A microbiocide-containing concentrate for use in thermoplastic polymers as well as in plastisols, is disclosed. The concentrate is primarily solid at ambient conditions and comprises from 1-30 wt% of a microbiocide, a polymer plasticizer and up to 20 wt% of a thermoplastic resin. These concentrates are primarily useful as masterbatch compositions used for incorporation into polymers in order to protect said polymers from fungal or bacterial attack. Along these lines, the present document also discloses processes for incorporating these materials into a polymer or plastisol, and polymers or plastisols made by these processes.

The present invention relates to a concentrate which contains a biocide and is primarily solid under ambient conditions. By primarily solid is meant solid, wax-like or having another non-gas and non-liquid appearance, such as a gel or paste composition.
Polymer compositions are protected against fungal or bacterial attack by the incorporation therein of a microbiocide to prevent deterioration of the polymer composition due to microbiological attack on the susceptible portion of its components. For example, German Patent DE 1,288,790 discloses the incorporation of urea or thiourea compounds, optionally together with a plasticizer, into polymers to impart antimicrobiocidal properties to the polymers. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 3,864,468 discloses the incorporation of microbiocides, such as 10,10'-oxybisphenoxyarsine (OBPA), into plastisols which may comprise liquid plasticizers, such as dioctylphthalate.
In order for the microbiocide to be effective in the polymer composition, it is necessary that it be compatible therewith and uniformly dispersable therein to avoid the formation of areas within the polymer which contain insufficient biocide to prevent polymer deterioration.
To avoid toxicological problems related to the handling of the pure microbiocide, microbiocides are presently added to polymer compositions as a microbiocide-containing concentrate. Said concentrate can take different forms, such as: a liquid, a powder, or a non-powdery solid.
Liquid concentrates are usually based on a plasticizer which is liquid at ambient conditions in combination with a cosolvent. By ambient conditions is meant: standard pressure and room temperature (about 20.degree.-30.degree. C.). Without a cosolvent only low concentrations of the microbiocide can be obtained due to the low solubility of commonly used microbiocides in liquid plasticizers. Said cosolvent, however, may destabilize the concentrate or adversely effect the polymer composition with which it is to be mixed. A further problem arises from the fact that it is difficult to completely remove a liquid concentrate from packaging used for transport or storage, so that unless it can be reused or cleaned, this packaging becomes toxic waste.
Problems related to the toxicity of such compositions can be overcome by incorporating the microbiocide in a solid composition in such a way that it is immobilised under conditions that allow transport, storage, and the like. The following two ways of doing this were developed in the past.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,297 describes a method of making a concentrate to be incorporated into a second, polymeric composition, which concentrate comprises a homogeneous, melt-blended mixture of a biocide and at least 24 wt. % of a solid thermoplastic resin. This concentrate, however, cannot be added successfully to a plastisol because of its relatively high melting point and low solubility therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,359 describes a method of making a powdery concentrate in which a microbiocide is absorbed on a porous resin powder. Said concentrate is said to be mixable with a plastisol, however, it has been found that such dry blends are not universally compatible with pastisols. In other words, it is necessary to prepare various different types of dry blends in order to obtain the desired compatibility with plastisols. A plastisol can, therefor, only be adequately protected against fungal or bacterial attack if more of the concentrate is added than would be needed in case of a homogeneous distribution, thereby increasing the toxicity of the plastisol. Accordingly, a need exits for a microbiocide concentrate which can be used to make a homogeneous distribution of a microbiocide in a plastisol.
Further, the powdery concentrate is also susceptible to the formation of fines which may lead to a dust hazard. Thus, there is also a need for a solid masterbatch formulation which is not susceptible to the formation of fines. These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to one of oridinary skill in the art from the summary and detailed description which follow.

Primarily solid concentrate which contains a biocide


A method for managing keystore information on a computing device may include requesting a keystore from a distribution system, receiving the keystore from the distribution system, and populating a runtime environment with keystore information contained within the keystore. A method for generating a keystore may include receiving, by a distribution system, a request for a keystore from a computing device, generating a key pair including a public key and a private key, generating a certificate signing request, digitally signing the public key with the private key, generating the keystore, combining the signed public key with the private key in the keystore, and providing the keystore to the computing device. A method for generating a truststore may include receiving, by a distribution system, a request for a truststore from a computing device, generating the truststore, adding a certificate to the truststore, and providing the truststore to the computing device.

SSL is a cryptographic protocol that provides communication security over the Internet. SSL is often used to establish a secure connection over which a client and a server may exchange sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, social security numbers, credit card numbers and other financial information, or the like. Some encryption schemes require the client and the server to be preconfigured with a secret key that is used to encrypt and decrypt information. Encryption schemes that utilize such preconfigured secret keys are not suitable for secure information exchanges over the Internet because of the potentially millions of clients that have no prior secret key arrangement with the servers. SSL differs from some encryption schemes in that SSL does not require the client and the server to exchange a secret key before sensitive information can be exchanged over a secure channel, thereby making SSL particularly well-suited for information exchanges over the Internet.
SSL employs the use of asymmetric keys, which are defined in pairs of public and private keys. A key is a piece of information that is applied utilizing an algorithm to a string or block of unencrypted information to produce encrypted information, or to decrypt encrypted information. A public key is made freely available to anybody. A private key is known only to the server. Information encrypted by the client using the public key can be decrypted only by the server's private key. In this manner, the client can send information securely to the server without concern that the information will be decrypted by another party. Also, data encrypted by the server's private key can only be decrypted using the public key.
An SSL certificate is a digital computer file that utilizes a digital signature to bind a public key with an identity of a person or organization that owns a Web site or other resource. An SSL certificate may contain, in addition to the public key, information about the owner such as a domain name, server name, hostname, company name, company location, duration of validity, certificate usage, distinguished name, and/or common name. An SSL certificate may also include information about the certificate authority ("CA") that issued the certificate. An SSL certificate may be formatted according to a standard format, such as provided by X.509 or the like.

Secure socket layer keystore and truststore generation


The present invention relates to a radiation-sensitive resist composition and the process for its use in the manufacture of integrated circuits. The composition comprises a radiation-sensitive acid generator, a binder soluble in aqueous base and an acrylate copolymer having acid labile pendant groups.

Lithographic techniques are widely used in industry to produce integrated circuit patterns in microelectronic devices such as integrated circuit chips, circuit boards and the like.
Commercially available lithographic positive, radiation-sensitive resist compositions generally contain a film-forming organic material and an o-naphthoquinone diazide which decomposes on exposure to radiation to form an indenecarboxylic acid. The film-forming organic material is usually an alkali-soluble phenol-formaldehyde novolac resin. Its dissolution in an aqueous alkaline solution is inhibited by the naphthoquinone diazide. However, when this diazide is decomposed in the irradiated areas, its efficacy as dissolution rate inhibitor decreases and the exposed areas or the coating become more soluble in a basic developer than the unexposed areas. However, the quinonediazides are not entirely satisfactory, due to their thermal instability. They decompose at moderately elevated temperatures to become unsuitable as dissolution inhibitors. Further, during normal use, the differential solubility between the exposed and the unexposed areas of the film is not high enough for certain applications. Reichmanis et al., "Chemical Amplification Mechanisms for Microlithography Chem. Mater. 3, 394 (1991), discloses the use of the tert-butyl ester of cholic acid as a dissolution inhibitor for phenol-formaldehyde matrix resin. The ester is formulated with a photoacid generator in the resin. Upon exposure to radiation, cholic acid is formed in the exposed areas making these areas more soluble in aqueous base. However, again, the differential solubility between the exposed and unexposed areas of the film is not high enough for certain applications.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a radiation sensitive resist composition which has improved post-exposure differential solubility.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following disclosure.

Radiation-sensitive resist composition and process for its use

International Business Machines Corporation


A system for automatic optimization of an ejection system for an aircraft includes the ejection system having a plurality of adjustable settings. The system further includes a sensor configured to detect weight data corresponding to a weight of a user of the ejection system. The system further includes a controller coupled to the ejection system and to the sensor and configured to adjust at least one of the plurality of the adjustable settings of the ejection system based on the weight data.

Certain aircraft may include ejection systems designed to eject a member of the flight crew from the aircraft in certain situations. These ejection systems typically include an ejection seat in which the member of the flight crew is located during flight. The ejection seat may have various adjustable settings which are desirable to adjust based on parameters and preferences of the ejection seat and/or flight crew member. For example, the ejection seat may have settings related to timing of ejection, deployment of parachutes, adjustments to dimensions (e.g., lumbar support, seat height, headrest position), or the like. Currently, these settings are manually input during a pre-flight check. However, this is a time-consuming process as each setting is adjusted manually and separate from many other settings. These settings may include adjustments to various settings of the seat such as a height of a bucket portion of the seat.

