A barrel holder for a drop-down barrel weapon with at least one tapped hole for accommodating an interchangeable barrel which ends in a ring shoulder for supporting the edge of a cartridge, wherein a first circumferential section of the ring shoulder is constructed as an axially movable cartridge extractor, and the remaining second circumferential section of the ring shoulder is formed by a separate adapter part which is inserted in modular fashion into the barrel holder.

The present invention relates to a barrel holder for a drop-down barrel weapon with at least one tapped hole for accommodating an interchangeable barrel, which opens into a ring shoulder for supporting the edge of a cartridge, wherein one circumferential section of the ring shoulder is configured as an axially movable cartridge extractor.
A barrel holder of this type is described in patent EP 0 862 038, for example. The known barrel holder only allows the use of interchangeable barrels of exactly the same calibre, otherwise a step remains between the barrel interior and the ring shoulder that can lead to an unchecked deformation (floating) of the cartridge during firing, which is an extremely dangerous situation.

Barrel holder for a drop-down barrel weapon


A method and apparatus for superheating steam and for injection of same into the air supply of an internal combustion engine are disclosed. A disc-shaped heat exchanger in direct contact with hot exhaust gases is utilized to vaporize and superheat a liquid, particularly water, into superheated steam.

1. Field
The present invention relates to apparatus and method for injecting a vapor into an internal combustion engine and particularly to systems and apparatus for injecting vapor into the carburetor of a gasoline engine.
2. Prior Art
Injection of water vapor into the carburetor of an internal combustion engine has been generally acknowledged to improve the efficiency and performance of the engine. It has also been utilized as an aid to acceleration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,630 of Giardini, et al. discloses an apparatus and system which is structured to feed a mixture of water vapor and alcohol to an internal combustion engine upon demand caused by acceleration of the engine.
Another device for elevating the humidity of the air supply to an internal combustion engine is illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,222 of Nelson. Air is pumped through water-saturated porous media prior to introduction to the engine.

Internal combustion engine injection superheated steam


A method of treatment of androgen-related diseases such as prostate cancer in susceptible male animals, including humans, comprises administering novel antiandrogens and/or novel sex steroid biosynthesis inhibitors as part of a combination therapy. Sex steroid biosynthesis inhibitors, especially those capable of inhibiting conversion of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) or 4-androstenedione (.DELTA..sup.4 -dione) to natural sex steroida (and testosterone into dihydrotestosterone) in peripheral tissues, are used in combination with antiandrogens usually after blockade of testicular hormonal secretions. Antiestrogens can also be part of the combination therapy. Pharmaceutical compositions and two, three, four and five component kits are useful for such combination treatment.

This invention relates to a method of treatment of androgen-related diseases such as prostate cancer in warm-blooded male animals (including humans) in need of such treatment, and in particular, to a combination therapy comprising administering an antiandrogen in association with an inhibitor of sex steroid biosynthesis to such animals. The invention also includes pharmaceutical compositions and kits useful for such treatment. Androgen-dependent diseases include diseases whose onset, maintenance or progress is, at least in part, dependent upon biological activities induced by androgens (e.q. testosterone and dihydrotestosterone). In one embodiment, the invention provides a treatment of hormone-dependent prostate cancer in warm-blooded male animals which comprises administering both an antiandrogen and at least one inhibitor of sex steroid biosynthesis capable of inhibiting conversion of dehydroepiandrosterone or 4-androstenedione to natural sex steroids in extra-testicular and extra-adrenal tissues.
While various investigators have been studying hormone-dependent prostate cancer, none have proposed the combination therapy of this invention.
A. V. Schally et al., Cancer Treatment Reports, 68 (No. 1) 281-289 (1984), summarize the results of animal and clinical studies on growth inhibition of hormone-dependent mammary and prostate tumors by use of analogues of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormones, the so-called LHRH agonists and suggest that LHRH analogs and/or antagonists may have potential for treating breast cancer.
T. W. Redding and A. V. Schally, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. UA 80, 1459-1462 (1983), relates to inhibition of prostate tumor growth in rats by chronic use of an LHRH agonist, [D-Trp.sup.6 ]LHRH.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,364 relates to use of the antiandrogen, 4'-nitro-3'trifluoromethyl isobutyranilide for treatment of prostatic cancer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,382 relates to treatment of prostate adenocarcinoma, benign prostate hypertrophy and hormone-dependent mammary tumors may with various LHRH agonists and treatment of prostate adenocarcinoma and benign hypertrophy by use of various LHRH agonists and an antiandrogen.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,695 (Labrie) relates to treatment of prostate cancer in animals whose testicular hormonal secretions are blocked. The method of treatment includes administering an antiandrogen such as flutamide as an inhibitor of sex steroid biosynthesis such as aminoglutethimide and/or ketoconazole.
Some clinical improvement in men with prostate cancer by use of the two LHRH agonists, Buserelin and Leuprolide, is also reported by N. Faure et al. at pages 337-350 and by R. J. Santen et al. at pages 351-364, respectively, LHRH and its Analogues--A new Class of Contraceptive and therapeutic Agents (B. H. Vickery and J. J. Nestor, Jr., and E. S. E. Hafez, eds), Lancaster, MTP Press, (1984).
R. Santen et al., The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry, volume 20, no. 6B, at page 1375 (1984), relates that the use of ketoconazole in combination with chronic administration of Leuprolide in rodents decreased basal and Leuprolide-stimulated testosterone levels.
One of Applicant's Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/321,926 filed Mar. 10, 1989, relates to a combination therapy for treatment of estrogen-related diseases by inhibiting ovarian hormonal secretions and administering an antiestrogen in combination with at least one of several enumerated activity blockers, sex steroid formation inhibitors and the like.
D. Kerle et al., The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry, volume 20, no. 6B, at page 1395 (1984) relates to the combined use of a LHRH analogue and ketoconazole producing objective responses in some prostate cancer patients who have relapsed or failed to respond to treatment with a LHRH analogue alone.
F. Labrie et al., The Prostate, 4, 579-594 (1983), disclose that use of a combination therapy of an LHRH agonist (Buserelin) and an antiandrogen (Anandron) to treat advanced prostate cancer in previously untreated patients effects simultaneous elimination of androgens of both testicular and adrenal origin.
F. Labrie et al., J. Steroid Biochem., 19, 999-1007 (1983), disclose the treatment of prostate cancer by the combined administration of an LHRH agonist and an antiandrogen. Labrie et al. disclose animal and clinical data in support of the proposition that the combined LHRH/antiandrogen treatment neutralizes the stimulatory influence of all androgens on the development and growth of androgen-dependent prostatic cancer.
F. Labrie et al., Abstracts of the 7th International Congress of Endocrinology, Excerpta Medica (1984) at page 98 disclose that treatment of prostate cancer patients with LHRH agonists alone causes a transient increase in serum androgen levels lasting for 5 to 15 days before castration levels are reached. While F. Labrie et al. recommend that orchiectomy, estrogen and LHRH agonists alone should not be further used for treatment of prostate cancer in the absence of a pure antiandrogen, there still is a need for a method of treatment of prostate cancer that effects more complete androgen blockage at the start as well as during the full period of treatment.
There are many data indicating that estrogens have a stimulatory effect on prostatic growth (Lee et al., 1981; J. Androl. 2:293-299; Belis et al., 1983; J. Androl. 4: 144-149; Walsh and Wilson, 1976; J. Clin. Invest. 57: 1093-1097; De Klerk et al., 1985; Prostate 7, 1-12; Habesucht et al., 1987; Prostate 11: 313-326). Estrogens have also been found to enhance the growth-promoting effect of androgens (Farnsworth, 1969; Invest. Urol. 6: 423-427; Groom et al., 1971; Biochem. J. 122: 125-126; Lee et al., 1973; Steroids 22: 677-683).
Estrogen receptors have been demonstrated in human normal, hyperplastic and cancer prostatic tissue (Mobbs et al., 1989; Proc. 84th Endocrine Soc., Meeting, abst. No. 1410; Mobbs et al., 1983; J. Steroid Biochem. 19, 1279-1290; Wagner et al., 1975; Acta Endocrinol. (Kbh), suppl. 193, 52; and also in laboratory animal prostatic tissue (Swaneck et al., 1982; Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 106: 1441-1447).
Moreover, androgen receptor levels were found to be elevated in prostatic tissue of patients treated with estrogen, thus indicating a stimulatory effect of estrogen on the level of androgen receptors in prostatic tissue (Mobbs et al., 1983; J. Ster. Biochem. 19, 1279-1290). A similar stimulatory effect of estrogen has been observed in the dog prostate (Moore et al., 1979; J. Clin. Invest. 63, 351-357).
In the prostate as well as in many other tissues, testosterone is irreversibly converted by 5.alpha.-reductase into the more potent androgen dihydrotestosterone (Bruchovsky and Wilson, J. Biol. Chem. 243: 2012-2021, 1968; Wilson, Handbook of Physiology 5 (section 7), pp. 491-508, 1975). Inhibitors of 5.alpha.-reductase have been found to inhibit prostatic growth (Brooks et al., Endocrinology 109: 830, 1981; Brooks et al., Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 169: 67, 1982; Brooks et al., Prostate 3: 35, 1982; Wenderoth et al., Endocrinology 113, 569-573, 1983; McConnell et al., J. Urol. 141: 239A, 1989); Stoner, E., Lecture on the role of 5.alpha.-reductase inhibitor in benign prostatic hypertrophy, 84th AUA Annual Meeting, Dallas, May 8th, 1989.
The inhibitory effect of the 5.alpha.-reductase inhibitor Merck L. 652,931 on prostatic and seminal vesicle development in the prepubertal rat was described in Proc. 71st Annual Meeting of Endocrine Society, abst. #1165, p. 314, 1989. The inhibitory effect of MK-906 on dihydrotestosterone formation in men has been described in men by Gormley et al., in Proc. 71st Annual Meeting of Endocrine Society, abst. #1225, p. 329, 1989; Imperato-McGinley et al., in Proc. 71st Annual Meeting of Endocrine Society, abst. #1639, p. 432, 1989; Geller and Franson, in Proc. 71st Annual Meeting of Endocr. Soc., abst. #1640p. 432, 1989, and Tenover et al., in Proc. 71st Annual Meeting of Endocr. Soc., abst. #583, p. 169, 1989. The activity of the 5.alpha.-reductase inhibitors N,N-diethyl-4-methyl-3-oxo-4-aza-5.alpha.-androstane-17.beta.-carboxamide (4-MA) and 6-methylene-4-pregnene-3,20-dione (LY207320) has been described by Toomey et al., Proc. 71st Annual Meeting of Endocr. Soc., abst. #1226, p. 329, 1989.

