When cleaning a barrier filter, comprising a plurality of filter elements, of woven fabric of felt, arranged to separate particles out of a polluted gas, the filter elements are cleaned, separately or in groups, by pressurized air pulses, the frequency, the maximum pressure and the duration of which are varied in order to minimize, by an adjustment, the total emission of dust. The frequency and/or the maximum pressure and/or the duration of the cleaning pulses are varied for a group or a plurality of groups of filter elements. After each cleaning pulse, the maximum value for the instantaneous emission of dust, the emission peak, is determined and the emission peak is used, after cleaning a certain group of filter elements, for selecting the frequency and/or the maximum pressure and/or the duration of the cleaning pulses for this group of filter elements during continued operation.

The present invention refers to a method for cleaning a barrier filter, comprising a plurality of filter elements, of woven fabric or felt, arranged to separate particles out of a polluted gas. The filter elements are cleaned, separately or in groups, by pressurised air pulses, the frequency, the maximum pressure, and the duration of which can be varied in order to minimize, by an adjustment, the total emission of dust and maximise the life of the filter elements.
The method is in particular intended for optimising the cleaning of textile barrier filters, having filter elements in the form of tubes manufactured of woven fabric or felt.
When separating particulate pollutions out of a streaming gas, one of the most common methods of cleaning is letting the gas stream through a medium, on the surface of which or in the interior of which the particles are deposited. A general term for these filters is barrier filters. Barrier filters can in principle be built-up of almost all thinkable solid materials, but the build-up principles are commonly either a rigid medium, such as a porous ceramic or a gravel bed, or a flexible medium, such as a woven fabric or felt.
During operation, particles are accumulated on the filter medium and a dust heap is built up. This provides an increased flow resistance and consequently leads to an increased pressure drop over the barrier filter. In the long run, it can completely clog the filter medium. A secure operation requires exchanging or cleaning of the filter elements/filter medium, either on site or by being taken out and, for instance, washed or brushed. To purify gases having a low particle content, disposable filters or filters which are taken out and cleaned were frequently used, and to purify gases having a high particle content, barrier filters which are cleaned on site were frequently used.
The cleaning on site can be done in several ways. In smaller plants it can, for instance, be carried out by movable suction nozzles, but in plants for purifying large gas flows the purification is in the most cases carried out by back-washing, shaking, or a combination of thereof, by way of a short pressurised air pulse providing a shock-like displacement of the filter medium, at the same time as the normal gas flow is replaced by a short-time, counter-directional gas flow.
The effectiveness/efficiency of a barrier filter increases by an increasing thickness of the heap of separated dust. A consequence thereof is that the degree of separation will decrease, when a filter element is cleaned. Thus, it is desirable that one does not clean too often and neither completely removes the formed dust heap. The frequency of the cleaning as well as the intensity of the cleaning should therefor be chosen so that an optimal function is achieved. By optimal function is generally meant either that the time mean value of the dust discharge becomes as small as possible or that the energy consumption for the dust separation is minimised under the sub-condition that a given upper limit for the time mean value of the dust discharge is not exceeded.
A common principle of controlling is to let the operation proceed under increasing flow resistance until the pressure drop over the barrier filter reaches a predetermined upper limit value and then to start a cleaning cycle implying that all filter elements, for instance filter tubes or filter cartridges of textile material, are consecutively cleaned, separately or in groups, whereby all receive a similar treatment. After a completed cleaning cycle, the pressure drop is smaller and, thereafter, one waits until the pressure drop, due to the increasing heap of dust, reaches the predetermined upper limit value, at which the next cleaning cycle is started. Since the pressure drop is not only dependent on the filter medium with dust heap, but also increases with the gas flow, one usually regards resistance as a common term for pressure drop or pressure drop corrected with regard to the volume flow of the gas. Henceforth, resistance referring to this extended meaning is used.
As an alternative, the cleaning cycle can be interrupted when the resistance has decreased with a predetermined difference or reaches a predetermined lower limit value. In such cases, the interrupted cleaning cycle is continued when the pressure drop again reaches the upper limit value, so that the cleaning frequency becomes the same for all filter elements.
The main object of the present invention is to devise a method for determining the frequency and intensity for cleaning barrier filters in order to achieve an optimal function, which generally implies aiming at the lowest time mean value for the emission of dust.
A second object is to devise a method for determining the frequency and intensity for cleaning barrier filters, providing an increased life for the filter elements relative to known strategies of cleaning.
A third object is to devise a method for determining the frequency and intensity for cleaning barrier filters, allowing an individual adaption of the cleaning for separate filter elements or groups of filter elements in dependence of the dust load for the particular separate filter element or the actual group of filter elements, and thereby dynamically follow changed operational conditions.
The present invention refers to a method for cleaning a barrier filter, comprising a plurality of filter elements, of woven fabric or felt, arranged to separate particles out of a polluted gas. The filter elements are cleaned, separately or in groups, by pressurized air pulses, the frequency, the maximum pressure, and the duration of which can be varied by an adjustment in order to minimise the total emission of dust and maximise the life of the filter elements.
In the method according to the invention, the frequency and/or the maximum pressure and/or the duration of the pressurised air pulses are varied for a separate filter element, for a group of filter elements, or a plurality of groups of filter elements. After each pulse, the maximum value for the instantaneous emission, the emission peak, is determined, and the emission peak is used, after cleaning a certain group of filter elements, for selecting the frequency and/or the maximum pressure, and/or the duration of the pulses for this group of filter elements during continued operation.
In the ideal picture of a barrier filter, all dust is caught on the surface of the filter elements facing the dust-containing raw gas. However, in practice some dust penetrates into the filter material, usually a felt, and a small share thereof passes through.
The cleaning of barrier filter elements, in the form of tubes, bags, or cartridges, where the dust-containing gas streams from outside and into the element by pressurised air pulses, has to be done with regard to several side effects. With the object to achieve as low emission of dust as possible, one should allow a certain thickness of the dust heap on the filter element. This improves the separation, but as a negative consequence it provides an increased resistance and thus an increased energy consumption. In order to prevent the emission immediately after cleaning from being too large, one does not want to remove the entire dust heap in connection with the cleaning. This sets a limit for the size of the pressurised air pulses (cleaning pulses).
When the pressurised air pulse; during the cleaning, rushes as a pressure wave along the filter material, the latter is moved under large acceleration in a direction opposite to the normal gas flow. The movement is deccelerated abruptly, when the filter material is stretched out and thereafter a reversed movement occurs, which is interrupted when the filter material is stretched against the basket or the like holding the filter element stretched during the operation. At the second decceleration, forces of inertia lead to the fact that remaining dust penetrates deeper into the filter material and the amount which thereby passes through the element provides a noticeable short-time emission increase.
The size of the pressurised air pulse influences this short-time emission peak. Thus, the emission peak can give qualitative information about how much dust that is moved in an undesired direction in the filter material in connection with the cleaning. Thereby, an indication of the degree of clogging in the filter material is obtained and of the clogging velocity as well. The size of the mission peak here comprises the maximum value of the dust emission as well as the difference between the maximum value of the dust emission and the value of the dust emission just before the cleaning pulse.
According to the present invention, it is therefore suggested that one uses the size of the emission peak after cleaning as an indicator of the suitable size of the pressurised air pulse, which was used for cleaning. This can be adapted to every single filter element or to a group of filter elements depending on the construction of the distribution system, which introduces pressurised air pulses into the filter elements of the barrier filter. In a tubular filter, this generally implies that the cleaning is done in rows and that the smallest group is constituted of one row of tubes.
In the method according to the invention, the frequency and/or the maximum pressure and/or the duration of the pressurised air pulses are varied for a separate filter element, for, a group or a plurality of groups of filter elements. Henceforth, by a group of filter elements also one single element is meant. By duration also the actual time lapse of the pulse is comprised, i.e. how fast it increases and how fast it decreases. After each pulse, the maximum value for the instantaneous emission of dust, the emission peak, is determined and the emission peak is used, after cleaning of a certain group of filter elements, for selecting the frequency and/or the maximum pressure and/or the duration of the pulses for this group of filter elements during the continued operation. Suitably, this selection is carried out in such a manner that the pulse parameter combination, which for the actual group of filter elements provides the lowest emission peak, is selected. Thereby certain given sub-conditions should be taken into consideration.
The cleaning frequency can suitably be determined in a conventional way so that the cleaning is done when the pressure drop over the barrier filter reaches a predetermined maximum value, depending on filter material and dust character, for instance between 1000 Pa and 2000 Pa, preferably between 1200 Pa and 1600 Pa.
When a determined maximum value is reached, one or a plurality of groups of filter elements is/are cleaned consecutively until the difference between the maximum value and the noticed pressure drop over the barrier filter amounts to a predetermined value, for instance 20-100 Pa, preferably 30-70 Pa. At this value, the cleaning cycle is interrupted and is resumed when the pressure drop again reaches the predetermined maximum value.
In order to prevent that the life of the filter elements is negatively affected by the actual adjustment, the maximum pressure of the cleaning pulses, during the adjustment as well as during operation, should be kept over a predetermined limit value. This limit value should be chosen dependent on the degree of clogging in the filter material so that one, in connection with an optimal cleaning without interruption, carries out a complete cleaning cycle, i.e. cleans all filter elements in the barrier filter, without reaching the desirable change of the pressure drop, increases this limit value. This can, for instance, be done by increasing the pressure in the pressure tank, from which the air to the pressure pulse is supplied.
Furthermore, it can be appropriate to measure the volume flow for the gas to be purified and in applicable cases the first and the second limit value as well as the desirable change of the pressure drop are adapted to the actual volume flow by defining limit values for the resistance.