Automatic ejection seat performance optimization based on detection of aircrew weight


The systems and methods of the invention provide a notification system that analyzes the state of the user to deliver notifications when the user is anticipated to be both cognitively receptive AND able to act upon external stimuli. In accord with at least one aspect, the system assesses the context (of a user) by interpreting the user and surroundings in order to reach a general state of the user. In a technically efficient manner—utilizing different levels of processing in conjunction with leveraging previously performed processing through queuing results of such processing—the system provides the ability to reduce scenarios in which missed or inappropriate notifications occur. The systems and methods of the invention perform processing, in a technically efficient manner, to assess data input from sensors (in the real-world environment in which a user exists) and responsively generate appropriate notifications or other communications that are output to a user or a person associated with the user.

In the present technological environment, various services, user device applications and other platforms provide information and notifications to users based on observed events and/or in some predetermined scheduled manner, for example.
Current notifications systems are designed to send notifications to users uncertain if the user will see or act upon the notification. Therefore, notifications are often sent more than once. Such systems may have fallback notification options if the first notification attempt was unsuccessful. However, this leads to even more notifications being transmitted, inefficient use of the devices, inefficiency of the communication channels, and inefficiency of the network. The current inefficient systems not only clog networks with multiple and redundant notifications, they also clog the user's device with redundant notifications, consume excessive power of the user's device and the network, and consume bandwidth. These inefficiencies cost the consumer and provider.
Therefore, technical improvements and solutions are needed to overcome this technical problem while accommodating the evolving needs of users. The systems and methods of the present invention provide such improvements.

Context based notifications in a networked environment


This high-strength steel sheet includes by mass percentage: 0.05 to 0.4% of C; 0.1 to 2.5% of Si; 1.0 to 3.5% of Mn; 0.001 to 0.03% of P; 0.0001 to 0.01% of S; 0.001 to 2.5% of Al; 0.0001 to 0.01% of N; 0.0001 to 0.008% of O; and a remainder composed of iron and inevitable impurities, wherein a steel sheet structure contains by volume fraction 10 to 50% of a ferrite phase, 10 to 50% of a tempered martensite phase, and a remaining hard phase, wherein a 98% hardness is 1.5 or more times as high as a 2% hardness in a range from ⅛ to ⅜ of a thickness of the steel sheet, wherein a kurtosis K* of the hardness distribution between the 2% hardness and the 98% hardness is −1.2 to −0.4, and wherein an average crystal grain size in the steel sheet structure is 10 μm or less.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for a high-strength steel sheet used in a vehicle or the like, and a high-strength cold-rolled steel sheet with a maximum tensile stress of 900 MPa or more is also being used.
Generally, as the strength of a steel sheet is enhanced, ductility and stretch-flangeability are lowered, and workability is degraded. However, a high-strength steel sheet with sufficient workability has been demanded in recent years.
As a conventional technique for enhancing ductility and stretch-flangeability of a high-strength steel sheet, a high-tensile galvanized steel sheet, which has a composition containing by mass percentage, C: 0.05 to 0.20%, Si: 0.3 to 1.8%, Mn: 1.0 to 3.0%, S: 0.005% or less, the remainder composed of Fe and inevitable impurities, has a composite structure including ferrite, tempered martensite, retained austenite, and low temperature transformation phase, and contains by volume percentage 30% or more of ferrite, 20% or more of tempered martensite, 2% or more of retained austenite, in which average crystal grain sizes of ferrite and tempered martensite are 10 μm or less, is an exemplary example (see Patent Document 1, for example).
In addition, as a conventional technique for enhancing workability of a high-strength steel sheet, a high-tensile cold-rolled steel sheet, in which amounts of C, Si, Mn, P, S, Al, and N are adjusted, which further contains 3% or more of ferrite and a total of 40% or more of bainite containing carbide and martensite containing carbide as metal structures of the steel sheet containing one or more of Ti, Nb, V, B, Cr, Mo, Cu, Ni, and Ca as necessary, in which the total amount of ferrite, bainite, and martensite is 60% or more, and which further has a structure in which the number of ferrite grains containing cementite, martensite, or retained austenite therein corresponds to 30% or more of the total number of ferrite grains and has tensile strength of 780 MPa or more, is an exemplary example (see Patent Document 2, for example).
Moreover, as a conventional technique for enhancing stretch-flangeability of a high-strength steel sheet, a steel sheet in which a difference in hardness between a hard part and a soft part of the steel sheet is reduced is an exemplary example. For example, Patent Document 3 discloses a technique in which the standard deviation of hardness in the steel sheet is reduced and uniform hardness is given to the entire steel sheet. Patent Document 4 discloses a technique in which hardness in the hard part is lowered by heat treatment and the difference in hardness from that in the soft part is reduced. Patent Document 5 discloses a technique in which the difference in hardness from the soft part is reduced by configuring the hard part of relatively soft bainite.
Furthermore, as a conventional technique for enhancing stretch-flangeability of a high-strength steel sheet, a steel sheet, which has a structure containing by an area ratio 40 to 70% of tempered martensite and a remainder composed of ferrite, in which a ratio between an upper limit value and a lower limit value of Mn concentration in a cross-section in a thickness direction of the steel sheet is reduced (see Patent Document 6, for example) may be exemplified.

High-strength steel sheet and high-strength zinc-coated steel sheet which have excellent ductility and stretch-flangeability and manufacturing method thereof

NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION


A display device for a vehicle includes a liquid crystal panel (10), a light source (40), and a controlling means (50). The liquid crystal panel includes a particular display pixel (72) and a normal display pixel (62). The controlling means controls the ratio of the gradation value of the normal display pixel to a set gradation value of the normal display pixel as a gradation ratio of the normal display pixel. At the same time, it controls the ratio of the gradation value of the particular display pixel to a set gradation value of the particular display pixel as a gradation ratio of the particular display pixel. Further, the controlling means sets first and second modes as a control mode, the first mode in which the light source emits light, and the second mode in which the light source emits light with brightness lower than in the first mode. In the first mode, the controlling means sets the gradation ratio of the normal display pixel and the gradation ratio of the particular display pixel at a particular time to a maximum ratio. In the second mode, the controlling means executes a gradation processing for making the gradation ratio of the particular display pixel at a particular time higher than the gradation ratio of the normal display pixel.

Various types of vehicle display devices that illuminate a liquid crystal panel for displaying an image in a vehicle by light emission from a light source are conventionally know. These devices include those in which the following parameters are variable: the brightness of the light source or the gradation value of the pixels of the liquid crystal panel. (Refer to JP-A-2006-258783, for example.) In these types of vehicle display devices, the visibility of a display image on the liquid crystal panel can be enhanced by taking the following measure: reducing the lightness of the display image by reducing the light emission brightness of the light source or the gradation value of each pixel at nighttime or the like when the outside fight intensity is low.
However, the above-mentioned type of display devices for vehicles present a problem. When the light emission brightness of a light source or the gradation value of each pixel is reduced, the lightness of every display image of a liquid crystal panel is reduced. Some of the display images of the liquid crystal panel must be lightly displayed. Even an image requiring some degree of lightness (for example, a warning image for giving a warning about any anomaly in the vehicle) is darkly displayed for the above reason. In this case, there is a possibility that the intended purpose of the display of the image is not achieved.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A vehicle door includes a first interlock coupled to an inner frame panel. A second interlock coupled to an inner trim panel. The first and second interlocks are separated to define a ready state. During an impact condition, the first and second interlocks selectively engage one another to define an impact state that resists deflection of the inner trim panel away from the inner frame panel.

During manufacture of a vehicle, trim panels are typically attached to frame members for a vehicle frame. These trim panels can be attached through various mechanisms, such as from a bottom edge or from a side edge of the trim panel. Typically, these trim panels are secured to the vehicle frame to prevent separation during an impact condition.

Vehicle trim panel interlock for limiting trim panel separation during an impact condition


A method is provided for controlling a drivetrain of a vehicle which includes a prime mover operatively connected to at least one tractive element. The method includes: (a) determining the vehicle's total weight; and (b) using an electronic controller carried by the vehicle, causing the prime mover to apply power to the tractive element so as to propel the vehicle, the magnitude of the power being a function of the vehicle's total weight.

This invention relates generally to motorized vehicles, and more particularly to drive system performance control in such vehicles.
Off-highway vehicles, such as mining trucks, are typically provided with a drivetrain in which an internal combustion engine drives a generator that provides electrical current to one or more traction motors. Off highway vehicles typically also utilize dynamic or electric braking (referred to interchangeably herein as "retard effort"), in addition to hydraulically or mechanically operated service friction brakes.
Conventionally, mining trucks run at maximum available power up a grade, However, payload varies significantly from trip to trip, resulting in large variances in on-grade truck speed. This variance tends to cause a line of trucks to bunch up behind the truck with the heaviest load.
In conventional mining trucks, wheel torque is limited to a fixed value which will give acceptable gear life over the overhaul cycle. With limited torque available, a mining truck with a heavy load can also become stuck. A stuck truck is expensive for a mine, as it must be pulled out with a bulldozer, or have its load dumped so the truck can be driven out empty. In either case there is lost production.
Conventionally, the maximum dynamic braking effort is set to a predefined curve as a function of speed. For a specific grade and payload combination there is a maximum speed that the operator can drive and still maintain control of truck speed using only retard effort. This is known as the retard envelope. Once the truck exceeds the retard envelope the driver must use friction brakes to slow the truck back into the retard envelope. On many trucks the friction brakes are dry disks and have limited number of applications. The driver must keep vehicle speed well within the retard envelope to ensure he can maintain control of the vehicle. This limits downhill speed and cycle time.