Method of treatment of androgen-related diseases


There is provided a frame assembly for a foldable cycle. The assembly has a rear frame portion including a mounting for a rear wheel; a forward frame portion, hingedly connecting to the rear frame portion such that the two are foldable towards each other; and hingedly connecting to the forward frame portion, a pivot assembly for a mounting arm including a mounting for a forward wheel. On folding of the cycle, hinged movement of the pivot assembly relative to the forward frame portion moves the mounting arm to move the forward wheel mounting relative to the forward frame portion. The rear frame portion and pivot assembly are coupled such that folding of the frame portions towards each other results in the distance between the forward frame portion and forward wheel mounting extending relative to each other.

Whilst folding cycles are well known in the art, there exist a number of design challenges that are the continuing interest of designers in this field. In particular, it is desirable that the 'folded' configuration of the cycle is of minimal size and of a configuration that accommodates its carrying and/or storage. That configuration desirably also minimises the number of sharp or irregularly-shaped components protruding therefrom, which might otherwise snag on the user causing annoyance and/or minor injury.
It is desirable from a space-saving standpoint, that when in the 'folded' configuration, the wheels of the cycle are in close relationship, preferably in registration, with each other. It is particularly desirable, that when so registered the wheels are freely rotatable to enable the 'folded' cycle to be wheeled about by the user thereby avoiding any carrying thereof. Once such wheelable folded cycle is described in UK Patent Application No. 2,171, 656 A1, although this design necessitates the use of small cycle wheels that are less preferred from a user standpoint. For example, smaller wheels can give poorer performance over rough surfaces (e.g. potholes and off-road use). Some users also find small-wheeled cycles more difficult to handle.


Disclosed is a symmetrical traction drive that utilizes multi-diameter rollers having traction surfaces for transferring rotational mechanical energy between the shaft and a transfer gear. Multi-diameter rollers are mounted in carriers disposed between two substantially symmetrical ring gears. Sloped traction surfaces of the ring gears mate with inner traction surfaces on both sides of the multi-diameter rollers. Since force is applied to the inner traction surfaces on both sides of the multi-diameter rollers, forces are substantially equalized on each side of the multi-diameter rollers. An outer traction surface of the multi-diameter roller interfaces with a traction surface on the shaft. Speed reduction ratios of at least 20:1 or greater can be achieved. The high speed drive may include exhaust turbines, steam turbines, including a Tesla turbine or Schumacher turbine, compressors, combinations of turbines and compressors, high speed pumps, dentist drills, or other devices that operate with high rotational speed.

Traction drive systems have been used for various purposes and in various environments in the prior art. Typically traction drives are used for CVT applications and for high speed drive systems that operate over 50,000 rpm. Traction drives comprise an alternative to gearing systems and can be used interchangeably with gearing systems in many situations. The advantage of traction drives are the smooth traction surfaces that provide more variability of ratio and the capability for higher speeds than gears. Traction drives use a traction fluid that creates a frictional surface at the traction drive interface to cause adherence between traction surfaces.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A display device is provided. The display device comprises: a display panel; a collimation optical element located on a light emission side of the display panel and configured to modulate a first light emitted from the display panel into a collimated second light and emit the collimated second light; and a light modulation element located on a light emission side of the collimation optical element and configured to adjust an emission angle of the second light from the light modulation element. The first light emitted from the display panel is modulated into the collimated second light by the collimation optical element, the emission angle of the second light emitting from the light modulation element is adjusted by the light modulation element, such that the direction of the emission light of the display device is controllable.

At present, along with rapid development of a display technology, a display device can realize different display functions, such as a 3D display function, an anti-peep display function and the like. However, the user has more and more requirements on multi-functionalization of the display device, for example, the display device not only is required to have the 3D display function but also is required to have the anti-peep function, etc., that is, multiple functions are required to be realized on one display device. However, the current display device cannot meet the requirements of the user on multi-functionalization.

Beijing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


The present application generally relates to a faucet. The faucet includes a continuous internal waterway and a body. The continuous internal waterway includes a first chamber, a second chamber, a valve seat, and a waterway. The second chamber is configured to receive water from a water source. The valve seat is coupled to the first chamber and the second chamber. The valve seat is in fluid communication with the second chamber. The waterway is in fluid communication with the valve seat. The body encapsulates the continuous internal waterway. The faucet is operational to receive the water from the water source and to provide the water to the waterway. The body is isolated from the water by the continuous internal waterway during operation of the faucet.

The present application relates generally to faucet assemblies. In particular, this application relates to the construction of a faucet body and an internal waterway.
Faucet assemblies may include a faucet body, handles, valve cartridges, and a plumbing network. Faucet bodies may be configured to be coupled to the handles, valve cartridges, and plumbing network of the faucet assembly. Faucet bodies may be manufactured by forming the faucet body around a core (i.e., in a cast or mold). Faucet bodies are conventionally constructed from a metallic material such as brass or zinc. The core may maintain an empty space within the faucet body for mixing or ingress channels. When the core is removed from the faucet body, in a post-processing step, the body may require machining, polishing, and/or buffing of the surface. After the core is removed, internal components may be installed inside the faucet body. After installing the internal components in the faucet body, the faucet assembly may then be installed in an application.

Composite faucet body and internal waterway


The disclosure generally relates to a method and apparatus for a high efficiency redundancy scheme for a memory system. In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to a memory circuit having: a memory array defined by a plurality of memory cells arranged in one or more columns and one or more rows, each memory cell communicating with one of a pair of complementary bit-lines and with a word-line; a plurality of IO circuits, each IO circuit associated with one of the plurality of memory cell columns; a plurality of redundant bit-lines, each redundant bit line communicating with a redundant bit cell; a first circuit for detecting a defective memory cell in said memory circuit; a second circuit for selecting one of the plurality of redundant bit-lines for switching from the failed memory cell to the redundant memory cell; and a third circuit for directing a word-line pulse of said defective memory cell to said selected redundant memory cell.

Semiconductor memories are composed of large arrays of individual cells. Each cell stores a 1 or 0 bit of data as an electrical high or low voltage state. Conventionally 8 bits may compose a byte of data and at least 16 bits may compose a word. In each memory operation cycle, at least one byte is typically written into or read from the array. Cells are arranged at the crossings of vertical data, or bit-lines, and horizontal word-lines or address lines. The word-lines enable reading or writing operation. A read or write cycle occurs when a word-line, as well as a pair of bit-lines, are activated. The cell accessed at the intersection of the word-line and the bit-lines will either receive written data from the bit-lines, or will deliver written data to the bit-lines. Cells can be accessed in random order. A cell may also be accessed directly based on its location in the memory circuit.
A memory cell is composed of an electronic circuit, typically including transistors. A Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) memory cell is conventionally composed of a plurality of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs). The most common type of SRAM is composed of six-transistor (6T) cells, each of which includes two P-type MOSFETs (PMOSFETs) and four N-type MOSFETs (NMOSFETs). A cell is arranged with two inverters that are accessed from two complementary bit-lines through two access transistors controlled by a word-line. Such structures have low power consumption and provide immunity to electronic noise.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional six-transistor SRAM cell 100. Specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates a six-transistor SRAM cell 100 with two additional resistors 102 and 104. Pull-up transistor PU-1 and pull-down transistor PD-1 form inverter INV-1. Similarly, pull-up transistor PU-2 and pull-down transistor PD-2 form inverter INV-2. Each of these resistors is placed between one inverter output node and the gates of the opposite inverter. From Node-2, a resistor 102 is in series with the parallel combination of the gate-to-substrate capacitance of a pull-up transistor PU-1 and of a pull-down transistor PD-1. From Node-1, a resistor 104 is in series with the parallel combination of the gate-to-substrate capacitance of a pull-up transistor PU-2 and of a pull-down transistor PD-2. Node-2 is also connected, through a pass-gate transistor PG-2, to bit-line bar BLB. Node-1 is also connected, through a pass-gate transistor PG-1 to bit-line BL. Pass-gate transistors PG-1 and PG-2 are switched by the word-line WL.
To avoid memory failure, each memory cell is configured to have a redundant memory arrangement nearby. Typically, the redundancy is in the form of a memory segment having several rows and columns of memory cells. In some embodiments, a row or column of memory cells is typically accompanied by a row or column of redundant memory cells. Thus, when a memory cell fails, a segment containing the defective memory cell is replaced with a redundant memory segment. The redundant memory segment are positioned near the applicable memory cells to male replacement easily accessible. In the event of a memory cell failure, the datum is directed to a corresponding redundant cell.
As memory systems continuously increase in size and complexity, the number of redundant memory segments also increases to accommodate a larger number of potentially defective cells. Redundant cells are typically allocated to a region of the memory circuit and a redundant memory segment in the closest proximity to the defective cell may be selected as a replacement. In certain designs, the redundant memory segments are added to the end of the region where the memory cells are housed. In the event of a memory cell failure, the information is directed to the redundant memory segment at the end of the memory region to replace the entire segment containing the defective cell.
However, as more technologies that utilize semiconductor memories require a smaller footprint and a higher mobility, space saving in semiconductor memory designs becomes increasingly important. In particular, in order to continually achieve size and performance advantages, cell geometries must continually shrink. Because of the one-to-one relationship between memory cells and their redundant regions, a larger memory size has been accompanied by a larger redundant region.

