A high-strength austenitic stainless steel strip exhibiting excellent flatness with Vickers hardness of 400 or more has the composition comprising: C up to 0.20 mass %, Si up to 4.0 mass %, Mn up to 5.0 mass %, 4.0-12.0 mass % Ni, 12.0-20.0 mass % Cr, Mo up to 5.0 mass %, N up to 0.15 mass % and the balance being Fe except inevitable impurities having a value Md(N) in a range of 0-125 defined by the formula Md(N)=580-520C-2Si-16Mn-16Cr-23Ni-26Cu-300N-10Mo. The material has a dual-phase structure of austenite and martensite involving a reverse-transformed austenite at a ratio of 3 vol. % or more. The material is manufactured by solution-heating a steel strip having the above composition, cold-rolling the steel strip to generate a deformation-induced martensite, and then re-heating at 500-700xc2x0 C. to induce a phase reversion from martensite to at least 3 vol. % austenite. The reversion effectively flattens the steel strip.

The present invention relates to a high-strength meta-stable austenitic stainless steel strip composed of a dual-phase structure of austenite and martensite exhibiting excellent flatness with Vickers hardness of 400 or more. The invention also relates to a manufacturing method thereof.
Martensitic, work-hardened or precipitation-hardened stainless steel has been typically used as a high-strength material with a Vickers hardness of 400 or more.
Martensitic stainless steel such as SUS 410 or SUS420J2 is hardened by quenching from a high-temperature austenitic phase to induce martensite transformation. Since the steel material is adjusted to a Vickers hardness of 400 or more by heat-treatment such as quenching-tempering, its manufacturing process necessitates such the heat-treatment. The steel strip unfavorably reduces its toughness after quenching and changes its shape due to the martensite transformation. These disadvantages put considerable restrictions on manufacturing conditions.
Work-hardened austenitic stainless steel such as SUS 301 or SUS 304 is often used instead, in the case where deviation of shape causes troubles on usage. The work-hardened austenitic stainless steel has an austenitic phase in a solution-treated state and generates a deformation-induced martensite phase effective for improvement of strength during cold-rolling thereafter.
Although the surface of a steel strip is flattened by cold-rolling, the dependency of hardness on a rolling temperature is great, and the surface flatness varies irregularly along a lengthwise direction or rolling direction of the steel strip. As a consequence, it is difficult to uniformly flatten the steel strip under stable conditions by cold-rolling from commercial point of view.
A degree of transformation from austenite to deformation-induced martensite depends on a rolling temperature, even if a stainless steel strip such as SUS 301 or SUS 304 is cold-rolled at the same reduction ratio. When the steel strip is cold-rolled at a high temperature, generation of the deformation-induced martensite is suppressed, resulting in poor hardness of the cold-rolled steel strip. Conversely, a lower rolling temperature accelerates transformation to deformation-induced martensite and raises hardness of the cold-rolled steel strip. Increasing hardness causes an increase of deformation resistance, and so makes it difficult to flatten the steel strip in a uniform manner.
The present invention provides a high-strength austenitic stainless steel strip exhibiting excellent flatness with Vickers hardness of 400 or more. Improved flatness is attained by a volumetric change during the phase reversion from deformation-induced martensite to austenite so as to suppress shape deterioration caused by martensitic transformation, rather than flattening the steel strip while in a martensitic phase.
The high-strength austenitic stainless steel strip proposed by the present invention has a composition consisting of C up to 0.20 mass %, Si up to 4.0 mass %, Mn up to 5.0 mass %, 4.0-12.0 mass % Ni, 12.0-20.0 mass % Cr, Mo up to 5.0 mass %, N up to 0.15 mass %, optionally at least one or more of Cu up to 3.0 mass %, Ti up to 0.5 mass %, Nb up to 0.50 mass %, Al up to 0.2 mass %, B up to 0.015 mass %, REM (rare earth metals) up to 0.2 mass %, Y up to 0.2 mass %, Ca up to 0.1 mass % and Mg up to 0.10 mass %, and the balance being Fe plus inevitable impurities with the provision that a value Md(N) defined by the formula (1) is in a range of 0-125.
Md(N)=580-520C-2Si-16Mn-16Cr-23Ni-26Cu-300N-10Moxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
The steel strip has a dual-phase structure of austenite and martensite, which involves a reversed austenitic phase at a ratio more than 3 vol. %.
The newly proposed austenitic stainless steel strip is manufactured as follows: A stainless steel strip having the properly controlled composition is solution-treated, cold-rolled to generate a deformation-induced martensite phase, and then re-heated at 500-700xc2x0 C. to induce a phase reversion, whereby an austenitic phase is generated at a ratio of 3 vol. % or more in a matrix composed of the deformation-induced martensite. When the steel strip is treated in this manner to achieve the austenitic phase reversion of 3 vol. % or more and then placed under a load of 785 Pa or more, the flatness of the strip is improved.