Impact protection devices, arranged in steering wheels or dashboards of motor vehicles, for vehicle occupants are provided with covers which open in the event of an accident in order to release an inflating air bag of the protection device. The cover, which consists of at least one cover flap, is injection molded onto a carrier part by a tough elastic plastic. The plastic surround has along an edge, intended as pivot axis, of the cover flap a cross-sectional tapering which serves as a hinge. At the other edges, the plastic surround is constructed towards the corresponding edges of the carrier part as a groove which, in the event of pressure on the cover flap in the opening direction, easily releases the carrier part edge.

The present invention relates to a cover for an impact protection device air bag for vehicle occupants, and, more particularly, to a cover having at least one upwardly pivoting cover flap in, for example, the dashboard of a vehicle.
Impact protection devices which are accommodated in the dashboard of vehicles and have a cover consisting of one or more cover flaps are known. For example, DE-PS 38 00 652 describes a cover flap for the air bag of an impact protection device for motor vehicle occupants. This device has a base part which is held at its one side edge by joints and at the other opposite side edge by tear-off connections on the dashboard of a vehicle. The tear off connections are constructed as tear-off elements which each have two attachment parts which are connected to one another by a flexible articulation element. One of the attachment parts here can be connected to the base part of the cover flap or be of integral construction therewith and the other attachment part can be connected to the dashboard. The articulation element which connects the two base parts to one another has a reduced cross-section with respect to the attachment parts. This point with reduced cross-section constitutes a predetermined break point which, in the case of an accident, breaks as a result of the pressure exerted in the opening direction on the cover flap by the inflating air bag, as a result of which the opening movement of the cover flap about the joints attached to one side edge is made possible.
German Offenlegungsschrift 38 11 373 discloses a cushion, which surrounds the air bag of an impact protection device, essentially with a box shape. That cushion is of integral construction with an insertion part onto which a cover layer made of a soft artificial resin is formed. The cover layer has at a predetermined point a thin-walled area which breaks when the air bag inflates. The insertion part also comprises a multiplicity of nets which are arranged on opposite sides of the thin-walled area and are connected to the upper area of the side walls of the box-shaped device. When the cover layer breaks along its thin-walled area, two flexible cover layer sections which are connected in each case to the side walls of the device and can be easily pushed to the side by the expanding air bag are thus formed.
An object of the present invention is to further improve the holding and coupling of one or more cover flaps of an impact protection device and, at the same time, reduce in particular the expenditure on production and fitting.
The foregoing object has been achieved in that, in a cover of an impact protection device of the type mentioned above, the at least one cover flap is injection molded onto a carrier part by a tough elastic plastic. The plastic surround has along a cover flap edge, intended as pivot axis, a cross-sectional tapering which serves as a hinge, and the plastic surround is constructed at at least one further edge of the cover flap as a groove. In the event of pressure on the at least one cover flap in the opening direction, the groove easily releases an edge, in particular the carrier part edge, which is held therein.
A holder and coupling according to the invention for a cover flap of a cover for an impact protection device consists of a single material, namely a tough elastic plastic, as a result of which the expenditure on production and fitting is considerably reduced with respect to that for known covers. The fact that no predetermined break points are provided in the cover according to the present invention also has the effect of simplifying manufacture and, furthermore, provides the possibility of reusing the cover with its plastic surround after an accident, if desired.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the carrier part is a separate carrier frame which is permanently connected to the frame of the dashboard. A further embodiment of the present invention provides for a construction of the cover which consists of two cover flaps arranged one on top of the other. In this embodiment, the upper one of the two cover flaps can be pivoted upwards and the lower one can be correspondingly pivoted downwards. Advantageously, the edges of the two cover flaps which face one another are also connected to one another by a tough elastic plastic which is securely connected to the edge of one cover flap. Towards the edge of the other cover panel, a groove is provided to hold this edge and easily release the edge in the event of pressure on the cover panel in the opening direction. The concept of the present invention for holding and coupling a cover flap can thus also be applied to covers consisting of several cover flaps.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the at least one cover panel of the cover is provided around its periphery with a tough elastic plastic surround.

Cover for vehicle occupant impact protection device


This invention has the ability to provide the initial acceleration necessary for spacecraft to attain earth orbit without use of traditional rocket propellants. The invention also has the ability to provide an alternative means of ground transportation without the direct use of fossil fuel. The invention utilizes a pressurized, nonmagnetic tube to accelerate and translate a piston. The piston is magnetically coupled to a conveyance, which travels along the outside of the tube. The conveyance, in turn, can be either a spacecraft or a vehicle suitable for ground transportation.

1. Field of the Invention
In general, this invention pertains to transportation systems. Specifically, this invention pertains to propulsion systems necessary for both space travel and ground transportation.
2. Background Information
The abundance and usefulness of pneumatic devices is unequivocal. In particular, gas guns, which use pressurized gas to accelerate projectiles, are well known. However, gas guns probably work better and are simply more practical on a small scale (i.e., with small bullet-sized projectiles) than on a large scale (i.e., with large spacecraft-sized projectiles). Consequently, the design and operation of a gas gun that could be used for spacecraft would be very unwieldy. The present invention utilizes the small-scale scale gas gun concept in combination with a magnetic coupling scheme to achieve a novel apparatus for propelling large conveyances like spacecraft and ground transportation vehicles.

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


Generation of a task or reminder in an electronic task list authoring surface from a variety of data or information locations or media without the need for launching a separate task or reminder application and without the need for moving focus away from an information location or media presently in use is provided. Generation of a task or task reminder may be accomplished from a variety of information locations or media. When an information item is flagged or captured and a task/reminder is generated, one or more pieces of metadata may be applied to the flagged information item for enhancing the subsequent use of the associated generated task or reminder.

With the advent of computers and computer software, a number of advancements have been made to help people manage both their working and non-working lives. To help people who are trying to juggle numerous tasks at work, at home, and in between, electronic tasks and calendaring programs have been developed to assist with the often daunting task of maintaining, tracking and remembering all the things that must be accomplished on a daily basis. Unfortunately, most tasks systems are very one-dimensional in that a user must launch a tasks application, open a task entry user interface component, and then manually enter a task. Oftentimes, this process immediately follows or is associated with an activity where the user is caused to decide that a new task is needed. For example, the user may be reading an electronic mail item, the user may be reading or editing a document (for example, a word processing document, a spreadsheet application document, a slide presentation application document, and the like), the user may be browsing an Internet site, the user may be using a social network application site, etc. For example, if the user is editing a document and decides that he/she needs to create a task or reminder to send the edited document to a colleague one week later, the user must move away from the document, launch a task application, enter a desired task and then return to the document being edited. This cumbersome process reduces the utilization and effectiveness of the task application and often leaves the user to avoid the task application altogether and to resort to hand-writing a note on a scrap of paper or "sticky" note.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.

Flagging, capturing and generating task list items


A method, apparatus, and computer program product for reading fluorescence signals from an array of chemical moieties (such as different sequence peptides or polynucleotides, for example different DNA sequences). In the method the spatial sequence of scanned locations need not be the same as the temporal sequence. For example, a later illuminated line may be spatially closer to an earlier illuminated line than is a temporally intervening illuminated line.

