What is described is a system for generating a web site. The system and method consists of a web server to service HTTP requests received from users and a database connected to the web server. The database determines which particular user community the requesting user is assigned to. A dataset of stored branch description files describes particular web site structures to be used for each of the user communities.

This invention relates to generating a customized web site. In particular, the invention relates to methods and systems for generating customized web sites for end users based upon grouping of users into user communities of similar interests, background, or other grouping characteristics.
The Internet and its related technologies have made large stores of information available to nearly anyone in the last few years. Various methods have been employed to present that information to its intended audience in the most convenient and efficient ways possible.
Some information, however, may be intended for a very specific audience, or community of end users of that information, and not intended for others. Providers of such information often wish to segregate such information from other users for which the information is not intended. Various means have been employed for segregating content, including the use of user authentication procedures to determine whether a user has been permitted access to the information.
However, existing means presently do not provide the capability to seamlessly provide several different levels or groupings of content access utilizing a single base of content. In some efforts to provide such groupings of content, users are still confronted with links to material they do not have access to, even though they may have been permitted access to the overall web site containing that content. The present invention seeks to solve this and others problems in the field.
In one respect, what is described is a system for generating a web site. The system comprises a web server to service HTTP requests received from users. A database is connected to the web server, where the database determines which particular user community the requesting user is assigned to. A dataset of stored branch description files describes particular web site structures to be used for each of the user communities.
In another respect, what is described is a method for generating a web site. The method comprises the steps of accepting a HTTP request from a requesting user, directing a web server to prompt the requesting user to submit a username and a password, performing a lookup of the username in a database of user communities and usernames assigned to each user community and selecting a branch description file specific to the user community to which the requesting user is assigned.
In yet another respect, what is described is a computer readable medium on which is embedded a program. The embedded program comprises components that execute the above method.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate these and other advantages and benefits of various embodiments of the invention upon reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the below-listed drawings.

Method and system for dynamic generation of web site content for specific user communities from a single content base

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A protective sleeve apparatus for protecting an endoscopic or laparoscopic instrument includes an elongated tubular member having an open proximal end and an open distal end. The elongated tubular member is sized and configured to receive a laparoscopic or endoscopic instrument therethrough. The tubular member has a folded section adjacent the distal end in releasable engagement with an intermediate section of the tubular member to define a substantially enclosed sleeve to receive the instrument and substantially prevent entry of contaminants within an interior of the tubular member. The folded section is releasable from the intermediate section upon exertion of a proximal force to the tubular member to facilitate removal of the tubular member along the instrument.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to endoscopic and laparoscopic instruments, and more particularly, relates to a sleeve for protecting endoscopes, laparoscopes, and the like, from contamination prior to and during intracorporeal introduction.
2. Background of Related Art
The use of endoscopes, laparoscopes and other similar medical instruments for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures is well known to those skilled in the art. Endoscopes, laparoscopes and the like are used for viewing virtually anywhere within the body. The term "endoscope" or "endoscopic device" will be used hereinafter when referring to any such device for viewing within the body. Endoscopes are specifically used for viewing the interior of hollow organs, such as the colon or the urethra, and within the abdominal cavity. Endoscopes generally include a fragile optic system that is prone to contamination during intracorporeal introduction. Prior to and during introduction of the endoscopic device into the body, the optical end thereof may come into contact with the cannula or trocar, seal systems, fluids, tissue, other instruments, the user or support staff, and the like. Direct contact with any of these items could cause contamination of the optic system and result in less than optimal performance from the endoscope. Once the endoscope is received within the hollow organ, abdominal cavity, or the like, the risk for contamination is reduced.
In a response to the contamination problem, and to further address the high costs and difficulty of cleansing and sterilizing these instruments between uses, it has been known to cover the distal end of the endoscopes during use with a sealed, protective sheath, sleeve or cover of various sorts and configurations. Such sleeves are commonly elongated tubular sleeves each having one open end for inserting the medical instruments and one closed, distal end. These protective sleeves remain positioned over the distal end of the endoscope for the entire procedure and are only removed from the endoscope once the procedure has been completed and the instrument has been removed from the body cavity. These sleeves are generally disposable. During procedures in which a conventional, or non-removable, sleeve is used to protect an endoscopic device, it is important to have a sleeve of proper length and diameter. The excess material present in a sleeve that is longer than necessary to properly cover a particular endoscopic device may interfere with the introduction of the endoscope into the body cavity or may otherwise negatively affect the operation of the endoscope. Any portion of the conventional sleeve in excess of that which is necessary would require the bunching-up of the sleeve along the endoscope. This bunching up may interfere with the surgical procedure, or worse yet, lead to contamination of the surgery site and infection. Alternatively, the excess length of the conventional sleeve could be cut away and removed adding unnecessary steps to an already complicated procedure.
A conventional sleeve of a diameter in excess of what is necessary may also negatively affect the operation and optical performance of the endoscopic device. Operationally, the folding or bunching of the sleeve created by the excess sheath material may affect the ability of a user to manipulate the endoscopic device during viewing. Additionally, the folding or bunching created by the larger than necessary diameter may negatively affect the integrity of the seal between the device and the trocar or other access means. The folding or bunching of the sleeve may distort the image or otherwise negatively affect the viewing. Thus, a conventional, non-removable sleeve of an appropriate diameter is necessary for successful operation of the endoscopic device and clear viewing within the body cavity.
Regardless of its size or configuration, the sleeve must be comprised of an optically transparent material, or include an optically transparent window for viewing therethrough. As used herein, the term "optically transparent" means capable of transmitting visible light so that an object may be clearly seen therethrough with little or no distortion. For sleeves used with endoscopes configured for viewing along the longitudinal axis of the scope, the viewing window is located at the distal end of the sleeve, while endoscopes configured for viewing other than along the longitudinal access, e.g. perpendicular to the axis, require the window to be positioned in a sidewall. The use of endoscope with a protective sleeves thereon, regardless of the optical transparency of the sleeve, increases the likelihood of optical distortion, interference, poor video quality, and the like. However, as noted above, the risk for contamination of the optic system is reduced once the endoscope has been received within the body cavity; thus, once intracorporeal introduction has been achieved the need for a protective sleeve is diminished. Unfortunately, because the sleeve ends up within the body cavity along with the distal end of the endoscope, it is not possible to remove the sleeve without removing the endoscope from with the body cavity.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a sleeve for protecting an endoscopic device that could be removed once the device has been received and properly positioned within the targeted body cavity.


An image forming apparatus has a plurality of image bearing bodies in a predetermined sequence, an intermediate transfer medium for running in contact with each of the plurality of image bearing bodies, and a plurality of supporting rollers for driving the intermediate transfer medium. At least one image bearing body and at least one supporting roller are arranged such that a radius deviation of the image bearing body is in registration along a transfer medium with a radius deviation of the supporting roller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving unit for an image forming apparatus, a color image forming apparatus having the same, and a method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus having the driving unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, image forming apparatuses are classified into a monochromatic image forming apparatus and a color image forming apparatus. The monochromatic image forming apparatus forms an image in black and white by using only one color developer, while the color image forming apparatus forms a colorful image by using color developers such as magenta, cyan, yellow, and black.
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an electrostatic latent image by scanning a laser beam onto an organic photoconductor (OPC), which is electrified by an electrifying unit to have a predetermined level of electric potential, using a light exposing unit. The electrostatic latent image is developed using a developer and then transferred into a visible image on supplied print paper. In a color image forming apparatus, the electrostatic latent image is developed by using color developers on the organic photoconductors and overlapped images are transferred onto an intermediate transfer medium, such as an Intermediate Transfer Belt (ITB). The color images overlapped on the intermediate transfer medium are transferred onto print paper. Subsequently, the print paper with a color image goes through a series of fixing processes before it is transferred out of the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 1 is a structural diagram showing a conventional color image forming apparatus that performs a two-step transferring process by using the intermediate transfer medium. Referring to FIG. 1, the color image forming apparatus comprises a belt 10, a supporting roller 11, four T1 rollers 12, 13, 14 and 15, four organic photoconductors 16, 17, 18 and 19, a T2 roller 20, and a belt driving roller 21.
Developers each corresponding to K (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) are attached to the electrostatic latent image area of each of the organic photoconductors 16, 17, 18 and 19. The T1 rollers 12, 13, 14 and 15 are set up to correspond to the organic photoconductors 16, 17, 18 and 19 with the belt 10 between the organic photoconductors 16, 17, 18 and 19 and the T1 rollers 12, 13, 14 and 15. Accordingly, the developers attached to the surfaces of the organic photoconductor 16, 17, 18 and 19 are primarily transferred to the surface of the belt 10 by the transferring activity of the T1 rollers 12, 13, 14 and 15. Herein, the respective color images of the organic photoconductors 16, 17, 18 and 19 are transferred onto the belt 10 at predetermined time intervals so that the color developers transferred to the belt 10 can be overlapped in registration into a complete color image. Therefore, the color developers are overlapped on the belt 10 to thereby form a complete color image. Subsequently, the color image on the belt 10 goes through a secondary transferring process between the T2 roller 20 and the belt driving roller 21. Also, the belt driving roller 21 runs the belt 10 at a proper rate.
The belt 10 and the organic photoconductors 16, 17, 18 and 19 are consumption goods with limited life spans, that must periodically be replaced.
A transferring unit including the belt 10 and developing units including each organic photoconductor 16, 17, 18 or 19 are typically set up in a detachable manner along with a predetermined coupling unit and the driving unit for providing power in the image forming apparatus.
When the consumption goods, that is, the transferring unit and the developing units, are replaced, the structure of the coupling unit for performing relative motion of the driving unit, the transferring unit, and the developing units is significant. That is, it is important to connect the transferring unit and the developing units to have the same rotational axis as the driving unit. It is also important to realize highly precise color registration in consideration of the so-called total runout between the transferring unit and the developing unit. This is particularly important in view of manufacturing tolerances in the external circumferential surface of the driving roller of the transferring unit.
Herein, the total runout can be understood to include a phenomenon that the belt 10 rotates at a predetermined rate, but small changes in the instantaneous rotation rate occur due to the manufacturing tolerance of the external circumferential surface of the driving roller. The total runout affects the developing units in the same period through the belt 10. Therefore, it is important to equalize the influence of the total runout on the developing units and improve the quality of a color image.
Additionally, the organic photoconductors and the driving roller may have deviations in their radii if the outer circumferences thereof do not make a perfect circle due to manufacturing tolerances. Such deviations result in errors of a composite color image on the belt as the color image partially stretches or cuts due to the aforementioned deviations in the OPC rollers and the driving roller.