The inventors have researched and examined, from various aspects, effects of conditions for manufacturing a meta-stable austenitic stainless steel strip, which generates deformation-induced martensite during cold-rolling, on hardness and flatness of the steel strip. As a result of the research, the inventors have found that heat-treatment to promote reversion from deformation-induced martensite to austenite causes a volumetric change of the steel strip which is effective for improving flatness. High strength and excellent flatness are gained by properly controlling the composition of the steel as well as controlling the conditions for reversion. In the specification of the present invention, the wording xe2x80x9ca steel stripxe2x80x9d of course involves a steel sheet, and the same reversion to austenite is realized during heat-treatment of a steel sheet.
The composition of the austenitic stainless steel together with the conditions of reversion will become apparent from the following explanation.
C up to 0.20 mass %
C is an austenite former, which hardens a martensite phase and also lowers a reversion temperature. As the reversion temperature decreases, reversion to austenite is more easily controlled at a proper ratio suitable for improvement of flatness and hardness. However, precipitation of chromium carbides at grain boundaries is accelerated in a cooling step after solution-treatment or during aging as the C content increases. Precipitation of chromium carbides causes degradation of intergranular corrosion cracking resistance and fatigue strength. In this sense, an upper limit of C content is determined at 0.20 mass %, so as to inhibit precipitation of chromium carbides by conditions of heat-treatment and a cooling speed.
Si up to 4.0 mass %
Si is a ferrite former, which dissolves in a martensite matrix, hardens the martensitic phase and improves strength of a cold-rolled steel strip. Si is also effective for age-hardening, since it promotes strain aging during aging-treatment. However, excessive additions of Si cause high-temperature cracking and also various troubles in the manufacturing process, so that an upper limit of the Si content is determined at 4.0 mass %.
Mn up to 5.0 mass %
Mn is effective for suppressing generation of xcex4-ferrite in a high-temperature zone. An initiating temperature for reversion falls as the Mn content increases, so that a ratio of reversed austenite can be controlled with ease. However, excessive addition of Mn above 5.0 mass % unfavorably accelerates generation of deformation-induced martensite during cold-rolling, and makes it impossible to use the reversion for improvement of flatness.
Ni: 4.0-12.0 mass %
Ni inhibits generation of xcex4-ferrite in a high-temperature zone, the same as Mn, and lowers an initiating temperature for reversion, the same as C. Ni also effectively improves precipitation-hardenability of a steel strip. These effects become apparent at a Ni content not less than 4.0 mass %. However, excessive additions of Ni above 12.0 mass % unfavorably accelerate generation of deformation-induced martensite during cold-rolling and thus makes it difficult to induce the reversion necessary for flattening.
Cr: 12.0-20.0 mass %
Cr is an alloying element used for improvement of corrosion resistance. Corrosion resistance is intentionally improved at a Cr content of 12.0 mass % or more. However, excessive additions of Cr cause too much generation of xcex4-ferrite in a high-temperature zone and requires the addition of austenite formers such as C, N, Ni, Mn and Cu. An increase of the austenite formers stabilizes the austenitic phase at room temperature and makes it difficult to generate deformation-induced martensite during cold-rolling. As a result, a steel strip after being aged exhibits poor strength. In this sense, an upper limit of Cr content is determined at 20.0 mass %, in order to avoid an increase of the austenite formers.
Mo up to 5.0 mass %
Mo effectively improves corrosion resistance of the steel strip and promotes dispersion of carbides as fine particles during reversion. In reversion treatment useful for flattening a steel strip, a re-heating temperature is determined at a level higher than a temperature for conventional aging treatment. Although elevation of the re-heating temperature accelerates the release of strains, abrupt release of strains is suppressed by the addition of Mo. Mo generates precipitates which are effective in improving strength during aging. Mo also inhibits a decrease of strength at a reversion temperature higher than a conventional aging temperature. These effects become apparent at a Mo content of 1.5 mass % or more. However, excessive additions of Mo above 5.0 mass % accelerate generation of xcex4-ferrite in a high-temperature zone.
N up to 0.15 mass %
N is an austenite former, which lowers an initiating temperature for reversion, the same as C. Reversed austenite can be controlled at a ratio suitable for flatness and strengthening with ease by the addition of N at a proper ratio. However, since an excessive addition of N causes the occurrence of blowholes during casting, an upper limit of N content is determined at 0.15 mass %.
Cu up to 3.0 mass %
Cu is an optional alloying element acting as an austenite former, which lowers an initiating temperature for reversion and promotes age-hardening during reversion. However, excessive additions of Cu above 3.0 mass % cause poor hot-workability and the occurrence of cracking.
Ti up to 0.50 mass %
