Systems, methods, and programs allow for the secure compilation of vote data from electronic voting machines at a voting location. Systems, methods, and programs provide the secure electronic transmission of the vote data to a central location for tabulation. provide a vote data consolidation function that can collect and consolidate vote data from a plurality of types or generations voting machines. Systems, methods, and programs provide a vote data transmission function that can communicate with a server in a central tabulation headquarters to securely transmit vote data that has been consolidated from a plurality of voting machines. Systems, methods, and programs provide a voter initialization function, wherein, after establishing a voter's identity, a voter authorization card may be initialized for the voter to gain access to a voting machine.

1. Related Technical Fields
Related technical fields include electronic voting machines, and in particular, electronic voting machines that initialize, consolidate, and/or transmit voter and/or vote information to a central facility for tabulation.
2. Related Art
Electronic voting machines are increasingly used in elections at a world level, particularly, direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting machines. DRE voting machines record votes by means of a ballot display provided with mechanical or electro-optical components that can be activated by the voter. A DRE voting machine, interacting with the voter, receives, accepts and processes vote data by means of a computer program, and records votes in a memory.
In 1998 the Federal Election Commission issued performance and test standards for DRE systems. The 1990 FEC Standards encompass DRE voting systems that record votes by means of a ballot display provided with mechanical or electro-optical devices that can be actuated by the voter, that process the data by means of a computer program, and that record voting data and ballot images in memory devices, such as, for example, data cartridges, internal memories, or external memories. The disclosed DRE produces a tabulation of the voting data as a hard copy or stored in a removable memory device.
Further, in conventional DRE voting systems it is often necessary to remove a memory device from the DRE machine and physically transport the memory devices to a central location for tabulation, which requires that the memory devices are collected by personnel, identified, marked, packed, and subject to manual control.
In many instances in a given election, a State or a County makes use of their existing inventory of voting equipment, which can include machines of various types, from different vendors, and having disparate technological levels. In fact, varied voting machines are employed concurrently, even in the same precinct. Optical Scanning voting machines usually produce cartridges where precinct counts are stored, and likewise, said cartridges need to be collected and physically taken to a tallying facility in order to be processed.

Systems, methods, and programs for voter information initialization and consolidation


A mechanism for upgrading a missile to be effective against reactive armor. The invention includes an adaptor (11) for mounting a probe module (10) with a warhead (13). The probe module has a charge in its extensible tip. A faring (12) over the five inch warhead reestablishes the aerodynamics of the missile.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to modular missiles and more particularly to tube-launched optically-tracked wire-guided missiles.
2. Description of Related Art
These missiles were developed around two decades ago as portable missiles to be used against ground based vehicles or installations. These original missiles, and successors variations, were designed in a modular fashion. As an example, the electronics module is a separate unit and can be upgraded easily without requiring modification to the remainder of the missile. Similarly, all of the basic components of the missile are designed in modules to permit easy upgrades as technology advances.
These missiles typically utilize a shaped charge warhead. The shaped charge warhead contains a conical shaped copper liner which collapses and melts during detonation and explosion of the warhead. The melted copper forms a plasma jet that is directed out the front of the warhead towards the target.
One disadvantage of these missiles is that the switch which initiated detonation of the warhead was placed only a few inches from the copper liner and did not permit enough time for the plasma jet to be completely formed before the exploding warhead collided with the target. Hence, the maximum effectiveness of the plasma jet was not obtained.
One modular improvement made to these missile is the replacement of the rudimentary nose module with an updated warhead with a probe module having an extensible probe to provide standoff detonation. The probe extends upon launch ahead of the warhead and contains a switch which activates the warhead detonation. The extensible probe permits enough time for the plasma jet to be properly formed before collision between the warhead and the target. This feature increases the armor-piercing capability of the missile.
Subsequent missiles were developed with a heavier and more powerful warheads and also with an extensible probe for increased standoff detonation.
In response to these improvements in warhead efficiency, reactive armor was developed. When reactive armor explodes, a sheet of steel is forced upward through the plasma jet. Although the plasma jet easily burns the steel, the reactive armor is placed at an angle so that the rising sheet of steel presents an ever fresh steel face which breaks up the plasma jet, thereby destroying the plasma jet's effectiveness.
To counter the reactive armor development, a small charge was placed behind the tip switch in the extensible probe. Detonation of the warhead was delayed for a..short period of time after detonation of the tip charge in the extended probe. The small charge activated the reactive armor, thereby clearing the way for the warhead's plasma jet to defeat the unprotected armor on the side of the tank or other such target.


A crosslinkable, branched polyester prepared by free radical polymerization of unsaturated polyester prepolymers, wherein the polymerization occurs primarily by reaction of the unsaturation is disclosed. Coatings comprising the same are also disclosed, as are substrates coated at least in part with such coatings.

Conventional linear and branched polyester resins produced by the polycondensation of different combinations of polyols and polyacids have been widely used in the coatings industry. They have been used to coat a wide range of metallic and non-metallic substrates used in a number of different industries. These industries particularly include those in which flexible coatings are desired. Particularly suitable examples include substrates used in the packaging industry, coil coatings, and certain industrial and automotive coatings. It is often desired that coatings have a particular "touch feel"; in the consumer electronics industry, for example, it is often desired to have a coating with a "soft feel" or "soft touch". A soft touch coating can impart a range of touch feel, for example, a velvety feel, a silky feel, or a rubbery feel, to a substrate. Notwithstanding the feel of the coating, it would also be desired that the coating have at least some degree of resistance to abrasion, marring, scratching and/or staining. Soft touch coatings having acceptable performance properties are therefore desired.

Branched polyester polymers and soft touch coatings comprising the same


Embodiments of the invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to boot ROM handling and provide a method, system and computer program product for optimized boot ROM handling for I/O devices. In one embodiment of the invention, a ROM scan area optimization method can be provided. The method can include pre-processing multiple boot ROM images to determine memory space requirements in the ROM scan area for all of the boot ROM images. The method further can include partitioning the ROM scan area into multiple, different static portions and at least one dynamic paged portion. Finally, the method can include generating an optimal arrangement of the boot ROM images defining placement of some of the boot ROM images in corresponding ones of the static portions, and others of the boot ROM images in the dynamic paged portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of boot read-only memory (ROM) handling and more particularly to the field of boot ROM memory sharing amongst multiple, different input/output (I/O) adapters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Boot ROM refers to the firmware embedded in a computing device that enables the computing device to bootstrap to an operational state. Generally, a boot ROM includes enough logic embedded in the firmware to enable the computing device to retrieve further logic from fixed storage and to execute retrieved logic in memory in order to ultimately arrive at an operational state. While boot ROMs have formed part and parcel of personal computing devices for decades, boot ROMs also have been integral in the networked enterprise in enabling a uniform configuration of different, communicatively coupled I/O devices in a network.
In the network configuration, a boot ROM brings a host I/O device to an initial operational state. Subsequently, the boot ROM can solicit and retrieve subsequent boot instructions from a server device over a computer communications network. In this way, as modifications are performed in the boot instructions, the modifications can be performed centrally thereby obviating the need for updating the boot ROM in each I/O device.
Generally, the logic of the boot ROM can be loaded into a memory address space in random access memory (RAM) prior to execution. In many circumstances, however, such as in the case of the 0×86 processor, the memory address space can be limited to one-hundred and twenty-eight (128) kilobytes (KB) by way of example. Yet, on occasion, it is possible that the memory address space for accommodating the logic of the boot ROM can become overcommitted and can fall short in size of the required space. Consequently, the memory address space in RAM can be "paged", as it is well-known in the art, in order to swap in and out the required logic when executing the boot ROM.
Memory paging can be computationally expensive and can slow the execution of boot ROM logic. In conventional boot ROM paging algorithms, however, portions of a boot ROM can be paged indiscriminately. Other conventional boot ROM paging algorithms provide for memory paging for multiple different boot ROM images from different I/O adapters in a computer communications network. In the latter circumstance, however, the paging as before can be performed indiscriminately without regard to the optimization of access to selected ones of boot ROM images for different I/O adapters.

Boot read-only memory (ROM) configuration optimization

International Business Machines Corporation


An apparatus includes a plurality of test heads to which probe cards are electrically connected; a wafer tray which is able to hold a semiconductor wafer; and an alignment apparatus which positions the semiconductor wafer held on the wafer tray relatively with respect to the probe card so as to make the wafer tray face the probe card. The wafer tray has a pressure reducing mechanism which pulls the wafer tray toward the probe card. The alignment apparatus is configured to be able to move along the array direction of the test heads.