Method and apparatus for high efficiency redundancy scheme for multi-segment SRAM

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


An apparatus includes: a signal module to process data signals corresponding to data on a storage medium to generate signal samples; a defect detector to receive the signal samples, apply a set of parameters to the signal samples, and generate an output based on a count of signal samples that are associated with abnormal signal quality, the signal samples that are associated with abnormal signal quality being included in a portion of the signal samples determined in accordance with the set of parameters; and circuitry to receive the output from the defect detector and identify one or more media defects based on the output.

Various types of disk drives, such as magnetic disk drives, are used to provide data storage for a host device through a bus or network. Typical host devices include stand alone computer systems such as a desktop or laptop computer, enterprise storage devices such as servers, storage arrays such as a redundant array of independent disks arrays, storage routers, storage switches and storage directors, and other consumer devices such as video game systems and digital video recorders. These devices provide high storage capacity in a cost effective manner.
During the manufacturing process of a media, defects can damage a sector of the media and prevent data from being reliably stored in or retrieved from that sector. Defects are flaws within the media, which may result from the presence of dust particles. In other instances, defects may result from aberrations during the manufacturing process. For example, defects may be minute pinholes or asperities caused by the failure of the coating, plating or sputtering processes used to manufacture the media. These defects, if not accurately identified and corrected, can make a portion of the media unsuitable for the storage of information.

Hybrid defect detection for recording channels


A halogenating agent of the formula (1) and a method of halogenating hydroxyl group ##STR1##. wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are the same or different and are each ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl or allyl; X is chlorine atom or bromine atom; and Y is chlorine ion, bromine ion, dichlorophosphate ion, dibromophosphate ion, chlorosulfonate ion, bromosulfonate ion, chlorooxalate ion or bromooxalate ion.

The novel halogenating agent and halogenating method of the invention enable high purity and high yield production of halogenated aromatic compounds, halogenated heterocyclic compounds and halogenated cholesterol derivatives, each being useful for an intermediate for medicine and agricultural chemical, and also 7-acylamide-3-halocephem derivative useful for general cephem antibiotics used by oral administration.
As a method of halogenating hydroxyl group, it has been conventionally proposed to employ for example dimethyl haloiminium compound and diphenyl haloiminium compound, as a halogenating agent.
More specifically, Journal of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, 1980, 746 discloses a method in which dimethylformamide is reacted with oxalyl dichloride to obtain dimethyl chloroiminium compound, and hydroxyl group bonded to a straight-chain alkyl group is chlorinated by using the above chloroiminium compound. With this method, a 90% yield is achieved, however, such a high yield is not always obtained. Also, the purity of the resulting halogenide is about 80% at the most, and the reaction time is extremely long, namely, 24 hours.
Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan 85(6), 544-546 (1965) describes a method in which dimethylformamide is reacted with thionyl chloride to form dimethyl chloroiminium compound, and phenolic hydroxyl group is chlorinated by using this compound. This method, however, has the drawbacks that it is not applicable to a compound which has on its benzene ring a substituent liable to be chlorinated, except for hydroxyl group, and that since the reaction system becomes strongly acidic condition, application is limited to one which can be separated outside of the system, as a crystal, immediately after the termination of the reaction, thus being impractical.
Dimethyl haloiminium compound is also used in preparing N-acyl-4-chloro-1,2-dihydropyridine which is an intermediate for alkaloid [J. Org. Chem. (1993) 58, 7732-7739]. This method is, however, impractical because the reaction time is markedly long, namely, three days.
Further, it has been proposed to use dimethyl haloiminium compound in producing a 3-halogenated cephem derivative which is an intermediate for cephalosporin antibiotic used by oral administration (JP-A-116095/1974) With this method, however, the yield is as low as about 60% because the 7-position acyl group is also chlorinated, in addition to the desired 3-position hydroxyl group.
In the meantime, it is known a method with which the hydroxyl group bonded to a straight-chain alkyl group, the hydroxyl group bonded to a straight-chain alkenyl group, and the hydroxyl group of cholesterol, are chlorinated by using diphenyl chloroiminium chloride [Chemistry Letters, pp1173-1174 (1984)]. This method, however, fails to overcome the drawbacks that the reaction time is long, the purity of the resulting halogenide is low, and high yield is not ensured. Furthermore, this method is unsatisfactory for industrial production because the yield does not exceed 90% when chlorinating cholesterol or the compounds containing a double bond or ether linkage within the straight-chain molecules.
An object of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks of long reaction time, unstable yield, low purity, and the formation of by-product obtained by halogenation of other than the desired hydroxyl group, which drawbacks being common to the methods of halogenating hydroxyl group by using dimethyl haloiminium compound or diphenyl haloiminium compound.

Halogenating agent and process for halogenating hydroxyl group


A word line driver circuit includes a first transistor having its gate coupled to a first node configured to receive a word line select signal. A second transistor has its gate coupled to the first node and a drain coupled to a drain of the first transistor at a second node that is coupled to a word line. A word line assist control circuit is coupled to the first node, to the word line, and to a gate of a third transistor. The word line assist control circuit is configured to turn on or turn off the third transistor to adjust a voltage of the word line.

Micro-controller units (MCU) are widely used in electronics and are typically implemented with embedded flash (eflash). In high-end applications, such as the control of automotive powertrain systems, high-performance MCUs are indispensable to the agility, safety, and efficiency of an automotive vehicle. The eflash memories implemented in MCUs have fast read speeds. However, conventional designs of such eflash memories suffer from slow word line rise time and sensing speeds.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


Various methods for feature extraction using local primitive code are provided. One example method includes determining an origin block within an image, an arc, an arc orientation, and a distance between the origin block and the arc. In this regard, the origin block may include one or more pixels of the image. The example method also includes determining at least one arc block. In this regard, the arc block may be located on the arc and the arc may be located with respect to the origin block based on the arc orientation and the distance. Some or all of the at least one arc blocks may include one or more pixels of the image. The example method also includes determining at least one feature value based on attributes of the origin block and the at least one arc block. Similar and related example methods and example apparatuses are also provided.

Due to the digital nature of image files captured using digital photography techniques, numerous mechanisms for analyzing captured image files have been developed. For example, various techniques for object recognition, which includes face recognition, have been developed to extract meaningful information from the image files. Many object recognition techniques, rely upon feature extraction to build models of the object to be identified. One common example of a technique for object recognition uses Local Binary Patterns (LBPs) via homo-Gaussian derivatives. While these techniques provide mechanisms for object recognition, many of the techniques, including the LBP approach, often involve substantial computation and processing of the image file to perform feature extraction. Additionally, many techniques can be susceptible to noise in the captured images, resulting in degraded recognition performance.

Method and apparatus for performing feature extraction using local primitive code


A semiconductor device and a method for forming the same are disclosed, which relate to a reservoir capacitor. The semiconductor device includes: an active region defined by forming a device isolation region over a semiconductor substrate of peripheral region; gate electrodes formed over the active region; a plurality of metal lines over the gate electrodes; a plurality of contact slits elongated into the gate electrode at a position between the plurality of metal lines, a plurality of the first capacitors respectively formed over the plurality of metal lines, and a plurality of the second capacitors respectively formed over the plurality of contact slits.

