All The Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An aqueous based nanoparticulate dispersion of silver carboxylate particles having on the surface of said particles a surface modifier which is a nonionic oligomeric surfactant based on vinyl polymer with an amido function.
2. A dispersion according to claim 1 wherein said dispersion also contains about 1-20% by weight of carboxylic acid by weight of silver carboxylate.
3. A dispersion according to claim 1 wherein said silver carboxylate is a silver salt of a long chain fatty acid.
4. A dispersion according to claim 3 said silver salt is a salt of a long chain fatty acid containing 8 to 30 carbon atoms.
5. A dispersion according to claim 3 wherein said silver carboxylate is silver behenate.
6. A dispersion according to claim 1 wherein said surface modifier is acrylamide, methacrylamide or a derivative thereof.
7. A dispersion according to claim 6 wherein said surface modifier is dodecylthiopolyacrylamide.
8. An aqueous based oxidation-reduction imaging forming composition comprising (i) a nanoparticulate dispersion of silver carboxylate particles having on the surface of the particles a surface modifier which is a nonionic oligomeric surfactant based on vinyl polymer with an amido function and (ii) an organic reducing agent.
9. An oxidation-reduction imaging forming composition according to claim 1 wherein said dispersion also contains about 1-20% by weight of carboxylic acid by weight of silver carboxylate.
10. An oxidation-reduction imaging forming composition according to claim 9 wherein said silver carboxylate is a silver salt of a long chain fatty acid.
11. An oxidation-reduction imaging forming composition according to claim 10 said silver salt is a salt of a long chain fatty acid containing 8 to 30 carbon atoms.
12. An oxidation-reduction imaging forming composition according to claim 11 wherein said silver carboxylate is silver behenate.
13. An oxidation-reduction imaging forming composition according to claim 9 wherein said surface modifier is acrylamide, methacryalmide or a derivative thereof.
14. An oxidation-reduction imaging forming composition according to claim 11 wherein said surface modifier is dodecylthiopolyacrylamide.
15. A thermographic element comprising a support having thereon an imaging layer comprising an aqueous based oxidation-reduction imaging forming composition comprising (i) a nanoparticulate dispersion of silver carboxylate particles having on the surface of the particles a surface modifier which is a which is a nonionic oligomeric surfactant based on vinyl polymer with an amido function and (ii) an organic reducing agent.
16. A thermographic element according to claim 16 wherein said dispersion also contains about 1-20% by weight of carboxylic acid by weight of silver carboxylate.
17. An aqueous based photothermographic composition comprising a) a photosensitive silver halide emulsion containing a peptizer and b) an oxidation-reduction imaging forming composition comprising (i) a nanoparticulate dispersion of silver carboxylate particles having on the surface of the particles a surface modifier which is a nonionic oligomeric surfactant based on a vinyl polymer with an amido function and (ii) an organic reducing agent.
18. A photothermographic composition according to claim 17 wherein said dispersion also contains about 1-20% by weight of carboxylic acid by weight of silver carboxylate.
19. A photothermographic composition according to claim 17 wherein said silver carboxylate is a silver salt of a long chain fatty acid.
20. A photothermographic composition according to claim 19 said silver salt is a salt of a long chain fatty acid containing 8 to 30 carbon atoms.
21. A photothermographic composition according to claim 20 wherein said silver carboxylate is silver behenate.
22. A photothermographic composition according to claim 17 wherein said surface modifier is acrylamide, methacrylamide or a derivative thereof.
23. A photothermographic composition according to claim 17 wherein said surface modifier is dodecylthiopolyacrylamide.
24. A photothermographic element comprising a support having thereon an aqueous photothermographic composition comprising a) a photosensitive silver halide emulsion containing a peptizer and b) an oxidation-reduction imaging forming composition comprising (i) a nanoparticulate dispersion of silver carboxylate particles having on the surface of the particles a surface modifier which is a nonionic oligomeric surfactant based on a vinyl polymer with an amido function and (ii) an organic reducing agent.