Known in the art is a semiconductor wafer test apparatus which positions a semiconductor wafer, which is held by suction on a wafer table, with respect to a probe card by a wafer table drive mechanism, then pushes that semiconductor wafer against the probe card by the wafer table drive mechanism (for example, see PLT 1).                PLT 1: Japanese Patent No. 2694462


A desired trajectory of a vertical component of a translation floor reaction force of a legged mobile robot 1, a vertical component of a total center-of-gravity acceleration or a body acceleration's vertical component of the robot 1 is determined, and a desired vertical position of a total center-of-gravity or body of the robot 1 is determined in such a manner that the vertical component of the translation floor reaction force, the vertical component of the total center-of-gravity acceleration or the body acceleration's vertical component agrees with the desired trajectory (that is, a dynamical equilibrium condition in the vertical direction is satisfied). Since the movement of the total center-of-gravity or the like in the vertical direction is determined after the desired trajectory of the vertical component of the translation floor reaction force or the like, a desired gait for the robot 1 suitable not only for walking but also for running can be generated.

Conventionally, generation of a gait (desired gait) for Causing a legged mobile robot, for example, a two-legged mobile robot to move has primarily been aimed to generate a gait (walking gait) which causes the robot to perform a smooth walking action. However, in recent years, as the development of the legged mobile robot has been advanced, it is desired to generate a gait that can cause the robot not only to walk but also run.
Note that, since the word "gait" in Chinese characters includes a Chinese character meaning "walk", the word tends to be misunderstood as meaning only walking. However, originally, the word "gait" has a concept that also includes "running" as evidenced by the fact that it is used as a word for "trotting" or a running mode of a horse.
Now, differences in characteristics between walking and running will be described.
Typically, running is defined as a movement mode which includes an instant at which all the legs float in the air. However, this definition cannot always definitely distinguish between walking and running. For example, during fast jogging, most people have all their legs floating in the air at a certain instant. On the other hand, during slow jogging, many people have either of their legs always in contact with the ground. Defining the fast jogging as running and the slow jogging as walking seems to be slightly unreasonable.
FIG. 48 shows patterns of a body vertical position and a floor reaction force vertical component (i.e., the sum of the floor reaction force vertical components applied to the right and left legs) during typical running. FIG. 49 shows patterns of the body vertical position and the floor reaction force vertical component during typical walking.
Here, the term "body vertical position/velocity" means the vertical position and velocity of a representative point of the body. The term "body horizontal position/velocity" means the horizontal position and velocity of the representative point of the body. The body vertical position/velocity and the body horizontal position/velocity are collectively referred to as a body position/velocity.
In addition, a "floor reaction force's vertical component" should be more precisely described as a "vertical component of the translation floor reaction force" in order to distinguish it from a moment component around a vertical axis of a floor reaction force. However, since the word is lengthy, "translation" is omitted here.
First, as for the movement of the body, when a robot walks, the body reaches the highest point at an instant when the body passes over the supporting leg. On the other hand, the body reaches the lowest point at that instant when the robot runs. That is, walking and running have inverse phases of the vertical movement pattern.
On the other hand, the floor reaction force is relatively constant during walking, while, during running, it largely varies and reaches the highest value at the instant when the body passes over the supporting leg. Of course, the floor reaction force is 0 at the instant when all the legs float in the air. From a more detailed observation, the floor reaction force produced during running is found to be approximately proportional to the extent of folding of the supporting leg. In other words, during running, the robot moves by jumping using the legs just like springs.
During slow jogging, the body vertical movement has the same phase as that of the typical running. In addition, in many cases, slow jogging doesn't include an instant when all the legs float in the air. Nevertheless, the floor reaction force is not completely but approximately 0 at an instant of switching of the supporting leg (free leg).
Therefore, as described above, it seems reasonable and appropriate that walking and running are distinguished from one another based on the characteristics of the patterns of the body vertical movement and floor reaction force so that slow jogging is also included in running.
In particular, distinguishing between running and walking in a most characteristic manner, it can be said that running is a movement mode in which the floor reaction force is 0 or substantially 0 at an instant of switching of the supporting leg, and walking is the other movement modes (in which the floor reaction force vertical component is relatively constant).
In Japanese patent Application No. 2000-352011, the applicants have already proposed a technique for generating a legged mobile robot's gait involving a floor reaction force in a flexible manner in real time while substantially satisfying a dynamical equilibrium condition (the dynamical equilibrium condition is a balance condition among the gravity, inertial force and floor reaction force for a desired gait. In a narrow sense, the condition is that the moment applied about the desired ZMP by the resultant force of gravity and the inertial force caused by the movement of the desired gait is 0. Details thereof will be described later). This technique and a series of control devices for legged mobile robots proposed by the applicants in Japanese patent Laid-Open Nos. 10-86081 and 10-277969 and the like can be applied not only walking but also running.
However, according to these techniques, the body height (referred to as a body vertical position hereinafter) is determined in a geometrical manner based on the relative positional relationship between the body height and a foot, using the body height determination method previously proposed in Japanese patent Laid-open No. 10-86080 by the applicants. Furthermore, the desired floor reaction force vertical component is not set in an explicit manner but determined as a result of (depending on) the body vertical position (body height) determined in a geometrical manner as described above. Therefore, a desired floor reaction force vertical component cannot always be produced. Thus, during running of the robot in which an instant when the floor reaction force vertical component is 0 or substantially 0 has to be intentionally provided, the floor reaction force vertical component produced as a result of a movement of the robot according to a desired gait may not be adequately reduced at the instant when the floor reaction force vertical component should be 0 or substantially 0. If such a case occurs, the instant when the both feet of the robot float in the air or when only one of the feet is slightly in contact with the floor cannot be provided, so that it is difficult to make the robot run smoothly. That is, the conventional techniques are not the optimum control techniques, because the floor reaction force vertical component pattern of the gait generated by the techniques is not always suitable for running.
In the first embodiment in Japanese patent Application No. 2000-352011, approximation of the body behavior (modeling using a linear inverted pendulum) is made on the assumption that the floor reaction force vertical component is substantially constant. Thus, as for running, which involves significant variation (or a wide range of variation) of the floor reaction force vertical component, the approximation precision of the body behavior is reduced, and there is a possibility that the stability margin for the robot is reduced.
Therefore, in order to generate a running gait or the like which involves significant variation of the floor reaction force vertical component, the non-linear model described in relation to the second embodiment in Japanese patent Application No. 2000-352011 (a model with higher precision) has to be used to generate a gait in a searching manner. However, using such a non-linear model results in a higher nonlinearity and, thus, a degraded convergence in the searching process. Thus, an enormous amount of calculation is required, so that it is difficult to generate a gait in real time.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a gait generation device that can generate a gait for a legged mobile robot which is suitable for not only walking of the robot but also running or other movement at a high velocity.
Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a gait generation device that can generate a floor reaction force vertical component pattern and a movement pattern which are suitable for a gait mode, such as a running gait or walking gait.
Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a control device for the legged mobile robot which can make the robot move smoothly with the gait generated by the gait generation device.