This invention relates to arrays, particularly biopolymer arrays such as DNA or protein arrays, which are useful in diagnostic, screening, gene expression analysis, and other applications.
Polynucleotide arrays (such as DNA or RNA arrays) and peptide array, are known and may be used, for example, as diagnostic or screening tools. Such arrays include regions (sometimes referenced as spots or features) of usually different sequence polynucleotides or peptides arranged in a predetermined configuration on a substrate. The array is xe2x80x9caddressablexe2x80x9d in that different features have different predetermined locations (xe2x80x9caddressesxe2x80x9d) on a substrate carrying the array.
Biopolymer arrays can be fabricated using in situ synthesis methods or deposition of the previously obtained biopolymers. The in situ fabrication methods include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,754 for synthesizing peptide arrays, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,351 and WO 98/41531 and the references cited therein for polynucleotides. In situ methods also include photolithographic techniques such as described, for example, in WO 91/07087, WO 92/10587, WO 92/10588, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,854. The deposition methods basically involve depositing biopolymers at predetermined locations on a substrate which are suitably activated such that the biopolymers can link thereto. Biopolymers of different sequence may be deposited at different feature locations on the substrate to yield the completed array. Procedures known in the art for deposition of polynucleotides, particularly DNA such as whole oligomers or cDNA, are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,522 (touching drop dispensers to a substrate), and in PCT publications WO 95/25116 and WO 98/41531, and elsewhere (use of an ink jet type head to fire drops onto the substrate).
In array fabrication, the quantities of DNA available for the array are usually very small and expensive. Sample quantities available for testing are usually also very small and it is therefore desirable to simultaneously test the same sample against a large number of different probes on an array. These conditions require the manufacture and use of arrays with large numbers of very small, closely spaced features.
The arrays, when exposed to a sample, will exhibit a binding pattern. The array can be read by observing this binding pattern by, for example, labeling all targets such as polynucleotide targets (for example, DNA), in the sample with a suitable label (such as a fluorescent compound), scanning an illuminating beam across the array and accurately observing the fluorescent signal from the different features of the array. Assuming that the different sequence polynucleotides were correctly deposited in accordance with the predetermined configuration, then the observed binding pattern will be indicative of the presence and/or concentration of one or more polynucleotide components of the sample. Peptide or arrays of other chemical moieties can be used in a similar manner. Techniques and apparatus for scanning chemical arrays are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,763,870 and 5,945,679. Apparatus which reads an array by scanning an illuminating beam by the foregoing technique are often referred to as scanners and the technique itself often referred to as scanning.
Array scanners typically use a laser beam as a light source, which is scanned over the array features. A detector (typically a fluorescence detector) with a very high light sensitivity is normally desirable to achieve maximum signal-to-noise in detecting hybridized molecules, particularly in array scanners used for DNA sequencing or gene expression studies,. At present, photomultiplier tubes (xe2x80x9cPMTsxe2x80x9d) are still the detector of choice although charge coupled devices (xe2x80x9cCCDsxe2x80x9d) can also be used. PMTs are typically used for temporally sequential scanning of array features, while CCDs permit scanning many features in parallel (for example, one line of features simultaneously, in which case an illuminating line may be used).
During scanning of an array, triplet saturation occurs. That is, fluorescent species are normally excited to a state from which they return to the singlet ground state while emitting the fluorescent light. However, the excited species has a finite probability of ending up in a lowest triplet state. Species in the triplet state do not emit fluorescence and thus are lost to producing a fluorescent signal while remaining in that state. Unfortunately, such triplet states may have very long lifetimes. Saturation is discussed in more detail, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,679. As any region containing a fluorescent species may undergo multiple excitations during scanning, an increasing proportion will be unavailable to produce a signal due to saturation. A known solution to this problem is to re-scan a line on the array after waiting for a sufficient time for the fluorescent species to recover from saturation. However, the present invention realizes that for an array containing thousands of features, this may lengthen the scanning process. Furthermore, the present invention realizes that other problems may arise depending upon the scanning pattern. For example, in a rectangular scanning pattern a line is scanned from a first end to a second, and the next line is scanned from the second end to the first, and the process repeated for subsequent lines in turn. In this pattern, the time that a location has to recover from saturation is shorter toward the beginning and end of a scan line than at the center. The present invention realizes that this may lead to incomplete recovery from saturation and thus to a non-uniformity in detected signals from a uniform array.
It would be desirable then, to provide a means to scan an array in which the effect of saturation can be at least reduced.
The present invention then, provides a method of reading fluorescence signals from an array of chemical moieties (such as different sequence peptides or polynucleotides, for example different DNA sequences). In one such method multiple locations on the array are illuminated and any resulting fluorescence from the array is detected. In this case a later illuminated location is spatially closer to an earlier illuminated location than is a temporally intervening illuminated location lying on a same line as the later and earlier illuminated locations. This procedure may be repeated in one or more further cycles as required and using other locations, until the array or a desired portion of it has been read. Alternatively, multiple paths across the array may be illuminated and any resulting fluorescence from the array is detected. In such case the paths extend in a same lengthwise direction and are spaced from one another in a crosswise direction, and the spatial sequence of the paths does not correspond to their temporal sequence. For example, at least one later illuminated path may be closer to an earlier illuminated path than a temporally intervening illuminated path. The multiple paths may be parallel lines.
In the method, one or more later illuminated locations or paths may be interleaved between one or more previously illuminated locations or paths. The time between illuminating a location or path and illuminating a closest later illuminated location or path, may be selected based on a saturation characteristic of a fluorophore producing the fluorescence. Alternatively, the time may be based on an identifier associated with the array (such as being carried on an array substrate or a housing for the array), or on a spatial distribution of the illumination and a pixel size during the detecting.
Spacings of illuminated locations can be selected between any of the locations as desired. For example, the spacing between the spatially nearest locations or paths of the earlier, temporally intervening, and interleaved locations or paths may be equal. Further, various illumination techniques can be used within the methods of the present invention. For example, when the paths are lines they may be illuminated by scanning a light beam along them. As another example, timewise successively illuminated lines during any one cycle may be illuminated by scanning a light beam in the same or in opposite directions. The present invention further provides an apparatus which can execute a method of the present invention. The apparatus includes an illumination source to cause fluorescence of the chemical moieties. A scan system directs the illumination source to different locations on the array, while a detector detects any resulting fluorescence from the array. A processor controls the scan system to obtain the illumination of a method of the present invention. A computer program product for use with an apparatus, for reading fluorescence signals from an array of chemical moieties, is also provided to execute the steps of a method of the present invention.
While the methods and apparatus have been described in connection with arrays of various moieties, such as polynucleotides or DNA, other moieties can include any chemical moieties such as biopolymers.
The present invention can provide any one or more of the following or other benefits. For example, an array can be scanned such that loss of signal from saturation effects is kept low, or maintained at similar levels during the array scanning process.


A method and system thereof for implementing and controlling the electronic distribution of intellectual property using protocols other than the Internet Protocol. A request for intellectual property is codified according to a protocol other than an Internet Protocol. A service is performed to provide an electronic version of the intellectual property in response to the request, and a service is performed to provide an electronic version of terms for using the intellectual property. These requests and responses are coupled between an intellectual property management system and non-Internet Protocol based networks and/or systems. Thus, software product and service orders are translated into deliverables that are coupled over non-Internet protocol systems.