System and method for vehicle performance control


A switching element includes a lower barrier electrode on a substrate, a switching pattern on the lower barrier electrode, and an upper barrier electrode on the switching pattern. The lower barrier electrode includes a first lower barrier electrode layer, and a second lower barrier electrode layer interposed between the first lower barrier electrode layer and the switching pattern and whose density is different from the density of the first lower barrier electrode.

The inventive concepts relate to a semiconductor device. More particularly, a variable resistance memory device, to a switching element of a variable resistance memory device, and to a method of manufacturing the switching element.
Generally, semiconductor memory devices may be classified as volatile memory devices and non-volatile memory devices. Volatile memory devices lose their stored data when their power supplies are interrupted. Volatile memory devices include dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices and static random access memory (SRAM) devices. On the contrary, non-volatile memory devices retain their stored data even when their power supplies are interrupted. Non-volatile memory devices include programmable ROMs (PROMs), erasable PROMs (EPROMs), electrically EPROMs (EEPROMs), and flash memory devices.
In addition, next-generation semiconductor memory devices (e.g., ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM) devices, magnetic random access memory (MRAM) devices, and phase-change random access memory (PRAM) devices) have been developed to provide high-performance and low power consumption semiconductor memory devices. Materials of these next-generation semiconductor memory devices have resistance values that vary according to currents or voltages applied thereto and retain their resistance values even when currents or voltages are interrupted.

Switching element, variable resistance memory device, and method of manufacturing the switching element


A method of MB delivery of Downlink (DL) MB Data to a plurality of Electronic Devices (EDs) connected to a (Radio) Access Network (R)AN node, the method comprises: storing the DL MB Data in a buffer of the (R)AN node; and transmitting, by the (R)AN node, the DL MB Data to the plurality of EDs.

The Multicast and Broadcast Multimedia Subsystem (MBMS) has been developed for 3G and 4G systems. The MBMS was initially designed for video broadcasting and streaming services, and has been extended for other services such as public safety, Vehicle to Vehicle or Infrastructure (V2X) communications, and Internet of Things (IoT) communications. However, many V2X and IoT devices do not support the MBMS function in 4G systems. These devices are typically very simple to reduce the cost and power consumption, but consequently lack sufficient capacity to use the MBMS. Therefore, it is desirable develop alternative solutions for 5G system to support multicast and broadcast transmission for V2X and IoT devices, and any other devices.
This background information is intended to provide information that may be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.

Method and system for multicast and broadcast services


The present invention provides a remote-controlled ornithopter capable of flying forward in the upright position, which includes X-shaped main wings? having opposite phases to offset moments applied to a fuselage of the ornithopter. The ornithopter includes the fuselage (100), the X-shaped main wings (200), which are provided on the front end of the fuselage, tail wings (300), which are provided on the medial portion or the rear end of the fuselage, and a tail rotor (400), which controls a direction in which the fuselage flies. The ornithopter further includes a drive unit (500), which operates the main wings, and a flight control unit (600), which has a receiver to receive a signal for controlling the drive unit and the tail rotor. The ornithopter further includes a remote controller (700), which transmits the signal for controlling the drive unit and the tail rotor to the receiver.

Generally, ornithopters have structures such that rotating shafts of drive motors are coupled to main wings through connecting rods and gear trains. In such an ornithopter, the main wings flaps using the rotating force of the rotating shaft of the drive motor. The ornithopter flies using aerodynamic lift generated by the flapping of the main wings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional ornithopter. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional ornithopter, which was proposed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2003-0044625, and is entitled 'POWER-DRIVEN ORNITHOPTER PILOTED BY REMOTE CONTROLLER', includes a fuselage, main wings, horizontal tail wings, a battery, an electric motor, a servo motor and a main power transmission unit.
Furthermore, the conventional ornithopter, entitled 'POWER-DRIVEN ORNITHOPTER PILOTED BY REMOTE CONTROLLER', further includes a servo power transmission unit, which controls the horizontal tail wings depending on the rotation of the servo motor, and a controller, which controls the direction in which the servo motor is rotated and the rpm of the servo motor.
The conventional ornithopter, entitled 'POWER-DRIVEN ORNITHOPTER PILOTED BY REMOTE CONTROLLER' further includes a second servo motor and a vertical tail wing, which control the flight direction, as well as including the horizontal tail wings and the servo motor for controlling the horizontal tail wings.
As such, the conventional ornithopter includes a pair of main wings, and uses the principle in which it flies using the flapping of the main wings.
However, in the case of the ornithopter having one pair of main wings, it is difficult to generate sufficient aerodynamic lift and thrust to lift the weight of the ornithopter.
Even if sufficient aerodynamic lift and thrust are generated by the one pair of main wings, because the moment applied to the fuselage markedly varies depending on the position of the wings while flapping, there is a problem in that the air flow generated around the ornithopter by the flapping of the main wings is unsteady.
Therefore, forward flight in an upright position cannot be realized, because the balance of the ornithopter, which is an important factor for the forward flight in an upright position, is not maintained.
Another example of conventional ornithopters was proposed in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0515031, entitled 'PROPULSION SYSTEM MIMICKING HOVERING FLAPPING WING'.
This technique, entitled 'PROPULSION SYSTEM MIMICKING HOVERING FLAPPING WING', implements the flapping of a hummingbird, which is the only bird capable of hovering.
However, the technique, entitled 'PROPULSION SYSTEM MIMICKING HOVERING FLAPPING WING', pertains to hovering rather than to forward flight in an upright position. Furthermore, because the construction of the technique and a method of implementing it are complex, it is very difficult to realize the technique.
Another example of conventional ornithopters was proposed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2006-0110241, entitled 'DRAGONFLY-TYPE ORNITHOPTER WITH TWO PAIRS OF WING'. In this technique, two pairs of wings are disposed at front and rear positions to realize a dragonfly type ornithopter.
In the technique, entitled 'DRAGONFLY-TYPE ORNITHOPTER WITH TWO PAIRS OF WING', aerodynamic lift and thrust can be controlled by adjusting the difference in phase between the front and rear wings, so that the ornithopter can conduct a very difficult flight as well as hovering.
However, the technique, entitled 'DRAGONFLY-TYPE ORNITHOPTER WITH TWO PAIRS OF WING', is also an invention that pertains to hovering rather than to forward flight in an upright position. In other words, the object of this technique is different from that of the present invention for forward flight in an upright position.
Furthermore, in the technique, entitled 'DRAGONFLY-TYPE ORNITHOPTER WITH TWO PAIRS OF WING', even though the front wings and the rear wings have an exactly opposite phase difference there between, because the front wings are provided on the front part of the fuselage and the rear wings are provided on the rear part of the fuselage, vibration applied to the front part of the fuselage and vibration applied to the rear part of the fuselage have opposite phases, based on the space between the front wings and the rear wings. Therefore, it is impossible to conduct stable forward flight in the upright position.
Meanwhile, as conventional methods of remote-controlling the ornithopters using remote controllers, there are a method of remote-controlling an ornithopter by moving control sticks or circular rotating switches, which are provided on the remote controller, in desired directions, or a method in which switches are provided at left and right positions on a remote controller so that the orientation of an ornithopter varies depending on whether the left and right switches are pushed.
However, because these remote-control methods are well-known methods that have been used for a long time, there is a disadvantage in that the sense of realism in performing remote control is reduced and a user may become easily bored, soon losing interest.
In an effort to overcome the problems experienced with the conventional remote-control methods, a technique in which an object is remote-controlled by tilting or rotating a remote controller having a sensor was proposed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2004-0056891, entitled 'LOCATION DETECTION SENSOR USING PHOTOINTERRUP AND ITS APPLICATION TO CONTROLLER'.
However, there are disadvantages in that the method of installing the sensor in the controller and the mechanism thereof are very complex, and the cost of materials increases due to the use of the sensor.