Gait producing device for leg type movable robot, and control device


A switching circuit device has a first FET and a second FET, and operates with single control terminal. The device also has a common input terminal connected to the drain or source electrode of the two FETs, a first output terminal and a second output terminal connected to the source or the drain electrode of the respective FET, a bias element applying an bias to the first output terminal, a first connection connecting the control terminal to the second FET, a second connection connecting the gate of the second FET to the ground, and a direct current isolation element placed between the two FETs.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a semiconductor switching device for switching at high frequencies, especially to a compound semiconductor switching device operating with only one control terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile communication devices such as mobile telephones often utilize microwaves in the GHz range, and commonly need switching devices for high frequency signals which are used in switching circuits for changing antennas and switching circuits for transmitting and receiving such signals. A typical example of such a switching device can be found in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. Hei 9-181642. Such a device often uses a field-effect transistor (called FET hereinafter) made on a gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrate, as this material is suitable for use at high frequencies, and developments have been made in forming a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) by integrating the aforementioned switching circuits.
FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a conventional GaAs metal-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MESFET). The GaAs substrate 1 is initially without doping, and has beneath its surface an n-type channel region (or a channel layer) 2 formed by doping with n-type dopants. A gate electrode 3 is placed on the surface of the channel region 2, forming a Schottky contact, and a source electrode 4 and a drain electrode 5 are placed on both sides of the gate electrode 3, forming ohmic contacts to the surface of the channel region 2. In this transistor configuration, a voltage applied to the gate electrode 3 creates a depletion layer within the channel region 2 beneath the gate electrode 3 and thus controls the channel current between the source electrode 4 and the drain electrode 5.
FIG. 1B shows the basic circuit configuration of a conventional compound semiconductor switching device called a SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw) switch, using GaAs FETs. The source electrode (or the drain electrode) of each FET (FET1 and FET2) is connected to a common input terminal IN. The drain electrode (or source electrode) of each FET (FET1 and FET2) is connected to respective output terminals (OUT1 and OUT2). The gates of FET1 and FET2 are connected to the control terminals Ctl-1, Ctl-2 through resistors R1, R2, respectively. A pair of complementary signals is applied to the two control terminals, Ctl-1, Ctl-2. When a high level signal is applied to the control terminal of one of the FETs, the FET changes to an on-state, and a signal fed to the common input terminal IN passes through the FET and reaches one of the output terminals OUT1, OUT2. The role of the resistors R1 and R2 is to prevent the leaking of the high frequency signals through the gate electrodes to the DC voltages applied to the control terminals Ctl-1, Ctl-2, which are substantially grounded at high frequency.
The conventional compound semiconductor switching device described above is configured so that one of the pair of complementary signal is applied to the gate of FET1 via the control terminal Ctl-1 and resistor R1 and other of the pair of complementary signal is applied to the gate of FET2 via the control terminal Ctl-2 and resistor R2. Accordingly, two signals, which forms a complementary signal pair, need to be fed to the two control terminals Ctl-1, Ctl-2. Such a configuration needs two external electrodes for the two control terminals Ctl-1, Ctl-2 when the device is housed in a package, resulting in a large package size. Although it is possible to eliminate one control terminal by introducing an inverter circuit to the switching device, this design requires additional FETs, resulting higher energy consumption and a larger package size.
Furthermore, the conventional GaAs MESFET is a depletion type FET and requires the application of a negative voltage for its operation. Therefore, the conventional compound semiconductor switching device described above requires a negative voltage generating circuit for its operation.
The semiconductor switching circuit device of this invention operates with only one control terminal without employing inverter circuits. The invention provides a switching circuit device including a common input terminal, a first output terminal and a second output terminal, a first switching element connected to the common input terminal and the first output terminal, a second switching element connected to the common input terminal and the second output terminal, and a control terminal connected to the first switching element and receiving a control signal for the switching device. The device also includes a first connection connecting the control terminal to the second switching element, a second connection connecting the second switching element to a ground, a bias element applying a bias voltage to the first switching element, and a direct current isolation element interrupting direct current between the first switching element and the common input terminal or between the second switching element and the common input terminal.
The invention further provides a semiconductor switching device including a first field effect transistor and a second field effect transistor each comprising a source electrode, a gate electrode and a drain electrode which are formed on a channel layer of the respective transistor. The device also includes a common input terminal connected to the source electrode or the drain electrode of the first and second transistors, a first output terminal connected to the source electrode or the drain electrode of the first transistor which is not connected to the common input terminal, a second output terminal connected to the source electrode or the drain electrode of the second transistor which is not connected to the common input terminal, and a control terminal connected to the gate electrode of the first transistor, which receives a control signal for the switching device. The device further includes a bias element applying a bias voltage to the source electrode or the drain electrode of the first transistor, a first connection connecting the control terminal to the source electrode or the drain electrode of the second transistor, a second connection connecting the gate electrode of the second transistor to a ground, and a direct current isolation element interrupting direct current between the first transistor and the common input terminal or between the second transistor element and the common input terminal.
The switching devices described above may have a predetermined positive voltage applied constantly to the source electrode or the drain electrode of the first transistor. The direct current isolation element may comprise a capacitor and the bias element may comprise a resistor and a power source. The capacitor, the resistor or the both may be integrated into a chip in which the switching elements are formed.


A conveyor apparatus with a plurality of transport units movable along a guide means, on the upper side of said transport units there being provided in each case a pusher means which can be driven contrary to a direction of travel of the transport units so that unit load items can be picked up and/or discharged gently.