The present invention relates to the electronic transfer of information, particularly intellectual property, over computer system networks. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a mechanism for implementing and controlling the negotiation and exchange of intellectual property electronically, for example over the Internet.
Intellectual property can be considered in terms of either its xe2x80x9cembodimentsxe2x80x9d or its xe2x80x9crepresentations.xe2x80x9d Generally, an embodiment of an intellectual property is the property itself, while a representation of the intellectual property can be data or metadata either describing or pointing to the property.
For example, intellectual properties such as real-time human communications, stored and forwarded messages, documents or collections, dynamic or persistent data structures and databases, interpretable scripts, source code, and partially or fully compiled programs and applications, as well as other intellectual properties generally referred to as xe2x80x9ccontent,xe2x80x9d are often described as an embodiment of the intellectual property. Embodiments of intellectual property can also be theoretical or abstract concepts that are exemplified or documented as a specific form of content.
Legal rights, contracts, agreements or other assertions can be embodied in the form of content, but are not the embodiment of the intellectual property itself. Instead, these are considered representations of the intellectual property. Some intellectual properties, such as a deed or title to a home, can be representations of physical or real properties.
Intellectual properties are becoming more and more central to the world economy. In an information economy, discrete or aggregate values are placed on intellectual properties, and the markets for general or specific applications of these properties are huge. For example, the software industry, which has embodiments of intellectual properties in software products and services, and representations of property rights in licenses, legal contracts and agreements, copyrights, trademarks and patents, currently has annual sales rates of over $135 billion per year.
Increasingly, the Internet (or World Wide Web) is the medium of transmission of intellectual properties such as software products and the like. The Internet uses the Internet Protocol to frame, route, and reassemble digital messages. The transaction of intellectual property is a general transfer of data and data communications over the Internet; intellectual property such as software is simply treated as a bit stream in Internet Protocol. On top of the Internet Protocol are specialized transport layer services, such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). Within these, many messages are encoded in markup languages such as XML (Extensible Markup Language), the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) meta-markup language based on SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language).
With regard to the protection of intellectual property, the prior art takes a defensive posture that is focused on guarding the intellectual property against unauthorized access, duplication and use. Limitations are placed on the use and distribution of a piece of intellectual property, and various means are used to attempt to enforce these limitations. Oftentimes, the limitations can be easily circumvented, and so enforcement can be difficult and therefore is mostly ineffective.
In addition, while in some cases the prior art may take advantage of the Internet for delivery of intellectual property such as software, the prior art is still encumbered by more traditional mechanisms for conducting the legal and commercial aspects of intellectual property transactions. For example, purchase orders, terms and conditions, license agreements and the like must be negotiated, written, reviewed and approved. These more traditional mechanisms can cause delay in the delivery and use of the intellectual property by a purchaser or licensee, and delay in the receipt of payments or royalties due to a seller or licensor.
However, many proprietary computer systems and networks do not communicate using the Internet Protocol. What is needed is a method and/or system that allows for communications relating to intellectual property over computer systems and networks that do not communicate using the Internet Protocol. Also, a method and/or system is needed that satisfies the above need and that provides a mechanism to allow intellectual property transactions, including the proper negotiation and exchange of intellectual property, over computer systems and networks that do not communicate using the Internet Protocol. The present invention provides a novel solution to the above needs.
The present invention provides a method and system thereof that allows for communications relating to intellectual property over computer systems and networks that do not communicate using the Internet Protocol. Also, the method and system of the present invention provides a mechanism to allow intellectual property transactions, including the proper negotiation and exchange of intellectual property, over computer systems and networks that do not communicate using the Internet Protocol.
The present embodiment of the present invention can be used to assert information regarding the rights, responsibilities and other terms of use of intellectual property within an IP over IP framework over computer systems and networks that do not communicate using the Internet Protocol. The present invention also allows interrogation of that information and responds to those interrogations over computer systems and networks that do not communicate using the Internet Protocol. In addition, the present invention further allows for storage and transport of the intellectual property and the information regarding the rights, responsibilities and other terms of use of intellectual property over computer systems and networks that do not communicate using the Interned Protocol.
In one embodiment of the present invention a method and system thereof is disclosed for implementing and controlling the electronic distribution of intellectual property using Internet Protocol (e.g., an xe2x80x9cIP over IP enginexe2x80x9d). This method and system is well adapted for transacting intellectual property related transactions using the Internet protocol. In the present embodiment of the present invention, a method and system is disclosed that allows for conducting these same intellectual property transactions over computer systems and networks that do not communicate using the Internet Protocol.
In the present embodiment, IP to non-IP modules are used to provide IP to non-IP communication. In the present embodiment, an IP to non-IP Protocol gateway module is provided that acts as an interface for coupling to a computer system and/or network that does not communicate using the Internet Protocol.
In one embodiment, a message encapsulation and transportation module is described that allows for the encapsulation and transportation of communications over IP Protocols. In the present embodiment, XML messages are encapsulated and transported using the message encapsulation and transportation module.
The present invention also includes an IP to non-IP module that creates non-XML embodiments and representations. These non-XML representations are used to communicate with computer systems and networks that cannot process XML instructions and data.
In the present embodiment, a request for intellectual property is codified according to a markup language (e.g., Extensible Markup Language). The request is parsed into a multiplicity of objects, each object corresponding to a service to be performed to respond to the request. A service is performed to provide an electronic version of the intellectual property in response to the request, and a service is performed to provide an electronic version of terms for using the intellectual property. Thus, in accordance with the present embodiment of the present invention, software product and service orders are translated into deliverables that are transmitted over the computer system and/or network that does not communicate using the Internet Protocol.
Thus, the present invention provides a method and system that allows for communications relating to intellectual property over computer systems and networks that do not communicate using the Internet Protocol. Also, the method and system of the present invention provides a mechanism to allow intellectual property transactions, including the proper negotiation and exchange of intellectual property, over computer systems and networks that do not communicate using the Internet Protocol.
In its various embodiments, the services performed in accordance with the present invention include a registration service, an authorization key service, an authentication service, a dispatch service, and a digital license service. In other embodiments, a digital rights service or a digital feature format service can be performed.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after having read the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments that are illustrated in the various drawing figures.

Intellectual property over non-internet protocol systems and networks


The technique of the invention attains a practical printing system between arbitrary clients and printers connecting with a network.

Various printers have been used as an output device of computers. A printer is one-to-one connected with a computer (hereafter expressed as 'locally connected') by means of a preset cable, such as a two-way parallel interface, and receives data from the computer to execute printing. With the penetration of LANs (local area networks), it becomes popular that multiple computers connecting with a network share one or multiple printers connecting with the network.
Another proposed technique utilizes a protocol called IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) to allow for printing among arbitrary clients and printing devices connected to the Internet. The output destination of printing is, however, limited to printing devices having known URIs (Uniform Resource Indicators). Namely simple application of only the IPP does not attain a highly convenient printing system that can freely select the output destination on the network.
In any of the prior art printing systems, the connection state of the printer with the computer is generally set in advance. Namely the location of printing is typically fixed for each owner of the computer.
The recent advancement of the information infrastructure, such as the Internet, and the improved portability of terminals like laptops and cellular phones, which are used to access the information infrastructure, allow for access to information at any locations. Under such circumstances, development of the new technique has been highly demanded, which enables the user to freely select an output destination for printing on a network. For example, one requirement is to utilize a nearest printing device for printing immediately after acquisition of information. It is also desired that print jobs are readily executable from personal digital assistances and other portable terminals.
There are two important issues on printing via the network.
The first issue regards specification of an output destination for printing. There are a large number of available output destinations for printing on the network. One applicable method gives a client a list of available output destinations and requests the client to select a desired output destination from the list. This method, however, requires relatively troublesome operations and significantly lowers the convenience. Another applicable method retrieves an appropriate printing device. This method also requires input of retrieval conditions and other relatively troublesome operations. Such complicated operations are not negligible in the case of executing print jobs from portable terminals.
The second issue regards a print timing. At the time of output of a print job, the user may not be geographically close to a printing device connecting with the network. The printing device specified as the output destination may not be kept in a printable status. Print jobs are to be executed in the state that allows the user to receive resulting prints. The issue of the print timing is especially important when a certain user transmits a print job to another user by utilizing a printing system via a network, that is, in the case where the printing system via the network is used as the substitute of facsimile.
These problems are not restricted to the printing system, but are commonly found in systems of outputting video data, document data, and audio data via a network.

Abstract: An intermediation server connecting with the network is interposed between the clients and the printers to intermediate printing. Each client sends a printing request, which includes selection of print data and specification of a printer as an output destination, to the intermediation server. The intermediation server converts the selected print data into a general purpose format, which does not depend upon the type of the printer, and transfers the converted print data to the specified printer.


An analyzer system for automatic column chromatography includes chromatographic columns which are mounted in a rack. A drop removal mechanism system shakes the rack to transfer the last drop of eluate from the tip of a chromatographic column to a receptacle below the tip before the column is repositioned over another receptacle and another fluid or operation is introduced into the column. This prevents one eluate from contaminating another. The chromatographic column may have an upper end which is sealed by a foil member. During use, the foil member is ruptured by lowering a pressure cylinder with a seal-punching head against it. The pressure cylinder, which is part of the pressure tip unit, is then withdrawn so that fluid can be introduced into the column via the ruptured foil member. The pressure tip unit is then lowered into sealing engagement with the column so that pressure can be applied via a bore in the pressure cylinder. The column may also have a tip portion which is originally sealed by a removable cap. The rack has a plate with aperture that is configured to receive the tip portion of the column and to provide a bearing surface for a spring member which removes the cap. This spring member is lowered through the aperture, and the bearing surface forces it toward the tip portion so that the cap can be pushed off.

This invention relates to column chromatography and, more particularly, to an improved column analyzer system which provides for automatic column chromatography and automatic optical density processing.
Column chromatography, using chromatographic media contained in small disposable columns (often called microchromatography), is a well-known technique utilized as part of clinical chemistry for analyzing various constituents of biological fluids, such as blood. These media may be prepared from cellulose, agarose, silica, and various plastics, and typically utilize the presence of attached groups which are ionic (cation and anion), hydrophobia, or affinity specific in character. For example, Helena Laboratories Corporation, the assignee of the present invention, has marketed equipment and accessories for column chromatography as well as photometers or optical readers. Patent literature relating to column chromatography includes, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,635, issued Jul. 27, 1982 to Tipton Golias and assigned to Helena Laboratories Corporation (as well as the prior art cited therein), and there is commercially available equipment relative to automating one or more aspects of column chromatography. For example, at least one machine has been marketed prior to the present invention which automates the introduction of fluids into a chromatographic column, and the collection of the eluates from the column. Such equipment also provides for the processing of a plurality of chromatographic columns which are arranged in an array or matrix within the equipment.
The prior art, however, suffers from numerous disadvantages and shortcomings relative to the sate, accurate and expeditious chromatographic processing and subsequent optical density readings.
For example, according to the prior art, the eluate solutions are collected in a series of cuvettes, one cuvette for each eluate solution or fraction. Thereafter, the cuvettes are sequentially processed in an optical reader. This technique is time consuming, permits errors in identification of the cuvettes and exposes the technician handling the cuvettes to biological hazards such as HIV virus which may be carried in the blood specimens. The equipment which automates the processing of columns has heretofore discharged the eluates into a series of test tubes, and then the technician or operator of the equipment must manually transfer the test tubes to a reader.
While extremely high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) is well known, and while pressurized chromatography is known based upon the aforementioned Golias U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,635, we have discovered that a constant low pressure greatly enhances liquid chromatography. Prior to the present invention, however, constant low pressure liquid chromatography was not available.