Image forming apparatus adapted to overlap image errors from driving unit and image bearing bodies and method of manufacturing same


A portable worktable includes a work platform and an automatic stabilizing mechanism for stably supporting the platform on an uneven floor. First and second horizontally spaced, generally parallel panels are arranged so as to extend downwardly from the work platform. The stabilizing mechanism includes a pair of support feet fixed to a lower portion of one of the panels. The stabilizing mechanism also includes a beam member which is swingably mounted at a lower portion of the other panel for swinging relative to the platform about a generally horizontal axis. Another pair of support feet are mounted on the beam member at respective opposite ends thereof so that the swinging axis of the beam is disposed centrally of the support feet on the beam. The device also includes a locking mechanism for releasably holding the beam member in a chosen fixed position relative to the platform.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to portable worktable devices and in particular to such a worktable device which includes an automatic stabilizing mechanism for supporting a work platform on an uneven floor.
2. The Prior Art Environment
Portable worktable devices by necessity are utilized in an environment in which the user has no control over the evenness of the floor surface where the worktable is used. Accordingly, it has been difficult to stabilize such devices to provide a secure and stable work platform. Three-legged devices are potentially useful; however, three-legs still present stability problems. On the other hand, while a device with four support points is inherently more stable than a three-legged device, the utilization of devices with four support feet in the past has required either a completely level floor surface or some sort of shimming arrangement provided at at least one of the support feet. The thickness of the necessary shim is never known in advance and the shimming operation itself inserts an impracticality into the stabilization operation.

Worktable device with automatic stabilizing mechanism


An input device includes a keytop, an elastic member, a movable electrode and a fixed electrode. The movable electrode is coupled to the elastic member above the fixed electrode. The electrodes are enclosed within a recess. A resistance of one of the fixed or movable electrodes changes when the electrodes are in contact based on a pressure exerted on the keytop.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input device, and, more particularly, to an input device that can be used with a computer or a video screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
An input device can control many systems, for example, an input device can control a menu selection or a character movement in a video game.
As shown in FIG. 3, an input device can include a keytop 2 that is vertically and movably adjacent to a top case 1. An elastic member 3, which is made of an elastic rubber, is disposed below the keytop 2. An end of the elastic member 3 has a dome-shape made of an electrically conductive rubber 4. The electrically conductive rubber 4 has a contact surface 4a that protrudes downward in an arc shape.
A sheet member 5 is disposed below the elastic member 3. A fixed-electrode 6, which is a resistive member, is supported on a portion of a surface of the sheet member 5 opposing the electrically conductive rubber 4. The sheet member 5 is mounted to a surface of a bottom case 7. The keytop 2 is elastically biased upward by a biasing force of the elastic member 3. A gap is formed between the fixed electrode 6 and the electrically conductive rubber 4.
A switching circuit is formed by the electrically conductive rubber 4 and the fixed electrode 6. Through contact between the electrically conductive rubber 4 and the fixed electrode 6, the switching circuit is turned on. When the keytop 2 shown in FIG. 3 is pressed downward, the electrically conductive rubber 4 at an end of the elastic member 3 moves downward towards the fixed electrode 6. This movement causes the electrically conductive rubber 4 to contact the fixed electrode 6, turning on the switching circuit. In addition, the pressing force on the keytop 2 elastically deforms the electrically conductive rubber 4 so that the contact area between the electrically conductive rubber 4 and the fixed electrode 6 changes.
By changing the contact area between the electrically conductive rubber 4 and the fixed electrode 6, the resistance of the fixed electrode 6 changes. This change in resistance can control a menu selection in a personal computer or a character movement in a television game.
It can be difficult manufacture input devices as those described above since the elastic member 3 and the electrically conductive rubber 4 are integrally formed by two molding processes that use a material kneaded with an electrically conductive material and an insulating material, such as rubber. The molding die can also be costly.
An input device embodiment comprises a pressable keytop, an elastic member, a movable electrode, and a fixed electrode. Preferably, the movable electrode can come into electrical conductance with the fixed electrode by an elastic deformation of the elastic member. Preferably, the movable electrode is formed on a sheet member disposed above the fixed electrode. A predetermined gap is provided above the fixed electrode. One of the electrodes comprises an electrically conductive member and the other comprises a resistive member. In one embodiment, the pressing of the keytop forces the movable electrode into contact and electrical conductance with the fixed electrode. The contact creates a resistive change in the resistive member.
In one embodiment, the elastic member has a pushing portion which can push the sheet member into the substantially arc shape pushing surface of the pushing portion. When the movable electrode comes into contact with the fixed electrode, the substantially arc shape of the sheet member is elastically deformed, causing the contact between the movable electrode and the fixed electrode to change.
In a second embodiment, the input device further comprises a base upon which the sheet member can be supported. Preferably, the base is disposed below the sheet member and has a recess of a predetermined depth and/or area. Preferably, the movable electrode is positioned in a portion of the recess and the fixed electrode is positioned on a bottom surface of the recess.
In a third embodiment, the movable electrode is positioned on a first sheet member, a second sheet member is disposed on a surface opposite the movable electrode separated by a predetermined area, and the fixed electrode is positioned on a portion of the second sheet member opposite the movable electrode.

Input device having an output that varies according to a pressing force


A package formed of a package material comprising a heat-sealable inner layer, an outer layer, and a pressure-sensitive adhesive disposed between the inner layer and the outer layer. The package may include a gusset with a center fold that divides the gusset into a first folded portion and a second folded portion. The package may further include a transverse heat-seal region extending across the gusset whereby the first folded portion is sealed to itself by mating surfaces of the heat-sealable inner layer and the second folded portion is sealed to itself by mating surfaces of the heat-sealable inner layer. The package may also include a patterned die cut formed in the heat-sealable inner layer, wherein at least a portion of the patterned die cut is adjacent to the transverse heat-seal region of the gusset so as to allow a portion of the inner layer to delaminate and expose a portion of the pressure-sensitive adhesive when the center fold is unfolded and the resealable pour spout is opened.

This invention is generally in the field of flexible packaging. More particularly, the present invention is directed to packages having a resealable pour spouts and methods for making the same.
Flexible packages are widely used for storing items such as salty snacks and other food items. More recently it has become common to employ reclosing features on flexible packages to allow a consumer to consume a portion of the contents of the package and then reseal the remaining contents in the package for later consumption. Examples of such reclosing features include zippers and interlocking members which allow opposing sides of the packages to be mechanically joined together. Such reclosing features are commonly manufactured in an off-line production process and are later added to the flexible package at a forming or sealing stage. There are many disadvantages with employing such reclosing features including the associated operating and equipment costs for manufacturing the reclosing features and the operating and equipment costs associated with integrating the reclosing features with the flexible packages.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide new flexible packages that avoid the disadvantages associated with conventional reclosing features. Moreover, it would be desirable to provide new methods of manufacturing such flexible packages.