The invention relates to a conveyor apparatus with a number of transport units which can be moved along a guide direction.
Conveyor apparatuses of this kind for transporting unit loads are known in a variety of designs, with transverse load sorters having proven effective in gently picking up and putting down items of the unit loads; on the top side of the transport units, a carrier belt is disposed which can be driven transversely to the direction of travel of the transport units themselves, and which is driven in a given direction at a particular speed, depending on the picking-up or putting-down situation prevailing. A transverse load sorter of this kind, or crossbelt sorter, is known from EP 0 700 844 A2, for example.
Although transverse load sorters have proven effective in many practical applications, there is a disadvantage, specifically when handling sensitive items, that during the putting-down or removal process, the kinetic energy of that item of the unit load, which can sometimes be considerable, must be degraded in the discharge area, which is often associated with jolt stresses.
Alternative delivery systems have likewise been unable to change this fundamental problem, such as those in which an item of the unit load is dropped by flaps in the delivery area or scraped off the transport unit by a scraper member which it bumps into.
The invention has therefore set itself the objective of improving on a conveyor apparatus of the generic kind such that the stresses imposed on the unit load items to be delivered in the loading or unloading area are kept to a minimum despite the kinetic energy to be built up or degraded.
This problem is solved in accordance with the invention in a conveyor apparatus of the generic kind by proposing that a pusher means which can be driven contrary to a direction of travel of the transport unit is in each case provided on the upper side of the transport units so that unit load items can be picked up and/or discharged gently.
The pusher means can be drivable at a pushing speed which is at least as great as a speed of travel of the transport means concerned.
The pusher means may be designed as a pusher, i.e. in the form of a scraper or the like, or as a belt conveyor or roller table.
It may be contemplated that a conveyor surface of the pusher means is arranged parallel to the direction of travel of the transport means. In this case, the transport units may be arranged spaced apart from one another in the direction of travel, by a distance which corresponds at least to a longitudinal dimension of a unit load item to be transported.
Alternatively, it may be contemplated that a conveyor surface of the pusher means is arranged at an upward slope, seen in the direction of travel of the transport means. In this case, it may be contemplated that the transport units are arranged spaced apart from one another in the direction of travel by a distance which is smaller than a longitudinal dimension of the unit load items to be transported, and, with an appropriate slope of the conveyor surfaces, even substantially without being spaced apart from one another.
Conversely, it may be contemplated that a conveyor surface of the pusher means is arranged at a downward slope, seen in the direction of travel. In this case, it is conveniently contemplated that the transport units are arranged spaced apart from one another in the direction of travel, by a distance which corresponds at least to a longitudinal dimension of a unit load item to be transported or is greater than the latter.
With a sloping arrangement of the conveyor surface of the pusher means, it may be contemplated that the conveyor surfaces are arranged sloping at an angle of at least 2°, 5°, 10°, 15°, 20° or 30° to the horizontal.
The invention preferably contemplates that each transport unit is arranged spaced apart laterally beside the guide means. It is conveniently contemplated that two transport units in each case are arranged on either side of the guide means, opposite each other.
One variant of the invention envisages that the transport units are arranged spaced apart above the guide means. In this case, the transport units are conveniently arranged on a mount which is C-shaped, seen in the direction of travel. A receiving means may be arranged in a gap between the guide means and the transport units.
As a further alternative, it may be contemplated that the transport units are arranged spaced apart beneath the guide means. A mixed construction with transport units to the side of and/or above and/or beneath the guide means may likewise be appropriate.
Reference may first be made to FIG. 1, which shows the basic structure of a conveyor apparatus of the invention by way of example. A number of transport units 2 are in each case arranged in pairs on either side of a guide means 4 and mounted on, for example, carriages 6, which can be driven along the guide means in a direction of travel 7. The guide means may be formed, for example, of rails, along which the transport units can travel on rollers or wheels, and the drive may be provided by a chain, driven rollers or wheels, linear drives or the like, as is known per se in the state of the art.
Each transport unit 2 is provided on its upper side with a pusher means, which is formed, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, by a belt conveyor 8. In order to deliver a unit load item 10 located on the transport unit 2, the belt conveyor 8 can be driven in such a way that a conveyor surface 12, which forms the carrying run of the belt conveyor 8 and at the same time the upper side of the transport unit 2, is moved opposite to the direction of travel 7, in a discharge direction 14. When the transport unit 2 is moving at a predetermined speed in the direction of travel 7, it is possible in this way, by driving the belt conveyor 8 in the opposite direction, i.e. in the discharge direction 14, and at the same speed, to cause the unit load item 10 to stand still relative to its surroundings. If this state is created for a short time above a receiving means 16, the transport unit 2 in effect moves beneath the unit load item 10, so that the latter drops vertically down into the receiving means 16 without any relative horizontal speed worth mentioning. The receiving means may, for example, be a receiving container as illustrated or a discharge conveyor arranged vertically or diagonally to the guide means 4, which first picks up the unit load item 10 delivered and then transports it laterally out of the area of the conveyor apparatus.
FIGS. 2a-h illustrate such a delivery process again in more detail. FIGS. 2a-d show how a transport unit 2 still loaded with a unit load item 10 approaches a receiving means 16. Since the belt conveyor 8 and the unit load item 10 cannot accelerate abruptly to the pushing-off speed in the opposite direction to the direction of travel 7, the belt conveyor 8 must already begin to move before the position shown in FIG. 2d is reached, such as in a position as shown in FIGS. 2a, b or c.
The speed of the belt conveyor 8 when pushing off compensates for the speed of travel of the transport unit 2, so that by the time the unit load item 10 reaches the position shown in FIG. 1d, it is standing still relative to the receiving means 16; it is pushed off by the belt conveyor 8 (FIGS. 2e, f) and finally drops freely into the receiving means 16 (FIGS. 2g, h).
With a horizontal arrangement of the conveyor surfaces 12 or the upper side of the transport units 2 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is convenient for the transport units to be arranged spaced apart from one another at a distance corresponding at least to a longitudinal dimension of the unit load item transported or to be transported 10, so that the latter can be discharged downwards with no problems in the gap between two adjacent transport units 2, as shown in FIG. 2. While the distance between two transport units in FIG. 2 corresponds approximately to double the length of the unit load item 10, it obviously must not be less than the length of the latter, so that it does not knock against the respective adjacent transport unit.
FIG. 3 illustrates some variants of the embodiment of the invention described above. Whereas FIG. 3a illustrates the arrangement of FIGS. 1 and 3, FIG. 3b shows an arrangement of the pusher means or of the belt conveyor 8 which slopes upwards when seen in the direction of travel 7. The advantage of an arrangement of this kind is that the distance separating the transport units 2 can be reduced considerably depending on the angle of inclination of the pusher means and the height of the unit load items. Depending on the maximum height of the unit load items, the distance separating the transport units can be reduced to zero with an appropriate slope, or it is even possible to have a slight overlap.
FIG. 3c shows an embodiment in which the pusher means of the individual transport units are arranged to slope downwards when seen in the direction of travel 7, so that the individual unit load items are first transported upwards during the discharge process, which takes place contrary to the direction of travel, and then drop onto or into the receiving means 16 located below. The advantage of this embodiment is that because of the upwardly pointing discharge direction, the unit load items tend to drop in a horizontal position onto/into the receiving means 16.
FIG. 3d shows a variant in which the pusher means is designed not as a belt conveyor, but rather as a pusher member 18 which, like a belt conveyor, can—gradually or at an increasing speed relative to the transport unit—be driven at a pushing speed corresponding to the speed of travel and in this way gently pushes the unit load item 10 off the conveyor surface 12 of the transport unit 2.
FIG. 3e illustrates a special feature, which can be implemented in any of the embodiments of the invention, namely a receiving means 16 that travels along over one section and which can be moved at a speed 20 in the direction of travel which is less than the speed of travel of the conveyor apparatus itself. As a result, during the process of being pushed off, the unit load item 10 only needs to be moved at a lower pushing speed than is the case in the embodiments described previously. The pushing speed of the pusher means at the transport unit which is necessary for transferring the unit load item without any relative speed vis-à-vis the receiving means is the difference between the speed of travel of the transport unit and the speed 20 at which the receiving means 16 is being moved.
FIG. 4 illustrates a further fundamental way of embodying the invention, namely arranging the transport units not to the side of, but rather above or below the guide means. As a specific example, FIG. 4 shows a conveyor apparatus—seen in cross-section, or in the direction of travel—with a carriage 6, guided in two mutually opposing runners 22, which are C-shaped in cross-section, and which form the guide means 4. Each carriage 6 has at least one running wheel 24 on each side, which is guided in a runner 22. A pusher means in the form of a belt conveyor 8 is arranged on a mount 26, which is generally approximately C-shaped, so that the mount is located centrally above the carriage 6 and the runners 22. On each carriage 6, one or more transport units 2 can be arranged with a corresponding number of pusher means 8.
The conveyor apparatus may be provided in some sections or over its entire length with a protective cover 28 that leaves an opening 30 free on a removal side (on the left in FIG. 4), which may be permanently open or may be opened and closed by means of, for example, a shutter 32. FIG. 4 shows an open position of the shutter 32 and its opening and closing direction 34.
In a gap formed between the carriage 6 and the pusher means 8, a receiving means 16 is arranged into which an item 10 discharged by the transport unit 2 drops from above in the direction of the arrow 36. In the simplest case, the receiving means 16 may be a flat surface, from which the items discharged are removed manually, or, as illustrated, a receptacle with a substantially horizontal bottom and a vertical rear wall to protect the moving parts against being touched. Optionally, a removable container 40, such as a basket or the like, may be provided in order, for example, to make it possible for a number of separate items discharged in succession to be removed together (removal means 42).
Alternatively, the receiving means 16 may, for example, have a roller path sloping downwards in the removal direction, so that a unit load item discharged is discharged automatically in the cross-direction.
In a modification of the principle illustrated in FIG. 4, it may be envisaged that the transport unit 2 is arranged not above the carriage 6, but beneath it. This creates the possibility of having unit load items deposited and discharged in a particularly space-saving manner.

Conveying mechanism with pushing-off device that can be driven counter to the direction of travel


An electronic component includes conductive pattern (2) on insulating substrate (1), a metal film formed by a plating method on a surface of conductive pattern (2), and metal oxide layer (3) formed by oxidizing the metal film on the surface of conductive pattern (2). This structure allows forming a thin and uniform insulating film on conductive pattern (2), so that the highly reliable electric component is obtainable although its conductive pattern (2) has a high aspect ratio.

Electronic components of this kind have been demanded to be downsized, to be thinner and to be more sophisticated. On top of that, the market trend of higher speed signaling and digitized devices has required a conductive pattern of the components to be finer and more accurate. Development of finer conductive patterns and thicker films for preventing a wiring resistance from increasing has been advancing in order to meet those requirements, i.e. downsizing, more accuracy, and finer patterns. As a result, the need for forming conductive patterns of higher aspect ratio intensifies.
An electronic component including a conventional conductive pattern is described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 9, which shows a sectional view of the pattern. In FIG. 9, conductive pattern 22 is formed on substrate 21 by printing. Use of electrode material, such as Ag being excellent in conductivity but subject to migration, for pattern 22 usually needs an insulating protective film to cover pattern 22 because of maintaining reliability.
For instance, use of a ceramic-based substrate, e.g. aluminum oxide, as substrate 21 employs insulating protective film 23 made of glass. This film is formed by printing glass-paste, i.e. a mixture of glass powder as a major component, binder and solvent, at a given thickness, then the paste is dried and baked to be the film. Use of compound organic material such as glass-epoxy as substrate 21 employs insulating protective film 23 made of organic material because it is difficult for this substrate 21 to undergo a heat treatment at an excessively high temperature. In this case, film 23 is formed by screen-printing resin paste made mainly of organic material, then the resin undergoes a heat curing process to be film 23. In addition to the foregoing methods, the sputtering method one of thin-film methods can be used for forming SiO2 film as insulating protective film 23.
Electronic components having conductive patterns are disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. H11-2887799 and ditto H09-237976.
Fine conductive patterns made from electrode material such as Ag is formed on substrate 21 made of the foregoing materials, then insulating protective film 23 is formed by a printing method such as screen-printing. Film 23 thus formed tends to be short of uniformity of film thickness, or tends to produce air bubbles 24 and air gaps 25. As a result, conductive pattern 22 decreases its reliability. Although the foregoing printing method is good at productivity, it is poor at forming film 23 uniform in thickness with accuracy because of viscoelasticity characteristics of the paste.
At the edges of conductive patterns 22, in particular, film 23 becomes thinner or tends to trap air-bubbles 24 in patterns 22. A narrow space between patterns 22 tends to produce air-gaps 25 because the spaces cannot be fully filled with paste.
The thin-film method can form a film uniformly in thickness on a plane section of pattern 22 (parallel with the surface of substrate 21), so that no problem is found. However, it is difficult for the thin-film method to form a film uniformly in thickness on pattern's wall face (vertical with respect to the surface of substrate 21).
In other words, if insulating protective film 23 is formed by the conventional method, it is difficult to prevent the electrode made of Ag from migrating into others. A higher aspect ratio (a ratio of height vs. width) of pattern 22 increases probability of incurring various defects of film 23. As a result, it is difficult to maintain the reliability of withstanding migration. The present invention aims to solve the problems discussed above, and provide highly reliable electronic components having conductive patterns with a high aspect ratio.