Embodiments relate to a semiconductor device and a method for forming the same, and more particularly to a reservoir capacitor.
A semiconductor device includes a plurality of circuits. Generally, a semiconductor memory device such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) includes a cell region in which a circuit for storing data is formed, a core region for accessing the data stored in the cell region, and a peripheral region in which a circuit configured to drive the semiconductor memory device as well as to carry out data input/output (I/O).
The cell region includes a plurality of memory cells, each of which includes a cell transistor and a cell capacitor, and the memory cells are arranged in row and column directions and in an array shape. A group of memory cells arranged in an array shape is referred to as a unit cell array. In order to access a specific memory cell of a unit cell array, a row and a column are designated separately from each other, and a circuit for designating the row and the column is formed in a core region located adjacent to the cell region.
The core region includes a sub-word line driver, a sense-amplifier, and the like. In this case, the sub-word line driver is configured to select a sub-word line coupled to the specific memory cells of the unit cell array. Since electric charges stored in a cell capacitor of a memory cell are small, it is difficult for the sense-amplifier to quickly convert the electric charges into a digital signal and output the digital signal to an external part, such that the small amount of electric charges can be amplified.
The DRAM is implemented as a bank structure that includes a plurality of unit cell arrays and a plurality of core regions. For example, a 512-Mbit DDR2 device includes four banks. In more detail, a peripheral region including a power circuit, a free decoder, an input buffer, an output buffer, etc. is located between a plurality of banks. Meanwhile, a reservoir capacitor is located in the vicinity of the power circuit so as to prevent the occurrence of noise caused by power-potential switching.
In the case of forming a transistor of the cell region, reservoir capacitors are simultaneously formed in the peripheral region in such a manner that the reservoir capacitors can be formed in many more regions of the semiconductor device. In general, the reservoir capacitor may include a MOS-type capacitor which is formed including a gate and a source/drain.
However, with the increasing integration degree of semiconductor devices, many more circuits must be formed in a limited-sized chip region. As a result, the semiconductor device is gradually reduced in size in proportion to the increasing integration degree of the semiconductor device. Specifically, as a design rule is gradually reduced in a memory device such as DRAM, a unit cell size of a semiconductor device is gradually reduced. Likewise, as a design rule is gradually reduced in the peripheral region, semiconductor device elements provided in the peripheral region is gradually reduced in size. Therefore, a reservoir capacitor formed in the vicinity of the power circuit is gradually reduced in size, as well.
Specifically, since a typical reservoir capacitor is configured to form an array by interconnecting two units, and a large-sized region is required to form the reservoir capacitor, there may be a structural limitation in noise reduction and chip integration.

Semiconductor device and method for forming the same


Techniques for user authentication are disclosed. In some situations, the techniques include receiving, from a client device, an authentication request to access a network resource, the request including a user identifier, obtaining a security credential associated with the user identifier contained in the received request, generating an authorization code based on the obtained security credential, providing to the client device instructions to obtain first information corresponding to the generated authorization code, receiving, from the client device, the first information provided in response to the provided instructions, and, when the first information received from the client device corresponds to at least a portion of the generated authorization code, authorizing the client device to access the network resource.

Users may be required to register with a network resource in order to access the resource, e.g., a Web site. Any person may become a registered user by providing user information that includes some credentials, usually in the form of a username and/or password that are stored with the network resource and serve to authenticate a registered user when the registered user desires to access the resource. Normally, a content item of a network resource (e.g., a login page of a Web site) is displayed on a user computing device that requires the user to type in and enter, via a device keyboard, his or her credentials (e.g., username and/or password). However, this procedure may involve substantial security risk if a user is entering his or her credentials in an unsafe environment, for example if the user is surrounded by strangers that may obtain the user's credentials by overseeing the user's actions. Furthermore, in some instances, using a computing device keyboard for entering the user credentials may prove unsafe or difficult, for example, if the user is driving a car or if the user's manual dexterity or vision is low.


A method of transmitting a scheduling request signal, wherein the scheduling request signal is used to request a radio resource for uplink transmission in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes configuring a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for transmission of a scheduling request signal in a subframe, the subframe comprising two consecutive slots, a slot comprising a plurality of single carrier-frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbols, the scheduling request signal being carried by a presence or absence of transmission of the PUCCH, wherein at least one SC-FDMA symbol is assigned for transmission of a sounding reference signal, and transmitting the scheduling request signal and the sounding reference signal in the subframe. Scheduling request signal can be transmitted without interference with other control signals such as sounding reference signal that are transmitted on the same control channel with the scheduling request signal.

One of the systems being considered after the third generation is an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) system that can diminish inter-symbol interference effect owing to low complexity. OFDM converts serial input data into N parallel data and transmits the parallel data on N orthogonal subcarriers. The subcarriers maintain orthogonality in frequency dimension. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) is a multiple access method that realizes multiple access by independently providing each user with some of available subcarriers in a system using OFDM as a modulation scheme.
One of major problems of the OFDM/OFDMA system is that PAPR (Peak-to-Average Power Ratio) can be very high. A problem of PAPR is that peak amplitude of a transmission signal is much higher than average amplitude, which is due to the fact that an OFDM symbol is overlap of N sinusoidal signals on different subcarriers. PAPR is particularly related to capacity of a battery and causes a problem in a user equipment that is sensitive to power consumption. In order to reduce power consumption, the PAPR needs to be lowered.
One of systems proposed to lower PAPR is Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA). SC-FDMA is a form that combines Single Carrier-Frequency Division Equalization (SC-FDE) scheme and Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) scheme. SC-FDMA has a characteristic similar to that of OFDMA in that it modulates and demodulates data in time and frequency domains using Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT). However, since PAPR of a transmission signal is low, SC-FDMA is advantageous for saving transmission power. Particularly, in relation to use of battery, SC-FDMA is advantageous to uplink through a user equipment sensitive to transmission power communicates with the base station.
An important point when the user equipment transmits data to the base station is a wide coverage, in which bandwidth of data is not so wide, but power can be concentrated. An SC-FDMA system lowers variance of a signal and thus has a coverage further wider that those of other systems when using the same power amplifier.
In order to implement a variety of transmit or receive techniques for transmitting high-speed packet, transmission of control signals in time, space, and frequency domains is an indispensable element. A channel that transmits control signals is referred to as a control channel. There may be various kinds of uplink control signals, such as a scheduling request signal transmitted by a user equipment to the base station to allocate uplink radio resources, an Acknowledgement (ACK)/Negative-Acknowledgement (NAK) that is a response to uplink data transmission, Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) for indicating channel quality of downlink, Precoding Matrix Index (PMI), Rank Indicator (RI), and the like.
The scheduling request signal is carried by a presence or absence of transmission (or on/off keying) of a control channel, which is used for a user equipment to request a base station to perform scheduling for the user equipment. So when the user equipment needs to transmit uplink data to the base station, the scheduling request signal should be preliminarily transmitted. In most cases where the transmission interval of the scheduling request signal is not overlapped with those of an ACK/NACK signal and CQI, the scheduling request signal is independently transmitted using a dedicated resource. Accordingly, an occasion where a user should simultaneously transmit the scheduling request signal and ACK/NACK signal does not frequently occur. However, particularly, in the case where downlink data is frequently transmitted and no uplink data is transmitted, if uplink data transmission is urgently needed, probability of occurring such an occasion is further higher. This will invite a problem in transmission of an uplink control channel and give a negative affect to downlink and uplink throughputs. In such a situation, there are largely two methods for requesting scheduling.
First, there is a method of requesting uplink scheduling in a contention-free scheme using a scheduling request signal channel. Such a method is referred to as a multi-code transmission method or a multi-sequence transmission method. That is, it refers to a method of simultaneously transmitting a plurality of independent signals using one or more sequences by a user. However, although scheduling request signals are simultaneously transmitted using a separated scheduling request signal channel, if a plurality of ACK/NACK signals is transmitted to uplink, characteristics of an uplink single carrier are damaged, and thus PAPR is increased as a result.
Second, there is a method of requesting scheduling by performing Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) or joint coding on an ACK/NACK signal and a scheduling request signal in the unit of a symbol or slot. However, when two or more signals having different error requirements are simultaneously coded and transmitted, all signals ultimately should follow a power setting value of a signal that has the strictest requirement, and thus there may be a problem of wasting power. Although such a power wasting problem can be solved in a variety of methods, a plurality of signals should be transmitted in one subframe, and thus it is certain that power consumption increases compared with a case where one signal is transmitted in one subframe.
Accordingly, it is required to transmit a scheduling request signal efficiently using an ACK/NACK channel and CQI channel, which are existing control channels. In order to operate the scheduling request signal on an existing control channel, compatibility of the control channel with other control signals should be considered. In addition, capacity of a user equipment capable of transmitting a scheduling request signal should be also considered.
Accordingly, an efficient control channel structure is needed to transmit a scheduling request signal.

Method of transmitting scheduling request signal


An overdraw apparatus supports an arrow for shooting at a support location between the drawstring full-draw rearward position and the drawstring full-forward travel position upon its release. A construction is provided whereby the drawstring can pass through and beyond the support location, and thereby enable much shorter arrows to be shot from a conventional bow than would otherwise be possible. In one embodiment, the actual arrow support includes two members which are separated by a space which allows the drawstring to pass therebetween. In another embodiment, the arrow support includes a pivotally mounted arm which gets struck by the bowstring and pivots forwardly to accommodate the movement of the drawstring forwardly beyond the support location.