Ti is an optional alloying element, which promotes age-hardening and improves strength during reversion. However, excessive additions of Ti above 0.50 mass % cause the occurrence of scratches on the surface of the slab and troubles in the manufacturing process.
Nb up to 0.50 mass %
Nb is an optional alloying element, which improves strength during reversion but degrades hot-workability of the steel strip. In this sense, Nb content is limited to 0.50 mass % or less.
Al up to 0.2 mass %
Al is an optional alloying element, which serves as a deoxidizing agent in a steel-making step and remarkably reduces type-A inclusions, harmful for press-workability. The effects of Al are saturated at 0.2 mass %, and excessive additions of Al cause other troubles such as the occurrence of surface flaws.
B up to 0.015 mass %
B is an optional alloying element effective for inhibiting the occurrence of edge cracks, which are derived from a difference of deformation resistance between xcex4-ferrite and austenite at a hot-rolling temperature, in a hot-rolled steel strip. However, excessive additions of B above 0.015 mass % cause generation of low-melting boride and somewhat deteriorates hot-workability.
Each of REM, Y, Ca and Mg is an optional alloying element, which improves hot-workability and oxidation resistance. Such the effects are saturated at 0.2 mass % REM, 0.2 mass % Y, 0.1 mass % Ca and 0.1 mass % Mg, respectively, and excessive additions of these elements worsen the cleanliness of the steel.
REM (rare earth metals) up to 0.2 mass %
Y up to 0.2 mass %
Ca up to 0.1 mass %
Mg up to 0.1 mass %
The newly proposed steel strip further includes P, S and O other than the above-mentioned elements. P is an element effective for solution-hardening but harmful for toughness, so that an upper limit of P content is preferably determined at a conventionally allowable level of 0.04 mass %. S content shall be controlled to a lowest possible level, since S is a harmful element which causes occurrence of ear cracks during hot-rolling. The harmful influence of S can be inhibited by addition of B, so that allowable S content is preferably determined at 0.02 mass % or less. O generates nonmetallic oxide inclusions, which worsens the cleanliness of the steel and harms press-workability and bendability. Hence, the O content is preferably controlled at a ratio of 0.02 mass % or less.
A value Md(N) defined by the formula of
Md(N)=580-520C-2Si-16Mn-16Cr-23Ni-26Cu-300N-10Mo:0-125
According to the present invention, a shape of a stainless steel strip is flattened by volumetric change during re-heating to induce a phase reversion from deformation-induced martensite, which is generated by cold-rolling, to austenite. For such a reversion, a value Md(N) representing the stability of an austenitic phase against working is controlled in a range of 0-125 so as to generate deformation-induced martensite by cold-rolling after solution-treatment. The value Md(N) shall be not less than 0; otherwise cold-rolling at an extremely lower temperature, which is not adaptable for an industrial manufacturing process, would be necessary for generation of a martensite phase effective for improvement of strength. On the other hand, if the value Md(N) exceeds 125, an austemtic phase, which is generated during reversion, is re-transformed to martensite during cooling to room temperature, resulting in degradation of shape.
Phase reversion temperature: 500-700xc2x0 C.
When a solution-treated steel strip is cold-rolled, deformation-induced martensite is generated by cold-rolling. The cold-rolled steel strip is then re-heated at a temperature to reverse the deformation-induced martensite phase to the austenite phase. If the re-heating temperature is lower than 500xc2x0 C., the phase reversion progresses too slow from an industrial point of view. However, a re-heating temperature higher than 700xc2x0 C. extremely accelerates the phase reversion and also softens the martensite phase, so that it is difficult uniformly provide a steel strip with a Vickers hardness of 400 or more. An excessively high re-heating temperature also causes degradation of corrosion resistance due to sensitization derived from carbide precipitation.
A ratio of reversed austenite: 3 vol. % or more
Volumetric change caused by a phase reversion from martensite to austenite results in a dimensional shrinkage of 10% or so, providing a steel strip flattened by shrinkage deformation. Although the shape of the steel strip collapses due to volumetric expansion caused by the transformation from austenite to martensite during cold-rolling, such collapse of the shape is eliminated by the shrinkage deformation during the reversion from deformation-induced martensite to austenite, which is realized by re-heating the cold-rolled steel strip. As a result of the experiments under various conditions, the inventors have found that a ratio of reversed austenite, which effects on flatness of a steel strip, is at least 3 vol. %.
A load applied to a steel strip during reversion: 785 Pa or more
A steel strip is held or fixed in a proper, flat state by application of a tension to a strip coil or by gravity of a steel strip itself during reversion. Flatness of the steel strip is further improved by reversion under the condition that a load is applied to the steel strip with a pressboard or the like, since the reversion progresses while the strip is restrained. In this case, a load is preferably of 785 Pa or more for each unit area, provides high-temperature strength at the reversion.