Remote-controlled fluttering object capable of flying  forward in upright position


An electronic imaging system operates as closely as possible to the cone spectral response space to obtain a human eye-like long, medium, short (LMS) wavelength response. An input image, for example, red-green-blue (RGB), is transformed to an LMS color space similar to the human long-, middle-, and short-wavelength cone receptor responses. Adaptation levels for each LMS component are calculated. The adaptation levels are then used to adjust the sensitivity of each LMS sensor response to obtain an LMS component image. The LMS component image then is transformed back to an RGB component image for further processing or display.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital image sensors, and, more specifically, to a chromatic adaptation method for maintaining color constancy under different illuminations in a digital image sensor.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Color constancy is one of the characteristics of the human vision system. The color appearance of the same object looks approximately identical under vastly different types of natural and artificial light sources, such as sun light and moon light, and incandescent, fluorescent, and candle light. The ability of the human visual system to determine surface colors under this wide range of illumination conditions is called constancy. In electronic imaging systems, this is commonly implemented with limited success as an automatic white balance. Extensive research has been conducted into ways to achieve human eye-like color constancy in electronic image sensors. Nevertheless, present day white balance systems not only lack a response sufficiently similar to that of the human eye, they also achieve only a narrow subset of the overall needs of a true color constancy system.
One of the ways that the human visual system achieves constancy is referred to as adaptation, which can be understood as a change in gain of the signal from the cone receptors of the eye. The cone receptors become less sensitive because of chemical bleaching in the presence of increased light. This results in a reduction in sensitivity for those cones experiencing greater light intensities. If the light is strongly colored, then the different cone types will become differentially adapted. In red light, for example, long wavelength cones will become less sensitive. The effect of adaptation is to make the eye have a sensitivity range appropriate to the environment.
This theory of constancy in the human vision system generally holds that differences in the type of illumination are accommodated by the chromatic adaptation of the human vision system. The sensitivities of long (L), middle (M) and short (S) wavelength cones adapt to stimuli in a largely independent way. This is the hypothesis proposed by von Kries, although exact details of the adaptation were not provided. ("Chromatic Adaptation," J. von Kries, Festschrift der Albrecht-Ludwig-Universität, 1902)
Examples of some of the algorithms that have been explored for providing color constancy in electronic image sensors include: Gray World, Retinex, Gamut Mapping Methods, Color by Correlation, and Neural Net Methods. See "A Comparison of Computational Color Constancy Algorithms," Parts One and Two, by K. Barnard et al., available at http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/˜kobus/research/publications/comparison{—1 or —2}/comparison{—1 or —2}.pdf.
Most electronic image sensors are designed with spectral responses that evenly divide the visible spectrum into color ranges, such as the three primary colors red, blue, and green, with little or no overlap between each range. The response represents the absolute photon acquisition experienced by each pixel of the digital image sensor, for example.
In contrast to the known electronic image sensors, the three types of color receptors in the human eye—long-, middle-, and short-wavelength cones (LMS)—have been found to exhibit significant overlap in spectral response. As a consequence of this overlapping spectral response, the hue-discrimination response of the human eye is highly non-linear, with peak sensitivity occurring near certain wavelengths. By comparison, an imaging array that utilizes an RGB filter, such as a Bayer filter, acts as a simplified band pass filter that does not correspond to the spectral response of the human eye.
Color standards are maintained by the Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE). The CIE has developed standard color systems based on the concept of a standard observer. The standard observer is based on a model of human rods and cones. The CIE system does not take adaptation into account, however. The CIE systems define color using tristimulus values X, Y, and Z. Y is the same as luminence (black and white).
It would be desirable to have an imaging system which more nearly replicates the color discrimination of the human eye to achieve more constancy in color reproduction under different lighting conditions.

Automatic color constancy for image sensors


An audio or video conferencing system having an array comprised of two or more microphones and having one or more loudspeakers positioned proximate to the microphones. The conferencing system also has acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) functionality that removes direct and reverberant acoustic echo from microphone signals in two separate acoustic echo cancellation operations. The first AEC operation removes direct acoustic echo prior to a beamforming operation, and the second AEC operation removes reverberant acoustic echo from a microphone signal subsequent to the beamforming operation.

Meetings between multiple individuals conducted in two or more locations that are remote to each other can be facilitated using audio or video conferencing systems. These systems typically include some number of microphones, at least one loudspeaker, a camera, audio and video signal processing, and means for connecting the system to a public or private network. In such a system, microphones can operate to pick up near end (N.E.) acoustic audio signals (speech) from an audio source, and digitally process the audio signals in a number of ways before sending them over the network to a far end (F.E.) communication device (i.e., another conferencing system or communication device) to be played by a loudspeaker. Among other things, the digital processing functionality can operate to remove acoustic echo present in a N.E. audio signal prior to its being transmitted to a F.E. system.
Audio and video conferencing systems can have an array comprised of multiple microphones in fixed positions with respect to the environment in which they operate, or the microphones can be mobile, wireless devices that are carried or worn by individuals participating in a conferencing session. In the case that a conferencing system has an array of multiple microphone in fixed positions, it is possible to determine a direction of an audio source with respect to the microphones, and then form and steer a microphone beam towards the direction of the audio source. This technique is known as spatial filtering, and implementing this technique in a conferencing system has the effect of capturing more of an audio signal directly from an audio signal source and less of the audio signal that is reflected from the surfaces of a room that the system is operating in. A beam is typically characterized by a beam width that can be expressed in degrees, and each beam can be the same width or each beam can be a different width. In the case of fixed beamforming, each beam is oriented in a direction with respect to the microphone array in order to receive audio signals from a particular direction. Spatial filtering is typically implemented in system with a fixed array of microphone in order to achieve a higher quality signal to acoustic echo cancellation functionality, which ultimately results in a higher quality audio signal being sent to a far-end location.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing functional elements comprising a typical audio conference system 100. The system 100 is shown to have four microphones 115A to 115D, one loudspeaker 110, a beamforming function 120, and separate acoustic echo cancellation functionality, AEC 130A to 130n, for each one of a beam generated by the beamformer 120. Acoustic echo cancellation is an essential function performed by audio or video conferencing systems, and it generally operates to remove acoustic echo from a near-end audio signal prior to the signal being transmitted to a remote location. Specifically, acoustic echo occurs when a far-end audio signal, received and played by a N.E. system loud speaker, is picked up by a microphone proximate to the loud speaker. An audio signal captured by the local microphone will include at least some of the far-end audio signal information, and this audio information can be transmitted back to the far-end system where it can be heard as an echo. This acoustic echo is distracting and can severely degrade the quality of an audio conferencing session if it is not cancelled.
The conferencing system illustrated in FIG. 1 is configured such that the beamforming function 120 receives audio signal information directly from each of the four microphones, uses this information to determine a direction of an audio source, and then selects and directs one of three (in this case) microphone beams in the direction of the audio source. The audio signal information captured by the selected microphone beam is then processed by one of the three (in this case) acoustic echo cancellers, AEC 130A to 130n, and the resulting echo cancelled audio signal can be sent to a far-end device to be played. The advantage in performing the beamforming prior to echo cancellation is that the audio signal being processed by the echo cancellers is of higher quality (i.e., higher signal to noise ratio), and the number of separate echo cancellers can be limited to the number of beams, regardless of the number of microphones in an array.
While performing the beamforming operation first limits the number of echo cancellation functions to the number of beams, the beamforming function is influenced by acoustic signals received directly from any loudspeakers that are proximate to microphones in an array. In order to limit the influence of these speaker signals, the acoustic echo cancellation operation can be performed prior to the beamforming operation. Such a configuration is illustrated in FIG. 2.

System and method for acoustic echo cancellation


A method of preparing a light weight concrete composition using expanded polymer particles that includes a) replacing from about 10 to about 50 volume percent of the coarse aggregate in the concrete composition with prepuff particles; and b) preparing the concrete composition by combining ingredients comprising 3-40 volume percent cement, 1-50 volume percent fine aggregate, 0-40 volume percent coarse aggregate, 10-22 volume percent water, and 5-40 volume percent of prepuff particles. The prepuff particles have an average particle diameter of from 0.2 mm to 5 mm, a bulk density of from 0.02 g/cc to 0.56 g/cc, an aspect ratio of from 1 to 3. The concrete composition has a density of from about 90 to about 135 lb./ft3 and after it is set for 28 days, has a compressive strength of at least 1800 psi as tested according to ASTM C39.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to novel compositions, materials, methods of their use and methods of their manufacture that are generally useful as agents in the construction and building trades. More specifically, the methods and compositions of the present invention can be used in construction and building applications that benefit from concrete compositions having structural strength properties and less than normal weight.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Expanded polymers have been incorporated into concrete formulations for the purpose of lowering the density or weight of the final cured and hardened concrete. Past practice has been to replace the fine aggregate or sand portion of a concrete mix with expanded polymers; however, this approach, while providing concrete with a lower weight or density, does not provide concrete with the physical properties required for structural applications.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,214,393; 3,257,338; 3,272,765; 4,040,855; 4,265,964; 5,472,498; 5,580,378; 5,622,556; 5,725,652; and 6,875,266 are non-limiting examples where the density of concrete has been reduced by replacing coarse aggregate with expandable polystyrene (EPS).
Accepted practice in the concrete industry to improve concrete strength in various mix designs is to reduce the water content in the mix. However, a decrease in the proportion of coarse aggregate to fine aggregate increases the water demand in a concrete mix. When strength is to be maximized, the amount of coarse aggregate is maintained at high levels (see generally, Kosmatka et al., Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, Fourteenth Edition, Portland Cement Association, 2002, pages 2 and 155).
There remains a need in the art to provide light weight concrete formulations using expanded polymers that also possess the physical properties to be used in structural applications.


