback mechanism controllable by the controller to provide sensory feedbacks in response to predetermined switch control functions.
12. The electronic switch of claim 11, wherein the haptic feedbacks are vibrations andor mechanical clicks.
13. The electronic switch of claim 1, further comprising markings andor graphic overlays provided as indicators for corresponding control functions.
14. The electronic switch of claim 13, wherein the markings andor graphic overlays placed directly on the input pads do not interfere with the projective sensing properties of the input pads.
15. The electronic switch of claim 13, wherein the markings andor graphic overlays are engraved, indented, or printed on covering materials behind which the electronic switch is located.
16. The electronic switch of claim 13, wherein the covering materials are molded or wrapped skins of instrument panels, door trims, center consoles, overhead consoles, seats, or pillars.
17. The electronic switch of claim 1, wherein vehicle applications of the electronic switch include human machine interface (HMI) controls.
18. The electronic switch of claim 1, wherein the electronic switch is retrofitted to existing vehicle devices to replace a factory installed switch or switches.

1. An apparatus for ionizing analyte in a sample for delivery to a mass analysis device, comprising:
(a) an ionization enclosure including a passageway configured for delivery of ions to the mass analysis device;
(b) means to maintain said ionization enclosure at an ambient pressure of greater than 100 mTorr;
(c) a means for containing the sample in said ionization enclosure at said ambient pressure;
(d) a source of laser energy including means associated with said ionization enclosure for directing the laser energy onto said sample at said ambient pressure to desorb and ionize at least a portion of said analyte in the sample, and
(e) means for directing the portion into said passageway.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for containing said sample is selected from the group consisting of a matrix located on a surface, one or more wells of a multi-well microtitre plate, a microchip array, a thin layer chromatographic plate, an electrophoresis gel, and a membrane, and combinations thereof.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for containing said sample is any conventional single or multi-chambered containment article.
4. The apparatus claim 1 wherein the means for containing said sample comprises a flowing or static liquid sample.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mass analysis device is a mass spectrometer.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the laser energy is at ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS) or infrared (IR) wavelengths, or combinations thereof.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ambient pressure is about atmospheric pressure.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ambient pressure of the ionization enclosure is maintained between about +15% and \u221215% of atmospheric pressure.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ionization enclosure is maintained at a temperature between about \u221220\xb0 C. and +100\xb0 C.
10. An apparatus for mass analysis of at least one analyte in a sample, comprising:
(a) an ion source having an ionization enclosure and a mass analysis device having a mass analysis enclosure, said ionization enclosure being connected with said mass analysis enclosure through a passageway configured for delivery of ions from the ion source to the mass analysis device, said ion source including:
(1) a holder configured for maintaining a matrix containing the sample in the ionization enclosure at ambient pressure;
(2) a source of laser energy directed onto the matrix maintained by said holder at ambient pressure to desorb and ionize at least a portion of said at least one analyte in the sample;
(3) means for directing the portion into said passageway; and

(b) means to maintain said ionization enclosure at an ambient pressure greater than 100 m Torr while maintaining said mass analysis enclosure at a pressure less than about 10\u22125 Torr.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the mass analysis device is time-of-flight, ion trap, quadrupole, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance, magnetic sector, or electric sector device, or combinations thereof.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the laser energy is at ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS), or infrared (IR) wavelengths or combinations thereof.
13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the matrix is in a location selected from the group consisting of located on a surface, in one or more wells of a multi-well microtitre plate, in a microchip array, from a thin layer chromatographic plate, from an electrophoresis gel, from a membrane, and from a static or flowing liquid, or combinations thereof.
14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the ionization enclosure contains a gas selected from the group consisting of air, helium, nitrogen, argon, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.
15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the source of laser energy is selected from the group consisting of an ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS) or (IR) infrared laser.
16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the ambient pressure is atmospheric pressure.
17. Mass analysis apparatus including a matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization (MALDI) source and a mass analysis device that receives and analyzes ions from the MALDI source, wherein the improvement comprises means for maintaining the MALDI source at an ambient pressure greater than 100 mTorr during the desorption and ionization.

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. A method of supporting an optimum wiring design of a linear structure, comprising:
setting an initial shape of the linear structure;
providing a finite element model of the linear structure, the finite element model being formed as an elastic body having a plurality of combined beam elements which retain linearity;
setting a physical property and restriction conditions of the linear structure to the finite element model;
calculating a predictive shape of the finite element model which is in a physically balanced condition based on the physical property and the restriction conditions; and
outputting a calculation result of the calculating process of the predictive shape,
wherein the calculating process of the predictive shape includes:
calculating a first predictive shape in which a forced displacement destination of a first control point on the finite element model corresponding to the initial shape is set as one of the restriction conditions; and
calculating a second predictive shape in which a forced displacement destination of a second control point, which is different from the first control point, on the finite element model corresponding to the first predictive shape is set as one of the restriction conditions.
2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the calculating process of the second predictive shape is performed under the first control point is completely restricted or rotationally restricted to the forced displacement destination.
3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the calculating process of the predictive shape further includes:
calculating a third predictive shape in which a forced displacement destination of a third control point, which is different from any of the first control point and the second control point, on the finite element model corresponding to the second predictive shape is set as one of the restriction conditions.
4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first control point and the second control point are displaced gradually by a predetermined quantity at a time toward the respective forced displacement destinations.
5. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the first control point, the second control point and the third control point are displaced gradually by a predetermined quantity at a time toward the respective forced displacement destinations.
6. A supporting apparatus for supporting an optimum wiring design of a linear structure, comprising:
a first setting unit which sets an initial shape of the linear structure;
a providing unit which provides a finite element model of the linear structure, the finite element model being formed as an elastic body having a plurality of combined beam elements which retain linearity;
a second setting unit which sets a physical property and restriction conditions to the finite element model of the linear structure;
a calculating unit which calculates a predictive shape of the finite element model which is in a physically balanced condition based on the physical property and the restriction conditions; and
an outputting unit which outputs a calculation result of the calculating process of the predictive shape,
wherein the calculating unit calculates a first predictive shape in which a forced displacement destination of a first control point on the finite element model corresponding to the initial shape is set as one of the restriction conditions, and calculates a second predictive shape in which a forced displacement destination of a second control point, which is different from the first control point, on the finite element model corresponding to the first predictive shape is set as one of the restriction conditions.
7. A computer-readable recording medium for causing a computer to execute the method of supporting an optimum wiring design of a linear structure set forth in any one of claims 1 to 5.