A structural member includes a split beam within a box structure. The split beam may be a segmented beam that includes multiple segments for each of its parts. Movement of the split beam parts within the box structure, as the structural member flexes, dissipates energy and adds to the damping of the structural member.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of stiff structural members, such as aircraft spars and other structural members that undergo cantilever forces or cantilever-like forces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mechanically stiff structural members, such as wing spars, typically have very low damping constants. Traditionally, stiff structural members such as those used in aircraft spars have been subject to resonances that limit the performance capabilities of the structure. This results in structures having distinct resonances which can be excited, such as (for wing spars) by flight conditions. These resonances can be in the form of the fundamental cantilever resonance frequency, or can be in the form of higher modes such as those encountered during "flutter" of aerodynamic control surfaces, in which the resonant characteristics of the wing couple to the airflow past the wing. Resonances can cause reduced range/performance, difficulty in attitude control, and flutter and/or structural failure, to name just a few potential problems. FIG. 1 illustrates resonance in a typical spar 10.

Damped split beam structural member with segmented beam parts


A smart shelf system is disclosed. Objects are placed on a shelf that includes RFID tags. The objects prevent an RFID reader from reading certain RFID tags. The number of objects placed on the shelf may be determined by determining how many RFID tags are unreadable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to inventory monitoring systems and methods. More particularly, the present invention provides systems and methods for identifying stored items with the use of radio frequency identification tags attached to storage shelves.
2. Description of Related Art
Businesses use a variety of systems for tracking inventory. For example, it is common to use bar code scanners to read bar codes attaches to products to identify and count the products. One limitation of such systems is that they require a line of sight between the bar code scanner and the bar code. If the product containing the bar code is not positioned properly with respect to the bar code scanner or an object is placed between the bar code scanner and the bar code, the bar code scanner cannot read the bar code.
The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags has increased in part because systems that use RFID tags do not have some of the limitations associated with bar code systems. For example, RFID tag readers generally do not require a line of sight with RFID tags. RFID tags are also capable of storing large amounts of information.
With conventional RFID system configurations RFID tags are attached to products with adhesives. RFID tags have been used infrequently with low priced products. As the price of products decreases, the cost of an RFID tags becomes a larger percentage of the price of the product and the use of RFID tags becomes cost prohibitive. There are also costs associated with applying RFID tags to products and programming RFID tags. Another limitation with conventional RFID system configurations is that it can be difficult for RFID tag readers to read RFID tags attached to objects that contain liquid or metal.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for inventory tracking systems and methods that take advantage of the capabilities offered by RFID tags while limiting the costs associated with using, applying and programming such tags.


Modified high-speed flip-flop include an evaluation window that is self-adjusting and data selective. Consequently, modified high-speed flip-flop circuits designed according to the invention include an evaluation window that can be longer when the data signal is a digital xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d and significantly shorter when the data signal is a digital xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d. Therefore, the evaluation window of the modified high-speed flip-flop circuits of the invention selectively varies according to the state of the data signal so there is minimal hold time, increased efficiency and no opportunity for the creation of a racing condition. Consequently, the modified high-speed flip-flops of the invention are more robust and more efficient than prior art flip-flops.

The present invention relates generally to logic circuits and, more particularly, to high-speed flip-flop flop circuits and designs.
FIG. 1A shows a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a typical prior art flip-flop circuit 100. As seen in FIG. 1A, prior art flip-flop circuit 100 included the significant elements: delay portion 101 with delay output terminal 113 carrying the signal L1_CLKd 121, also referred to herein as CLKd 121; first node 103; clock input terminal 102 coupled to signal L1_CLK 111, also referred to herein as CLK 111; data input terminal 104 coupled to data signal 107; second node 115 carrying signal end 125; second supply voltage 109, also referred to herein as ground 109; third node 114 carrying the signal OUT_n 123; and output terminal 116 carrying the signal output signal q_1127.
As also seen in FIG.1A, prior art flip-flop circuit 100 included delay portion 101 incorporated in prior art flip-flop circuit 100 to delay the incoming signal CLK 111 to ensure that a sufficient time was allowed for first node 103 to discharge to ground 109, through path 105, when the data signal 107 was a digital xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d. If this delay time was not sufficient, a racing condition could develop and the operation of prior art flip-flop circuit 100 would be impaired and/or functional failure of prior art flip-flop circuit 100 could result. Consequently, in the prior art, designers had to be extremely careful to ensure the delay time, also called the evaluation xe2x80x9cwindowxe2x80x9d provided by delay portion 101 was sufficient. However, a larger evaluation window resulted in longer hold times that may cause function error at the block level. Consequently, there was an inherent conflict between obtaining the minimum hold-time of operation for prior art flip-flop circuit 100 and providing a comfortable window to ensure proper operation of prior art flip-flop circuit 100.
In the prior art, the evaluation window or delay time of prior art flip-flop circuit 100 was identical and constant, regardless of the data input. This is seen in FIG. 1A by the fact that delay portion 101 is simply a two inverter delay of signal CLK 111, regardless of the state of the data signal 107. This feature of prior art flip-flop circuit 100 is also shown in FIG. 1B. FIG. 1B is a typical timing diagram for a prior art flip-flop, such as prior art flip-flop circuit 100. Shown in FIG. 1B are: the signal L1_CLK 111, also referred to herein as CLK 111, on clock input terminal 102 in FIG. 1A; data signal 107 on data input terminal 104 in FIG. 1A; the signal L1_CLKd 121, also referred to herein as CLKd 121, on delay output terminal 113 in FIG. 1A; the signal OUT_n 123 on third node 114 in FIG. 1A; the signal end 125 on second node 115 in FIG. 1A; and output signal q_1127 on output terminal 116 in FIG. 1A.
As shown in FIG. 1B, and discussed above, there existed delays or evaluation windows, i.e., windows 131, 141, 151, 161, 171 and 181 in FIG. 1B, between the fifty percent of the rising edge of the signal L1_CLK 111, i.e., points 133, 143, 153, 163, 173 and 183 in FIG. 1B, and fifty percent of the rising edge of the signal L1_CLKd 121, i.e., points 135, 145, 155, 165, 175, and 185 in FIG. 1B. Significantly, as shown in FIG. 1B, windows 131, 141, 151, 161, 171 and 181 were all of approximately equal duration, regardless of the state, i.e., high or low, of data signal 107. Therefore, windows 141, 151 and 181, when data signal 107 was high, were of approximately equal size as windows 161 and 171, when data signal 107 was low
The fact that evaluation windows 131, 141, 151, 161, 171 and 181 of prior art flip-flop circuit 100 were all of approximately equal duration, regardless of the state of data signal 107, was inefficient because when data signal 107 was high, or a digital xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d a long evaluation widow was required to delay signal CLK 111 so, as discussed above with respect to FIG. 1A, node 103 could discharge to ground 109 before the next clock. However, when data signal 107 was low, or a digital xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d, there is no need for a long evaluation window because node 103 does not discharge to ground 109 and therefore there is no need of the window to delay signal CLK 111. Consequently, in the prior art, evaluation windows 161 and 171 were unnecessarily large when the data signal 107 was a digital xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d. This, in turn, resulted in unnecessarily long hold times and inherent internal margins for prior art flip-flops such as prior art flip-flop circuit 100.
In addition, since, in the prior art, evaluation windows 131, 141, 151, 161, 171 and 181 were all of approximately equal duration, regardless of the state of data signal 107, there was an inherent, and static, internal margin. Consequently, when a circuit designer was modifying a prior art system incorporating prior art flip-flops, for instance in the event of a scaling or xe2x80x9cshrinkxe2x80x9d to a new generation, the designer would have to redesign each circuit and modify the layouts to ensure proper prior art flip-flop operation and that the internal margins were still satisfied. This was a huge effort and was an unfortunate waste of considerable time and resources that served to undermine the advantages inherent in the shrinking process.
Also, since, in the prior art, evaluation windows 131, 141, 151, 161, 171 and 181 were all of approximately equal duration, regardless of the state of data signal 107, evaluation windows 131, 141, 151, 161, 171 and 181 had to be large enough to accommodate the greatest possible number of operational parameters, i.e., prior art flip-flops, like any circuit, had to be designed to be flexible enough to operate in all, or most, technical corners anticipated. Since, in the prior art, evaluation windows 131, 141, 151, 161, 171 and 181 were all of approximately equal duration, this meant the entire system had to be designed with evaluation windows 131, 141, 151, 161, 171 and 181 large enough to accommodate the worst case. This, of course, was far from efficient and resulted in unnecessarily long hold times and unnecessary delay elements in the block which wastes very limited, and precious, chip space.
In addition, since, in the prior art, evaluation windows 131, 141, 151, 161, 171 and 181 were all of approximately equal duration, regardless of the state of data signal 107, and there was an inherent internal margin, prior art flip-flops were often not operational at ultra low supply voltages. In an electronics industry that stresses portability, prolonged battery function and minimization of heat generation, this was a significant limitation.
What is needed is a method and apparatus for creating a modified high-speed flip-flop that is capable of adjusting the delay time, or evaluation window, to accommodate the state of the data signal, thereby minimizing the hold time and eliminating the internal margin.
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for creating a modified high-speed flip-flop including a data selective adjustable evaluation window, thereby eliminating the internal margin.
According to the present invention, the evaluation window or delay time of the modified high-speed flip-flop circuits of the invention are self-adjusting and data selective. Consequently, the evaluation window is longer when the data signal is a digital xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d and significantly shorter when the data signal is a digital xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d. Therefore, the evaluation windows of the modified high-speed flip-flop circuits of the invention are variable so there is minimal hold time, increased efficiency and no opportunity for the creation of a racing condition. Consequently, the modified high-speed flip-flops of the invention are more robust than prior art flip-flops.
Since, according to the invention, the evaluation window is adjustable and data selective, there is no inherent internal margin. Consequently, when a circuit designer wishes to modify a system incorporating the modified high-speed flip-flop circuits of the invention, for instance in the event of a scaling or xe2x80x9cshrinkxe2x80x9d to a new generation, the designer can do so without the need to redesign each circuit and modify the layouts to ensure proper flip-flop operation. Thus, the modified high-speed flip-flop circuits of the invention are readily scalable and the huge effort and waste of time and resources required with prior art designs is completely avoided.
Also, since, according to the invention, the evaluation window is adjustable, and data selective, the evaluation window need not be large enough to accommodate the greatest possible number of operational parameters, i.e., the modified high-speed flip-flop circuits of the invention, with their adjustable evaluation window, are flexible enough to be adjusted to operate in all, or most, technical corners on a case by case basis. This means that, in contrast to the prior art designs, the entire system need not be designed with an evaluation window large enough to accommodate the worst case. Consequently, the modified high-speed flip-flop circuits of the invention are far more efficient, have shorter hold times and more robust than prior art flip-flops.
In addition, since, according to the invention, the evaluation window is adjustable and data selective and there is no inherent internal margin, the modified high-speed flip-flop circuits of the invention can be made operational at ultra low supply voltages. As noted above, in an electronics industry that stresses portability, prolonged battery function and minimization of heat generation, this is a significant advantage.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and following detailed description are intended only to exemplify and explain the invention as claimed.