High-strength austenitic stainless steel strip having excellent flatness and method of manufacturing same


The present disclosure provides a spray device and a cleaning apparatus. The spray device includes an atomization structure, which is configured to atomize a cleaning liquid when the cleaning liquid is sprayed to form liquid droplets, and a jet structure, which is configured to spray a gas along a determined direction to cause the gas sprayed to collide with the liquid droplets to form atomized particles. The spray device provided by the present disclosure may increase cleaning uniformity and cleaning efficiency to improve cleaning process results, and may further reduce an impact force to the to-be-cleaned surface by the liquid droplets to a certain level. Thus, the damage to a surface pattern of a wafer may be reduced.

As a feature size of an integrated circuit continues to shrink, higher and higher requirements are imposed on the cleanliness and flatness of a wafer surface. Generally, the wafer surface needs to be cleaned to remove impurities and pollutants on the wafer surface pattern.
In a traditional cleaning and spraying technology, a liquid phase fluid is sprayed on the wafer surface by a nozzle located over the wafer. However, since large-size droplets or jet streams are sprayed from the nozzle, and the sizes of the droplets are not uniform, and the droplets may impact the wafer surface at a high flow rate, which will cause serious damages to the wafer surface pattern processed with 65 nm and below. The utilization rate of the liquid phase fluid is low, which results in extreme waste of resources.

BEIJING NAURA MICROELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.


Variable turbocharger apparatus comprising a housing, a compressor, a turbine, a chamber which extends around the turbine, a bearing assembly for the turbine, vanes mounted in the chamber, a piston positioned between the housing and the turbine, a control device controlling the piston, a piston end nearest the bearing assembly defining a gap, which is variable in size to control exhaust gases acting on the turbine, at least one bypass aperture which opens to allow exhaust gases that are not required for acting on the turbine to bypass the turbine, and sliding of the piston being such that the piston is always maintained in a position which enables the turbine speed to be controlled through the gap alone when there is no bypass and through the gap and the bypass aperture when there is bypass.

This invention relates to turbocharger apparatus and, more especially, this invention relates to variable turbocharger apparatus.
Variable turbocharger apparatus is known comprising a housing, a compressor mounted for rotation in the housing, a turbine mounted for rotation in the housing, a first inlet for enabling air to be conducted to the compressor, an outlet for enabling air from the compressor to be conducted to an engine, a second inlet for enabling exhaust gases from the engine to be conducted to the turbine in order to rotate the turbine, a chamber which extends around the turbine and which receives the exhaust gases from the second inlet before the exhaust gases are conducted to the turbine, a bearing assembly for permitting the rotation of the turbine, a heat shield for shielding the bearing assembly from the exhaust gases, and a control system to control the speed of the turbine. One of the problems with such known variable turbocharger apparatus is the overall range limit, whereby if all of the gases are passed through the turbine, and if the variable turbocharger apparatus is designed to operate over a large flow volume, there is a point where the low down efficiency of the variable turbocharger apparatus starts to depreciate.

Variable turbocharger apparatus with bypass


An air duct assembly for a vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system includes a first duct member having a pair of opposed side walls, an upper wall and a lower wall, a front wall, a rear wall and a central passageway. A second duct member is operatively attached to the first duct member, and includes a plurality of integrally formed chambers. Each chamber has a pair of opposed side walls, an upper wall and a lower wall interconnecting the sidewalls, a front wall and a rear wall and a central passageway extending between an opening in the front wall and an opening in the upper wall. A door member is disposed between the first duct member and the second duct member. The door member includes a plurality of flaps that control the flow of air through the second duct member and the first duct member.

Vehicles, such as automobiles, include a climate control system for maintaining the interior climate of the occupant compartment of the vehicle. Air handling for the climate control system is provided by a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) assembly. The HVAC assembly includes a network of ducts and vents for transferring a flow of air in through and out of the vehicle. The airflow in the occupant compartment enhances occupant comfort, provides for anti-fogging of windows, as well as other features. The transfer of fresh air into the occupant compartment and of stale air out of the occupant compartment is typically accomplished via an interconnected system of air vents and air ducts. The air duct openings are positioned in various locations in the occupant compartment, such as in the instrument panel, a pillar, or the quarter panel, or the like.
One function of an air duct is to provide for the controlled flow of air into the occupant compartment of the vehicle. Another function of an air duct is to provide for the controlled flow of air out of the occupant compartment of the vehicle. The air duct may have other functions as well, and may be part of an integrated air duct assembly. Various considerations influence the configuration of the air duct. For example, a consideration is to maintain an effective transfer of airflow both in and out of the vehicle for operation of the HVAC system. Another example is to keep transfer of noise or vibration through the air ducts to a minimum. Still another example is to minimize the flow of dust and water through the air ducts and into the vehicle. While presently available air ducts work well, there is still a need in the art for an air duct assembly that improves the performance of the HVAC system by increasing the effective airflow through the occupant compartment of a vehicle while also reducing any side effect concerns of water, dust, or noise intrusion into the occupant compartment.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