Column analyzer system and improved chromatograph column for use in the system


A spacing ring is provided and includes a peripheral ring-shaped spacing portion and a light shading portion extending from an inner peripheral surface of the spacing portion. The spacing portion has a resisting surface. The light shading portion includes an inclined clamping surface connecting with the resisting surface of the spacing portion. The clamping surface and a central axis of the spacing ring cooperatively define an acute angle, the clamping surface and the resisting surface of the spacing portion cooperatively define an obtuse angle. A lens module using the spacing ring is also provided.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to a spacing ring and a lens module using the spacing ring.
2. Description of Related Art
A commonly used lens module generally includes a barrel, a first lens, a spacing ring and a second lens. The first lens and the second lens are separately assembled within the barrel. The spacing ring is assembled within the barrel and positioned between the first lens and the second lens, for spacing the first and second lenses thereby decreasing flare and stray lights during usage. However, the performance of the existing spacing ring may not be well, as the spacing ring is assembled within the lens module, and the flare and stray lights may still be generated which may affect the performance and imaging quality of the lens module.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.


A time clock 10, capable of outputting a datum to an USB memory 100 connected thereto, includes a controller authenticating whether or not the USB memory 100 is valid an external apparatus as an output destination to which the datum is output, and determining whether or not the datum is output on the basis of the authentication result. Further, the controller 25 authenticates an external apparatus on the basis of an authentication datum stored in the USB memory 100. The controller 25 performs the authentication on the basis of an identification datum of the time clock and an identification datum included in the authentication datum stored in the external apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a time clock.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is conventionally known a time clock storing data such as time stamped data in a memory installed the rein and outputting the stored data to an external computer or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-2361 27). The stored data are output to an external apparatus, thereby allowing managing or storing of the data.
However, in such a time clock, the stored data might be leaked by an unauthorized user.


A method and system, in a long term evolution architecture utilizing adaptive modulation and coding requiring periodic channel quality indication reports, the method having the steps of: waiting for an idle channel indication; and upon detection of the idle channel indication, decreasing the rate of periodic channel quality indication reports.

In a long term evolution architecture, one technology being utilized is adaptive modulation and coding (AMC). AMC allows the modulation scheme and coding to be changed on a per-user basis depending on signal quality and cell usage.
To facilitate AMC operations, in LTE, the user equipment (UE) is required to periodically report the channel quality indication (CQI), for example every two milliseconds. The CQI feedback for AMC incurs significant overhead to both the uplink channel and the UE's battery power due to the continuous CQI transmission.
Further, data traffic is often bursty and a UE could be idle for a significant portion of time for which during which CQI feedback is ongoing.

Method and system for data-driven, variable-rate, channel quality indicator for LTE non-real-time bursty traffic


A high temperature piezoelectric sensor device such as a high temperature accelerometer, force sensor, pressure sensor, temperature sensor, acoustic sensor and/or acoustic transducer for use at temperatures up to 1000° C. The high temperature device includes a base, a piezoelectric element attached to the base and a pair of electrodes in electrical communication with the piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element can have a d15 piezoelectric coefficient between 16.0-18.0 pC/N for all temperatures between 25 to 700° C., and a rotated d33 piezoelectric coefficient of 8.0-9.5 pC/N with zero face shear/thickness shear piezoelectric coefficients d34. d35 and d36 in the same temperature range. The piezoelectric element can also have an electromechanical coupling factor k15 variation of less than 7%, and d15 and rotated d33 piezoelectric coefficient variations of less than 5% for temperatures between 25 to 700° C. The piezoelectric element can have high electrical resistivity, being on the order of >107 Ω·cm at 600° C. The piezoelectric element can be an A2BC2O8 piezoelectric material with a Fresnoite structure and A=Ca, Sr, Ba, Mg; B=Ti, Zr, Hf, V; and C=Si, Ge, Sn.

High temperature sensors such as pressure sensors, gas sensors, accelerometers, acoustic sensors, etc., are critical for advanced industrial, automotive and aerospace sensing applications with typical temperatures for these applications ranging from 200 to 1000° C., and above. As such, the need for electronic systems, including sensors to monitor noise, vibration, and acoustic emissions at high temperatures is known. The need for actuators, such as linear positioning systems, nano-positioning systems, etc., that can operate at high temperatures is also known.
Sensing can be accomplished by a wide variety of commercially available devices, including: piezoelectric sensors; strain gauges; piezoresistive sensors, capacitive sensors, to name a few. Of the several sensing mechanisms available, piezoelectrics are the most prevalent due to their simplicity of design, integration and high sensitivity over a broad range of frequencies and temperature.
It is appreciated that piezoelectric sensors not only develop a charge for an applied stress or strain, but also maintain such a charge for a period of time long enough to be detected by the electronic system. It is also appreciated that the length of time the charge is maintained is proportional to the RC time constant. Furthermore, the minimum useful frequency of a sensor, known as the lower limiting frequency (fLL), is inversely proportional to the RC time constant and below fLL the charge will drain off before it can be detected as a result of conduction in the sensor. Finally, with a low fLL, the dynamic bandwidth can be extended into the audio frequency range; thus, a large RC constant (especially, high electrical resistivity at an elevated temperature) is desirable.
A broad range of ferroelectric and nonferroelectric piezoelectric crystals for sensors have been investigated. For example, FIG. 1 summarizes sensitivity versus maximum usage temperature for various prior art piezoelectric materials based, which are briefly discussed below. In addition, the maximum usage temperature shown in FIG. 1 is based on a material's Curie temperature, melting temperature, phase transition temperature and/or proposed electrical resistivity of 106 Ohm·cm, though materials with lower electrical resistivity may still be functional in different applications, for example with high frequency sensing applications.
The relaxor-PbTiO3 ferroelectric single crystals (labeled Perovskite Crystals) have a perovskite structure and are found to possess the highest piezoelectric properties with d33 and d15 values on the order of >2000 pC/N. However, their usage temperature range is limited by low ferroelectric phase transitions TRT (<120° C.) with a correspondingly strong temperature dependence.
Perovskite polycrystalline ceramics (labeled Perovskite Ceramics), such as Pb(Mg1/3Nb)O3—PbTiO3 (PMNT), Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) and BiScO3—PbTiO3 (BSPT), have sensitivities in the range of 100 pC/N to 1000 pC/N, with a usage temperature range of 80-350° C. The usage temperature range is restricted by thermally activated aging at temperatures far below their Curie temperatures, above which they suffer depolarization and complete loss of piezoelectric activity.
Ferroelectric materials with the tungsten bronze structure (labeled Tungsten Bronze) and Aurivillius structure (labeled BLSF) possess modest piezoelectric properties. For example, sensitivities range from 10 pC/N to 100 pC/N for usage temperatures up to 600° C., which is limited by their respective Curie temperatures and/or low electrical resistivities. It should be noted that though lithium niobate (labeled LN) crystals possess a Curie temperature of 1150° C., their low resistivities and oxygen loss at elevated temperatures restrict applications to less than 600° C., however operational temperature ranges can be much wider for high frequency usage.
In general, nonferroelectric piezoelectric single crystals possess low sensitivities, e.g. falling in the range of 1-20 pC/N (see Table 1 below). However, their ultralow mechanical and dielectric losses, and high electrical resistivities, make them ideal candidates for high temperature sensing applications. Also, the usage temperature range of piezoelectric crystals may be limited by α-β phase transitions, the melting point and/or low electrical resistivity at ultrahigh temperature. In addition, the low symmetry results in undesirable cross-talk and pyroelectric effects that may dominate the response signal.
TABLE 1deffρ(Ω · cm)MaterialsGrowth methodCostsymmetry(pC/N)keff (%)ϵr@600° C.CommentsTourmalineMineralLow3 m1.8-3.69-117.5-8.2108MineralAlNsublimation/6 mm5.6/~12/Oxidizationα-SiO2hydrothermalLow322.3 84.5/α-β transitionGaPO4hydrothermalHigh324.5166.1109α-β transitionLGSCz/BridgmanHigh326.21619.2106Disorder structureLGTCz/BridgmanHigh326.41619.6>106  Disorder structureCTGSCz/BridgmanHigh324.61218.2108Low piezoelectricYCOBCz/BridgmanLowm 3-10 6-2212.0>109  Low symmetryNdCOBCz/BridgmanLowm11-1619-3155.5108Low symmetryLGS: La3Ga5SiO14 with disordered structure;LGT: La3Ga5.5Ta0.5O14 with disordered structure;CTGS: Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 with ordered structure.
Quartz α-SiO2 is the best known piezoelectric material and is widely used in electronic devices, such as oscillators, resonators and filters. Originally, natural quartz crystals were employed, but now have been widely replaced by hydrothermally grown synthetic quartz. Quartz possesses excellent electrical resistivity (>1017 Ω·cm at room temperature) and ultralow mechanical loss (high mechanical QM), narrow bandwidth and temperature-stability, thus making it the material of choice in telecommunication equipment. However, disadvantages of quartz include relatively small piezoelectric coefficients (d11˜2.3p C/N) and a low α-β phase transition temperature at 573° C., which is further limited by mechanical (ferrobielastic) twinning that occurs at 300° C. Tourmaline is a natural mineral with a complex aluminum-borosilicate composition and a large variation in electrical resistivity. The piezoelectric coefficient d33 is reported to be 1.8 pC/N. Tourmalines have the advantage over quartz of no twining or phase change prior to their respective melting points, and have been commercialized for pressure or vibration sensors at temperatures less than or equal to 6000° C. However, tourmaline belongs to 3 m symmetry, which shows strong pyroelectric effects. In addition, with tourmaline being a natural mineral, the quality is depended on various sources and attempts to artificially grow tourmaline crystals with usable size have proven unsuccessful.
Gallium orthophosphate (GaPO4) is a quartz analogue that belongs to the 32 symmetry and shows no pyroelectric effect. Gallium orthophosphate shares many of the positive features of quartz, such as high electrical resistivity, high mechanical quality factor and temperature stability up to 970° C. where an α-β phase transition occurs. However, the piezoelectric coefficient is only 4.5 pC/N and the material is further limited by the high production costs.
The langasite family of crystals belongs to the trigonal system (point group 32), is not pyroelectric and have a general formula of A3BC3D2O14. Langasite—La3Ga5SiO14 (LGS), and its isomorphs, such as langatate—La3Ga5.5Ta0.5O14 (LGT), can be readily grown and have been widely commercialized for pressure sensors and accelerometers with moderate piezoelectric coefficients of 6-7 pC/N. However, their usage temperature is less than or equal to 600° C. due to their crystal structures being disordered, which results in incoherent phonon scattering, increased the acoustic friction and greatly decreased electrical resistivity. On the other hand, the langasite crystals with ordered structure, such as Ca3TaGa3Si2O14, show much higher resistivity, but with relatively low piezoelectric coefficient of 4.6 pC/N.
Oxyborate crystals, with the general formula ReCa4O(BO3)3 (Re=rare earth element, abbreviated ReCOB) can be readily grown from the melt using the Czochralski (CZ) at around 1500° C. Analogous to langasite crystals, their potential temperature usage range is expanded due to no phase transition(s) occurring prior to their melting points. As such, oxyborate crystals can possess ultrahigh electrical resistivity at elevated temperatures, and high temperature stability of piezoelectric and electromechanical properties. For example, piezoelectric coefficients can be on the order of 3-16 pC/N, depending on the crystal orientations (cuts) and vibration modes. However, due to the low monoclinic symmetry (point group m), optimized crystal cuts to minimize the cross-talk and pyroelectric effect is problematic.
Given the above, it is apparent that improved sensors for use at high temperatures are needed. Therefore, high temperature sensors using a piezoelectric material that can be used at high temperatures, exhibit minimum cross-talk, and have low manufacturing costs would be desirable.