Modified high speed flop design with self adjusting, data selective, evaluation window


A solid electrolytic capacitor includes a capacitor unit having a cathode frame coupled to a cathode part of a capacitor element, and anode frames formed at the opposite sides of the capacitor unit sandwiching a cathode frame, and coupled to an anode part of the capacitor element. Flat parts provided at the opposite ends of anode terminals are coupled to the anode frames. A flat part provided in the center of a cathode terminal is coupled to the cathode frame. The capacitor unit is covered with coating resin. The solid electrolytic capacitor has a simplified structure and a lower ESL.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capacitor used for various types of electronic devices, particular to a solid electrolytic capacitor using conductive polymer for its solid electrolyte.
2. Background Art
According to increasing demand for the use of electronic devices in a high frequency region, a capacitor, a type of electronic component, is requested to have a more excellent impedance characteristic in a high-frequency region than a conventional one. In order to meet such a request, various kinds of capacitors are examined using conductive polymer with high electric conductance for its solid electrolyte.
FIG. 26 is a sectional side view illustrating the makeup of this type of conventional solid electrolytic capacitor. FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the same. FIG. 28 is a partial perspective cutaway view illustrating the makeup of a capacitor element used for the solid electrolytic capacitor.
Capacitor element 100 has a dielectric oxide film layer (not illustrated) formed on the surface of anode body 101 made of aluminum foil, which is a valve metal. Insulating body 102 provided on anode body 101 with a dielectric oxide film layer separates anode part 103 from cathode part 104. The surface of the above-mentioned dielectric oxide film layer at the side of cathode part 104 has thereon solid electrolyte layer 105 made of conductive polymer and cathode layer 106 made of carbon and silver paste, each sequentially laminated.
The solid electrolytic capacitor has anode terminal 107, cathode terminal 108 and guide 108a formed by bending upward the bonding faces of cathode terminal 108. Anode part 103 is bonded to the bonding face of anode terminal 107; and cathode part 104, to that of cathode terminal 108. Anode part 103 is coupled to bent junction 107a on the bonding face of anode terminal 107, with resistance welding; and cathode part 104 is coupled to the bonding face of cathode terminal 108 through conductive silver paste.
Insulating coating resin 109 covers capacitor element 100 in a state where part of anode terminal 107 and cathode terminal 108, each coupled to capacitor element 100, are respectively exposed from the coating resin.
Anode terminal 107 and cathode terminal 108, exposed from coating resin 109, respectively become outside terminals by being bent from their sides toward their bottom surfaces along coating resin 109.
The above-mentioned conventional capacitor is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2000-340463, for example.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional solid electrolytic capacitor, the distances from the contact faces of anode part 103 and anode terminal 107, and of cathode part 104 and cathode terminal 108, of capacitor element 100, to the mounting surfaces, are all long, thus representing a poor ESL (equivalent series inductance) characteristic. In recent years, electrolytic capacitors particularly used for around a CPU chip for a personal computer, have been strongly demanded for smaller size with larger capacity. Further, electrolytic capacitors are not applicable to an application in high frequency band requiring high noise removability and high transient response as well as a lower ESR (equivalent series resistance) and a lower ESL in higher frequency.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A BCN network with BCN modems that communicate using predefined messages to establish, optimize and facilitate data communication.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to broadband communication networks, and in particular to access protocols used in a local area broadband communication networks.
2. Related Art
The worldwide utilization of external television ("TV") antennas for receiving broadcast TV, cable television (CATV), and satellite TV is growing at a rapid pace. These TV signals received via an external TV antenna, cable TV and satellite TV, such as a direct broadcast satellite ("DBS") system, are usually located on the exterior of a building (such as a home or an office) and enter the building at a point-of-entry ("POE"). Multiple TV receivers, audio video receivers, and/or video monitor devices may be located within the building and these multiple devices may be in signal communication with the POE via a broadband cable network that may include a plurality of cables and cable splitters. Generally, these cable splitters are passive devices and distribute downstream signals from the POE to various terminals (also known as "nodes") in the building. The nodes may be various types of customer premise equipment ("CPE") such as cable converter boxes, televisions, video monitors, cable modems, cable phones, audio video receivers, set-top boxes (STBs) and video game consoles.
Within a typical building or home, there may be a mixture of coaxial cables of varying types and quality, such as RG-59, RG-6, and RG-6 quad shield, thus creating a less than optimal RF environment within the cable. Further, typical homes do little or no termination of cable outlets enabling the introduction of RF interference into the coaxial cables. Another problem often encountered with a typical home or building coaxial cable configuration is the use of multiple splitters of varying quality and frequency ranges. This also creates a problem for known approaches to local area networking over coaxial cable. Such networking often requires a more controlled RF environment or higher quality cabling to support higher frequency ranges.
Typically, an STB connects to a coaxial cable at a wall outlet terminal and receives cable TV and/or satellite TV signals. A device, such as the STB, connected to the coaxial cable may be called a node. Usually, the STB receives the cable TV and/or satellite TV signals and converts them into tuned RF TV signals that may be received by the TV receiver and/or video signals that may be received by a video monitor.
In FIG. 1, an example of a known broadband cable network 100 (also known as a "cable system" and/or "cable wiring") is shown within a building 102 (also known as customer premises) such as a typical home or office. The broadband cable system 100 may be in signal communication with an optional cable service provider 104, optional broadcast TV station 106, and/or optional DBS satellite 108, via signal path 110, signal path 112 and external antenna 114, and signal path 116 and DBS antenna 118, respectively. The broadband cable system 100 also may be in signal communication with optional CPEs 120, 122 and 124, via signal paths 126, 128 and 130, respectively.
In FIG. 2, another example of a known broadband cable system is shown within a building (not shown) such as a typical home. The cable system 200 may be in signal communication with a cable provider (not shown), satellite TV dish (not shown), and/or external antenna (not shown) via a signal path 202 such as a main coaxial cable from the building to a cable connection switch (not shown) outside of the building. The cable system 200 may include a multi-tap device (not shown) that allows communication to neighboring homes, a POE to the home 204, N:1 Splitter 206, which in this system may also be considered a Root Node, sub-splitter 208, and node devices 210, 212 and 214.
Within the cable system 200, the Multi-Tap (not shown) may be in signal communication with the Root Node/main splitter 206 via signal path 228. The Root Node/main splitter 206 may be the connection point from the cable provider that is located externally to the building of the cable system 200. The Root Node/main splitter 206 may be implemented as a coaxial cable splitter that may include passive devices and packages including connectors, transformer and/or filters.
The N:1 splitter 206 (a 2:1 splitter in FIG. 2) acts as the main splitter and may be in signal communication with N:1 sub-splitter 208 (a 2:1 splitter in FIG. 2), and node device 210, via signal paths 230 and 232, respectively. The N:1 sub-splitter 208 may be in signal communication with node devices 212 and 214 via signal paths 234 and 236, respectively. The node devices may be comprised of numerous known STB coaxial units such as cable television STBs and/or satellite television STBs, as well as various video and multimedia devices typically found in the home or office. Typically, the signal paths 228, 230, 232, 234, and 236 may be implemented utilizing coaxial cables 216, 218, 220, 222 and 224, respectively.
In an example operation, the cable system 200 would receive CATV, cable and/or satellite radio frequency ("RF") TV signals 226 from the Multi-Tap (not shown) via signal path 216 into the Root Node/main splitter 206. The Root Node/main splitter 206 may pass, transform and/or filter the received RF signals to a second RF signal 230 that may be passed to N:1 sub-splitter 208 via signal path 218. Sub-splitter 208 may then split the second RF signal 230 into split RF signals 234 and 236 that are passed to node devices 212 and 214 via signal paths 222 and 224, respectively. If the node device is an STB, the node device may convert the received split RF signal into a baseband signal (not shown) that may be passed to a video monitor (not shown) in signal communication with the STB. Similarly, the Root Node/Main Splitter passes a second signal 232 via signal path 220 to another node device 210.
In recent years, numerous consumer electronics appliances and software applications have been developed and continue to be developed that are able to receive, store, process and transmit programming information to multiple devices in the home at the time and manner as determined by the viewer. The main drawback to the ability of users to view multimedia information stored on multiple storage devices at the home and view it (or listen to it) on any capable home appliance at the time and manner of his choosing is the lack of a viable home networking solution. There are large numbers and types of CPEs that can be utilized and shared in such a fashion including televisions, video monitors, cable modems, cable phones, video game consoles, and audio components, as well as various storage devices. There is a growing need for different CPEs to communicate between themselves in a network type of environment within the building. As an example, users in a home may want to share other types of digital data (such as video and/or computer information) between different devices in different rooms of a building.
The present invention is focused on utilizing the home coaxial cable as a medium for high speed home networking by utilizing frequencies above the ones currently used by the Cable Operators for their cable service. The home coaxial cable is a natural medium for connecting multimedia devices since it has an enormous amount of available bandwidth required for the high data rates that are needed for such applications and also, all the multimedia devices and appliances are most likely to be already connected to the coaxial cable. Unfortunately, most broadband cable networks (such as the examples shown in both FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) presently utilized within most existing buildings are not configured to allow for networking between CPEs. Most broadband cable networks utilize broadband cable splitters that are designed to split an incoming signal from the POE into numerous split signals that are passed downstream to the different nodes in different rooms, or equivalently, combine signals from multiple sources (on the "output" ports) to an aggregate on the "input" port. The existing conventional wisdom is that the use of splitters in the existing broadband cable networks make these networks able to communicate only between the "point of entry" 204 and node devices 210, 212, and 214, and prevents direct networking between node devices in the network because signals returning from the node devices cannot be routed back through the splitters, i.e., cannot "jump" a splitter. The present invention describes a system that allows node devices ("CPEs") to communicate directly over the existing coaxial cable with its current architecture without the need to modify the home cable infrastructure.
As an example, in a typical home the signal splitters are commonly coaxial cable splitters that have an input port and multiple output ports. Generally, the input port is known as a common port and the output ports are known as tap ports. These types of splitters are generally passive devices and may be constructed using lumped element circuits with discrete transformers, inductors, capacitors, and resistors and/or using strip-line or microstrip circuits.
Presently many CPEs utilized in modern cable and DBS systems, however, have the ability to transmit as well as receive. If a CPE is capable of transmitting an upstream signal, the transmitted upstream signal from that CPE typically flows through the signal splitters back to the POE and to the cable and/or DBS provider. In this reverse flow direction, the signal splitters function as signal combiners for upstream signals from the CPEs to the POE. Usually, most of the energy from the upstream signals is passed from the CPEs to the POE because the splitters typically have a high level of isolation between the different connected terminals resulting in significant isolation between the various CPEs.
The isolation creates a difficult environment in which to network between the different CPEs because the isolation results in difficulty for transmitting two-way communication data between the different CPEs. However, CPEs are becoming increasingly more capable and a growing number of users desire to network multiple CPEs to share storage and capabilities across the network. As CPEs are networked together in this difficult environment, the problem of coordinating network resources, accesses and optimizing communications between CPEs becomes a necessity.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method to connect a variety of CPEs into a local data network, such as a local area network ("LAN"), within a building such as a home or office, while utilizing an existing coaxial cable network within the building. Additionally, there is a need for coordinating network resources, access to the network, and to optimize the communication between CPEs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Multimedia over coaxial cable access protocol