Disclosed is a microactuator using growth and destruction of bubbles including a first chamber provided with a heating plate installed at an exterior of a bottom surface of the first chamber to generate heat, and filled with a first liquid working fluid such that bubbles are caused, by heat, to grow at an interface of a cavity on an inner surface of the first chamber to be heated, a second chamber provided with a heating plate installed at an exterior of a bottom surface of the second chamber to generate heat, and filled with a second liquid working fluid such that bubbles are caused, by heat, to grow at an interface of a cavity on an inner surface of the second chamber to be heated, a connection path to connect the first chamber and the second chamber to each other, the connection path being provided therein with a moving member adapted to isolate the first and second chambers from each other and to move when internal pressure changes according to growth and destruction of the bubbles, a first subline to connect the connection path to the second chamber such that the first working fluid moves the moving member to one side and is guided to the second chamber according to increase in the internal pressure by growth of the bubbles in the first chamber, a second subline to connect the connection path to the first chamber such that the second working fluid moves the moving member to the other side and is guided to the first chamber according to increase in internal pressure by growth of the bubbles in the second chamber, and a plurality of cooling means installed on the first subline and the second subline to destroy bubbles produced in the first and second chambers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microactuator using growth and destruction of bubbles that is broadly applicable to micro-size systems and actuators, and more particularly to a microactuator using growth and destruction of bubbles which ensures rapid response of a moving member by allowing change of internal pressure according to growth and destruction of bubbles at the interface of a cavity, enables production of high power output through high internal pressure through a simple structure, and enables precise control of the moving member through adjustment of the internal pressure of the chamber and the speed of a working fluid filling the chamber according to the size and rate of growth of bubbles.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, microminiaturized actuators can be used in micro-devices and in fields requiring high precision control. These microminiaturized actuators are drawing attention in many fields including biotechnology, medicine, war, environmental technology, and chemical processes.
When miniaturized, devices can not only operate precisely and overcome spatial constraints, but also can be applied to micro-robots for medical and military use. Accordingly, designing of microminiaturized systems have been attempted for decades.
Such microminiaturized devices have a size reduced to millimeter scale or below. Development of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) has enabled realization of such microsystems. Nowadays, MEMS manufacturing technology is used in commercial manufacture and research into compact sensor modules, compact test devices, medical machines, high precision machines, high-tech military equipment, and inkjet printer heads.
Many microdevices require use of an actuator for supply of driving power. Each actuator provides certain magnitudes of displacement, force, and frequency. Types of driving force for the actuator include electrostatic force, piezoelectric power, thermal energy, and magnetic force.
TABLE 1TypeForceDisplacementFrequencyConstraintElectrostaticWeakLarge orLargeWeak forceforceSmallPiezoelectricStrong orLarge orLargeDevicepowerWeakSmallThermalStrongLargeSmallLowenergyfrequencyMagneticWeakSmallLarge orWeak forceforceSmall
As shown in Table 1, actuators using electrostatic force and magnetic force actuators produce relatively weak power. As to actuators using piezoelectric power, piezoelectric materials are not well suited to MEMS manufacturing technology. Actuators using thermal energy provide strong force and large displacement. However, due to slow thermal diffusion, they have a relatively low frequency on the order of hundreds of hertz.
Particularly, a representative device of an actuator using thermal energy is an inkjet head. The inkjet head produces bubbles by heating a liquid introduced into a small chamber using a heating plate and uses the produced bubbles as driving force to spray liquid droplets onto the surface of a sheet of paper through a nozzle, performing the printing operation.
Actuators utilizing thermal energy are advantageous in that they produce large force and displacement and are easy to manufacture. However, their low frequency related to heat dissipation is recognized as disadvantageous.

Microactuator using bubble growth and destruction


A frame assembly for a case or similar article comprising a first and a second frames each being a one-piece structure and being different from each other only in their mutual engagement part so that the first frame is hinged to the second frame with side walls and corner pieces incorporated therein to complete a case. Each frame comprises side portions connected to each other by a brace piece thus forming corner openings for receiving the corner pieces. Each frame has adjacent ends which are so arranged that the contacting line of the two ends is covered by the hinge mechanism and unseen from the outside.

The present invention relates generally to a body or frame for a detachable case or other similar article. More particularly, the present invention relates to a frame assembly which comprises a first and second one-piece frame that is easy to manufacture and assemble.
In the past, detachable suitcases and briefcases were made of too many pieces to be manufactured economically. A type of the detachable case is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,312, issued Sept. 13, 1988. Although the detachable case disclosed in that patent overcomes many of the limitations of the prior art, additional improvements have now been made thereto.

Frame assembly for case or similar article


A coated abrasive article comprising a backing bearing on one major surface thereof a layer of abrasive grains overcoated with a loading resistant coating and on the other major surface thereof a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive. The loading resistant coating comprises a lithium salt of a fatty acid. It may also contain additives selected from the group consisting of surfactants, wetting agents, binders, anti-foaming agents, fillers, plasticizers, and mixtures thereof. The use of a lithium salt of a fatty acid significantly reduces the amount of transfer between the loading resistant coating of a first coated abrasive article and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of a second coated abrasive article disposed within a package.