Electronic part and manufacturing method thereof


The invention relates to a method for producing a fluorinated compound, comprising: the provision of a gaseous flow comprising hydrofluoric acid; the provision of at least one liquid flow of a chlorinated compound and the vaporization thereof by mixing with said gaseous flow, the resulting mixture being a gaseous mixture; and the catalytic reaction of the chlorinated compound with hydrofluoric acid in a gaseous phase and the collection of a product flow. The invention also relates to a facility for carrying out said method.

It is known practice to produce hydrofluoroolefins or fluorohydrocarbons by fluorination of hydrochloroolefins or chlorohydrocarbons, especially. This fluorination is generally a catalytic fluorination using hydrofluoric acid as fluorinating agent.
The fluorination reaction must generally be performed at a high temperature (above 300° C.) in the gas phase. Consequently, it is known practice to heat, vaporize and superheat the reagents before the fluorination reaction, using heat exchangers.
However, this preliminary step of heating, vaporization and superheating of the reagents has a tendency to lead to the production of coke in the heat exchangers.
There is thus a need to develop a process for producing fluoro compounds that limits or avoids the problem of coking of the installation.

Method for producing fluorinated compounds


A foldable tent having a tent frame and tent cloth. The tent frame includes a top frame, cross beams, and stand columns connected below the top frame. The top frame includes top rods. Each top rod includes at least one branch rod. Each cross beam includes at least one cross rod. Each stand column includes at least one branch tube. There is a storage cavity within each branch tube. Each branch tube has at least one open end and is capable of storing at least one cross rod and/or at least one branch rod. The tent frame includes an unfolded state and a folded state. When the tent is in the folded state, the cross rods and the branch rods are stored in the storage cavities of the branch tubes.

Tents are widely used in people's daily life, such as large-scale exhibitions, mobile stalls, outdoor sports, tourism and leisure, adventure activities, temporary places, temporary garages, etc., can be shaded, sheltered from the rain, sheltered from the wind, and are lightweight and durable, easy to carry, and easy to retract and so on. The tent frame of the existing tent on the market has too many rods and takes up a lot of space.
Chinese utility model patent ZL 201310113081.1 discloses a folding tent comprising a tent frame and tent cloth covering on the tent frame, the tent frame comprising a top frame, at least three leg tubes and at least three eave frames. After the folding tent is folded, the number of rods is large, occupying a large space, and is not simple and beautiful.


A thermal printer drive control apparatus of the type having a thermal print head comprising a plurality of heating elements provides for reliable cost effective thermal head temperature detection by means of producing multiple, different current flow intervals that are applied to binary data to produce data drive signals for the heating elements. The current flow intervals are based upon historical drive data derived from linear temperature conditions sensed at the thermal print head. This information is converted to a digitized representation for use in conjunction with a table placed in memory that provides predetermined current flow intervals based upon the digitized representation. Further, circuitry is provided to produce heating element drive signals having pulse widths based upon the determined current flow intervals.

This invention relates generally to control of thermal printers and more particularly to methods and apparatus for controlling the energization of a thermal print head in a thermal printer based upon the historical temperature driving conditions at the thermal print head.
A variety of methods have been utilized relative to present day thermal printers to prevent a deterioration in printing quality caused by the accumulation of heat at thermal print head due to continuous thermal operation of the thermal print head. Among the methods employed is a method of holding in memory printing data for each dot to be printed and determining the current flow time to be applied to the thermal print head heating elements based upon the spatial sequence of dots to be printed, such as, disclosed in Japanese patent application No. 55-48631, and a method of changing the current flow time of the pulse to thermal print head heating elements based upon the printing activity of previous print data, such as, disclosed in Japanese patent application No. 57-18507. These forgoing methods may be generally referred to as historical control methods since they contemplate the variance of the pulse width of the drive pulses to be applied to thermal print head heating elements based on previous historical drive data.
In addition, historical thermal print head temperature data methods have been developed that control the applied energization to the thermal print head printing elements based on temperature conditions sensed at the thermal print head. Japanese patent Nos. 61-130063 and 59-7068 are examples of applied thermal print head energy control circuits that measure the baseplate material temperature of the thermal print head employing, in combination, a thermistor and A/D converter and, in turn, calculating means determines the amount of increase or decrease in-the applied energy to each heating element of the thermal print head based upon the determined head temperature. In all of these types of thermal printer head temperature compensating and adjustment methods, complicated calculations are utilized in connection with the detected output values of the A/D converter to determine values, such as, the applied energy pulse width and the applied voltage values to the current drivers for operation of the thermal print head heating elements.
In addition, the general method with these historical control method has been sending data sequentially to the thermal head drive IC while generally processing data by means of a CPU. In employing such a method, even if an attempt was made to operate the thermal printer at a high operating speed, the processing of data is not sufficient fast to keep up with the printing operation, which has been a detriment toward the ability to increase the speed of thermal printers.
Reference is made to FIG. 14 which illustrates a conventional thermistor temperature detection circuit comprising the linearized circuits of a thermistor and the A/D converter employed in historical thermal print head temperature data methods. In general, divider circuit 125 comprises resistor 121 connected in parallel with thermistor 120 and resistor 122 is connected in series to thermistor 120 and to the power supply to form a linearized circuit. The voltage potential V.sub.p of voltage divider point 123 of voltage divider circuit 125 is the detected input 115 to A/D converter 110. A/D converter 110 provides an output representing this electric potential in binary code and a CPU connected to A/D converter 110 will read this code and perform arithmetic processing to determine adjustments to be made to the level of energization of thermal print head heating elements. A/D converter 110 is connected via line 112 to the positive (+) terminal of the power supply 112 and via line 114 to the negative (-) terminal of the power supply. Input line 113 to A/D converter 110 is for the detection range setting, and the same power supply is connected as input as in the case of line 112.
FIG. 15 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the electric potential, V.sub.p, of voltage divider point 123 of the circuit of FIG. 14 and the temperature of thermistor 120. In this example, at 25.degree. C., thermistor 120 is R.sub.th =50 kilohms, resistor 122 is R.sub.1 =60 kilohms and resistor 121 is R.sub.2 =500 kilohms. The electric potential, V.sub.p, at point 123 will vary with changes in resistance of thermistor 120 relative to the fixed resistances of resistors R.sub.1 and R.sub.2. However, as is clear from characteristic curve 131 in FIG. 15, the output electrical potential, V.sub.p, reaches saturation as the temperature of thermistor 120 increases since curve 131 increasing flatens out with higher temperature. In addition, because a large voltage range cannot be obtained in the thermistor operating temperature range of 0.degree. C. and 60.degree. C., the electric potential per one unit step increases monotonically and, as a result, the range of the A/D converter detection potential monotonically increases so that detection accuracy is limited at higher operating temperatures. In particular, when the temperature increases due to heat accumulation at the thermal print head, heat control relative the thermal printer heating elements must to take place at 40.degree. C. or higher in order to increase printing resolution and allow for accurate detection. As a result, it was necessary to employ high performance, expensive A/D converters that could provide a large selection of possible binary data values.
More recently is the print controlling apparatus for a thermal printer similar to the type disclosed herein set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,485, issued Mar. 27, 1990, in the name of the assignee of this application, and is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
It is an object of this invention to eliminate the foregoing problems by providing a thermal printer drive control apparatus that functions at high speed, provides good print quality and has stabilized printing density.
It is another object of this invention to provide simple, low cost A/D converter for the thermal printer drive control apparatus to detect the temperature of the thermal print head and/or the ambient temperature of the thermal print head and control operation at the thermal print head compensate for temperature changes or fluctuations at the thermal print head.
It is a further object of this invention to offer an inexpensive and highly reliable thermal head temperature detection method in which temperature detection can take place accurately by means of improving the thermistor temperature detection circuit without the need for employing a high performance A/D converter, which converter may be a separate component or integrated as part of the CPU, thereby providing for effective cost savings in the design of a thermal printer.