High temperature sensors and transducers


A lens module includes a lens seat, an image sensor unit, a lens set, a circuit board, and a resilient interposer. The lens seat includes a top wall that is formed with a barrel hole, a side wall that extends from a periphery of the top wall and that cooperates with the top wall to define a chamber, and a lens barrel. The lens barrel has a first barrel portion disposed in the chamber and a second barrel portion extending from the first barrel portion and passing through the barrel hole in the top wall. The image sensor unit and the lens set are disposed in the first and second barrel portions of the lens barrel, respectively. The circuit board is disposed to cover an open side of the lens seat, and is connected electrically to the image sensor unit via the resilient interposer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a lens module, more particularly to a lens module with a fixed focal distance.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional lens module 1 comprises a circuit board 11, a hollow lens seat 12 disposed on the circuit board 11, a lens unit 13 disposed on the lens seat 12, and an image sensor unit 14 disposed in the lens seat 12. The image sensor unit 14 is disposed on the circuit board 11 and is electrically connected to the circuit board 11 through a plurality of conducting wires 141. The lens unit 13 is disposed above the image sensor unit 14 and includes a lens barrel 131, a lens set 132, and an infrared ray filter 133. The lens set 132 gathers incoming light such that the image sensor unit 14 is able to capture an image. The infrared ray filter 133 is disposed between the lens set 132 and the image sensor unit 14, and filters out infrared rays in the incoming light that is reflected by the object to be photographed, thereby improving the image quality.
The construction of the conventional lens module 1 is based on a fixed focal distance, i.e., the distance between the lens set 132 and the image sensor unit 14 is fixed. Moreover, the lens unit 13 is secured to the lens seat 12. The aforementioned design of the conventional lens module 1 results in a relatively simple structure and a relatively small size. The conventional lens module 1 is thus currently adopted by most commercially available camera phones.
In the conventional lens module 1, the image sensor unit 14 is fixed on the circuit board 11 through a solder. The uneven spread or the thermal expansion and contraction of the solder can cause the image sensor unit 14 to deviate from a flat state relative to the circuit board 11, and can result in tilting of the image sensor unit 14 relative to the lens unit 13. Therefore, the object to be photographed can not be imaged clearly on the image sensor unit 14 without distortion, and the image quality is adversely affected. In addition, the lens seat 12 supports the lens unit 13 on the circuit board 11, and keeps the distance between the lens unit 13 and the image sensor unit 14 fixed. However, since the height of the lens seat 12 may not be precisely controlled, the position of the lens unit 13 on the lens seat 12 has to be adjusted during production, thereby resulting in a relatively high cost of manufacturing and in a relatively long production cycle.


The specification discloses foam insulation board for use in plaza deck construction, the upper and lower surfaces of which contain drainage channels. To avoid problems of easy breakage, especially of the kind associated with larger foam insulation boards having upper and lower drainage channels, the present invention discloses orienting the lower surface drainage channels 90.degree. with respect to the upper surface drainage channels, such that the two opposing surfaces of channels are perpendicular to each other.

The present invention relates to insulating foam of the type used for constructing plaza decks or the like. Typically, plaza deck is comprised of a structural support deck, an overlying, waterproof membrane, an intervening foam insulation board, and a concrete wearing slab. Several problems with this plaza deck composite have been identified by and are well-known to the industry. First, moisture tends to accumulate between the concrete wearing slab and the waterproof membrane, compromising the insulating value of the foam insulation board and often causing the freeze/thaw spalling of the concrete wearing slab. In response to this problem, the common practice in the art has become the addition of a drainage layer between the foam insulation and the concrete wearing slab. In certain applications, an additional drainage layer between the foam insulation and the waterproof layer is also desirable. In either case, the drainage layer(s) mitigates the harmful affects of moisture accumulation in the foam insulation board.
Previously, the standard industry method called for the use of loose gravel or epoxy bound gravel as the drainage layer. However, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,658,554 and 4,712,349 both disclose a foam insulation layer whose upper surface is sculpted to include a series of parallel drainage channels flanked by raised, rib-like walls. In both of these patents, it is further provided that the lower surface of the foam insulation board is laminated with a plastic film so as to prevent the migration of moisture vapor from the waterproof membrane through the interface between the insulation board and the concrete wearing slab. Both of these patents thus provide for the retardation of moisture accumulation as well as the drainage of accumulated moisture, without the use of loose or epoxy-bound gravel.
A second problem with the typical plaza deck composite, not addressed by either the '554 or '349 patents, is the addition of the concrete wearing slab. Since the concrete wearing slab must be laid directly on the/barn insulating layer, the standard practice was to form concrete wearing slabs at one location, ship them to the construction site, and place them upon the foam insulating board. One solution to this problem is offered by U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,298, which discloses a method whereby the concrete wearing slab can be formed directly at the construction site. A layer of fabric, interposed between the foam insulation layer and the wearing slab, permits wet concrete to be poured directly onto the insulation layer without clogging the drainage channels on the upper surface thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,298 discloses providing parallel drainage channels on both the top and bottom surfaces of the loam. The '298 foam may also include perpendicular sets of parallel channels on one or both sides of the foam. However, top and bottom sets of channels are disclosed as being parallel (though claimed more broadly), creating a narrower loam board cross section between the bases of the parallel top and bottom channels, extending across the board width or length.