Coated abrasive articles are used to abrade a wide variety of substrates or workpieces, such as, for example, wood, wood-like materials, plastics, fiberglass, soft metal alloys, enameled surfaces, and painted surfaces. One problem common to all of these different substrates or workpieces is "loading" or clogging, i.e., particles from the workpiece undergoing abrasion become lodged between the abrasive grains, thereby reducing the cutting ability of the coated abrasive, even though the abrasive grains are not worn. Consequently, loading substantially reduces the useful life of a coated abrasive article. In an attempt to overcome this problem, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,768,886; 2,893,854; and 3,619,150 disclose the use of a coating comprising a metal stearate, metal palmitate, or metal laurate applied over the layer of abrasive grain. These patents disclose that the metal can be selected from the group consisting of magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, chromium, zinc, cadmium, aluminum, and lead.
Coated abrasive articles are typically converted into a wide variety of different forms such as discs, cones, and sheets. If the converted form is a disc, it is often preferable to have a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive coated on the major surface of the coated abrasive disc not bearing the abrasive grains. The coated abrasive disc can then be secured to a support pad and when the abrasive disc is consumed, it can be removed and replaced with a new abrasive disc. Such coated abrasive discs are typically packaged in roll form, with the result that the pressure-sensitive adhesive from one disc comes in contact with the grain-bearing surface of another disc. If the disc contains a metal stearate coating, e.g., zinc stearate, there is a tendency for the metal stearate to transfer from the grain-bearing surface of one disc to the pressure-sensitive adhesive surface of the other disc. If the metal stearate does transfer, it significantly reduces the adhesion characteristics of the pressure-sensitive adhesive. This can detract from operating performance. For example, if the adhesive strength of the pressure-sensitive adhesive is insufficient, the coated abrasive disc may not adhere properly to the support pad, and during use, the coated abrasive disc could fly off the pad, thereby forcing the operator to cease abrading operations.
One solution to the stearate transfer problem is to have a release liner containing a low surface energy material placed over the layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive. However, the use of a release liner poses additional problems for operators. A typical low surface energy coating of a release liner consists of silicone-based materials. When coated abrasive discs are utilized in paint related areas, the liner can come into contact with a painted surface, and the silicone can transfer to the painted surface and contaminate it. Also, operators must dispose of the liners and silicone-containing materials, which results in increased cost. For these reasons, it is preferable that coated abrasive discs that utilize a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive not have a liner associated with them.
It is thus desired to have coated abrasive discs that have both a loading resistant coating and a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive without a liner, but in which the material of the loading resistant coating of one disc does not significantly transfer to the layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive of another disc.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,200 discloses lithium stearate as a lubricant for non-woven abrasive products and U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,671 discloses lithium stearate as a lubricant for grinding wheels. Japanese patent application Kokai No. 56-69074 pertains to a coated abrasive containing a fatty acid metallic soap that has been treated with a surfactant. The metal can be selected from the group consisting of calcium, zinc, lithium, and barium; and the fatty acid can be selected from the group consisting of stearic, palmitic, oleic, and lauric acids. None of the foregoing references teach the use of a coated abrasive containing both a lithium salt of a fatty acid as a loading resistant coating and a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive.