25. A photothermographic element according to claim 24 wherein said dispersion also contains about 1-20% by weight of carboxylic acid by weight of silver carboxylate.
26. A photothermographic element according to claim 24 wherein said silver carboxylate is a silver salt of a long chain fatty acid.
27. A photothermographic element according to claim 26 said silver salt is a salt of a long chain fatty acid containing 8 to 30 carbon atoms.
28. A photothermographic element according to claim 27 wherein said silver carboxylate is silver behenate.
24. A photothermographic element according to claim 20 wherein said surface modifier is acrylamide, methacrylamide or a derivative thereof.
25. A photothermographic element according to claim 24 wherein said surface modifier is dodecylthiopolyacrylamide.
26. A photothermographic element according to claim 24 further comprising a protective layer.
27. A controlled precipitation method of making nanoparticulate silver carboxylate particles having on the surface of the particles surface modifier which is a nonionic oligomeric surfactant based on a vinyl polymer with an amido function, said method comprising the steps of:
d) introducing said surface modifier, water and carboxylic acid into a vessel;
e) solubilizing said carboxylic acid by introducing a basic salt;
f) introducing a water soluble silver salt so as to precipitate said silver carboxylate particles;
recovering said particles.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claims which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. An apparatus for forming a sheet metal blank into a pot including a bottom, a wall and a drawn edge, said apparatus comprising:
a punch with a bottom forming area forming the bottom and a wall forming area forming the wall;
an annular blank holder surrounding said punch and having a supporting surface for placing the drawn edge;
an inner die with a bottom forming area;
an outer die with a wall forming area and a clamping area for gripping the drawn edge and for pressing the drawn edge against the supporting surface of said annular blank holder; and
a drive respectively associated with at least two parts including the punch, the annular blank holder, the inner die and the outer die, all of which are involved in a drawing process, wherein said drive moves said at least two parts simultaneously with different respective speeds in the drawing direction during a specific phase of the forming.
2. An apparatus for forming a sheet metal blank into a pot including a bottom, a wall and a drawn edge, said apparatus comprising:
a punch with a bottom forming area forming the bottom and a wall forming area forming the wall;
an annular blank holder surrounding said punch and having a supporting surface for placing the drawn edge;
an inner die with a bottom forming area;
an outer die with a wall forming area and a clamping area for gripping the drawn edge and for pressing the drawn edge against the supporting surface of said annular blank holder; and
a drive respectively associated with at least two parts including the punch, the annular blank holder, the inner die and the outer die, all of which are involved in a drawing process, wherein said drive moves said at least two parts simultaneously with different respective speeds in the drawing direction during a specific phase of the forming, wherein said drive is respectively associated with the inner die, and the outer die and the annular blank holder, in which the inner die overtakes the outer die in a first phase, and the outer die overtakes the inner die in a subsequent phase.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said drive is respectively associated with the inner die, and the outer die and the annular blank holder, in which the outer die overtakes the inner die in a first phase, and the inner die overtakes the outer die in a subsequent phase.
4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said annular blank holder, said outer die and said punch are movable by the drive in a drawing direction.
5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said wall forming area of the punch extends conically towards the bottom forming area of the punch.
6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said wall forming area of the outer die tapers in the drawing direction.
7. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said apparatus includes a plurality of drawing stations which together form an installation.
8. A method for forming a sheet metal blank into a pot with a bottom, a wall, and a drawn edge by using a drawing apparatus, including:
a punch with a bottom forming area forming the bottom and a wall forming area forming the wall;
an annular blank holder surrounding said punch and having a supporting surface for placing the drawn edge;
an inner die with a bottom forming area; and
an outer die with a wall forming area and a clamping area for gripping the drawn edge and for pressing the drawn edge against the supporting surface of said annular blank holder, the method comprising the steps of:
placing a sheet metal blank or a pre-shaped workpiece produced therefrom inside said drawing apparatus;
moving the inner die, the outer die, and the annular blank holder in the drawing direction together with a clamped sheet metal blank or with a clamped pre-shaped workpiece during a first forming phase; and
moving the inner die to overtake the outer die during a phase of a forming process.