A metal porous body is a metal porous body mainly composed of nickel and having a framework of a three-dimensional network structure, Ni(OH)2 being present in a surface of the framework, when the metal porous body is subjected to at least 30 potential scans between a lower limit potential of −0.10 V and an upper limit potential of +0.65 V with respect to a hydrogen standard potential in not less than 10% by mass and not more than 35% by mass of a potassium hydroxide aqueous solution, at least oxygen being detected within a depth of 5 nm from the surface, and hydrogen being detected at least in the surface.

Conventionally, a metal porous body has been used for various applications such as a filter and an electrode plate for a battery that require heat resistance, a catalyst carrier, and a composite metal material. A method for subjecting a surface of a base material such as foamed resin to conductive treatment and then plating the surface of the base material with metal, and a method for producing slurry of a powder metal, causing the slurry of the powder metal to adhere to a base material such as foamed resin and sintering the slurry of the powder metal have been traditionally known as a method for manufacturing a metal porous body.
As a metal porous body fabricated by a plating method, there has been known, for example, Celmet (registered trademark: manufactured by Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.) which is a metal porous body substantially made of nickel and obtained by subjecting a surface of a framework of a resin molded body having a framework of a three-dimensional network structure to conductive treatment and then plating the surface with nickel and then removing the resin. Celmet is a metal porous body having pores that communicate with each other, and has a characteristic of having a very high porosity (not less than 90%) as compared with other porous bodies such as metal non-woven fabric. Therefore, Celmet is suitably used as an electrode material for a battery such as a nickel-metal hydride battery or a nickel-cadmium battery.
Various methods are under study as a method for manufacturing Celmet. For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2010-140647 (PTL 1) describes a metal porous body having significantly improved quality by subjecting a resin molded body which is a base material to surface treatment before conductive treatment, and a method for manufacturing the metal porous body. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-071804 (PTL 2) describes a metal porous body having excellent heat resistance and strength by containing nickel, tin and iron, and a method for manufacturing the metal porous body.

Metal porous body and current collector for nickel-metal hydride battery


An aqueous slurry of amorphous silica, the amorphous silica having a particle size less than 1 μm. The slurry contains sepiolite as a stabiliser.

The terms "microsilica" and used in the specification and claims of this application refer to particulate, amorphous SiO2 obtained from a process in which silica (quartz) is reduced to SiO-gas and the reduction product is oxidised in the vapour phase to form amorphous silica. Microsilica may contain at least 70% by weight silica (SiO2), and preferably >97% and has a specific density of 2.1-2.3 g/cm3 and a surface area of 12-40 m2/g, typically 20 m2/g. The primary particles are substantially spherical and may have an average size of about 0.15 μm. Microsilica is preferably obtained as a co-product in the production of silicon alloys in electric reduction furnaces.
Microsilica slurry is currently used widely in construction applications such as fibre cement, concrete and in oil well cementing. Microsilica acts as pozzolanic material or inorganic binder by interacting with calcium hydroxide as a hydration product of Portland cement and water to improve the compressive strength of cement. In all of these applications, it has been demonstrated that microsilica used in slurry form performs much better than in powder form. Most commercially available microsilica slurries are normally supplied as 50 wt % microsilica slurries. Sulphuric acid is normally used to adjust the pH of the dispersion to lie in the range 4 to 7, to give stability to the dispersion.
Conventional microsilica slurry suffers from two challenges, namely, geletion and settling.
The stability of a microsilica slurry in terms of sedimentation and geletion depends mainly on the quality of the dry microsilica used for making the slurry. Since microsilica has a very small particle size, a slurry will show a high stability towards sedimentation when stored for long periods of time; more than 3 months for a well-dispersed slurry. However, when considering the stability of a microsilica slurry, a distinction should be made between particle settling and geletion.
Settling is a natural phenomenon for many inorganic dispersions such as silica, alumina or titania. According to Stoke's low, the main factors affecting settling are the low apparent viscosity of the continuous phase (water) and the size of the dispersed particles. The larger the dispersed particles, the faster the settling rate will be. Generally, a 50 wt % silica slurry with a SiO2 content >95 wt % has a high potential for settling due to the low apparent viscosity of <20 mPa·s at a shear rate of 20 s−1. Settling of coarse particles can be avoided by sieving the slurry or by increasing the viscosity of slurry by employing thickening agents such as Xanthen gum, cellulose, polyacrylate or nanosilica.
Geletion or network formation by the particles occurs when the particles are attracted to each other due to Van der Waals forces and/or chemical bridging by cations, creating a network structure which can have different forms and strengths. The main factor influencing geletion in the case of a microsilica slurry is contamination with other inorganic metal oxides such as K2O, Na2O, CaO, MgO, Al2O3 and Fe2O3. These oxides occur naturally in microsilica and dissolve to a certain extent into the water, providing the aqueous phase with different types of cations which tend to make bridges between the particles.
The bridging causes the microsilica particles to agglomerated or flocculate which results in a high viscosity and even gel or paste formation in some cases.
Generally, microsilica can be classified into three types according to the tendency to form a gel:    a) Not forming a gel would be microsilica with a total metal oxide (TMO) below 3 wt %.    b) Microsilica forming a gel (network) would be microsilica with a TMO larger than 3 wt %.    c) Microsilica forming a hard gel (network) would be with a TMO larger than 10 wt %.
These problems of settling and gelling are addressed in the present Applicants' EP 1534646, in which a polysaccharide is included in a slurry of water amorphous silica and silica flour, as a stabiliser. This measure is effective but it has now been found that in some instances, there is a deterioration of this slurry caused by biodegradation of the polysaccharide, due to bacterial attack. It is possible to avoid the biodegradation by adding biocides, but this is not a satisfactory solution as biocides could cause contamination of the environment during use of the slurry. For offshore oil industry the regulations demand biocide free products in order not to harm the aquatic organisms.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an aqueous slurry of amorphous silica which is stable for at least six months, both from the point of view of settling and gelling, and at the same time, to avoid the use of polysaccharides and other biodegradable additives.