Abrasive article coated with a lithium salt of a fatty acid

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


Aliasing errors, occasioned by, for example, a programming error resulting in including extra or missing bits in a storage address, wrong addressing mode, or wrong address context, are detected by providing a storage address configuration including gaps in valid addresses. Such a programming error is detected and an exception is thrown (that is, an addressing error is detected and indicated) responsive to an address reference to such a gap in valid addresses. Gaps are configured at complementary address ranges to facilitate detection of such aliasing errors.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to program addressability testing. More particularly, it relates to testing for memory aliasing errors in systems with large and small addresses or with addresses in different address spaces.
2. Background Art
In computer systems with large amounts of storage relative to the storage amounts formerly expected, or registers extended to be larger than formerly expected, a common bug is for code to have less-significant bits correct in a storage reference but have incorrect values for the most-significant bits.
Equivalently, registers employed for indirect addressing may be loaded with incorrect values, resulting in a final address location with incorrect most-significant bits.
Referring to FIG. 1, for example, coding or usage errors occur when code using a 31-bit address 106 is used in a 64-bit system, giving rise to missing or extra bits or wrong mode. A second addressing scheme implements a 31-bit address 106 in a 32-bit register 104 (including mode bit 103), with the extra bit (mode bit 103) used to distinguish older, first 24 bit addresses from the newer 31-bit addresses 106. In a third addressing scheme, a 64-bit address 108 is implemented in a 64-bit register 100. In a system built on this third addressing scheme, programs may switch back and forth between addressing modes. This system has 64-bit registers 100, but instructions are provided for switching between 31- and 64-bit addressing modes, using 31- and 64-bit addresses 106, 108, respectively.
In this third context, programs based on 31-bit addressing are upgraded to 64-bit programs using routines built on such instructions as set addressing mode (SAM; for example, SAM31, SAM64). Similarly, addressing mode may be set using load program status word (load PSW), branch and set mode, and branch and set save mode. These instructions, addressing modes and related structures, and other commands referenced hereafter, are described in the following IBM publications.                IBM Corporation. z/VM CP Command and Utility Reference, Version 3 Release 1.0. IBM Publication SC24-5967-00, February 2001, pages 174-178 (Define Storage Command).        IBM Corporation. Enterprise Systems Architecture/390 Principles of Operation. IBM Publication SA22-7201-08, 2003, pages iii-xv, 1-9, 2-2 to 2-5, 3-1 to 3-8, 4-6, 5-8, 7-117 to 7-118.        IBM Corporation. z/Architecture Principles of Operation. IBM Publication SA22-7832-02, 2003, pages iii-xv, 1-2, 1-5, 1-10, 1-17, 2-2 to 2-3, 3-1 to 3-7, 3-26 to 3-62, 4-6 to 4-7, 5-7 to 5-8, 7-161 to 7-162.
Typical problems which occur as a result of switching addressing modes include having bits off that should be on, having bits on that should be off, or having the address be used in a wrong mode. This is caused, typically, when a programmer is using a mixture of 32-bit and 64-bit operations. If there is a coding error, that error may leave a persistent residue. Thus, for example, a program moving a 64-bit address 108 into a register 100 from memory (herein called storage) should use a LG instruction (load G, where G represents a 64-bit object). However, if the program uses a simple load, only the right half 104 (including mode bit 103) of the register 100 is loaded from storage, and the register's left half 102 is left with whatever data was present before the load instruction.
In another case, the program may assume the high-order 33 bits 109 of register 100 are all zeros, and if they are not, the unintended residue in the high-order 33 bits 109 may be passed in an address to a routine expecting a clean 64-bit representation 108 of the intended 31-bit address 106, resulting in an addressing error.
In another aspect of this addressing problem, when propagating a 31-bit address into a 64-bit mode, with mode bit 103 used to differentiate between 24- and 31-bit addresses, bit 103 remains on in the high order 33 bits 109 of the 64-bit register and is used as part of the 64-bit address when, in the 31-bit mode, it is not part of the address. Thus, the programmer must distinguish a 31-bit address 106 from a 32-bit value (bits 32-63, or 32 bits).
The inverse of the above typical problems also occurs. In this case, code using a 64-bit address 108 which is beyond addressability of a 31-bit address 106 (that is, whose high order 33 bits 109 are not zeros) may erroneously pass that address to code which only tolerates 31-bit addresses. The latter code will then make references in 31-bit addressing mode, ignoring the high-order 33 bits 109 and therefore referencing the wrong memory location.
Referring to FIG. 2 in connection with FIG. 1, a program in 64-bit addressing mode attempting to access a storage location 110 by way of a 31-bit address 106 may, if the mode bit 103 is on, actually access storage location 112. Similarly, a program in 64-bit addressing mode attempting to access a storage location 110 by way of a 31-bit address 106 may, if residual bits in the left half 102 are nonzero, actually access storage at a location like location 115. This could work the other way. That is, a program attempting to access storage location 112 by use of a 64-bit address 108 may, if bit 32 is off, access storage location 110.
Referring further to FIGS. 1 and 2, a bit error may occur in the left half 102. If a bit is lost, in an address 108 for location 114 in storage 120, the program may erroneously access location 116. Or, if in 31-bit mode (analogous to losing high order 33 bits 109) the program may access location 118, when location 114 is really the desired location. Similarly, if the program is operating with a 31-bit address 106 in 64-bit mode, if there is noise in high order address bits 109, the program may erroneously access location 114 in high region 122 when location 118 in low region 124 of storage 120 is desired.
In general, depending upon extra and missing bits in an address, program access to storage 120 may be erroneously directed. This is what is generally meant by an aliasing error.
The problems in the art addressed thus far relate to a single address space 120. However, if several virtual address spaces are in use, or if both real and virtual address spaces are in use, with control register settings or other means used to identify which address space is currently referenced, there is the possibility that the wrong virtual or real address space may be referenced.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for a system and method for testing program code to identify and locate addressing errors, including extra or missing bits and wrong addressing mode. There is a further need in the art to find in a program undergoing test addressing errors across multiple real and virtual address spaces. Heretofore, recognizing and locating the source of these errors so that they may be corrected in the code under test have been very difficult.

System and method for testing for memory address aliasing errors

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention provides a blend of metal oxide, such as silicon oxide, with etheric phosphazene. The invention optionally contains salt for antistatic coatings. The composition of the invention is formed by preparing solutions of etheric phosphazene and alkoxysilane, such as tetraethoxysilane. The solutions are then coated onto suitable substrates, or cast films and cured at room temperature or with moderate heating. The coatings and films produced are transparent, tough, hard, and flexible. They are multicomponent blends of the silicon oxide and phosphazene. It is also within the invention to form the blends with other metal oxides, rather than silicon, such as titanium, aluminum, or zirconium. The composite may be doped with low lattice energy salts to form antistatic composites.