Insulation board for plaza deck construction


Disclosed are oral compositions comprising one or more linear polyphosphates having an average chain length of about 4 or more, sodium monofluorophosphate, a buffering agent, an abrasive polishing material containing less than 23% calcium, and one or more aqueous carriers, wherein the oral composition has a total water content of from about 5% to about 20%.

Dental calculus, or tartar as it is sometimes called, is a deposit which forms on the surfaces of the teeth at the gingival margin. Supragingival calculus appears principally in the areas near the orifices of the salivary ducts; e.g., on the lingual surfaces of the lower anterior teeth and on the buccal surfaces of the upper first and second molars, and on the distal surfaces of the posterior molars.
Mature calculus consists of an inorganic portion which is largely calcium phosphate arranged in a hydroxyapatite crystal lattice structure similar to bone, enamel, and dentine. An organic portion is also present and consists of desquamated epithelial cells, leukocytes, salivary sediment, food debris, and various types of microorganisms.
As the mature calculus develops, it becomes visibly white or yellowish in color unless stained or discolored by some extraneous agent. This is undesirable from an aesthetic standpoint.
Mechanical removal of calculus periodically by the dentist is routine dental office procedure. A variety of chemical and biological agents have also been suggested to retard calculus formation or to remove calculus after it is formed. Pyrophosphate salts are chemical agents known to have the ability to retard calculus formation as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,184, to Parran, Jr. et al., issued Mar. 12, 1991, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In addition to the pyrophosphate salts, other polyphosphates are also know to help retard calculus formation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,977, issued Dec. 9, 1986, to Gaffar et al. discloses the use of linear molecularly dehydrated polyphosphate salts combined with a fluoride ion-providing source and a synthetic linear polymeric polycarboxylate which inhibit enzymatic hydrolysis of the polyphosphate salt in saliva. U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,526, to Jarvis et al., issued Jan. 27, 1981, discloses the use of a pharmaceutically acceptable condensed phosphate salt in addition to dicalcium phosphate dihydrate and trimagnesium phosphate. Although polyphosphate containing oral care products are known, there is a continuing need to develop stable products containing polyphosphates.
The present inventors have discovered that certain polyphosphates, in particular, linear polyphosphates with average chain lengths greater than 4 will significantly react with most ionic fluoride sources in oral compositions and alter the pH of the oral compositions. This reaction compromises the ability of the oral composition to provide stable ionic fluoride and polyphosphate to the oral surfaces. The inventors have discovered that the polyphosphates do not react with monofluorophosphate, under normal manufacturing, storage, and use conditions. Therefore, in a single phase dentifrice composition, monofluorophosphate a suitable fluoride ion source to be present with the polyphosphate and still deliver a constant and similar source/amount of fluoride.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide stable single phase oral compositions comprising monofluorophosphate and polyphosphates. It is also an object of the present invention to provide oral compositions with improved antitartar activity through the use of polyphosphates.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent from the detailed description which follows.
All percentages and ratios used herein are by weight of the oral composition, unless otherwise specified. All measurements are made at 25.degree. C., unless otherwise specified.

Dentifrice compositions containing polyphosphate and monofluorophosphate


A lift assembly connects to a receiver hitch and utilizes a plurality of parallel arms connecting a vertical mounting post to a center support in a lift frame that is raised and lowered by the lift assembly. The lift assembly is configured so that the parallel arms rotate from vertical to an inclined angle as the lift frame is lowered, but the arms do not extend below the horizontal as they extend rearward from the mounting post.

Numerous lift assemblies have been designed for attachment to vehicles and most commonly to facilitate loading and unloading from a truck tailgate. Many of the prior art tailgate lift assemblies require integration into the side wall or bed of the vehicle in order to adequately support the lift assembly and weighted load. Powerful hydraulics or lift drives are also required for many of these lift assemblies, if the lifts are intended to be used with substantial loads.
The integration of lift assembly mounts into the side rail or bed of a vehicle is difficult and expensive, both in time and material. Devices have been provided where a mechanism for a tailgate lift utilizes cables, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,485, screw drives as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,180,503; and power from a winch mounted on the vehicle as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,609,481.
Some devices have even been designed to mount on a trailer hitch as in U.S. Publication No. 2007/0280807 disclosing a carrier with a screw drive to adjust the height, and U.S. Publication No. 2001/0014272 disclosing a lift connected to its hitch mounted yoke by pairs of parallel support bars. However, this latter publication is inoperable in practice because the lift is allowed to pivot so that the support bars extend both upward and downward from the yoke, causing a situation that requires vertical force to raise and lower the lift.
These and other devices of the prior art fail to be easily integrated with presently existing vehicles and require extensive engineering and manufacturing to mount and operate effectively.
In the prior art there does not exist a simplified unit for providing a vehicle mounted lift assembly, that can be hitch mounted, and providing mechanical advantage so that loads may be lifted manually or with relatively small motors contained within the lift assembly.


An apparatus for manufacturing from a mouldable material a pipe having ribs on its outer surface and a smooth inner surface has a core including a shaft, a conically widening mandrel located downstream of the shaft in a direction of production and a kernel having an initial zone and an end zone respectively of substantially uniform diameters successively disposed downstream of the mandrel. An extrusion sleeve surrounds the core and forms with the core a nozzle for the material. The extrusion sleeve has a first end face located upstream of the kernel. Moulds encase the extrusion sleeve and the core, the moulds being movable along endless paths and having grooves on inner surfaces for forming the ribs on the pipe. A heater heats the initial zone of the kernel, the initial zone of the kernel being cylindrical. A first cooler cools the end zone of the kernel. A second end face of an upstream outset of the end zone of the kernel conically widens in the direction of production from a smallest diameter substantially corresponding to the diameter of the initial zone to a largest diameter.

This invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing ribbed pipes with a smooth inner surface from a mouldable material, said apparatus comprising a core including a shaft, a conically widening mandrel located downstream of the shaft seen from the direction of production of the apparatus, and a kernel of a substantially uniform diameter disposed after the mandrel, an extrusion sleeve surrounding the core and forming with the core a nozzle for the material, the extrusion sleeve having an end face located upstream of the kernel seen in the direction of production of the apparatus, and moulds encasing the extrusion sleeve and the core and being movable along an endless path, having grooves on the inner surface for forming ribs on the pipe, whereby an initial zone of the kernel which is in the vicinity of the nozzle has means for heating this zone and an end zone of the kernel which is remote from the nozzle has means for cooling this zone.
The production of closed-wall ribbed pipes having prominent and narrow ribs and a smooth inner surface has proved unexpectedly difficult. Prominent and narrow ribs would be the most advantageous in view of the use of the pipe. In order for the deep and narrow grooves in the inner surface of the moulds to be filled, high pressures must be used which place severe requirements on the endurance of the apparatus. These problems are aggravated when a stiff plastic, such as unsoftened PVC, is used.
Another important problem relates to the quality of the inner surface of the pipe. The smoothness of the inner surface is impaired e.g. by the following factors: air bubbles generated in the forming space, melt tears resulting from a high shearing rate, irregularities and cold seams resulting from the laminar structure of the material, the adhesion of the inner surface to the kernel, and depressions and air bubbles in the material resulting from the uneven cooling of the mass.
The publication WO 87/04113 discloses an apparatus wherewith it is possible to manufacture ribbed pipes of a relatively high quality. In this known apparatus the kernel is divided into two zones whereof an initial zone located closest to the nozzle is heated and an end zone located after it is cooled.
The reference discloses that the diameter of the initial zone of the kernel increases slightly in the direction of movement of the material. By heating the pipe in the region of the kernel and simultaneously forcing the material toward the moulds, the material is caused to fill the grooves in the moulds simultaneously as the inner surface of the pipe is made fully smooth. This effect can probably be explained by the fact that after the extrusion pressure has filled the grooves in the moulds in the region of the conical mandrel, the material begins to cool by the action of the moulds and thereby also to shrink. Imperfections due to different cooling rates and shrinkage of the material are prevented by generating a considerable afterpressure in the grooves of the moulds, on account of which the material to be formed closely follows the surfaces of the moulds and the kernel. This afterpressure is independent of the extrusion pressure and can therefore be easily regulated by varying the heating effect.
However, in practice it has been found that the inner surface of pipes manufactured by this known apparatus is not always smooth but contains irregularities.