Thermal printer and method of controlling a thermal print head


Polymer and drug containing compositions and method of preparing such compositions are disclosed. The dispersed phase formulation has a polymer, a pharmaceutically or biologically active agent and a small fraction of low pKa acid additive. Stable, filter sterilizable, non-gelling solutions containing GnRH analogues at least at levels typically used in sustained release formulations and a method of increasing solubility of a high level of a GnRH analogue or a freeze-dried antagonist of GnRH in a polymer containing solution are also disclosed. The amount of the acid additive in the polymer solution is such that it is sufficient to increase the solubility of the high level of the GnRH analogue in the polymer solution without affecting the release characteristics of the microspheres prepared therefrom.

Compositions containing biologically active agents in combination with biocompatible and biodegradable polymers are being increasingly used as drug delivery systems to provide sustained or delayed release of drugs. The compositions are available in various injectible depot forms including liquid forms, solid implants, microspheres, microcapsules and microparticles.
For example controlled release systems where the polymeric compositions are liquid forms or flowable delivery systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,739,176, 4,938,763; 5,278,201, 5,324,519 and 5,278,202. The compositions described in these patents are administered to the body of a subject in a flowable state. Once in the body, the composition precipitates or coagulates to form a solid matrix or implant and the organic solvent in the composition dissipates or disperses into the aqueous or body fluid. Once the solid implant is formed, usually at the site of administration, the biologically active agent is released from the solid matrix by diffusion or dissolution from within the polymeric matrix and/or by the slow degradation of the polymeric matrix.
A variety of sustained release microspheres or microcapsules are also available or are being developed as delivery systems for the rapidly expanding class of peptide and non-peptide therapeutic or pharmacological agents. For example, sustained release microspheres or microcapsules are known in the administration of hormones, hormone analogs, antitumoral drugs, thioridazine, antipsychotic, and steroids where PLGA o PLA is the constitutive biodegradable polymer material. Further, for example, in recent years, a variety of injectable depot formulations in which a somatostatin analog (e.g., octreotide acetate) or a LHRH analog (e.g. leuprolide acetate) encapsulated in, and released slowly from, microspheres made of biodegradable polymers have been reported (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,478,564, 5,540,973, 5,609,886, 5,876,761, 5,688,530, 4,652,441, 4,677,191, 4,917,893, 4,954,298, 5,330,767, 5,476,663, 5,575,987, 5,631,020, 5,631,021 and 5,716,640). Indeed, long acting injectable depot formulations of GnRH analogues (agonists and antagonists) are being used and/or tested for the treatment of various pathological and physiological conditions in mammals, particularly in humans (Kostanski et al., 2001, BMC Cancer, 1:18-24). The treatments are for, among other things, the management of sex hormone-dependent diseases such as prostate cancer and endometriosis, for the induction of ovulation, and for the control of male fertility.
Thus, significant efforts are being made to maintain a steady release of medicinal drugs in animals by using compositions containing biodegradable biocompatible polymers. One obvious goal behind in all of these polymeric compositions is that the biologically active agent (e.g., a peptide or protein) of interest can be administered less frequently, sometimes at lower overall doses, than when formulated as a solution without the use of polymers in them. More importantly, it can justify commercial development of proteins that, for a variety of reasons, could not be marketed as simple solution formulations.
Despite the technological advances that were made in the area of injectable depot formulations to date, a number of quality concerns prevent their ready use in biological applications. These include reduction in molecular weight of the polymers in the polymer composition, de novo formation of conjugate substances (impurities), insolubility of the biologically active agents in solvents typically used in the polymer compositions and their propensity to form gels.
Molecular weight of the polymer material (e.g., PLGA/PLA matrix) is an important factor in designing sustained release formulations because drug release profile and the degradation rate of the polymer depend on molecular weight of the polymer in the final product. It has been reported that the molecular weight of the PLGA decreased in the microcapsules (microspheres) containing simple basic compounds such as thioridazine and ketotifen as free bases during their fabrication. Microcapsules fabricated from their pamoate salts did not produce much reduction in molecular weight (Maulding et al., 1986, Journal of Contolled Release, 3:103-117). U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,598 showed that the presence of benzyl alcohol, as the residual solvent in the microspheres reduced the shelf life of the product by molecular weight reduction and the patent provides a method to reduce the residual benzyl alcohol level. However, it is not always possible to remove the residual solvents from the microspheres.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,987 discloses that the simple nucleophilic compounds such as risperidone, naltrexone, and oxybutynin can degrade the PLGA variably depending upon the holding time and temperature of the dispersed phase solution. Methods provided to minimize the reduction in molecular weight are, lowering the hold time of the drug-polymer solution and the hold temperature. However, during the manufacturing of the sustained release products, it is very difficult to control the hold time of the drug-polymer solutions. Also, the hold time and its effect may depend upon the type, co-monomer ratio and co-monomer sequence of the polymer. Further, there could be unexpected delays in the aseptic processing sequence during the fabrication of microspheres, which could make the entire drug-polymer solution not usable. Lowering the hold temperature of the drug-polymer solution could result in drug crystallization or viscous polymer-drug solution. Higher viscosity solutions are difficult to sterile filter and often give rise to larger particles. Larger particles could pose syringeability problems.
The FDA and ICH guidelines on impurities in new drug substances suggest that any impurity (individual impurity) greater than 0.1% has to be reported, and any impurity greater than 0.15% has to be identified. If the impurity in a new drug is more than a given threshold level, those impurities should be adequately tested for their adverse effects and biological safety. It is generally understood that there is no safety concern if the individual impurity is less than 0.5% or the total impurity, which is the sum of individual impurities, is less than 2% in, for example, a peptide containing polymer composition. These levels define threshold levels. Thus, the use of peptide or protein drug-containing polymer composition with individual impurity greater than 0.5% and/or total impurity greater than 2% may raise regulatory compliance issues. Often, peptide related substances or impurities in microsphere formulations, manufactured by the currently known processes, exceed levels far greater than the threshold levels. The extent of impurity depends upon the type of peptide. Decreasing the level of impurity to not more than the threshold can be simpler and economical than providing safety data.
Most of the GnRH analogues, particularly antagonists, are not freely soluble in water or in other solvents and they have a propensity to form gels even at low concentrations (Ref: J. Med. Chem., 2001, 44, 453-467). Sustained release formulations usually require very high concentrations of the analogues dissolved in small volumes water or some other suitable solvent(s). The relatively low solubility of the GnRH analogues and their concentration-dependent propensity to form gels in aqueous or other solvents greatly limit their use in sustained release formulations. Further, in order to prepare sterile sustained release formulations, it is desirable and to filter sterilize the solution of the drug and the polymer matrix (either separately or as a combined solution) rather than resort to sterilization techniques such as heat, steam, gamma radiation and the like.
Therefore, a need exists in the prior art to develop polymer drug compositions and methods thereof that do not raise quality concerns associated with molecular weight reduction of the polymers in the polymer composition, impurities, and solubility and gelling of the biologically active agents used in the compositions.

Prevention of molecular weight reduction of the polymer, impurity formation and gelling in polymer compositions


The multiple pet leash holding device is a device that is adapted to hold multiple pet leashes simultaneously and in an untangled arrangement so that a pet walker can walk multiple pets simultaneously. The device is constructed of non-moving parts, and includes a grip member perpendicularly oriented with respect to a support member. A distal end of the support member includes leash holder members that extend laterally therefrom, and onto which the looped end of multiple pet leashes may be placed. Each leash holder member includes a first holder member that is perpendicularly oriented on a distal end of the leash holder member. The first holder member includes a second holder member acutely oriented at a first distal end in order to prevent unintended separation of the looped end of the pet leashes there from.