Bow hunting and competitive target archery are both increasing in popularity as ever more sophisticated equipment is available. In the past twenty years, compound bows have replaced traditional recurve single-piece bows as the bow of choice for both serious hunters and competitive archers. Technology development of arrows has generally not kept pace with the bow technology, so that most advances in the sport have come about as a result of bow technology.
One of the few modifications to an arrow that will increase an archer's efficiency is to shorten the overall length of the arrow. A shorter arrow is faster (over 285 feet per second for a 20-inch arrow, versus about 230 feet per second with a conventional 32-inch arrow), and because it weighs less, follows a flatter trajectory. This makes range estimates less critical, minimizes the impact of this variable, and effectively increases the target or hitting area for the archer. Numerous manufacturers provide overdraw devices which position the support location for an arrow aft of the bow riser portion.
As shorter and shorter arrows have come into use, the support location for the arrow has moved to within the range of travel of the drawstring upon release, namely from the drawstring full-draw rear location to its forwardmost location upon release. All current overdraw systems usable with the shortest arrows suffer from the same defect: the drawstring necessarily strikes the overdraw apparatus on its forwardmost movement when the arrow is released. Furthermore, most all such overdraw devices interfere with the compound bow tension cables (draw cables) which also move forward relative to the bow upon drawstring release. The impact of the string and cables against the overdraw arrow rest produces significant wear of the cables and drawstring, causing their replacement more quickly than is otherwise desired. The impact also produces a significant impact noise which can frighten targeted animals and result in missed shots.
It is also postulated that such impact adversely affects the flight of the arrow as it leaves the bow. It would be desirable to produce an overdraw arrow rest apparatus that overcomes these drawbacks.

Arrow rest/overdrawn apparatus for an archery bow


An apparatus for the removal of flooring is described. The apparatus is powered by an internal combustion engine which moves a series of crawlers. A blade is attached to a blade-holder which is situated on the front of the flooring remover. The blade is moved up and down by oil cylinders powered by an oil pump, thereby changing the angle of the blade to the floor. In addition, the blade is moved forward and backward rapidly by means of a driving shaft. The operator controls the apparatus from a seat mounted on the main body of the apparatus.

The present invention relates to a flooring remover which removes flooring pasted down on a floor, and more particularly to a flooring remover which can precisely, as well as efficiently, remove flooring, thereby reducing the fatigue of workers.
While a number of hand tools have been utilized to remove flooring, such tools have many shortcomings such as being slow to use and requiring many workers to complete a job, all of which push up cost.
In order to overcome such shortcomings, a push-type flooring remover (B) as shown in FIG. 6, comprising an electric outlet (19), an electric cord (20), an electric motor as a power source, and a pair of tires (21) on both sides of the main body, has been proposed.
A push-type flooring remover (B) has some inconveniences, as it draws a cord (20) from an outlet (19), not only limiting operation to within the length of said cord (20) but also disabling operation where there is no such outlet (19). Further, the operator must be careful not to touch the cord (20) lying on the floor with the blade (23) of the remover (B).
The flooring remover (B) also requires the operator to lift the blade (23) and push the handle (22) at the same time, thereby weakening the operator's forward pushing force. Occasionally, the blade (23) sticks, slowing down operation, which results in a significant amount of operator fatigue. The adjustment of the height or the angle of the blade according to the kind of flooring depends upon the operator's experience, which lacks in precision of operation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a flooring remover which is powerful and useful and capable of removing flooring precisely and efficiently and reducing the fatigue of the workers.


To provide a small-sized and reliable optical module in which a light emitting element and an optical function element respectively remarkably different in a coefficient of thermal expansion are mounted in the same casing, in the invention, the optical function element is mounted on the casing made of first material substantially equal in a coefficient of thermal expansion to the optical function element, a light emitting element unit including the light emitting element (for example, a thermoelectric module over which the light emitting element is mounted) is mounted on a member (base material) made of second material different from the first material and matched with the light emitting element unit in a coefficient of thermal expansion, and the member is, for example, embedded in the bottom of the casing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical module, particularly relates to an optical module used in a high speed region.
2. Description of Related Art
For a modulator in optical communication, an optical function element mainly utilized in a high speed region exceeding the transmission rate of 10 Gbits/s and excellent in high-speed optical modulation characteristics and dispersion-tolerant characteristics has been mounted in a casing separate from a light emitting element remarkably different in a coefficient of thermal expansion.
A light emitting element represented by a semiconductor laser diode is mounted in a package made of substantially the same material as that of the light emitting element in a coefficient of thermal expansion in a state in which it is airtightly sealed. A beam output from the light emitting element is outgoing from a fiber via a condenser lens.
Similarly, an optical function element in which an optical waveguide provided with electro-optical effect represented by lithium niobate (LiNbO3) is formed is also mounted in a package having substantially the similar coefficient of thermal expansion to a coefficient of thermal expansion of the optical function element in a state in which it is airtightly sealed. As for the incoming and outgoing radiation of the optical function element, there are a case that the optical function element is connected to a fiber via a lens and a case that the optical function element is directly connected to a fiber by an optical adhesive.
Generally, an optical function element has dependency upon a direction of polarization. Therefore, to make a beam incident upon the optical function element via a fiber, a polarization maintaining fiber is utilized because polarization is required to be held. If a package for a light emitting element and a package for the optical function element are separate and they are connected, a polarization maintaining fiber on the side of the light emitting element package and a polarization maintaining fiber on the input side of the optical function element package are required to be connected via a connector or to be spliced to each other.
In a conventional type configuration that a light emitting element and an optical function element are housed in separate packages, space for connecting fibers between the packages is required. Besides, as the element and the device are connected via the fibers, maintaining a plane of polarization, the high-priced polarization maintaining fibers and the alignment of polarization are required and the cost is increased. Therefore, the integration of the light emitting element and the optical function element in the same package which contributes to miniaturization and the reduction of the cost is expected.
In a Patent Reference 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 11-218648 (No Family)), an optical composite module in which a light emitting element and an optical function element are housed in separate packages and the respective packages are welded is described. In the optical composite module, a polarization maintaining fiber between the light emitting element and the optical function element can be omitted.
Besides, in a Patent Reference 2 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-272572 and its counterpart: US-2002-009265A1), a method of packaging an optical function element module having a structure that an input terminal and an output terminal of an optical function element are fixed to fibers and further the fibers are fixed to a package, is described.
In a Patent Reference 3 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-150745 (No Family)), a package is described which houses an optical semiconductor device having a special radiation plate inserted to be set in its base member made of an iron-nickel alloy or an iron-nickel-cobalt alloy.
In a Patent Reference 4 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-015635 (No Family)), a package is described which houses an optical semiconductor device having a cooling member (an electronic cooling element) inserted to be set in its base member made of an iron-nickel-cobalt alloy or a ceramic such as aluminum oxide sintered body.
Further, in a Patent Reference 5 (Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-273437 (No Family)), a package for an optical semiconductor module is described in which the periphery of a cutout provided to a ceramic base and an electronic cooler are connected.


The present invention generally relates to a method of operating a MEMS DVC while minimizing impact of the MEMS device on contact surfaces. By reducing the drive voltage upon the pull-in movement of the MEMS device, the acceleration of the MEMS device towards the contact surface is reduced and thus, the impact velocity is reduced and less damage of the MEMS DVC device occurs.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method to lessen the impact of a switch in a micro electromechanical system (MEMS) device.
Description of the Related Art
A digital variable capacitor (DVC) operates with electrostatic forces. In this mechanism, a force is acting on the moveable MEMS device when a voltage V is applied between the MEMS device and a control electrode. This electrostatic force scales with (V/gap)2. The mechanical counter-balance force comes from a spring suspension system and typically scales linearly with the displacement. The result is that with an increasing voltage V the MEMS device moves a certain distance δ toward the control-electrode. This movement reduces the gap which in turn increases the electrostatic force further. For small voltages, an equilibrium position between the initial position and the electrode is found. However, when the voltage exceeds a certain threshold level (i.e., the pull-in voltage), the device displacement is such that the electrostatic force rises faster than the mechanical counterbalance force and the device rapidly snaps-in (i.e., moves) towards the control-electrode until it comes in contact with a contact surface.
Some DVC devices have a control-electrode above (i.e., a pull-up or pull-off or PU-electrode) and below (i.e., a pull-down or pull-in or PD-electrode) the moveable MEMS device (i.e., the plate in FIG. 1), as shown schematically in FIG. 1. In addition there is an RF-electrode below the moveable MEMS device. During operation the MEMS device is either pulled-up or pulled-down in contact to provide a stable minimum or maximum capacitance to the RF-electrode. In this way the capacitance from the moveable device to the RF-electrode (which resides below the moveable device) can be varied from a high capacitance Cmax when pulled to the bottom, as shown in FIG. 2, to a low capacitance Cmin when pulled to the top, as shown in FIG. 3.
In production, the MEMS devices will exhibit a variation in pull-in voltages due to manufacturing tolerances, such as layer thicknesses and stress levels. In addition, some MEMS devices require a certain overvoltage beyond the pull-in voltage to be applied to the pull-in electrode to provide for a stable capacitance. Additionally, the CMOS controller will exhibit some variation in the available voltage levels due to manufacturing tolerances as well. As a result, the voltage levels applied to the pull-electrodes are typically designed such to provide for enough margin against manufacturing tolerances.
If this high voltage level is applied to the pull-in electrode very quickly, the MEMS device will rush towards the pull-in electrode very quickly because the MEMS device immediately sees an electrostatic force much larger than required for pull-in. This will lead to an acceleration of the MEMS device towards the pull-electrode from the start and result in a high impact velocity causing damage to the contact surfaces.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for reducing the impact of the MEMS devices on the contact surfaces.