Aqueous slurry of amorphous silica and method for its production


A leveling mount is disclosed for equipment in temporary or permanent installations wherein the supporting surface can be a non-level planar surface. A ball and socket support stud provides a self-leveling adjustment of support. An elastomeric removable mount base pad provides non-skid means. Limited swivel and radial movement of the ball and socket support stud are maintained. The leveling mount base can engage a support stud affixed to the supported equipment. A ball retaining agent provides a security lock against removal of the ball from the ball socket from sock or impact. The ball retaining agent alternatively is adjustable to limit range of swivel from 15xc2x0 from the vertical and to lock limited swivel and rotary movements of the ball and socket stud into fixed positions.

The field of this invention relates to equipment leveling devices. The present invention is a device to permit installation of equipment in temporary or permanent locations wherein the supporting surface may not be a level planar surface. Leveling elements are accordingly required to supply adjustable support for the equipment to overcome the uneven support surface in order for the equipment to be leveled despite the non-planar support surface. The present invention is also adapted to permit the equipment to be repositioned or moved to uneven surfaces without loss of stability upon an uneven or non-level surface in non-skid applications.
The term xe2x80x9cnon-skidxe2x80x9d refers to the substantial anchoring of equipment in a specific location upon what can be described as a non-planar surface so that the equipment does not move from its designated position during operation despite vibratory or oscillatory movement of the equipment. The present invention accordingly is a unique leveling mount to be installed on a wide variety of operating equipment including machine tools, packaging and printing machines and other machines performing a wide range of operations.
Many types of leveling devices utilize a simple screw-jack consisting of a bolt that provides a means of raising or lowering the device, the bolt threaded directly into the leveling mount. The use of a bolt as a load bearing leg for the support of machinery can pose difficulties if the machine is to be placed upon a surface that tilts or requires the machine be in a fixed position perpendicular to the support surface. The tilt of the supporting bolt can cause a resulting stress upon the bolt, which results in the failure of the bolt. U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,075 to Freeman discloses a machine leveling assembly, which employs a screw-jack machanism with a ball and socket support and load transmission member comprising a threaded metal shaft mounted vertically in a leveling assembly. The shaft terminates in a ball, which is inserted into a separate ground support base configured to allow the ball to rotate freely and allow the load to be distributed more evently about the spherical surface of the socket.
The use of a threaded screw or spindle to adjust the vertical support of a mounting device in conjunction with motion resistant and shock-absorbing members is taught in prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,852 to May discloses a machine mount device, which has a special friction surface for resting upon a floor to resist lateral motion displacement. The friction surface consists of a metal layer to which is brazed a quantity of carbide grits so that with motion of the machine mount, the grits tend to work into the floor surface to hold the supported machine in a fixed position. The vertical machine support, a threaded leveling bolt, is threaded through a lock nut to retain the machine support in place to support the machine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,356 to Munz discloses a mounting device comprising a foundation body of a resilient material of rubber or other suitable elastomer with a metal cover plate into which is rotated a threaded spindle to adjust the vertical support of the supported object. A retaining ledge on the supported object holds the supported object against rotation during rotation of the threaded spindle. In one embodiment, a threaded bolt of the support plate is screwed into an intnernal thread of a double spindle with a threaded bushing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,912 to Whittaker discloses a vibration isolation mount comprising an elastomeric material within an enclosing metal frame. An adjustable threaded screw through the metal frame rests upon a steel plate inserted into a recess within the elastomeric material and thus can raise and lower heavy equipment support surface. The elastomeric material is configured so the elastomeric material contacts the support surface thus dampening and isolating horizontal vibrations imposed on the mount from the supported equipment.
It thus is well known to use a threaded support to raise and lower a supported object as a mounting device and leveling agent. However, objectionable aspects of devices ordinarily available as equipment leveling devices can restrict the utility of such devices and may create problems in their application and use. A disadvantage of the mounting device taught by Freeman ""075 is that the ball and socket arrangement is not self-leveling. While the arrangement permits the load to be evenly distributed about the spherical surface of the socket, the ball is not free to move from the vertical to adjust for unevenness of the supporting surface during installation of the machine-leveling device. The Freeman ""075 machine-leveling device also utilizes the practice of insertng load-bearing shims precision ground to fit. As Freeman ""075 teaches, shims can be difficult to use if the machine is to be placed on a surface that varies in elevation between different mount locations. The May ""852 patent discloses a vertical supporting element on a base with carbide grits which frictionally engage and cut into softer floor materials and work into the floor. The machine mount apparatus of the May ""852 patent and the supported machine are not free to be easily moved after engagement with the supporting floor. The Munz ""356 patent requires that the particular object to be supported must be provided with engaging surfaces which in conjunction with a protruding ledge of the mount device engages and retains the object in position against rotation of the mounting device support upon rotation of a threaded spindle to adjust the spacing between the object and the supporting surface. Moreover, the Munz patent indicates that deviations from vertical alignment require compensating adjustments in the design of the mounting device to provide an adjustable mounting device for the required application instead of being initially a self-leveling mounting device. The Whittaker patent ""912 discloses an elastomeric material within a metal frame, which contacts a supporting surface such as a floor or other structure. Function of the elastomeric material is as a vibration isolation mass and a support for heavy-duty dynamic equipment such as stamping presses, machine tools and the like. The elastomeric materal is taught as having a flat lower surface in contact with the supporting surface and is inserted within the metal frame. The elastomeric material insert is shaped and dimensioned to fit snugly within the metal frame in that the sides of the frame engage the sides of the elastomeric insert. The weight of the supported equipment maintains the positioning of the insert within the frame. No provision by Whitaker ""912 is provided for easy replacement for the elastomeric insert if such is required by usage or for self-leveling of the mounting device.
Accordingly, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a leveling mount, which provides a self-leveling ball and socket arrangement and self-leveling means of supporting a structure wherein the support surface may not be a level planar surface.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a leveling mount which provides a self-leveling ball and socket arrangement and a self-leveling means of supporting a structure wherein the support surface may not be a level planar surface wherein the ball is securely locked into its socket by a ball retaining agent removably inserted through the base of the leveling mount to lock the ball in the ball socket while still allowing rotational and swiveling action of the ball.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide an adjustable leveling mount comprising a ball and socket joint with an adjustable ball retaining agent to prevent the ball from being released from the socket when subjected to high pullout forces while permitting a full range of rotary motion and swivel motion from the vertical but is adjustable to limit ranges of rotary and swivel motions.
Another object of the invention is to provide an equipment mount assembly in which the vertical support elements are effectively combined with an elastomeric non-skid base pad to provide efficient mounting of equipment and to restrict appreciable displacement along the surface of the support surface and damage to the support surface.
A further object of the invention is to provide an efficient means of replacing or resurfacing the elastomeric non-skid base pad by providing a removable male circumferential resurfaceable locking elastomeric pad which locks in place inside the perimeter of the base mount and over female circumferential indentations between multiple perimeter projecting support studs or feet on the base mount with removability, and resurfacing replacement after wear or damage.
A still further object is to permit engineering of the elastomeric base pad to required needs of the installation, to modify the thickness, size, and material of the base pad as needed to provide a larger base pad to reduce vibration effects upon the mounted equipment or support surface or to overcome environmental conditions.
An additional object is to provide an equipment mount assembly with design flexibility comprising a threaded ball socket suitable for receiving a threaded insert or a threaded fixed stud on equipment, wherein the leveling mount needs to be easily removed, a larger than standard stud can be attached to or mounted in the leveling mount base or the mounted equipment already has a fixed stud which needs to be inserted in the leveling mount base.
This invention relates to an adjustable leveling mount for installation of equipment in locations wherein the supporting surface may not be a level planar surface. The invention comprises a ball and socket arrangement and self-leveling mount which adjusted to uneven surfaces without operative adjustments, a non-skid elastomeric base pad to restrict the movement of the equipment from its designated position during operation despite vibratory or oscillatory movement of the equipment and a ball lock comprising a ball retaining agent removably inserted through the leveling mount base which alternatively locks the ball of the leveling mount in the ball socket and alternatively allows control of rotational and swivel action of the ball. The non-skid elastomeric base pad utilizes male-female design elements and allows replacement or resurfacing upon damage, wear, or installation requirements. The non-skid elastomeric base pad permits the equipment to be temporarily repositioned or moved to uneven surfaces without damage to the support surface. The mount alternatively comprises a threaded ball socket suitable for receiving a separately sized ball end stud, or a threaded equipment stud, said separately sized ball end stud or threaded equipment stud being integral supports of supported equipment.