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of pet leashes, more specifically, a device that can hold a plurality of pet leashes.
Pets require exercise, which requires a pet owner to walk with a leash. This usually poses no problem where the pet owner is walking one or two pets. However, this can become a difficult task where the pet owner is trying to simultaneously walk a multitude of pets. There has been a plurality of products that enable a pet owner to handle a multitude of pet leashes simultaneously. However, these products include moving parts or are overly cumbersome. What is needed is a device that can support and control a multitude of leash pets, and which is constructed of a single item construction. The device of the present application addresses this need.
B. Discussion of the Prior Art
As will be discussed immediately below, no prior art discloses a device adapted to hold multiple pet leashes simultaneously and in an untangled arrangement so that a pet walker can walk multiple pets simultaneously; wherein the device is constructed of non-moving parts, and includes a grip member perpendicularly oriented with respect to a support member; wherein a distal end of the support member includes leash holder members that extend laterally there from, and said holder members are configured such that the looped end of multiple pet leashes may be placed; wherein the leash holder members each include a first holder member that is perpendicularly oriented on a distal end of the leash holder member; wherein the first holder member includes a second holder member acutely oriented at a first distal end in order to prevent unintended separation of the looped end of the pet leashes there from.
The Sporn patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,539) discloses a multiple dog leash assembly. However, the assembly is not a single-piece construction that enables a pet walker to manage a plurality of leashed pets.
The Goodger, Sr. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,668) discloses an animal leash for multiple animals. However, the leash is not a device that includes leash holder members that engage looped ends of multiple leashes.
The Hajianpour patent (U.S. Pat. No. 8,104,145) discloses a handle for a pet leash. However, the handle does not include leash holder members that enable looped ends of leashes to attach thereon.
The Gish patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,988) discloses an anti-tangle multiple pet walking leash. However, the leash is not a device configured to secure multiple looped ends of pet leashes thereto.
The Lyon patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,739) discloses a device for carrying containers. However, the carrying containers is not a device uniquely adapted to secure a multitude of looped ends of leashes in order to walk a plurality of leashed pets.
The Santini patent (U.S. Pat. No. Des. 386,409) illustrates an ornamental design for a grocery bag handle, which is not adapted for use with looped ends of a pet leash.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective and particular objects and requirements, they do not describe a device adapted to hold multiple pet leashes simultaneously and in an untangled arrangement so that a pet walker can walk multiple pets simultaneously; wherein the device is constructed of non-moving parts, and includes a grip member perpendicularly oriented with respect to a support member; wherein a distal end of the support member includes leash holder members that extend laterally there from, and said holder members are configured such that the looped end of multiple pet leashes may be placed; wherein the leash holder members each include a first holder member that is perpendicularly oriented on a distal end of the leash holder member; wherein the first holder member includes a second holder member acutely oriented at a first distal end in order to prevent unintended separation of the looped end of the pet leashes there from. In this regard, the multiple pet leash holding device departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art.


Circuits and methods for using error correction in power amplification and signal conversion are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, methods for using error correction in power amplification and signal conversion including converting an input signal into a digital signal; amplifying and converting the digital signal to produce an amplified analog signal; adjusting the input signal to produce an adjusted signal; subtracting the amplified analog signal from the adjusted signal to produce a subtracted signal; and amplifying the subtracted signal to produce an error correction signal and adding the error correction signal to the amplified analog signal.

Power amplifiers can be used in various applications from stereo systems to industrial motor control. The general purpose of a power amplifier is to take an input signal and make a signal suitable for driving a load, such as a loudspeaker. The power amplifier accomplishes this by increasing the strength of the input signal, which is typically measured in Watts. In a solid state power amplifier, transistors are used to increase current and/or voltage of the input signal and, as a result, increase the strength of the signal.
Solid state power amplifiers also exist as digital power amplifiers. Digital amplifiers involve using transistors as switches rather than current and voltage regulators as an analog amplifier would. Because of their switching approach, digital amplifiers are generally more power efficient than their analog counterparts over a similar amplification range. However, by using a digital power amplifier, an amount of quantization error typically results from digital-to-analog conversion following amplification. It is therefore desirable to have a more efficient power amplifier that can combine some of the efficiency of a digital power amplifier with a similar level of performance, in terms of absence of quantization noise, to an analog power amplifier.

The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York


Inorganic infrared attenuation agent blends have been developed to improve the thermal insulation properties of polymeric foams such as polystyrene low density foams. The inorganic infrared attenuation agent blends can include two or more metal oxides such as silicon dioxide, manganese (IV) oxide, iron (III) oxide, magnesium oxide, bismuth (III) oxide, cobalt oxide, zirconium (IV) oxide, molybdenum (III) oxide, titanium oxide, and calcium oxide. In some preferred embodiments, the inorganic infrared attenuation agent blends can include four or more of these metal oxides.

Polymeric foam is widely used as insulating material, and rigid foamed polymeric boards are frequently used in building and construction applications to provide insulation to walls, floors, ceilings, and other structural components. The purpose of insulating materials is to prevent or reduce the transfer of heat from an area of higher temperature to an area of lower temperature.
The overall heat transfer in a typical foamed polymeric board can be separated into three components: thermal conduction from gas (blowing agent) in the foam cells, thermal conduction from the polymer solids in the foam, and thermal radiation across the foamed polymeric board. Of these three heat transfer components, thermal radiation provides about 25% of the overall heat transfer. However, the transfer of heat through thermal radiation can be modified by the use of infrared attenuating agents.
An infrared attenuation agent ("IAA") can be used to protect and improve insulating materials, such as rigid foamed polymeric boards. An effective IAA increases absorption and re-emission of impinging heat, which decreases the transmission of heat radiation through the insulating polymer foam. Traditionally, flake-like inorganic materials have been used as IAAs, including, for example, graphite, aluminum, stainless steel, cobalt, nickel, carbon black, and titanium dioxide.
Unfortunately, individual inorganic IAAs may block only a narrow range of wavelengths in the IR spectrum. This means that IR radiation at wavelengths not blocked by the IAA is still transmitted across the insulating layer. There is therefore a need for IAAs that block a broader range of IR wavelengths and provide sufficient levels of thermal resistance for use in insulating polymer foams.


A reactor includes a coil, a magnetic core having an inner core portion arranged inside a winding portion, and an inner interposed member insulating the winding portion from the inner core portion. The inner interposed member includes a thin portion with a small thickness, and a thick portion with a thickness larger than that of the thin portion. The inner core portion includes, on an outer peripheral face facing the inner interposed member, a core-side projecting portion with a shape conforming to a shape of the inner peripheral face of the thin portion. The thickness of the thin portion is 0.2 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less, and the thickness of the thick portion is 1.1 mm or more and 2.5 mm or less. There is a clearance in at least part of a portion between the inner interposed member and the winding portion.

For example, JP 2012-253289A and JP 2013-4531A disclose reactors that are magnetic components used in converters of electric motor vehicles such as hybrid cars. The reactors of JP 2012-253289A and JP 2013-4531A include a coil having a pair of winding portions, a magnetic core that is partially arranged inside the winding portions, and a bobbin (insulating interposed member) that ensures insulation between the coil and the magnetic core.
With recent development of electric motor vehicles, it is required to improve performances of reactors. For example, it is required to suppress a change in magnetic characteristics of reactors caused by heat accumulating in the reactors, by improving the heat dissipation properties of the reactors. Furthermore, it is required for such reactors to be small and excellent in terms of magnetic characteristics. In order to satisfy these requests, researches have been repeatedly conducted on the configuration of reactors.
In view of these circumstances, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a reactor that is excellent in terms of heat dissipation properties. Furthermore, it is another object of the present disclosure to provide a reactor that is small and excellent in terms of magnetic characteristics.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An exercise apparatus that includes a frame, a rest member on the frame for receiving a user""s feet, and a first and a second arm that are pivotably interconnected to each other such that the arms are pivotably movable between a start or rest position and an extended position. The first arm is coupled to the frame. A seat is provided for supporting the user and carried by the second arm. An inclined base support member is disposed under the second arm and is for supporting the second arm during the movement between start and extended positions. A carriage may be associated with the inclined base support member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of exercise equipment, and pertains, more particularly, to an apparatus for performing a leg press exercise. In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus of the present invention may be attached to a multi-station exercise machine.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In the past, there have been developed many different types of exercise machines used for strengthening the muscles of a user. One type of machine is traditionally referred to as a xe2x80x9cleg pressxe2x80x9d. One type of leg press machine employs a seat mounted in a frame, in combination with a push plate that moves relative to the frame. In use, the user, once seated, pushes the plates with their legs so that the plates move from a start position to an extended position. The push plate is typically connected to some type of exercise resistance means so as to provide a reactive force to the pushing motion of the user. It is typical to use a weight stack with a pre-determined number of these weights being selected for lifting when the push plate is moved forward toward it""s extended position. The weight stack may be coupled to the push plate by a cable and pulley arrangement. Presently, there are a variety of different types of leg press exercise apparatus presently available.
Another form of leg press employs a frame, a seat, and a rest member for receiving the user""s feet. In this type of machine, the rest member is stationery and the seat is movable by means of a linkage. An example of a machine of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,086 to Habing, et al.
Many of these past machines are relatively complicated in structure, sometimes requiring complicated linkages and rigging members. Accordingly, they tend to be relatively expensive. Moreover, most of these machines do not provide for the optimal body position, particularly, between start and extended positions.
The present invention provides an exercise apparatus, particularly for leg presses and in which the apparatus is relatively simple in construction, relatively inexpensive, and provides for the maintaining of a more optimized body position throughout the transition from a start position to an extended position and back. This optimized body positioning allows for the rearward rotation of the torso as it translates through the path of motion, to allow for a substantially increased range of motion of the user""s hip during the exercise. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reversibly extending exercising apparatus that comprises a first arm and a second arm pivotably interconnected to each other such that the interconnected arms are pivotably movable between a start position and an extended position. The first arm may be pivotably supported from an apparatus frame, while the second arm is slidably or rollably supported on a support guide mechanism. In this way, the second arm is supported for movement along a predetermined path of travel, preferably inclined relative to horizontal, between the start and extended positions.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a leg press exercise apparatus that comprises a frame, a rest member on the frame for receiving and supporting a user""s feet, and a first arm and a second arm that are pivotably intercoupled to each other such that the arms are pivotably movable between a start position and an extended position. The first arm is coupled to the frame, preferably adjacent of the rest member. A seat is provided for supporting the user and is carried by the second arm. An incline base support member is disposed under the second arm and is for supporting this second arm during the movement between start and extended positions.
In accordance with the invention there is also provided an apparatus comprising: a frame; a rest member on said frame for receiving a user""s feet; a first arm and a second arm that are pivotably intercoupled to each other such that the arms are pivotably movable between a start position and an extended position; said first arm coupled to said frame; a seat for supporting a torso of the user and carried by said second arm; and an inclined base support member disposed under said second arm for supporting the second arm during movement between the start and extended positions. The first arm is pivotably coupled to said frame, the second arm following the inclined base support between the start and extended positions such that the torso of the user is rotated rearwardly relative to horizontal during movement between the start and extended positions. The frame preferably includes an upright support piece having at the top end thereof a pivot member for coupling said first arms to said frame. The apparatus preferably includes a pivot member for intercoupling the first and second arms such that the torso of the user is translated rearwardly away from the rest member during movement between the start and extended positions. The apparatus preferably includes a carriage supported on said inclined base support member wherein the carriage at one end thereof includes a pivot member for pivotally supporting the carriage from said second arm. The carriage typically comprises spacedly disposed side plates interconnected by a lower guide member and an upper guide member.
Further in accordance with the invention there is provided a reversibly extending exercise apparatus comprising: a pair of pivotably interconnected arms on which a subject is mountable on a chair mechanism; a support and guide mechanism forming a part of a frame of the apparatus; wherein the support and guide mechanism support one of the pair of pivotably interconnected arms; wherein the arms are reversibly extendible by forcible extension of the legs of the subject between a rest position and an extended position; the arms being extendible such that the subject is positioned in an upwardly prone position at all times between the rest and extended position.