9. A method for forming a sheet metal blank into a pot with a bottom, a wall, and a drawn edge by using a drawing apparatus, including:
a punch with a bottom forming area forming the bottom and a wall forming area forming the wall;
an annular blank holder surrounding said punch and having a supporting surface for placing the drawn edge;
an inner die with a bottom forming area; and
an outer die with a wall forming area and a clamping area for gripping the drawn edge and for pressing the drawn edge against the supporting surface of said annular blank holder, the method comprising the steps of:
placing a sheet metal blank or a pre-shaped workpiece produced therefrom inside said drawing apparatus;
moving the inner die, the outer die, and the annular blank holder in the drawing direction together with a clamped sheet metal blank or with a clamped pre-shaped workpiece during a first forming phase; and
moving the outer die to overtake the inner die, as the inner die maintains a non-zero velocity, during a phase of a forming process.
10. The method according to claim 8, including the further steps of:
moving said inner die and said outer die in the same direction at equal velocity during an initial phase;
moving said inner die and said outer die in the same direction during a middle phase, but the inner die travels at higher velocity than the outer die; and
keeping the inner die stationary in an final phase, while the outer die continues to move at constant velocity.
11. The method according to claim 9, including the further steps of:
moving said inner die and said outer die in the same direction at equal velocity during an initial phase;
moving said inner die and said outer die in the same direction during a middle phase, but the inner die travels at higher velocity than the outer die; and
keeping the inner die stationary in an final phase, while the outer die continues to move at constant velocity.

1. A method for manufacturing lighting devices comprising at least one lighting module, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of lighting modules, wherein each lighting module comprises a first set of contacts placed at a first end of said lighting module and a second set of contacts placed in corresponding positions at a second end of said lighting module;
connecting together a plurality of said lighting modules for forming a series of lighting modules, wherein each lighting module is connected to the next lighting module by means of interconnection elements which connect the first set of contacts of each lighting module to the second set of contacts of the next lighting module; and
cutting said series of lighting modules into lighting devices comprising at least one lighting module, wherein the interconnection elements of the last lighting module of each lighting device are cut along their transverse axes,
wherein said interconnection elements comprise a base plate and a hollow portion in order to form female connectors when said interconnection elements are cut along their transverse axis.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the application of a protective material to said series of lighting modules before said series is cut in lighting devices comprising at least one lighting module.
3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said protective material is applied to said series of lighting modules by a potting, coating or co-extrusion process.
4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said protective material is a transparent material, such as silicone, PVC, or polyurethane.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said interconnection element has a cup shape with wings.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said interconnection element has a tubular shape.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said interconnection element is symmetrical with respect to a transverse plane of symmetry.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lighting modules are LED modules comprising at least one light emitting diode.