Apparatus for manufacturing ribbed pipes


A gate power control technique for a power amplifier (PA) provides practical improved efficiency at backed-off power levels. It can be applied to the main gate of the output stage of the PA, the cascode gate, or any combination thereof. Both voltage mode and current mode signal processing may be used. The gate power control can be implemented in both open-loop and closed-loop using AC and DC coupled drivers and output stages. It may further use one or more control ports in the radio frequency (RF) signal path.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to power amplifier output power level control and more specifically to power control of the output power amplifier of a power amplifier system by its input gate.
2. Prior Art
Power amplifiers for constant envelope signal modulation application require a mechanism for regulating their output power level based on an input signal (Vramp) provided by the transmit block. One possibility is that the output power is sensed by a directional coupler followed by a radio frequency (RF) power detector. A feedback loop is locked around the PA by comparing the targeted power level Vramp with the sensed power level Psense. The error signal provided by the error amplifier is sent to the power control block which generates one or more control signals. The control signals are usually voltages, but in some cases may be also other quantities. The main drawback of the directional coupler based power control is its very large size and cost due to the directional coupler. Such a solution has hard time of meeting the demanding and continuous cost reduction of the consumer products market.
Instead of sensing directly the output power, another widely used technique is sensing separately the baseband output voltage (Vout) and the baseband output current (Iout) and use them to drive the supply regulator that biases the PA through a large value inductance. Using the regulator to set the PA output power level has the advantage of dealing with baseband quantities in contrast with the RF quantities involved in the directional coupler technique. This allows a simple and easier routing and signal processing. The comparison between the targeted (Vramp) power level and the sensed power level (Psense) given by the baseband voltage (Vsense) and current (Isense) levels is done with an error amplifier that drives the gate of the large size metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) output device of the regulator. The baseband output voltage (Vsense) is available directly at the regulator output, which the baseband current (Isense) can be sensed, for example, by using a sense low value resistance. Such resistance needs also to pass the high current, hence a high cost. The main drawback of this regulator, or alternatively DC-DC converter supply modulation or drain power control technique, is its large area and thus cost, brought by a very large power control device that is connected in series with the high current high power output signal path.
As shown in FIG. 1, the supply voltage (Vsupply) 130 applied to the PA output stage 110 through the choke inductor 120 is changed in accordance with the Vramp signal that gives the targeted output power level. As mentioned before, the main drawback of this technique is that the power control block 130 is placed in the path of the high value output current and therefore the power control devices connected in series with the PA 114 need to be very large, impacting cost. Furthermore, placing the power control block in series with the high current path results in power losses, and thus efficiency degradation.
The efficiency decay is more pronounced at the backed-off output power levels when a large percentage of the battery supply VBAT is dropped across the supply modulator 132. Since PA 114 usually operates most of the time at power levels lower than the peak rated power, the degraded efficiency of backed-off power levels results usually in a lower talk time as a given battery charge.
Therefore, in view of the deficiencies of the prior art, it would be advantageous to provide a solution that overcomes these deficiencies.

Gate-based output power level control power amplifier


A method for attaching a component to an internal portion of an aircraft fuselage is disclosed herein. The method includes mounting a vibration isolator assembly to the internal portion of the aircraft fuselage. The vibration isolator assembly has a protruding engagement portion having a flange. The method further includes defining an opening in a vibration-deadening body. The method further includes positioning the vibration-deadening body over the vibration isolator such that the protruding engagement portion is received within the opening. The method further includes pressing a retaining member onto the protruding engagement portion such that the retaining member engages the flange. The retaining member will retain a portion of the vibration-deadening body below an end of the protruding engagement portion. The method still further includes attaching the component to the protruding engagement portion.

A conventional passenger aircraft includes a fuselage, a cabin interior attached to and/or supported by the fuselage, and a sound-deadening blanket positioned in between the fuselage and the cabin. As the aircraft is flown, the fuselage interacts with the atmosphere. This interaction generates vibration which, if left unchecked, will be perceived by occupants of the aircraft as sound, which is undesirable. A sound-deadening blanket is used to suppress the radiation of sound into the cabin. The sound-deadening blanket is positioned to intercept the radiating vibrations and is configured to suppress the vibrations that radiate from the fuselage towards the cabin.
The aircraft's cabin is constructed of multiple discrete components that, when assembled together, form the walls, floors, and other structural elements that are visible to a passenger on board the aircraft. The many discrete components of the cabin are attached to the fuselage via multiple attachment components. In the absence of any precautions, the multiple attachment components would form a structural pathway for the transmission of vibration from the fuselage into the cabin. To inhibit the transmission of vibration from the fuselage into the cabin via the attachment components, the attachment components conventionally comprise vibration isolators. The vibration isolators include a flexible material that is positioned in the pathway of the vibrations as they travel from the fuselage towards the cabin. The flexible material is configured to absorb or block the vibrations and to thereby inhibit the vibrations from entering the cabin where they could be perceived as sound.
The vibration isolators and the sound-deadening blanket compete for the same space in between the fuselage and the cabin. In order to accommodate the vibration isolators, one conventional solution has been to cut relatively large openings in the sound-deadening blanket at locations that corresponds with the positions of the vibration isolators. These relatively large openings, however, provide an unobstructed pathway for sound to radiate from the fuselage to the cabin.
To address this concern, manufacturers have conventionally taken one of two courses of action. Some manufacturers have cut circular holes in the sound-deadening blanket that are sized to receive the entire vibration isolator. Once the sound-deadening blanket is positioned over the vibration isolator, a worker will seal off each hole by taping the periphery of each hole to either the vibration isolator or to some other structural component. This, in effect, closes off the pathway between the fuselage and the cabin. Other manufacturers have taken a different path. Instead of cutting a circular hole in the sound-deadening blanket, a worker will cut a slit in the sound-deadening blanket and will then press the sound-deadening blanket against the vibration isolator until the vibration isolator protrudes through the slit. The slit in the sound-deadening blanket will naturally form fit around the vibration isolator and will therefore leave only a minimal pathway for the transmission of radiated sounds.
While the above described solutions are adequate, there is room for improvement. For example, sealing the periphery of each hole with tape is a labor intensive process that consumes the worker's time and causes the manufacturer to incur additional cost (e.g., the cost of the tape). While cutting a narrow slit through the sound-deadening blanket avoids the cost and labor associated with using tape to seal circular openings, the failure to tape the ends of the slit to the vibration isolator (or to some other structure) creates the risk that the periphery of the slit will move into a position that obstructs the mounting aperture of the vibration isolator. This, in turn, may interfere with attempts by a worker to engage the mounting aperture of the vibration isolator when attaching the components of the cabin to the fuselage.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method for attaching a component to the fuselage of the aircraft that permits the sound-deadening blanket to closely conform to the vibration isolator while minimizing the labor associated with the task. In addition, it is desirable to provide a method for attaching a component to the fuselage of the aircraft that inhibits the sound-deadening blanket from obstructing the mounting aperture of the vibration isolator. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Method for attaching a component to an internal portion of an aircraft fuselage


Embodiments of the invention relate to substrates comprising a base wafer, an insulating layer and a top semiconductor layer, wherein the insulating layer comprises at least a zone wherein a density of charges is in absolute value higher than 1010 charges/cm2. The invention also relates to processes for making such substrates.

DRAM memory is typically made of one transistor and one capacitor cell (1T1C). While the transistor functions as pass, the capacitor is used for charge storage. The capacitor can be either a trench configuration or a stacked capacitor. A certain novel class of DRAM memories can be comprised of only one transistor, without the need for a capacitor, and hence is referred to as capacitorless DRAM, 1T, or 1T-RAM. Such memory types are usually based on Semiconductor-on-Insulator (SeOI)-like substrates, where the transistor, through its floating body characteristics, acts as both control transitory and charge storage device. Examples of such type are the "Floating Body Cell" (FBC), or the "zero-capacitor RAM" (zRAM) though other variations exist.
A typical 1T memory is illustrated in FIG. 1.
The SeOI substrate comprises from its base to its top a base wafer 10, an insulating layer 20 and a top semiconductor layer 30, also called a "useful layer."
The memory device is made of transistors made on the semiconductor useful layer 30. The source S and drain D are made in the useful layer 30, whereas the gate G is deposited on an insulating layer on the useful layer 30.
For a certain class of 1T memory that requires back-bias, such as the FBC, an electrode E is also installed on the rear side of the substrate, i.e., on the base wafer 10.
During operation of the 1T memory, charges (holes) are injected from the channel near the drain region via impact ionization into the body of the transistor. The presence of these positive charges shifts the Vt of the transistor lower and changes the current-voltage characteristics. This shift is used to detect or "read" the state of the cell, being either "1" or "0."
1T memory being a volatile memory, a periodic refresh is carried out in order to restore charge, and hence programming state, to the transistor. Charge is mainly lost through various leakage mechanisms, and the rate of charge loss determines the retention time of the memory cell. If such time is short, extensive refreshing is needed resulting in high power consumption and poor yield. Therefore, it is highly desirable to extend the retention time of the cell, i.e., charge retention in the transistor as much as practical. To that end, a rear electrode E can be used to apply a negative voltage in order to keep the charges in the transistor body as long as possible, e.g., near a back interface in the 1T design.
However, the installation of the rear electrode E requires additional processing and complex circuits that makes it expensive.
There is thus a need for a SeOI-like substrate that allows increasing the retention time of the 1T memories, at a lower cost.

Substrate having a charged zone in an insulating buried layer