S and W Manufacturing Company, Inc., 400 S. Evergreen


Disclosed are lubricating oil compositions comprising a major amount of an oil of lubricating viscosity; and from 0.05 to 10 weight % based upon the total lubricating oil composition of a 1,3-dioxolane-4-methanol compound of the formula I:

Zinc dithiophosphates (ZnDTP) have long been used as antiwear additives and antioxidants in engine oils, automatic transmission fluids, hydraulic fluids and the like. Conventional engine oil technology relies heavily on ZnDTP to provide extremely low cam and lifter wear and favorable oxidation protection under severe conditions. ZnDTP operates under mixed-film lubrication conditions by reacting with rubbing metal surfaces to form protective lubricating films. The mixed-film lubrication regime is a mixture of full-film (hydrodynamic) lubrication wherein the lubricating film is sufficiently thick to prevent metal-to-metal contact and boundary lubrication wherein the lubricating film thickness is significantly reduced and more direct metal-to-metal contact occurs.
However, a problem has arisen with respect to the use of ZnDTP, because phosphorus and sulfur derivatives poison catalyst components of catalytic converters. This is a major concern as effective catalytic converters are needed to reduce pollution and to meet governmental regulations designed to reduce toxic gases such as, for example, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, in internal combustion engine exhaust emission. Therefore, it would be desirable to reduce the phosphorus and sulfur content in engine oils so as to maintain the activity and extend the life of the catalytic converter.
There is also governmental and automotive industry pressure towards reducing the phosphorus and sulfur content. As the environmental regulations governing tailpipe emissions have tightened, the allowable concentration of phosphorus in engine oils has been significantly reduced with further reductions in the phosphorus content of engine oils being likely.
There is currently great interest therefore in new antiwear additives that contain little or no sulfated ash, phosphorus, and sulfur (SAPS). Such additives could reduce or eliminate the need for zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZNDTP) in lubricating oils. There have been many approaches to solving this problem, though very few antiwear additives contain no sulfur, phosphorus, or metal species. The present invention is directed in part to providing antiwear to lubricating oil compositions by employing a substituted 1,3-dioxolane-4-methanol compound.
1,3-dioxolanes and numerous derivatives are known. They have been used as a solvent for cosmetics, perfumes, paints, plastics, etc. (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,861,764; 5,686,098 and US2008/0280997): they have also been used as disinfectants and aerosols and some are stated to be physicologically active (see Chem. Rev, 1967, 67(4) pp 427-440). 1,3-dioxolanes can be stereoactive and many are prepared as intermediates for the preparation of optically active beta-agonists or antagonists (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,575,558 and 5,190,876). U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,374,998 and 4,435,315 discloses branched chain olefin and alkyl derivatives of 1,3-dioxolane for use as flavoring and perfume agents. U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,558 discloses alkyl esters of 1,3-dioxolanes for use a flavorant in an aroma composition. For other flavoring and aroma-enhancing agents see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,262,030; 3,748,334. Acetal esters and ketal esters derived from glycerol and ethoxylated derivatives are known as fuel additives and for use in lubricating oils (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,268,007; 5,093,018; 4,792,411; WO 2008/059155 and US 2008/0234152) and more recently for biofuels (WO 2006/084048; US 2008/0293602; US 2009/0126262; US 2010/0094027). U.S. Pat. No. 7,790,909 is directed to metal working fluids containing a 2-alkyl-4,4-dialkyl-1,3-dioxolane.

Lubricating composition containing 1,3-dioxolane-4-methanol compounds as antiwear additives

Abstract: wherein:        R1 and R2 are each independently hydrogen, alkyl or alkenyl, wherein the sum of carbon atoms for R1 and R2 is 6 carbon atoms or less.


The present invention relates to transportable product for the transportation of paraffinic wax and methods of transporting using this transportable product. The transportable product comprises 90 to 20 weight % of a liquid comprising ≧50 weight % water and having a pH of >5 and a true vapor pressure of ≦14.7 psia when measured at 20° C., and 10 to 80 weight % of wax particles, wherein the wax particles comprise ≧75 weight % of wax particles larger than 0.1 mm. The transportable product and methods of transporting according to the present invention are able to accommodate a relatively high weight % of paraffinic wax particles in the transportable product while avoiding interparticle adhesion and clumping by ensuring that the wax particles are not too small and the amount of small wax particles is not excessive.

Oil fields are typically found in remote locations. Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbonaceous compounds when it comes out of the ground. Typical maximum temperatures for conventional crude carriers are 140° F. (60° C.). Waxy crude oils must be shipped in specially equipped crude carriers at temperatures up to around 160° F. (71° C.). Slack waxes from petroleum deoiling and dewaxing operations must also be shipped in a molten state at elevated temperatures in specialty chemical tankers. Waxy crude oils and slack waxes that can be shipped in these specially equipped carriers or specialty tankers are typically required to have pour points at least 10° F. below the shipping temperature. Shipping crude oils and waxes with pour points at least 10° F. below the temperature of shipping in the specially equipped carrier or specialty tanker provides a measure of protection against an excessive amount of solid wax forming during the voyage. While some solid wax can be tolerated during unloading, formation of an excessive amount of solid wax requires a lengthy and costly operation to melt the solid wax. The use of conventional crude carriers, those that ship materials at temperatures at or below 140° F., is preferred whenever possible because these carriers have a significantly lower cost of transport.
Similarly, when crude oil is shipped in a pipeline, materials that are pumpable at near ambient conditions are preferred because these materials avoid the need for heated pipelines. Similar shipping considerations exist for transporting waxy crude oil in railcars and trucks. Materials that are pumpable at or near ambient conditions are preferred due to the significantly lower cost of transport.
Like crude oil, natural gas and coal assets are often located at remote sites. It is often more commercially feasible to convert these resources into synthesis gas and then into higher molecular weight hydrocarbons at the remote sites rather than attempting to transport the natural gas and coal assets to another location for conversion. Many processes, including Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, can be used to convert synthesis gas from methane or coal to higher molecular weight hydrocarbons. The products of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis are mostly linear hydrocarbons, these products often include a high melting point paraffinic wax. From the Fischer-Tropsch products, a C5+ containing product stream, which is solid at room temperature, can be isolated. This product stream is commonly referred to as "syncrude."
When capital costs at the remote sites, where the natural gas and coal assets are located, are high, it is desirable to limit the amount of processing equipment at the remote locations. Accordingly, it is desirable to transport the syncrude to existing commercial refineries for upgrading to provide finished, salable products.
Since it is desirable to transport waxy petroleum crude and Fischer-Tropsch products, including Fischer-Tropsch syncrude, from remote sites to distant commercial refineries, there have been attempts to develop acceptable approaches for this transportation.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,968,991; 5,945,459; 5,863,856; 5,856,261; and 5,856,260 disclose a catalyst useful in Fischer-Tropsch reactions and products produced by these reactions. These patents further disclose that a liquid product of a Fischer-Tropsch reactor can be produced and shipped from a remote area to a refinery site for further chemical reacting and upgrading to a variety of products, or produced and upgraded at a refinery site.
There have been several approaches developed to transport the waxy Fischer-Tropsch product. One approach to shipping waxy Fischer-Tropsch products, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,751, is to isolate C20-36 waxy hydrocarbons from the Fischer-Tropsch products. U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,751 discloses transporting long-chain, non-volatile, solid paraffin wax hydrocarbons in the C20-36 range in solid form from a remote site to a local site. However, transporting solids requires expensive forming, loading, and unloading facilities and thus, is difficult and expensive.
Another approach has focused on transporting a Fischer-Tropsch syncrude that has been partially upgraded to convert some of the linear hydrocarbons into iso-paraffins, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,989. U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,989 discloses that to achieve a pumpable product, the Fischer-Tropsch wax is isomerized to convert some of the normal paraffins to branched paraffins. Isomerization provides a syncrude that is near liquid at ambient temperature, and therefore, is more easily transportable. However, this upgrading may require the construction of facilities, which are expensive and difficult to operate in remote locations.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,313,361 and 6,294,076 disclose transporting a mixture of Fischer-Tropsch wax in lighter hydrocarbon liquid. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,294,076, the Fischer-Tropsch wax is granulated into finely divided flakes and then mixed with naphtha in a colloid mill. As disclosed, to provide a pumpable mixture at ambient temperature, the mixture can contain from about 1 to 22 weight % Fischer-Tropsch wax, preferably from about 8 to 10 weight % Fischer-Tropsch wax. However, since the ratio of wax to light hydrocarbons produced from a Fischer-Tropsch process is greater than 25 weight %, this approach cannot transport all of the Fischer-Tropsch wax from the remote location. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,361, a slurry is formed from unconsolidated solid wax particles and lighter liquid paraffinic compounds. As disclosed, to provide a stable slurry, the solid wax particles make up about 5 to 30% by volume of the slurry.
Accordingly, efficient methods of transporting waxy hydrocarbons in a pumpable form are desired. It is desired that these methods provide for transportation of the waxy hydrocarbons in a pumpable form without requiring expensive upgrading facilities, without corrosion to the transportation equipment, without requiring the use of heated transportation equipment, and with a safe vapor pressure. Moreover, it is desired that these methods allow for transportation of a product that contains greater than 30 weight % waxy hydrocarbons.