A primary disconnect assembly for a circuit breaker. The assembly includes a plurality of contact fingers for engaging the terminals of a bus bar assembly. The terminals and fingers are configured such that the terminals each include depressions adapted to accept the contact portions of the contact fingers. This configuration provides at least two contact locations between each contact finger and terminal. Additionally, this configuration increases the force required to slide the fingers relative to the terminals.

This invention relates to a contact assembly for a circuit breaker. More particularly, this invention relates to the primary disconnect assemblies which electrically couple a circuit breaker to a bus bar assembly.
Normally, industrial circuit breakers are coupled to the circuit they are protecting by primary disconnect assemblies. FIGS. 5, 6, 7, and 9 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,596 illustrate the general type of primary disconnect assemblies with which the present invention is concerned. The figures of U.S. Pat. No. 3,641,300 also illustrate this type of primary disconnect assembly. Referring to FIG. 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,641,300, this figure illustrates a primary disconnect assembly which is mounted on an electrically conductive circuit breaker stud and which is shown in engagement with an electrically conductive bus bar stud (terminal).
A disadvantage of the primary disconnect assemblies of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,218,596 and 3,641,300 is that they provide only one current carrying contact location between each contact finger and its associated bus bar terminal. Additionally, this arrangement provides little restraining force to resist the separation of the primary disconnects or their movement relative to the circuit bus bars during short circuit conditions. In the prior art, friction between the contact fingers and the bus bar terminals is the only force present to prevent the fingers from moving relative to the terminals. In some situations friction is not enough to prevent the fingers from moving relative to the terminals. For example, under certain load conditions when a circuit breaker interrupts a current flow, the circuit breaker can subject the fingers to forces which tend to slide the fingers along the terminals.


A depth detection apparatus, in particular in intracorneal dissection, provides a perforating tubular element suitable for being inserted into the cornea, a reciprocally moving air volume generator (14) connected to the perforating tubular element, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure along the connection between the volumetric generator and the perforating element in the reciprocal movement of the volumetric generator, a microcontroller connected to the pressure sensor to detect pressure variations with the depth advancement into the cornea of the perforating element, a signaller connected to the microcontroller to signal that a preset pressure variation has been reached. The apparatus enables a correct position to be determined for performing intracorneal dissection.

The present invention relates to an apparatus that detects the depth in a surgical operation, in particular in a dissection surgical operation inside the cornea (intracorneal).
The cornea is the transparent window of the eye, located in a central position and in front of the iris, the crystalline lens and the retina. The cornea holds the largest portion of the refractive power of the human eye. From an anatomical point of view, the cornea divides into three layers: the surface epithelium, the intermediate stroma, and the internal endothelium. These layers are divided by two membranes, the Bowman membrane between the epithelium and stroma and the Descemet membrane between the stroma and the endothelium.
A corneal transplant, which is known as keratoplasty, consists of replacing the corneal tissue in order to obtain vision rehabilitation from corneal pathologies.
Keratoconus, a degenerative pathology of the corneal stroma, constitutes, depending on the geographical area, one of the if not the most frequent indication for corneal transplant.
For many years, the only available keratoplasty technique was penetrating keratoplasty, abbreviated as PK, where the entire thickness of the corneal tissue is replaced. The progress made over the last 20 years in corneal surgery enables us today to perform also "lamellar" keratoplasty, in which selective replacement of the diseased corneal layer ("lamella") takes place whilst the healthy parts of the cornea are saved.
Of these lamellar keratoplasty techniques, deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty, abbreviated as DALK, allows the selective excision and transplant of the corneal stroma whilst saving the endothelium of the recipient. This surgical technique has very numerous indications in the surgical treatment of corneal stromal pathologies, including, for example, keratoconus. Over the years, different techniques have been proposed to perform DALK (layer-by-layer dissection, intrastomal dissection, dissection by cleavage), conceived with the common purpose of obtaining total or subtotal removal of the corneal stroma up to the possible exposure of a descemetic or pre-descemetic plane.
The depth and uniformity of dissection are particularly important and post-operative vision results depend on them closely. In one of the most common DALK techniques, the so-called "Big Bubble" technique, the forced injection of air inside the corneal stroma allows detachment by cleavage of the deep stroma from the descemetic or pre-descemetic plane, minimizing the residual stroma amount.
The comparison between the results of PK and DALK in the vision rehabilitation of patients with corneal stroma diseases has been the subject of numerous scientific publications. Although equivalent vision results have been obtained, DALK has proved to be superior to PK in terms of survival of the transplant, risk of rejection, post-operative astigmatism and resistance to trauma. Last but not least, in view of the higher cost and execution time, DALK has proved to be also economically advantageous over the long term owing to a better cost-benefit ratio. On the basis of such scientific evidence, there is a substantial international consensus in recommending DALK as the surgical procedure to be optioned for stromal corneal disease/opacity that does not involve the endothelium layer.
Despite the unquestionable superiority and the international consensus, DALK has not been able to reach the expected level of popularity and diffusion on the global scene. Compared with PK, in fact, DALK requires more time and execution difficulty, with a steep and long learning curve that is accessible only to the operator who performs high volumes of surgery.
The element of greatest difficulty in DALK surgery is identifying a deep stromal plane that enables stromal dissection of equal depth to be performed. Currently, determining the dissection plane is widely entrusted to the experience of the surgeon. This subjective evaluation introduces an element of unpredictability into the correct execution of the DALK technique. To prove this, the reported success rate of the "Big Bubble" technique is 60-80% of the cases also in the most expert hands. In fact, it is difficult also for the expert surgeon to determine visually the correct intrastomal positioning of the injection cannula in a tissue the central thickness of which is little more than half a millimetre. Using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) intraoperative equipment has been shown, in recent studies, to be able to provide quantitative assistance to intrastomal dissection during DALK. However, this technology still possesses significant technical limitations and is burdened by very high costs.

Depth detection apparatus in particular in intracorneal dissection