An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to light via an original plate. A projection optical system projects a pattern of the original plate onto the substrate, a liquid immersion mechanism generates a liquid immersion state in which a gap between the final surface of the projection optical system and the substrate is filled with liquid, a first photosensor detects light which has passed through the projection optical system, a second photosensor, different from the first photosensor, detects light that has passed through the projection optical system, and a controller calibrates an output from the first photosensor in the liquid immersion state based on a first output from the first photosensor in the liquid immersion state, a second output from the first photosensor in a non-liquid immersion state, and a third output from a reference illuminometer.

As micronization of a semiconductor element advances, the type of a light source used for a semiconductor exposure apparatus is being shifted from the g-line of a high-pressure mercury-vapor lamp to an i-line having a shorter wavelength and a laser beam source (KrF or ArF), called an excimer laser, which emits light having a much shorter wavelength. In recent years, the use of an X-ray beam is also proposed. Moreover, realizing higher resolving power and larger depth using a phase shift mask or a modified illumination has been proposed and even begun to be practiced. However, the method using the excimer laser or X-ray beam increases the cost of the apparatus, and the phase shift mask or modified illumination is not effective for some circuit patterns.
On the other hand, increasing the NA (numerical aperture) of a projection lens makes it possible to realize a higher resolving power.
To cope with this trend, the practical application of a liquid immersion method of supplying a liquid between the projection lens and the imaging plane to increase its NA using the refraction effect is being attempted. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-49893 discloses a liquid immersion projection exposure apparatus, which forms a nozzle having a liquid supply port, so as to surround the distal end of a reduction lens, supplies a liquid via the nozzle, and holds the liquid between the reduction lens and the wafer.
As for exposure amount control, to measure a light amount intensity difference between apparatuses and to guarantee an equivalent exposure amount among a plurality of apparatuses, an illuminometer (external illuminometer) is externally loaded in the apparatus and an exposure amount sensor (internal illuminometer) in the apparatus is calibrated. Furthermore, to convert a value output from the internal illuminometer into an absolute light amount value, the internal illuminometer must be calibrated by an absolute light amount sensor. In fact, it is inefficient to separately execute absolute light amount calibration and calibration between the apparatuses. Therefore, these two calibrations are executed using the same absolute light amount sensor as the external illuminometer.
In the above conventional liquid immersion projection exposure apparatus, the transmittance of an excimer laser beam changes between a dried state and a liquid immersion state. In the dried state, the space between the reduction lens and the wafer is filled with a gas, such as air. In the liquid immersion state, the space between the reduction lens and the wafer is filled with a liquid to attain micropatterning. As a result, the illuminance of the imaging plane changes between these states. Furthermore, when the external illuminometer is set in the liquid immersion state, downtime is prolonged due to illuminance measurement and close attention must be paid to prevent the liquid from leaking outside a region where liquid immersion is possible, resulting in poor working efficiency. This makes it difficult to assure a good exposure amount control performance in the liquid immersion state, as with the conventional dried state.

Exposure apparatus, method applied to the apparatus, and device manufacturing method


In a magnetic drive circuit of an actuator, a first yoke and a second yoke are disposed on both sides in a first direction across a coil, and a first magnet and a second magnet are fixed to the first yoke and the second yoke. The first yoke includes a first connecting plate part and a second connecting plate part that extend toward the second yoke. Thus, welding of the first connecting plate part and the second yoke and the second connecting plate part and the second yoke can be efficiently performed on a different side in the first direction (a side where the second yoke is located).

As a device that generates vibration by a magnetic drive mechanism, there is suggested an actuator that vibrates a movable body in a second direction intersecting a first direction with respect to a support body by a magnetic drive circuit equipped with a coil and a magnet facing each other in the first direction (see Patent Literature 1). In the actuator described in Patent Literature 1, a yoke provided on the support body is composed of a unitary magnetic plate folded in a U-shape in such a manner that a first plate part and a second plate part face each other, and a permanent magnet is held on each of the surface of the first plate part on the second plate part side and the surface of the second plate part on the first plate part side. In addition, a coil held on the movable body is disposed between the magnet held on the first plate part and the magnet held on the second plate part.
Moreover, in the actuator described in Patent Literature 1, a viscoelastic member composed of a gel-like damper member is disposed between the movable body and the support body, and the movable body is supported on the support body via the viscoelastic member, and the resonance when the movable body is driven is suppressed. More specifically, in the support body, a first cover member, a holder holding the magnet, and a second cover member are stacked and disposed in the first direction, and the viscoelastic member is disposed between the first cover member and the movable body and between the second cover member and the movable body.
Furthermore, as a device that generates vibration by a magnetic drive mechanism, there is suggested an actuator that vibrates a movable body in a second direction intersecting a first direction with respect to a support body by a magnetic drive circuit equipped with a coil and a magnet facing each other in the first direction (see Patent Literature 1). In the actuator described in Patent Literature 1, in one of a first cover member and a second cover member, a plurality of prismatic parts are formed, and the prismatic parts contact the movable body to restrict a movable range of the movable body to a one side in the second direction when the movable body moves to the one side in the second direction. In addition, the prismatic parts contact the movable body to restrict a movable range of the movable body to a different side in the second direction when the movable body moves to the other side in the second direction.

Actuator having a contacted part with increased strength for restricting a movable range of a movable body


A bracket nut for coupling a fastener to a sheet member is provided. The sheet member defines a first plane and the bracket nut defines a second plane, which is at an offset angle to the first plane. The sheet member defines a first hole substantially perpendicular to the first plane, and the bracket nut is configured to mate with the first hole. A second hole is defined in the bracket nut and is substantially perpendicular to the second plane. The second hole is configured to accept the fastener. The offset angle may be between approximately thirty to approximately sixty degrees. The bracket nut may include a first cantilevered arm and a second cantilevered arm. The first cantilevered arm and the second cantilevered arm are configured to prevent rotation about the first hole.

Many components—such as those within vehicles—are coupled to thin-wall structures, such as those formed from sheet metal. The components may have one or more holes through which fasteners are inserted to hold the component to the sheet metal. Coupling the fastener to the sheet metal generally includes driving the fastener directly into the sheet metal at a substantially perpendicular (ninety-degree) angle.
Vehicle doors may generally be formed from at least three layers or panels. An exterior body panel is often the layer viewed from the outside of the vehicle. An interior trim panel is often the layer viewed from the interior or cabin of the vehicle, and may include door pull handles or cups along with mounting surfaces for controls, such as window buttons and door locks. An outer sheet metal panel is often intermediate the exterior body panel and the interior trim panel. The outer sheet metal panel may be structural and provide the attachment points for the interior trim panel and door hardware, such as locks and window motors.


A vacuum controlled fixture is provided for positioning columns on sites of an electronic substrate. The fixture includes an internal chamber having spaced apart first and second surfaces extending beneath its principal face. A regular array of column receiving holes extends from the principal face through the first surface of the chamber, and a plurality of vacuum ducts extend from ports in the second surface of the chamber to a vacuum source to evacuate the internal chamber. The ports in the second face of the chamber are laterally offset from the receiving holes in the first face of the chamber to allow seating of the interior ends of the columns on coplanar portions of the rear surface. The ports are preferably centered, equidistant from the closest adjacent receiving holes, thereby providing centering of the columns by means of a vacuum driven air flow around the latter.

The increasing complexity and compactness of present day electronic manufacturing provides increased packing density of various elements on semiconductor substrates and other electronic assemblies, such that a need exists for apparatus for holding and aligning preforms and especially preforms in the form of elongated elements, such as columns, or pins or the like, to facilitate appropriate mounting of these elements on similarly arrayed sites of an electronic component such as a substrate or package.
In the prior art, various devices for positioning discrete elements, such as solder balls, on electronic substrates have been provided. Typical of such arrangements, are devices which employ a vacuum for securing solder balls in a predetermined array in apertures of a principal face of a fixture for subsequent engagement of the solder balls with conductive pads, or other sites, on an electronic assembly.
In these prior art arrangements, the apparatus applies a vacuum to the fixture to provide a suction to secure a plurality of solder balls within apertures on a principal face of the fixture in an array that is complementary to select sites on an electronic substrate. Then, the fixture is appropriately positioned over the substrate with its arrayed solder balls essentially touching the selected sites of the electronic assembly, and subsequently upon termination of the vacuum, the solder balls are released from the fixture to their respective sites.
While the above noted arrangements are well utilized in the construction of electronic devices, they still suffer from various disadvantageous. That is, as electronic assemblies continue to increase in complexity, additional needs such as more compact substrates and board designs are also required. With these requirements, users also simultaneously demand ever smaller and more portable devices that not only retain the capacity of larger devices but also provide increased capabilities. Hence, to meet these needs and demands, the packing density of electronic assemblies continues to rapidly increase. And as to be expected, with both increased capacity requirements and miniaturization, still ever greater burdens are placed upon the density and compactness of sites such as conductive pads on electronic substrates.
In order to satisfy this ever increasing density of sites on electronic substrates, an ever higher degree of precision is required in the placement of discrete elements, and especially elongated elements such as columns or pins on the substrate sites. In the prior art, solder balls are often rigidly held by the applied vacuum within conical or stepped apertures in the fixture's principal face. However, the discontinuities resulting from these conical or stepped apertures often result in offsetting, and in many cases, jamming of the preforms in their receiving apertures.
Moreover, such discontinuities often trap debris which, in turn, will contribute to offsetting or jamming of the solder in their receiving apertures. These problems not only effect the precise positioning of the preforms in the fixture's array but, in addition to termination of the vacuum, often also require application of other mechanical forces to drive the tightly held solder balls from the fixture.
In turn, the difficulties of the above noted devices are further complicated where columns, including rods, pins, or other elongated preforms, rather than ball shaped preforms are utilized for mounting on electronic assemblies. For example, debris trapped in a conical, or stepped end of a column receiving hole can not only result in tipping and possible jamming of the column, but also can provide considerable variation in the relative position of their exterior ends.