Method and technique to control MEMS DVC control waveform for lifetime enhancement


In a discovery stage, a set of suspect rules can be utilized to determine if each environment asset of the computing environment is to be considered a suspect asset or a standard environment asset, where suspect assets are a subset of environment assets of the computing environment. In a confirmation stage, a set of stray rules can be used to determine whether each suspect asset is to be considered a stray asset, wherein stray assets are a subset of the suspect assets. A stray asset can be an asset defined and configured by a configuration management system that is active in the computing environment and is consuming resources of the computing environment yet is not needed by active processes of the computing environment and is unneeded by other active environment assets. For each stray asset, at least one resolution action (e.g., alert action, containment action, delete action) can be performed.

The present invention relates to the field of asset management and, more particularly, to identifying stray assets in a computing environment and responsively taking resolution actions.
In today's large-scale computing environments, interaction between components and/or assets are often complex. Because of this, specially-designed software tools have been developed to allow users to create configuration items at a high-level (or variable level) of abstraction. Configuration items (CIs) can be for relatively persistent assets, such as those having a lifetime that extends over weeks, months, or even years. Configuration items can also be defined at the transactional level. Software tools for CIs allow users to use graphics and/or natural language constructs to express the environment assets. The tools also permit users to manipulate, monitor, and combine environment assets at the asset level, hiding the deeper complexities and interactions.
For example, a software tool can allow a user to express a step of the process/workflow simply as "Create an Application Server". Thus, the user need not understand the specific steps and system details required to fulfill this step of the process/workflow; only that the tool will translate this statement into the proper code that will create the application server and all related changes required to make the server accessible.
Unfortunately, these deeper complexities and interactions are also often hidden from other systems (e.g., a configuration management (CM) or software management system) that monitor and keep the components/assets of the computing environment in the proper working order. Using the above example, a monitoring system would be capable of determining that there is a relationship between the requesting service/application/asset and the inventory database. However, such systems are typically unable to identify or handle the auxiliary actions that are sometimes required to enact the workflow/process step.
For example, a modification may need to be made to the firewall configuration (i.e., a firewall "pinhole") in order to for the requestor to access the application server. Since the monitoring system is unaware of this additional side process, the change to the firewall remains after the step of the workflow/process is completed and is accessible to any other service/application/asset, internal or external, whether or not required.
Thus, when the asset (i.e. application server) is relinquished, the high-level of abstraction provided by process/workflow definition tools have created situations within the computing environment where functionality is left stray and unresolved.

Identifying stray assets in a computing enviroment and responsively taking resolution actions

International Business Machines Corporation


A measuring device electronics comprises a processor and two clock signal generators. One clock signal generator serves for producing a working clock signal, and also for producing a reference clock signal which is dependant on the working clock signal. The other clock signal generator, serves for producing a second reference clock signal, which is independent of the working clock signal. Based on the two independent reference clock signals, a frequency difference, can, to the extent that such is present, be ascertained during operation of the measuring device electronics or of the measuring device formed therewith. The frequency difference, represents a difference between the instantaneous clocking frequency of the first reference clock signal and the instantaneous clocking frequency of the second reference clock signal, and, in this respect, represents a measure for a deviation of an instantaneous clocking frequency, from the nominally predetermined clocking frequency, of the working clock signal.

In industrial process measurements technology, especially also in connection with the automation of chemical processes or procedures for producing a product from a raw or starting material by the use of chemical, physical or biological processes and/or the automated control of industrial plants, electrical measuring devices installed near to the process, so called field devices, are applied, such as, for example, Coriolis mass flow measuring devices, density measuring devices, magneto-inductive flow measuring devices, vortex flow measuring devices, ultrasonic flow measuring devices, thermal, mass flow measuring devices, pressure measuring devices, fill level measuring devices, etc., which serve for producing measured values representing process variables, as well as measured value signals—in given cases also digital measured value signals—ultimately representing these measured values. The process variables in each case to be registered can be, depending on application, for example, mass flow, density, viscosity, fill level, limit level or the like, of a liquid, a powdered medium, a vaporous medium or a gaseous medium, which is conveyed or held in a corresponding container, e.g. a pipeline or a tank.
For registering the respective process variables, measuring devices of the aforementioned type contain, in each case, a corresponding physical to electrical, or chemical to electrical, measuring transducer. Such is most often inserted in a wall of the respective container containing the medium or into the course of a respective line—for example a pipeline—conveying the medium, and serves to produce at least one corresponding electrical measurement signal corresponding to the process variable to be registered. For processing the measurement signal, the measuring transducer is further connected with a measuring device internal, operating and evaluating circuit, which is provided in a measuring device electronics of the measuring device, and which serves for further processing or evaluation of the at least one measurement signal, as well as also for generating corresponding measured value signals. The latter, in the case of modern measuring devices of the type being discussed, is most often formed by means of a processor, such as, for instance, a microprocessor and/or a digital signal processor (DSP), clocked by a corresponding clock signal. Examples of such measuring devices or measuring transducers, and especially also details concerning their application and operation, are described in, among others, DE 100 41 166, DE-A 10 2005 032808, the DE-A 37 11 754n, DE-A 39 34 007, DE-A 44 12 388, EP-A 1 058 093, EP-A 1 147 463, EP-A 1 158 289, EP-A 1 197 732, EP-A 1 669 726, EP-A 525 920, EP-A 591 926, EP-A 866 318, EP-A 926 473, EP-A 984 248, US-A 2004/0117675, US-A 2005/0139015, US-A 2006/0096390, US-A 2006/0112774, US-A 2006/0120054, US-A 2006/0161359, US-A 2006/0179956, US-A 2007/0217091, US-A 2009/0000392, US-A 2009/0038406, US-A 2009/0277281, US-A 2010/0095784, US-A 2010/0236338, US-A 2010/0242623, US-A 2010/0242624, US-A 2010/0255796, U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,725, U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,754, U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,116, U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,971, U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,610, U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,328, U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,584, U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,607, U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,353, U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,770, U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,384, U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,833, U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,897, U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,213, U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,911, U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,340, U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,109, U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,104, U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,439, U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,230, U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,152, U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,592, U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,279, U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,101, U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,884, U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,881, U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,341, U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,723, U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,748, U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,243, U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,345, U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,685, U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,975, U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,100, U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,007, U.S. Pat. No. 5,731,527, U.S. Pat. No. 5,742,225, U.S. Pat. No. 5,742,225, U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,011, U.S. Pat. No. 5,804,741, U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,770, U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,372, U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,609, U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,100, U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,783, U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,495, U.S. Pat. No. 6,140,940, U.S. Pat. No. 6,236,322, U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,701, U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,094, U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,136, U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,000, U.S. Pat. No. 6,366,436, U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,683, U.S. Pat. No. 6,476,522, U.S. Pat. No. 6,480,131, U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,507, U.S. Pat. No. 6,512,358, U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,393, U.S. Pat. No. 6,535,161, U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,819, U.S. Pat. No. 6,556,447, U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,515, U.S. Pat. No. 6,577,989, U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,308, U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,120, U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,098, U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,301, U.S. Pat. No. 6,776,053, U.S. Pat. No. 6,799,476, U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,109, U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,055, U.S. Pat. No. 6,920,798, U.S. Pat. No. 7,017,424, U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,045, U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,396, U.S. Pat. No. 7,075,313, U.S. Pat. No. 7,133,727, U.S. Pat. No. 7,134,348, U.S. Pat. No. 7,200,503, U.S. Pat. No. 7,360,451, WO-A 00/14 485, WO-A 00/36 379, WO-A 00/48157, WO-A 01/02816, WO-A 02/086426, WO-A 02/103327, WO-A 02/45045, WO-A 03/048874, WO-A 2006/073388, WO-A 2008/003627, WO-A 2011/011255, WO-A 88/02 476, WO-A 88/02 853, or WO-A 95/16 897.
In the case of a large number of measuring devices of the type being discussed, for producing the measurement signal, the measuring transducer is driven during operation by a driver signal generated, at least at times, by the operating and evaluating circuit in such a manner that it acts, at least indirectly, or via a probe directly contacting the medium, practically directly, on the medium in a manner suitable for the measuring, on the medium, in order to bring about corresponding reactions there corresponding with the measured variable to be registered. The driver signal can, in such case, be correspondingly controlled as regards, for example, an electrical current level, a voltage level and/or a frequency. To be cited as examples for such active measuring transducers, that is measuring transducers correspondingly converting an electrical driver signal in the medium, are especially flow measuring transducers serving for measuring media at least at times flowing, e.g. measuring transducers with at least one coil operated by the driver signal and producing a magnetic field, or at least one ultrasonic transmitter driven by the driver signal, or also fill level and/or limit level transducers serving for measuring and/or monitoring fill levels in a container, such as, for example, measuring transducers with freely radiating microwave antennas, with Goubau lines or with vibrating immersion elements.
Devices of the type being discussed have, furthermore, at least one housing with at least one, usually pressure-tightly and/or explosion resistantly closed chamber accommodating electrical, electronic and/or electro-mechanical components and/or assemblies of the device, for example, components of the mentioned operating and evaluating circuit. Thus, for accommodating the measuring device electronics, measuring devices of the described type most often comprise a comparatively robust, especially impact-resistant, pressure-resistant, and/or weather-resistant electronics housing. This can be arranged—as, for example, provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,683 or WO-A 00/36379—removed from the measuring device and connected with this only via a flexible line; it can, however—as is shown, for example, in EP-A 903 651 or EP-A 1 008 836—also be arranged directly on the measuring transducer or on a transducer measuring transducer housing separately housing the measuring transducer. In given cases, the electronics housing can then, as is, for example, shown in EP-A 984 248, U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,584, U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,770 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,000, also serve to accommodate some mechanical components of the measuring transducer, such as, for example, membrane, rod, sleeve or tubular deformation or vibrating elements operationally deforming under mechanical action; compare for this also the previously mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,000 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,783.
In the case of measuring devices, the respective measuring device electronics is usually electrically connected via corresponding electrical lines to a superordinated electronic data processing system arranged most often spatially removed from the respective device and most often also spatially distributed, wherein measured values produced by the respective measuring device are promptly forwarded to this data processing system by means of a measured value signal correspondingly carrying these measured values. Electrical devices of the described type are additionally usually connected by means of a data transmission network provided within the superordinated data processing system with one another and/or with corresponding electronic process controllers, for example, programmable logic controllers, installed on-site or process control computers installed in a remote control room, to which the measured values produced by means of the measuring device and digitized and correspondingly suitably encoded are forwarded. By means of such process control computers, the transmitted measured values can be further processed and visualized as corresponding measurement results, e.g. on monitors, and/or be converted into control signals for other field devices embodied as actuating devices, e.g. magnetic valves, electric motors etc. Since modern measuring arrangements most often can also be directly monitored and, in given cases, controlled and/or can be configured by such control computers, associated operating data are in a corresponding manner likewise sent to the measuring device via the aforementioned transmission networks, which are most often data transmission networks that are hybrid as regards the transmission physics and/or the transmission logic. Accordingly, the data processing system usually also serves to condition—for example, to suitably digitize—the measured value signal delivered by the measuring device corresponding to the requirements of downstream data transmission networks, and, in given cases, to convert the signal into a corresponding telegram, and/or to evaluate it on-site. For such purpose, in such data processing systems, evaluating circuits electrically coupled with the respective connecting lines are provided, which pre-process and/or further process as well as, if required, suitably convert the measured values received from the respective measuring and/or switching device. Serving at least sectionally for data transmission in such industrial data processing systems are fieldbusses, especially serial fieldbusses, such as, for example, FOUNDATION FIELDBUS, RACKBUS-RS 485, PROFIBUS, etc., or, for example, also networks based on the ETHERNET standard, as well as the corresponding, most often comprehensively standardized, transmission protocols.
Besides the evaluating circuits required for processing and converting the measured values delivered by the respectively connected measuring devices, such superordinated data processing systems most often also have electrical supply circuits serving for supplying the connected measuring and/or switching devices with electrical energy. Thus, such electrical supply circuits provide corresponding supply voltages (in given cases fed directly by the connected fieldbus) for the respective measuring device electronics, and drive the electrical currents flowing through the electrical lines connected thereto as well as through the respective measuring device electronics. In such case, a supply circuit can be associated, for example, in each case, with exactly one measuring device, and, together with the evaluating circuit associated with the respective measuring device—for example, united to form a corresponding fieldbus adapter—be accommodated in a shared electronics housing, embodied, for example, as a hatrail module. It is, however, also quite usual to accommodate supply circuits and evaluating circuits in each case in separate electronics housings, in given cases spatially remote from one another, and correspondingly to wire these with one another via external lines.
As mentioned, among others, in the previously mentioned EP-A 1 197 732 or US-A 2009/0000392, measuring devices of the type being discussed, are at times to be tested—be it at the instigation of the user operating the measuring device and/or due to a requirement of one of the authorities overseeing the measuring point formed by means of the measuring device—as to whether the required accuracy of measurement or that stated in the specification is still reliably achieved, or whether the measuring device—for instance, as a result of wear of the measuring transducer and/or aging of the measuring device electronics—no longer measures sufficiently precisely or no longer in a sufficiently reproducible manner.
Such tests of the measuring device electronics in the context of a subsequent verification of its measuring functionality, or an equally subsequent validation of the measured values produced by means of the measuring device regularly occurs in the case of conventional measuring devices by a correspondingly certified external testing device being connected to the measuring device electronics via a service interface, wherein the external testing device serves to apply at least one defined test signal corresponding to the at least one measurement signal at the input of the measuring device electronics for the respective measurement signal of the measuring transducer. By means of the test signal, a particular behavior of the measuring transducer, and consequently a corresponding particular measured value for the measured variable otherwise to be registered can thus in each case be simulated. In association therewith, by means of the measuring device electronics, the test measured values corresponding with the respective test signal can thus be produced and compared with specifications for test measured values corresponding with the respective test signal. If the test measured values deviate by less than an allowable highest tolerance from the specifications, the measuring device electronics and consequently the measuring device has then passed these tests, and consequently, the measuring device electronics is correspondingly verified and permitted for further operation.
A disadvantage of such a method for testing measuring device electronics is particularly to be seen in the fact that, for its performance, normal measuring operation of the measuring device must be interrupted, and consequently the portion of the plant monitored from the measuring point must be taken out of operation for the duration of the test. Moreover, such testing requires a special, most often very expensive, testing device, which recurringly must undergo very complex recalibration. Furthermore, this kind of testing is regularly performed only by correspondingly trained and permitted examiners.