Fischer-tropsch wax composition and method of transport


An interactive television system employs a telephone connection in a two-way manner to send command signals from a viewer to a central controller to select various presentations and to send the audio portion of such presentations from a central location to individual viewers. When a connection is first established over the telephone lines between a viewer and the central controller, a transmission path identification is sent from the viewer's terminal to the central controller which indicates the particular video transmission path, e.g. trunk line and/or television channel, connecting the viewer to the central location. This path is then used to control the transmission of uniquely addressed viewo presentations from the central location to the viewer's terminal, where they are stored and retransmitted to the viewer's receiver.

The present invention is generally directed to systems for selectively distributing video presentations to viewers and more particularly concerned with systems for enabling viewers to interactively select still frame video images and accompanying audio to be distributed to them over a television system such as a cable network.
A still frame television distribution system of the type to which the present invention applies is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,764. Such a system is particularly suited for interactive video services such as home shopping, financial transactions, education and the like. Generally speaking, in this type of system a viewer sends an indication to a central location describing a video presentation which he desires to receive, e.g. houses being offered for sale by a real estate service. Video frames which show the available houses are individually retrieved from a suitable video storage medium, and each frame is encoded with an address. Other viewers can simultaneously request other presentations available on the system. All of the addressed frames selected by the various viewers are multiplexed onto a transmission medium, such as the trunk cable of a cable television system, and transmitted at the standard television frame rate, e.g. 30 frames per second under the NTSC standard, over a channel associated with the video presentation service. Frame stores are positioned at various locations along the length of the transmission medium, and each is provided with a unique address. The transmission path along which the video signals travel from the central location to the frame stores is referred to as a primary transmission path. When a video frame is encoded with the address of a particular frame store, that frame store retrieves the frame from the primary path, stores it in a memory, and then continually retransmits the stored frame at the standard television frame rate along a secondary path located between the frame store and the viewer's television receiver. In the embodiment disclosed in the '764 patent, this secondary path can comprise a distribution cable which branches from the trunk cable, and/or a drop cable which branches from the distribution cable to an individual viewer's home. The transmission of the frame along the secondary path can be on the same channel as the primary path, or a different channel. The continually transmitted frame appears as a still frame on the viewer's receiver. When the viewer desires to see the next frame in the presentation, a signal is sent to the central location over the telephone line, and this frame is retrieved, encoded with the address of the viewer's frame store, and transmitted over the primary path to be displayed in the same manner.
The system disclosed in the '764 patent provides a practical approach which enables the selective distribution of video presentations to be implemented in a conventional television system having a finite number of available channels. Unlike other distribution systems which rely upon dedicated transmission paths or transmission channels for individual subscribers, a system as disclosed in the '764 patent requires as little as one channel on the television system to provide selective distribution to all viewers. If the television system has sufficient capacity, it is possible to employ a first channel or limited number of channels for transmission over the primary path, and a different channel common to all viewers for transmission over the secondary paths.
It is desirable to build upon the fundamental principles disclosed in the '764 patent in a manner which increases the functionality, and hence the effectiveness, of such a system. For example, it is desirable to increase the capacity of the system in a manner which increases the efficiency with which transmission network resources are utilized. It is also desirable to reduce the likelihood that viewer contention problems could arise as the number of viewers having access to the system increases.
Accordingly, it is a general objective of the present invention to provide a novel distribution system which utilizes the capacity of a television system, particularly a cable system, in an economic fashion, and thereby minimizes contention problems as the number of viewers in the system increases. Along these lines, it is a more specific objective of the present invention to provide a distribution system which allows the expansion of services in an economic fashion and provides the viewer with greater and easier access to the available video presentations, while at the same time ensuring the privacy of presentations selected by the viewer. To this end, it is an objective of the invention to provide a novel distribution system in which various types of presentations can be specifically directed to certain viewers. It is a further objective to provide a distribution system that is easy to install at the viewer location.

Television system for the interactive distribution of selectable video presentations


Device which serves to atomize a solid or liquid medium with the aid of a standing ultrasonic wave that is generated between two ultrasonic transmitters. This allows one to tune the standing ultrasonic wave automatically when the temperature of the medium or other process parameters should change.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for atomizing melts, normal fluids or agglomerates with the aid of ultrasound, which device comprises a first ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic reflector arranged at a distance from it, a standing ultrasonic wave being generated between the two elements into which the medium to be atomized is fed.
2. Background Art
This kind of device, which has proved useful in principle, has been described in the German Patent No. 2,656,330. The reflector is a passive component in this case, and the distance between transmitter and reflector is adjusted via an appropriate mechanical system which only shifts the reflector however. This printed patent specification already mentions that increasing the static gas pressure in the chamber surrounding the ultrasonic wave results in a proportional increase in the sound pressure level. Furthermore, it is mentioned that a gas jet may be injected into the chamber in order to sputter the atomized medium against a cold metal surface, thus causing it to cool down more rapidly.
A similar state of the art is specified in the German Patent No. 2,842,232, from which the idea can be adopted to inject the medium to be atomized into the pressure nodes of the standing ultrasonic wave. Because of the small distances at which the transmitter and the reflector are arranged at the described state of the art, however, liquid matter is deposited on the reflector during atomization, and the reflector is therefore smudged after a certain time. The transmitter on the other hand remains clean because the transmitter plate vibrates and because of the associated ultrasonic wind.
Further drawbacks of the known device result from sound field variations that are mainly induced by temperature variations occurring when the melt jet is injected into the sound field. This causes the parameters of the sound field to change, so that the reflector must be continuously adjusted to maintain the standing wave. As has been mentioned, this adjustment is asymmetrical to the aperture in the housing through which the melt or the medium to be atomized is supplied.

Device for ultrasonic atomization of a liquid medium


A magnetic field z-gradient coil is manufactured by inserting elements (38) into openings (36) on an outside of an insulating carrier (32), wrapping an electrical conductor turn (34) around the outside of the insulating carrier with one side of the wrapped electrical conductor alongside elements inserted into openings on the outside of the insulating carrier, removing the elements alongside the one side of the wrapped electrical conductor from the openings, and repeating to wrap conductor turns of a z-gradient coil (20) around the electrically insulating carrier. A transverse magnetic field gradient coil is manufactured by laying electrical conductor (44) onto a mold (50) with a keying feature (46, 46a) extending along the conductor engaging a mating keying feature (52, 52a) of the mold that defines a winding pattern (56), attaching an insulating back plate (58) to the resulting coil section opposite from the mold, and removing the mold.

Magnetic field gradient coils generate spatially varying magnetic fields over the examination region of a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system. A typical horizontal bore MR scanner includes a longitudinal or z-gradient coil is provided to produce magnetic fields along the axis of the cylindrical bore (e.g., to perform slice selection), and two orthogonal transverse magnetic field gradient coils (e.g., x-gradient and y-gradient coils) that can operate together to produce transverse gradients along arbitrary transverse directions.
The z-gradient coil for a horizontal bore scanner typically includes series of circular loops encircling the horizontal bore, with the loop plane oriented generally transverse to the bore axis. A typical approach for manufacturing a z-gradient coil is to provide a cylindrical electrically insulating carrier (e.g., a dielectric former) sized to encompass the MR examination region. Generally annular grooves are formed into outer-diameter surface of the cylindrical carrier, into which the gradient coil conductor is laid.
The transverse magnetic field gradient coils of a horizontal bore MR scanner have so-called "fingerprint" conductor patterns. There are typically two pairs of such fingerprint coil sections, with the two pairs on opposite sides of examination center along the bore axis and the two fingerprint coil sections of each pair oriented facing each other across the bore. Each fingerprint coil section is usually constructed on a planar backing plate which is then bent to the appropriate curvature to extend partway around the circumference of the bore and mounted on a support. In a typical manufacturing approach a mold is provided with channels into which the gradient coil conductor is laid. The backing plate is then glued onto the coil, and finally the mold is removed.
The following discloses a new and improved systems and methods that address the above referenced issues, and others.

Magnetic field gradient coils with closely packed windings and methods of manufacturing same