Apparatus for mounting columns for grid array electronic packages

International Business Machines Corporation


An electrochemical fuel cell stack with improved reactant man folding and sealing includes a pair of separator plates interposed between adjacent membrane electrode assemblies. Passageways fluidly interconnecting the anodes to a fuel manifold and interconnecting the cathodes to an oxidant manifold are formed between adjoining non-active surfaces of the pairs of separator plates. The passageways extend through one or more ports penetrating the thickness of one of the plates thereby fluidly connecting the manifold to the opposite active surface of that plate, and the contacted electrode. The non-active surfaces of adjoining separator plates in a fuel cell stack cooperate to provide passageways for directing both reactants from respective stack fuel and oxidant supply manifolds to the appropriate electrodes. The fuel and oxidant reactant streams passageways are fluidly isolated from each other, although they both traverse adjoining non-active surfaces of the same pair of plates.

The present invention relates to electrochemical fuel cell plates. In particular, the invention provides an electrochemical solid polymer fuel cell plate with improved reactant man folding and sealing in a fuel cell stack.
Electrochemical fuel cells convert reactants, namely fuel and oxidant fluid streams, to generate electric power and reaction products. Electrochemical fuel cells employ an electrolyte disposed between two electrodes, namely a cathode and an anode. The electrodes generally each comprise a porous, electrically conductive sheet material and an electro catalyst disposed at the interface between the electrolyte and the electrode layers to induce the desired electrochemical reactions. The location of the electro catalyst generally defines the electrochemically active area.
Solid polymer fuel cells typically employ a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) consisting of an ion-exchange membrane as electrolyte disposed between two electrode layers. The membrane, in addition to being ion conductive (typically proton conductive) material, also acts as a barrier for isolating the reactant streams from each other.
The MEA is typically interposed between two separator plates which are substantially impermeable to the reactant fluid streams. The plates act as current collectors and provide support for the MEA. Surfaces of the separator plates which contact an electrode are referred to as active surfaces. The separator plates can have grooves or open-faced channels formed in one or both surfaces thereof, to direct the fuel and oxidant to the respective contacting electrode layers, namely, the anode on the fuel side and the cathode on the oxidant side. Such separator plates are known as flow field plates, with the channels, which can be continuous or discontinuous between the reactant inlet and outlet, being referred to as flow field channels. The flow field channels assist in the distribution of the reactant across the electrochemically active area of the contacted porous electrode. In some solid polymer fuel cells, flow field channels are not provided in the active surfaces of the separator plates, but the reactants are directed through passages in the porous electrode layer. Such passages may, for example, include channels or grooves formed in the porous electrode layer or can just be the interconnected pores or interstices of the porous material.
In a fuel cell stack, a plurality of fuel cells are connected together, typically in series, to increase the overall output power of the assembly. In such an arrangement, an active surface of the separator plate faces and contacts an electrode and a non-active surface of the plate can face a non-active surface of an adjoining plate. In some cases, the adjoining non-active separator plates can be bonded together to from a laminated plate. Alternatively, both surfaces of a separator plate can be active. For example, in series arrangements, one side of a plate can serve as an anode plate for one cell and the other side of the plate can serve as a cathode plate for the adjacent cell, with the separator plate functioning as a bipolar plate. Such a bipolar plate can have flow field channels formed on both active surfaces.
The fuel stream which is supplied to the anode separator plate typically comprises hydrogen. For example, the fuel stream can be a gas such as a substantially pure hydrogen or a reformat stream containing hydrogen. Alternatively, a liquid fuel stream such as aqueous methanol can be used. The oxidant stream, which is supplied to the cathode separator plate, typically comprises oxygen, such as substantially pure oxygen, or a dilute oxygen stream such as air.
A fuel cell stack typically includes inlet ports and supply manifolds for directing the fuel and the oxidant to the plurality of anodes and cathodes respectively. The stack often also includes an inlet port and manifold for directing a coolant fluid to interior passages within the stack to absorb heat generated by the exothermic reaction in the fuel cells. The stack also generally includes exhaust manifolds and outlet ports for expelling the unrelated fuel and oxidant gases, as well as an exhaust manifold and outlet port for the coolant stream exiting the stack. The stack manifolds, for example, can be internal manifolds, which extend through aligned openings formed in the separator layers and Mesa, or can comprise external or edge manifolds, attached to the edges of the separator layers.
Conventional fuel cell stacks are sealed to prevent leaks and inter-mixing of the fuel and oxidant streams. Fuel cell stacks typically employ fluid tight resilient seals, such as electrometric gaskets between the separator plates and membranes. Such seals typically circumscribe the manifolds and the electrochemically active area. Sealing is effected by applying a compressive force to the resilient gasket seals.
The passageways which fluidly connect each electrode to the appropriate stack supply and/or exhaust manifolds typically comprise one or more open-faced fluid channels formed in the active surface of the separator plate, extending from a reactant manifold to the area of the plate which corresponds to the electrochemically active area of the contacted electrode. In this way, for a flow field plate, fabrication is simplified by forming the fluid supply and exhaust channels on the same face of the plate as the flow field channels. However, such channels can present a problem for the resilient seal which is intended to fluidly isolate the other electrode (on the opposite side of the ion exchange membrane) from this manifold. Where a seal on the other side of the membrane crosses over open-faced channels extending from the manifold, a supporting surface is desirable or required to bolster the seal and to prevent the seal from leaking and/or sagging into the open-faced channel. One solution adopted in conventional separator plates is to insert a bridge member which spans the open-faced channels underneath the resilient seal. The bridge member preferably provides a sealing surface which is flush with the sealing surface of the separator plate so that a gasket-type seal on the other side of the membrane is substantially uniform compressed to provide a fluid tight seal. The bridge member also prevents the gasket-type seal from sagging into the open-faced channel and restricting the fluid flow between the manifold and the electrode. Instead of bridge members, it is also known to use metal tubes or other equivalent devices for providing a continuous sealing surface around the electrochemically active area of the electrodes (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,281), whereby passageways, which fluidly interconnect each electrode to the appropriate stack supply or exhaust manifolds, extend laterally within the thickness of a separator or flow field plate, substantially parallel to its major surfaces.
Conventional bridge members are affixed to the separator plates after the plates have been milled or molded to form the open-faced fluid channels. One problem with this solution is that separate bridge members add to the number of separate fuel cell components which are needed in a fuel cell stack. Further, the bridge members are typically bonded to the separator plates, so care should be exercised to ensure that the relatively small bridge members are accurately installed and that the bonding agent does not obscure the manifold port. It is also preferable to ensure that the bridge members are installed substantially flush with the sealing surface of the separator plate. Accordingly, the installation of conventional bridge members on separator plates adds significantly to the fabrication time and cost for manufacturing separator plates for fuel cell assemblies. Therefore, it is desirable to obviate the need for such bridge members, and to design an electrochemical fuel cell stack so that the fluid reactant streams are not directed between the separator plates and MEA seals.
In the present approach, passageways fluidly interconnecting an anode to a fuel manifold and interconnecting a cathode to an oxidant manifold in an electrochemical fuel cell stack are formed between the non-active surfaces of a pair of adjoining separator plates. The passageways then extend through one or more ports penetrating the thickness of one of the plates thereby fluidly connecting the manifold to the opposite active surface of that plate, and the contacted electrode. Thus, the non-active surfaces of adjoining separator plates in a fuel cell stack can cooperate to provide passageways for directing both reactants from respective fuel and oxidant manifolds to the appropriate electrodes. Of course, the fuel and oxidant reactant streams are fluidly isolated from each other, even though they are directed between adjoining non-active surfaces of the same pair of plates. Coolant passages can also be conveniently provided between non-active surfaces of adjoining separator plates.
An electrochemical fuel cell stack with improved reactant man folding and sealing comprises:
(a) a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies each comprising an anode, a cathode, and an ion-exchange membrane interposed between the anode and cathode;
(b) a pair of separator plates interposed between adjacent pairs of the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies, the pair of separator plates comprising:
an anode plate having an active surface contacting an anode, and an oppositely facing non-active surface, and
a cathode plate having an active surface contacting a cathode, and an oppositely facing non-active surface which adjoins the non-active surface of the anode plate; and
(c) a fuel supply manifold for directing a fuel stream to one, or preferably more of the anodes, and an oxidant supply manifold for directing an oxidant stream to one, or preferably more, of the cathodes, and fuel and oxidant stream passageways fluidly connecting the fuel and oxidant supply manifolds to an anode and a cathode, respectively,
wherein at least one of the fuel and oxidant stream passageways traverses a portion of the adjoining non-active surfaces of a pair of the separator plates.
The electrochemical fuel cell stack can optionally further comprise an oxidant exhaust manifold for directing an oxidant stream from one, or preferably more, of the cathodes, and/or a fuel exhaust manifold for directing a fuel stream from one, or preferably more, of the anodes. In preferred embodiments, reactant stream passageways fluidly interconnecting the reactant exhaust manifold to the electrodes also traverse a portion of adjoining non-active surfaces of a pair of the separator plates.
In further embodiments, passages for a coolant can also be formed between cooperating non-active surfaces of adjoining anode and cathode plates, or one or more coolant channels can be formed in the active surface of at least one of the cathode and/or the anode separator plates. In an operating stack, a coolant can be actively directed through the cooling channels or passages by a pump or fan, or alternatively, the ambient environment can passively absorb the heat generated by the electrochemical reaction within the fuel cell stack.
The separator plates can be flow field plates wherein the active surfaces have reactant flow field channels formed therein, for distributing reactant streams from the supply manifolds across at least a portion of the contacted electrodes.
In the present approach, passageways for both the fuel and oxidant reactant streams extend between adjoining non-active surfaces of the same pair of plates, but the passageways are fluidly isolated from each other. To improve the sealing around the reactant stream passageways located between adjoining non-active surfaces of the separator plates, the fuel cell stack can further comprise one or more gasket seals interposed between the adjoining non-active surfaces. Alternatively, or in addition to employing gasket seals, adjoining separator plates can be adhesively bonded together. To improve the electrical conductivity between the adjoining plates, the adhesive is preferably electrically conductive. Other known methods of bonding and sealing the adjoining separator plates can be employed.
In the embodiments of an electrochemical fuel cell stack described above, the manifolds can be selected from various types of stack manifolds, for example internal manifolds comprising aligned openings formed in the stacked membrane electrode assemblies and separator plates, or external manifolds extending from an external edge face of the fuel cell stack.
As used herein, adjoining components are components which are in contact with one another, but are not necessarily bonded or adhered to one another. Thus the terms adjoin and contact are intended to be synonymous.