Measuring device electronics for a measuring device as well as measuring device formed therewith


The invention relates specifically to a simplified and subsequently improved method to produce a scroll type vacuum pump that is capable of achieving vacuum pressures below 1 torr through the placement of at least one dynamic orbital vacuum seal between the two scroll halves at the outside diameter of the scroll spirals to prevent atmospheric gas from entering. Prior to this invention, in order to achieve vacuum pressures less than 1 torr with a scroll pump it has been necessary to either seal the two scroll halves with a large diameter metal bellows that accommodates the required orbital travel or to locate the orbiting scroll plate or plates and the components that convert the rotary drive to the required orbital motion inside the vacuum space with a dynamic vacuum seal on the rotary drive shaft. Both of these designs have been expensive to produce, limiting the application of scroll technology in the vacuum industry to special applications.

1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field).
The invention relates specifically to a simplified and subsequently improved method to produce an oil free scroll type vacuum pump which is capable of achieving vacuum pressures below 1 torr through the application of the invention's dynamic orbital vacuum seal between the opposing scroll halves in order to prevent atmospheric pressure from entering into the pump.
2. Background Art
Scroll type vacuum pumps are pumps that consist of two plate halves which have involute archimedes spiral walls formed into each plate half. The plates are placed together with the spirals interleaved. An orbiting motion is employed to either or both plates in order to trap a volume of gas from the outside diameter of the scroll spiral walls and then compress the gas along the spiral walls in a crescent shaped chamber that becomes smaller until the gas is expelled to atmosphere at the outlet port located at the center of the spiral walls. In order to achieve vacuum pressure less than 1 torr, it has previously been necessary to seal the orbiting outside diameter mating joint between the two scroll halves with a large diameter bellows. This bellows is welded to each scroll half in a configuration that can accommodate the required orbital travel and prevent atmospheric pressure from entering the pump. Another method locates one or both scroll plates, along with the components that convert the rotary drive to the required orbital motion, inside the vacuum space. Both of these designs are more expensive to produce than the invention's improved scroll vacuum pump which utilizes the invention's dynamic orbital vacuum seal to seal the orbiting outside diameter mating joint between the scroll halves. This expense has limited the application of scroll technology in the vacuum industry to special applications.


A circuit interconnecting device includes a circuit connection board and a circuit board which is detachable. The circuit connection board includes an input terminal, an output terminal and an onboard slot member. The input terminal is coupled to the onboard slot member through a first circuit, and the output terminal is coupled to the onboard slot member through a second circuit; and the circuit board is inserted into the onboard slot member to connect the first circuit and the second circuit.

In the display field of TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display), OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) and so on, it is necessary to perform a lighting detection on the display production during manufacturing and before leaving factory. Specifically, a display driving signal is transmitted from a pattern generator to a display device through a circuit interconnecting device, and then a detection person may detect the display screen.
In the related art, when a product is performed detection, the process of replacing the circuit interconnecting board is complex, resulting in a longer waiting time for the replacement, which badly affecting the detection efficiency, and in turn the production rate of production line.

Circuit interconnecting device for lighting detection

HEFEI BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A carbon material comprising pyrolized egg protein characterized by containing mesopores or micropores. The pyrolized egg protein may comprise pyrolyzed eggshell membrane having a continuous conducting core and a porous shell, the pyrolyzed eggshell membrane comprising partially-activated carbon. The porous shell may comprise nitrogen or oxygen. The pyrolized egg protein may comprise mesoporous egg white.

Nitrogen-rich carbon materials are very useful for applications such as supercapacitors, battery electrodes, oxygen reduction reaction supports for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells and direct methanol fuel cells, and as sorbents for CO2 capture. They are also very useful as supports for other "active" materials such as Fe3O4, which yields synergistic CO2 capture and heavy metal absorption performance. Unfortunately nitrogen-rich carbonized materials are expensive to manufacture, normally requiring intense chemical treatments, such as acid boiling or exposure to high temperature ammonia vapors, in order to make their surfaces rich in nitrogen atoms. Moreover since these atoms are only at the outermost surface layer, the nitrogen-induced functionality wears out with prolonged use. Ideally the high (near 10% by weight) content would be in the bulk of the carbonaceous material, rather than at the surface. This would require high nitrogen content in the feedstock. A major economic advantage of such feedstock is that it would not require additional chemical treatments but would rely simply on pyrolysis and activation. Many such materials come from esoteric sources such as certain forms of seaweed.
Others have soaked eggshell membrane (ESM) in Co(NO3)2.6H2O and have pyrolyzed the whole structure. Also, ESM is often used as a template for other structures and is removed during pyrolysis.