9. A lighting device comprising a plurality of lighting modules,
wherein each lighting module comprises a first set of contacts placed at a first end of said lighting module and a second set of contacts placed in corresponding positions at a second end of said lighting module,
wherein said lighting modules are connected in series, each lighting module being connected to the next lighting module by interconnecting elements which connect the first set of contacts of each lighting module to the second set of contacts of the next lighting module, and
wherein each interconnecting element comprises a base plate and a hollow portion, and the last lighting module of said lighting device comprises interconnecting elements which have been cut along their transverse axes to form female connectors.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claims which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method performed by a base station of a cellular network, the base station serving pluralities of same-cell terminals and neighboring-cell terminals, and the cellular network including neighboring-cell base stations that serve respective pluralities of same-cell terminals and neighboring-cell terminals, the method comprising:
selecting a same-cell and one or more neighboring cells within the cellular network, the same-cell and one or more neighboring cells comprising a truncated network;
obtaining a plurality of slow-fading coefficients, each of the plurality of slow-fading coefficients being associated with channel state information for communication within the truncated network between a neighboring-cell base station and one of the respective same-cell terminals or neighboring-cell terminals; and
generating a set of slow-fading precoding coefficients for transmitting signals within the truncated network to same-cell terminals and neighboring-cell terminals based on the plurality of slow-fading coefficients.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the same-cell and the one or more neighboring cells are selected by a neighboring-cell base station to comprise a neighboring truncated network that intersects with the truncated network.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the set of slow-fading precoding coefficients comprises determining optimized slow-fading precoding coefficients.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein each optimized slow-fading precoding coefficient is determined based on one of maximizing a minimum signal to interference and noise ratio, maximizing a sum of data transmission rates, or maximizing a sum of logarithms of data transmission rates for transmitting a signal to same-cell terminals and other-cell terminals.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the set of slow-fading precoding coefficients includes performing an iterative function, wherein the iterative function is terminated based on a precision control threshold.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the iterative function includes a quasi-convex optimization algorithm.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data signals intended for one or more of the same-cell terminals and neighboring-cell terminals located within the truncated network.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the base station comprises a central hub of the truncated network.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
obtaining pilot signals from the pluralities of same-cell terminals and neighboring-cell terminals; and
beam-forming signals to one or more of the same-cell terminals and neighboring-cell terminals based on the set of slow-fading precoding coefficients.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the beam-forming is based on a set of fast-fading coefficients.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the beam-forming is performed using OFDM modulation.
12. A base station apparatus for serving pluralities of same-cell terminals and other-cell terminals in a cellular network, the network hub apparatus comprising:
a processor configured to select a same-cell and one or more neighboring cells within the cellular network, the same-cell and one or more neighboring cells comprising a truncated network;
a receiver module configured to obtain a plurality of slow-fading coefficients, each of the plurality of slow-fading coefficients being associated with channel state information for communication within the truncated network between a neighboring-cell base station and one of the respective same-cell terminals or neighboring-cell terminals; and
a precoding module configured to generate a set of slow-fading precoding coefficients for transmitting signals within the truncated network to same-cell terminals and neighboring-cell terminals based on the plurality of slow-fading coefficients.
13. The base station apparatus of claim 12, wherein generating the set of slow-fading precoding coefficients comprises determining optimized slow-fading precoding coefficients.
14. The base station apparatus of claim 13, wherein each optimized slow-fading precoding coefficient is determined based on one of maximizing a minimum signal to interference and noise ratio, maximizing a sum of data transmission rates, or maximizing a sum of logarithms of data transmission rates for transmitting a signal to same-cell terminals and other-cell terminals.
15. The base station apparatus of claim 13, wherein generating the set of slow-fading precoding coefficients includes performing an iterative function, wherein the iterative function is terminated based on a precision control threshold.
16. The base station apparatus of claim 15, wherein the iterative function includes a quasi-convex optimization algorithm.
17. The base station apparatus of claim 12, wherein the receiver module is further configured to receive data signals intended for one or more of the same-cell terminals and neighboring-cell terminals located within the truncated network.
18. The base station apparatus of claim 12 further comprising a central hub of the truncated network.
19. The base station apparatus of claim 12, wherein:
the receiver module is further configured to obtain pilot signals from the pluralities of same-cell terminals and neighboring-cell terminals; and
a beam-forming module is configured to beam-form signals to one or more of the same-cell terminals and neighboring-cell terminals based on the set of slow-fading precoding coefficients.
20. The base station apparatus of claim 19 wherein the beam-forming is based on a set of fast-fading coefficients.
21. The base station apparatus of claim 19, wherein the beam-forming is performed using OFDM modulation.