Electrochemical fuel cell stack with improved reactant manifolding and sealing


A recreational boat comprising first and second sheets of aluminum having respective first and second longitudinal edges, the first sheet having a first bend extending along a majority of the length of the first sheet between the first and second longitudinal edges of the first sheet, the second sheet having a second bend extending along a majority of the length of the second sheet between the first and second longitudinal edges of the second sheet, the first sheet and the second sheet affixed along the respective first longitudinal edges to form a centerline of the boat, a plurality of transverse ribs affixed to the first and the second sheets, first and second inboard vertical walls, and first and second narrow side decks each having an outer edge portion and an inner edge portion, the first narrow deck outer edge portion affixed to the second longitudinal edge of the first sheet and the first narrow deck inner edge portion affixed to the top of the first vertical wall, the second narrow deck outer edge portion affixed to the second longitudinal edge of the second aluminum sheet and the second narrow deck inner edge portion affixed to the top of the second vertical wall, and the bottoms of the first and second vertical walls respectively affixed to the transverse ribs inboard of the respective first and second bends.

Attention is directed to U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 262,009 and 259,480 for examples of fiberglass constructed deck boats, or boats with a relatively open deck or cockpit area made with a fiberglass hull.
In addition, attention is directed to the 1991 Godfrey Hurricane Catalog which discloses another example of a fiberglass hulled deck boat.
Additionally, attention is directed to the 1988 Lowe Aluminum Boats Catalogue and the 1990 Sea Nymph Catalogue, both of which show examples of recreational boats made of aluminum material.


A delivery system can be provided with an ability to change its configurations to achieve both access to target anatomy and treatment thereof. Such treatments can include directing interventional devices around an occlusion. By providing different functionality at different stages, the need to exchange and replace tools at different stages can be reduced or eliminated. Accordingly, such operations can be completed more rapidly, efficiently, and safely.

Chronic total occlusions ("CTO") are vascular lesions characterized by heavy atherosclerotic plaque within the blood vessel, resulting in complete (or nearly complete) obstruction of blood flow across the lesion. Such occlusions can occur anywhere in a patient's vascular system. Since most lesions form gradually over a long period of time, the ischemic tissue downstream of the lesion has time to form collateral circulation. For example, in the case of coronary arteries, collateral vessels can form from the proximal artery and connect into the distal artery ("ipsilateral collaterals"), or collateral vessels can form from the other major arterial branches and connect into the distal artery ("contralateral collaterals"). When the lesion finally becomes a total occlusion, the collateral circulation is typically sufficient to keep the distal tissue alive, though ischemic. Accordingly, it is desirable to reestablish blood flow through or around the blockage in blood vessels by crossing the CTO and advancing therapeutic devices, such as a balloon angioplasty catheter, to dilate and treat the CTO. Likewise, in some cases it may be necessary to cross a CTO to gain access to a location along the vasculature distal to the CTO. CTOs can be more difficult to cross than partially occluded lesions because, rather than navigate a pre-existing lumen, a guidewire must either penetrate the lesion or, when penetrating the occlusion is impractically difficult and/or complicated, go around the lesion via a sub-intimal layer of a vessel wall.
The description provided in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely because it is mentioned in or associated with the background section. The background section may include information that describes one or more aspects of the subject technology.
In one or more implementations, not all of the depicted components in each figure may be required, and one or more implementations may include additional components not shown in a figure. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. Additional components, different components, or fewer components may be utilized within the scope of the subject disclosure.


An umbrella mount, and optional adaptor, a receiver for an umbrella pole and at least two pressure points that at least one strap and fastener can urge against a base support to securely position the mount.

Umbrellas are widely used to provide protection from the sun or the elements. Since umbrellas are nearly invariably used outside, it is desirable that the umbrella mounts be stable in at least light winds and breezes. Many bases have been designed to provide such stability and most commonly such bases are very heavy and the weight of the base stabilizes the umbrella mounted therein, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,031. While heavy bases are useful for mounting stationery umbrellas, it is also desirable that umbrellas be movable from one location to another. One technique to provide such mobility has been to equip a heavy mounting base with wheels as in U.S. Pat. No. 7,641,175. While equipping the base with wheels provides the ability to move the base across a generally planar surface, it is still not practical to routinely lift and transport a heavy base from place to place.
Because it is often desirable to utilize an umbrella for shade in connection with a vehicle, another alternative that has been proposed is to provide a vehicle anchored mount for an umbrella as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,399. While such a mounting system is useful in connection with the vehicle, it does not provide a satisfactory solution in other locations. Similarly, some clamping arrangements have been devised that are suitable for mounting an umbrella to a properly positioned structure as in U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,593 or which include a clamping element as in the case of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,401,736 and 5,836,327. Again, these clamps are only suitable for attachment to base structures of particular positions, sizes, or shapes. Two other alternatives that have been utilized are a very large base as in U.S. Pat. No. 7,264,218 or the permanent attachment of a mounting base as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,517 and U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2002/0053631. Permanent mounting of the umbrella base can provide excellent stability but is not suitable for mobility.
Several alternative techniques for utilizing umbrellas in connection with vehicles have been proposed, including trailer hitch attachments such as are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,818,128 and 8,123,190 or particularly designed mounting structures that are fixed to the vehicle as in U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2010/0096876 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,368. These attachments are only suitable for use on a particular vehicle and do not provide the ability to releasably attach the umbrella to a variety of different base structures. An improved umbrella mount is still needed can be mounted to a wide variety of base structures, while providing variable umbrella positioning and being simple and inexpensive to make and use.