The Governors of the University of Alberta


The invention relates to the field of feeding devices, in particular for feeding rockets on the ground. A feeding device (4) of the invention comprises at least two mutually complementary feeding connectors (5, 6), a breakable connection member (15) connecting these two feeding connectors (5, 6) together and presenting a breakable section (15c) between these two feeding connectors (5, 6), and a force transmission member (16) connected to said breakable section (15c) in such a manner as to transmit a breaking load thereto in order to unlock the connection between the two feeding connectors (5, 6). During unlocking, a breaking load transmitted by the force transmission member (16) thus serves to break the breakable section (15c).

On the ground, on a launch ramp or pad, such a rocket is often connected to umbilical ducts for feeding it with propellants, pressurizing fluids, and/or electricity until the moment it lifts off. Those ducts may also provide other services, such as for example conveying data between the rocket and a control station. In order to make a connection between such umbilical ducts and the rocket, they present pairs of mutually complementary connectors often referred to as "valve plates" because of the presence of valves presenting fluids from flowing when the connectors separate.
On certain current rockets, such as for example launchers of the Ariane 5 family, at least some of these pairs of mutually complementary feeding connectors are separated before igniting the propulsion engines of the first stage. Consequently, it is normally necessary to verify that they have been disconnected before the rocket lifts off. And above all, in the event of liftoff being aborted after separation of the feeding connectors, and in particular when the tanks of the rocket contain cryogenic liquids, in particular propellants, it typically becomes necessary to empty those tanks via other connectors and also to replace the feeding connectors. Unfortunately, this involves intervention by means that are expensive and also prevents the rocket from being used during a precious length of time.


The invention relates to a container for transporting and/or storing products, and particularly a cryostat type container, having an external packaging structure having a plurality of walls defining an internal volume within which an insulating bulb is suspended, the insulating bulb having a body formed by an outer wall and an inner wall, the inner wall defining an internal volume and the body having an opening leading into the internal volume of the insulating bulb and a cover formed from one of the plurality of walls of the external packaging structure, the cover having a tubular element capable of contacting the insulating bulb to suspend the insulating bulb within the internal volume that receives the insulating bulb, the cover also allowing passage of materials through the opening when the insulating bulb is suspended.

In the field of vessels for transporting liquidated gas, there are primarily two known techniques, that is, on the one hand, hermetically sealed vessels equipped with a system enabling the internal pressure to be controlled and, on the other hand, non-hermetic vessels to which the invention particularly relates. These non-hermetic vessels are used for the transport and/or storage of liquefied gas under atmospheric pressure, these vessels being equipped to allow the free escape of vapors with a density greater than air that are produced progressively with the reheating of the liquefied gas.
For example, a cryogenic fluid such as liquid nitrogen can be transported in a thermally insulated vessel, also called a cryostat, devoid of a system ensuring the imperviousness of the closure. However, the vessel must in return be kept in a vertical position in order to avoid accidental spillage of the liquid nitrogen. This type of vessel is, for example, very widely used for transporting biological materials requiring conservation at a very low temperature. Thus, the majority of known vessels used as a transportation device are cryostats comprising an insulting bulb consisting of two metal walls separated by the void and connected by a ring ensuring the connection between the free upper ends of each of the walls, in the area of the neck of the bulb. In these vessels, the outside metal wall of the insulating bulb thus directly constitutes the outside packing of the transportation device, which can, however, have an additional packaging structure within which is the metal cryostat.
One immediately realizes that the use of metal materials to manufacture such cryostats entails a high manufacturing cost that consequently precludes any single-use utilization. Then, for transporting products whose commercial value is sometimes low, the shipment expenses generated by the use of such cryostats as transportation devices are very significant. On the one hand, the weight of the metal cryostat contributes to increasing the cost of the transport and, on the other hand, the empty repatriation of the vessel to the original place of shipment must be organized because the expenses incurred for returning it are usually less than the purchase price of a new unit.
This consignment system is a significant constraint, particularly when it involves far-away shipments by air or when the shipper must meet strong sporadic seasonal demands subject to the biological laws, which are difficult to circumvent. This is particularly the case for the reproduction of certain animal species from frozen gametes or embryos.
Furthermore, these metal cryostats are often not very stable because they exhibit a bottom with a relatively reduced section, compared to their height. The height of the cryostats is particularly determined in relation to the pipes bearing the products that are destined to be vertically introduced in the internal volume of the vessel and that facilitate transfers between vessels.
Finally, despite the use of metal materials, the transportation devices made up of such cryostats remain particularly vulnerable to shock(s) and to falling during transport, with increased risk of deterioration due to their lack of stability. In fact, in the event of shock(s) or fall(s), the forces are, particularly in the absence of a packaging structure, directly received by the outer wall of the insulating bulb and transmitted to the ring ensuring the connection with the inner wall. Such forces often cause the connecting ring to rupture, and such a rupture of the ring laid out in the area of the neck of the bulb is fatal to the transported products because the vacuum between the walls is lost; the bulb then loses its insulation properties, no longer ensuring its conservation at low temperature. What is more, to these outside forces, stemming from the shocks or the falls sustained by the cryostat, are added other forces in the opposite direction that are transmitted to the inner wall by the content of the bulb, particularly the cryogenic fluid, such as liquid nitrogen. The combining of these forces on the inner and outer walls cause severe damage to the ring, in turn leading to the total or partial loss of the cooling cryogenic liquid due to evaporation and inevitably resulting in the loss of the transported or stored product. The resistance of the ring, which is generally made of a composite or analogous material to prevent a thermal bridge from forming, is not sufficient to sustain such forces, particularly torsion. That is the reason why numerous ruptures are noted in the area of the connecting ring that constitutes the only contact point or area between the inner and outer walls of the double wall of the bulb.
One possible solution is to pack the cryostat in a packaging structure in such a way as to try to protect it at least from direct shock(s); however, such a solution also contributes to increasing both the manufacturing and usage costs of such cryostats, and the total transported weight. Furthermore, the risk of severely damaging the connecting ring is not eliminated despite this and persists particularly in case of a severe shock or a fall because the resulting forces are directly transmitted by the packaging structure to the metal outer wall of the cryostat.
Such transportation devices or metal cryostats are thus not entirely satisfactory, particularly given their manufacturing and usage costs, their vulnerability to shock(s) and to fall(s) likely to occur during transport and also preclude a single use. The invention proposes a new design for a transportation and/or storage device making it possible to specifically remedy the abovementioned shortcomings of the state of the art.
To this end, the invention proposes a device for transporting and/or storing products, particularly of cryostat type, having an external packaging structure comprising walls defining an internal volume within which is a double-walled insulating bulb whose body is formed by an outer wall and an inner wall defining an internal volume, the bulb comprising an upper neck defining an upper filling opening, the device comprising bulb supporting means that comprise attachment means capable of engaging with the only inner wall of the bulb in order to vertically suspend the bulb by its neck in such a way that the bulb hangs freely in the empty space inside the internal volume defined by the packaging structure, with no contact between the outer wall of the bulb and the walls of the packaging structure, said device being characterized in that the means for the suspended support of the bulb consist of at least one of the walls of the packaging.

Container for suspending an insulating bulb


An orifice plate assembly including a plurality of ring members, each having an inner facing surface including a first annular recess extending therein, and a plurality of inner annular seals, wherein a different inner annular seal of the plurality is overmolded to the first annular recess of each of the plurality of ring members to seal against a facing surface of an orifice plate captured between the plurality of ring members.

Fluid flow rate is the quantification of bulk fluid or gas movement, typically measured as volumetric and mass flow rates. The ability to measure reliably and accurately fluid flow rates serves an important function in a variety of processes and industries (e.g., chemical processing, oil and gas transport and production, etc.). An orifice fitting is one of many devices that may be used to measure volumetric or mass flow rate of fluids flowing through a pipe or conduit. An orifice fitting typically employs a flat, thin plate having a central orifice that is smaller in diameter than the diameter of the conduit in which the plate is disposed. The orifice plate is positioned between a sealing ring and a compression ring that may be held together by a fastener to form an orifice plate assembly. The orifice plate assembly is disposed within a plate carrier, which is, in turn, supported and aligned within the orifice fitting. In this arrangement, the mass fluid flow rate through the conduit may be calculated from the pressure differential measured across the orifice plate, as well as other parameters.
When using an orifice fitting to measure fluid flow, many factors must be considered in order to obtain accurate flow estimates. Typically, the orifice plate assembly is positioned within the orifice fitting with the seal and compression rings positioned on the upstream and downstream sides, respectively, of the orifice plate. A seal is provided between the seal ring and orifice plate, but no seal is provided between the orifice plate and the compression ring. With these unidirectional orifice plate assemblies, leakage may occur if the compression ring side of the orifice plate assembly is inadvertently positioned upstream. Leakage results in reduced pressure drop across the orifice plate and inaccurate estimations of fluid flow through the fitting.