A facsimile equipment in accordance with the present invention comprises a key input unit for specifying a receiver or receivers to which a data is to be sent, a means for detecting a key input through the key input unit, a data memory for storing therein receiver data of the receiver or receivers corresponding to the key input, a character generator for storing a character font, and image signal memory for developing said character font, wherein the receiver data corresponding to the receiver or receivers specified by the key input unit are developed into receiver image signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile equipment which has a function of automatically generating receiver image signals indicative of information of receivers to which a data of an original document is to be sent.
2. Description of the Related Art
In sending the data of an original document with use of a facsimile equipment, conventionally, there has been usually sent the address data of a paper sheet on which the address of a receiver is written, together with the original document data.
For this reason, it has been necessary for the operator to separately prepare a paper having the address of a receiver thereon prior to sending the original document data. In the case where the receiver is always the same, the once prepared address paper can be advantageously used not only once but a plurality of times. However, when it is desired to send the data of an original document to a plurality of locations or receivers as in a multi-address communication and such receivers vary in combination each time such data sending operation is made, i.e., when the data sending operation is based on a so-called discrete multi-address system, or when it is desired to send the data with only a part deleted or added to receivers that are previously registered as a group; it has been necessary that the operator separately prepare individual papers having the different addresses of the receivers written thereon.
In this way, when it is desired to send data to any combinations of receivers, the conventional facsimile equipment has required the individual papers separately for each combination o send them together with the original document data.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a facsimile equipment which eliminates the above defect in the prior art and which allows automatic preparation, edition and transmission of receiver image signals indicative of the information of previously registered receivers, together with the image data signal of an original document.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a facsimile equipment capable of preparing a cover page corresponding to each receiver in multi-address communications.


A wine glass constructed from molded plastic includes an upper body defining an upwardly narrowed flume for concentrating the wine bouquet, in combination with a contoured lower base defining an annular moat surrounding a central punt for enhanced visual inspection of the wine. In addition, the upper body further includes a notched indent at an outboard side thereof forming a shelf for facilitated fingertip grasping and manipulation of the assembled glass. In one form, the upper body and lower base of the wine glass are provided as separate modules adapted for assembly to form the wine glass, and disassembly for respective compact stacking. In another form, the wine glass has a one-piece construction adapted for compact stacking by nested reception of the upwardly narrowed flume partially into the underside of the lower base of an overlying glass in the stack.

This invention relates generally to improvements in wine glasses which may be constructed from relatively lightweight and cost efficient plastic materials. More specifically, this invention relates to an improved wine glass of modular or unitary construction, wherein the assembled wine glass is easily grasped and is shaped to facilitate inspection of the bouquet and visual characteristics of a selected wine, and further wherein a plurality of wine glasses or modular components thereof are shaped for relatively compact stacking for convenient shipping and/or storage.
Wine is commonly served at a wide variety of social gatherings and events ranging from small to large, and from informal to formal. In this regard, it is generally recognized that the olfactory, visual and taste characteristics of any given wine are best displayed and best judged by use of a traditional transparent wine glass having a rounded or bowl-shaped bottom of expanded cross sectional size relative to an upwardly and inwardly tapering upper flume. This classic wine glass shape enables close visual inspection of wine color and meniscus and other visual characteristics by swirling a small amount of the wine within the bowl-shaped bottom of the glass, while the narrowing upper flume tends to concentrate the bouquet of the wine for facilitated sensory detection and enjoyment. Traditionally, such wine glasses have been constructed from glass, typically by supporting the bowl-shaped bottom of the glass on a narrow stem which projects upwardly from a disk-shaped lower base.
Wine glasses constructed from glass, however, are fragile and thus susceptible to breakage during normal use, and in the course of shipping and handling prior to use, and further in the course of post-use handling including washing, drying and returning the glasses to storage. In addition, a set of glass-constructed wine glasses can be relatively costly, particularly when large numbers of glasses are required for use at a social event. Moreover, the shape of the traditional wine glass, including the narrowed upper flume, inherently precludes compact stacking of multiple glasses for space-efficient shipping and storage.
As a result, alternative drinking vessels or cups formed from relatively inexpensive and substantially unbreakable molded plastic are often used for serving wine, in lieu of traditional glass-constructed wine glasses. Such plastic molded cups are relatively inexpensive and thus suitable for disposal following a single use. In some configurations, such molded plastic cups have incorporated surface features designed to enhance the various visual, olfactory and taste characteristics of wine. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,409,374 and 6,644,846, which are incorporated by reference herein. However, such molded plastic cups are commonly formed with an upwardly expanding cross sectional shape so that the cups can be shipped and stored in a compact stacked array, but this upwardly expanding shape does not concentrate the wine bouquet. Accordingly, plastic molded cups have generally been incompatible with optimally displaying to best advantage the full range of characteristics attributable to a particular vintage, and do not optimize the presentation and enjoyment of the wine.
There exists, therefore, a need for further improvements in and to wine glasses of the type constructed from molded plastic, wherein the wine glass is shaped for optimizing the presentation and enjoyment of wine. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.


A electrophoresis column having on-column means and a method for concentrating analytes of interest in a sample prior to electrophoresis. The column comprises a section having the concentrating means upstream of a capillary section. A sample is flowed past the concentrating means which immobilizes the analytes of interest thereby concentrating the analytes of interest in the section. Thereafter the analytes are released from the concentrating means for carrying out electrophoresis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present relates invention relates to capillary electrophoresis and more particularly to sample preparation for electrophoresis.
2. Description of Related Art
Capillary electrophoresis is a high resolution, high sensitivity method for preparation and detection of organic analytes in mixtures. Typically, the sample mixture is introduced into one end of a capillary tube filled with buffer solution, polyacrylamide gel, or other types of separation support medium. A high voltage potential is applied across the ends of the capillary tube to cause separation of the sample mixture into various species of analytes. Analytes of the same species are resolved into bands as separation takes place. A detector detects the presence of the bands.
One of the limitations of prior art capillary electrophoresis processes is the extremely small amount of sample which can be used without degrading the resolution of the separated bands. When a large amount of sample is used, the bands are broader and the spacings between bands are narrower. Portions of adjacent bands may overlap. It would be difficult for the detector to resolve two overlapped bands. Thus, the volume of sample used is typically in the order of several nanoliters. However, when a small volume of sample is employed, and the analytes of interest are present in low concentration in the small volume, the volumes of the analytes of interest are so small that it represents a major limitation on the detectability of the analytes.

On-column preconcentration of samples in capillary electrophoresis


A fishing lure assembly is disclosed which comprises a blade free to oscillate, yaw and produce a trailing wake as the fishing lure assembly is displaced through water. A weight is affixed to the fishing lure assembly, but affixed to an associated wireform where it is inferiorly disposed relative to the blade such that the blade is free to oscillate and have side-to-side action, substantially unaffected by mass and inertia of the weight. The fishing lure may be variably constructed to include one or more hooks and artificial or natural soft bait and hard bait bodies which are disposed to follow behind the trailing wake of the blade. A compound lure is disclosed wherein the weight is replaced by a jig hook.

A snag resistant fishing lure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,062 B2, issued Jun. 1, 2010 to James Ronald Davis (Davis). Davis discloses a jig with an attached blade. The jig has a weight molded about the shank of a hook with an eyelet disposed to maintain the sharpened point of a hook held upright by the relative dispositions of the eyelet, weight and orientation of the point. The blade is taught to be affixed to the eyelet and be limited in oscillation by either collision of the blade with the eyelet or with the weight to which it is directly affixed. Further, the blade is taught to comprise three holes, one of which is used to securely affix the blade to the eyelet. The other two holes are taught to be used in cooperation with a clip affixed to a fishing line for the purpose of releasably affixing the fishing line of a fishing lure unit which comprises both blade and weighted fishing lure.
In modern fishing art, two primary facets of a fishing lure include lure action and ease and efficiency of casting. Oft times these two facets are in opposition in bladed lures. Action of a bladed lure is often dependent upon blade resistance (especially for an oscillating blade) as a lure is displaced through water. Such resistance is counter to efficiency in casting, especially when long distance casts are desired.
Definitions:
For purposes of this disclosure, the following definitions apply:
aft, adv, near, toward, or in the rear of a lure
blade, n, a broad flattened part which is affixed to a portion of a fishing lure and which oscillates as the lure is propelled in water to provide a wake following therefrom; such a blade may be rigid or flexible, if flexible such a blade requires a supporting mast to withstand pressure from being displaced through water
centrally, adv, near, toward the center of gravity, syn: medically
distal, adj, (see also proximal) indicates the segment of a device normally away from a line attachment of a lure
fishhook, n, a device, usually made of rigid metal wire, comprising a curved section which has a sharpened point on one end for catching a fish and a shank which comprises a substantially straight portion on an opposite end. Generally, the shank is ultimately affixed with an eyelet or other attachment providing for connecting line and other accouterments the fishhook
fishhook assembly, n, a combination of a fishhook and other optional attributes associated with the fishhook for attaching the fishhook to a frame or wireform and for adding attractive components such as an artificial or natural bait
fore, adv, in, toward or adjacent to the front (i.e. forward)
inferior, adj, situated lower down or closer to the center of the earth than a referenced site
jig, n, a fishhook which has a weight affixed about an associated shank of the fishhook
proximal, adj, indicates the segment of a device normally closely disposed relative to a line attachment of a lure
shank, n, a wire form which is a proximal portion of a fishhook the shank usually having a substantially straight portion which is associated with a curved portion of a fishhook and with a connecting link by which the fishhook is affixed to other fishing gear
substantially, adv, in a manner relating to the most or main part or characteristic of something
superior, adj, situated higher up or away from the center of the earth relative to a referenced site

Lure fishing assembly with weighted wireform