Static electricity buildup is common on electrically insulating articles, such as paper-rollers and apparatus, flooring materials, various synthetic resin articles, and on elements having an electrically insulating support. This static electricity buildup can cause various problems. These include jamming of paper in paper-feeding apparatus, dust accumulation, unpleasant electric shocks, or noise in electronic circuits.
In photographic elements, radiation-sensitive emulsions are usually coated on an insulating support, rendering the element susceptible to the buildup of static electric charge. This can cause a number of problems. Among the most serious of these is that the discharge of accumulated static charges exposes the radiation-sensitive layer of the element to light, causing marks on the element when developed.
In order to reduce the accumulation of static charge on elements with electrically insulating articles, the article is often coated with a layer containing an antistatic composition that increases electrical conductivity. Alternatively, the antistatic composition can be incorporated into the composition of the article or an existing layer of an element. Various materials have been used as antistatic compositions, such as polymers, surface active agents, salts, and combinations thereof.
A number of such antistatic compositions exhibit problems, especially when used in photographic elements. For example, they can cause fog or loss of photographic sensitivity. There is a need to provide antistatic compositions that effectively reduce the accumulation of static charge while exhibiting reduced susceptibility to disadvantages such as those described above.
Polyphosphazene antistatic compositions recently have been proposed in copending and coassigned application Ser. No. 087,480 filed Aug. 20, 1987, by Chen et al. In the copending application polyphosphazene is combined with a salt in order to form a conductive composition. This composition has been suggested for use in photographic antistatic layers. While a satisfactory antistatic composition, the material is somewhat tacky and not altogether suitable as an outer coating. Phosphazenes have also been disclosed for anti-static layers in Japanese Application No. 129882--Konishiroku published Dec. 11, 1987.
Phosphazene polymers have also been suggested for use where higher temperature polymers are desirable such as in gaskets for engines, in friction surfaces, and as membranes for separations of gases or liquids. Such uses would not require the addition of salt as the gasket or friction materials would not need to be conductive or have anti-static properties. In use as a gasket material, membranes, or friction surface, as well as in polymer film antistatic surface coats, it is advantageous that the polymer have good abrasion resistance, hardness, and strength. Therefore, it would be desirable if these properties could be improved for phosphazene polymers.
It has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,556--Hergenrother et al that chlorophosphazene polymers can be cross-linked with tetraalkylorthosilicate. Great Britain Patent No. 1,052,388--Emblem et al discloses that phosphazene trimeric materials may be cross-linked with similar silicates. However, these cross-linked materials have the disadvantage that they are difficult and expensive to make, and are not believed to be abrasion resistant or tough. U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,839--Dieck et al discloses polyphosphazene polymer and silicone rubber blends that are fire retardant and may form foams. U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,762--Ogata and U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,270--Dickerson also discloses silicon-phosphorus containing polymer compositions. It has been disclosed in Exarhos et al, ".sup.31 P NMR Studies of Aqueous Colloidal Dispersions Stabilized by Polyphosphazene Adsorption", J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 71 (9) C-406-C-407 (1988), and Exarhos et al "Molecular Spectroscopic Characterization of Binding Interactions in Phosphazene Stabilized Alumina Dispersions", October 1987, presented at the Materials Research Society 23rd University Conference on Ceramic Science held in Seattle, Wash. Aug. 31, 1987, that polyphosphazenes will be utilized to stabilize alumina dispersions. In the process disclosed in the Exarhos et al articles a small amount of polyphosphazene is mixed with a large amount of large (0.4 micron diameter) aluminum particles. The purpose of the Exarhos et al processing is to form densified ceramic materials by utilizing polyphosphazene as a binder.
There remains a need for phosphazene polymers that have improved properties of cost, ease of formation, strength, and toughness. Transparency in strong phosphazene materials also is desirable.

Composites of etheric phosphazene and metal oxides and the method of their formation


Disclosed herein is a new organosilicon compound having a .beta.-diketone or .beta.-ketoester structures and a hydrolyzable group. The new organosilicon compound can be effectively used for the production of an immobilized catalyst, an adsorbent for metal recovery, a curing catalyst for organosiloxane and epoxy resins, and an adhesion promoter.

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a new organosilicon compound having a .beta.-diketone or .beta.-ketoester structure and a hydrolyzable group. More particularly, it relates to an organosilicon compound represented by formula (1) below. ##STR1## where R denotes a monovalent organic group containing
one or more .beta.-diketone or .beta.-ketoester structures having 4 to 20 carbon atoms; X denotes a hydrolyzable group selected from a halogen atoms an alkoxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an acyloxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and an amino group; m denotes 1, 2, or 3; n denotes 0, 1, or 2; and 1 .ltoreq.m +n .ltoreq.3.)
The present invention also relates to an organosilicon compound produced by the intramolecular and/or intermolecular condensation of the organosilicon compound represented by formula (1).
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Heretofore, organosilicon compounds have been used as an immobilized catalyst, an adsorbent for the recovery of metals from solutions, and a curing catalyst for organopolysiloxanes and epoxy resins. However, there have not been any organosilicon compounds which fully exhibit their performance in these application areas.


A web-slitting machine has its blades mounted on cylinders shifted along a linear guide extending the full width of the web to be slit. The sliders carry tubes whose suction nozzles are disposed in the regions of the blades and which terminate in connecting heads having boat-shaped projections received between elastomeric sealing lips closing a slit of a suction box extending along the guide.

Roll cutting machines are known in which a web delivered by a roll, displaced along a transport path and wound up again on a roll can be slit longitudinally as the web is displaced along the path.
Such a machine can comprise, in addition to the supply roll and the take up roll, a guide, e.g. a rail arrangement, running transversely to the direction of displacement of the web and a blade arrangement including a blade and a counter blade, e.g. rotatable blades which are mounted on at least one slide displaceable along the guide to allow adjustment of the widths of the web portions into which the web is subdivided.
In such arrangements it is a common practice to provide a suction pipe with a suction nozzle or mouth for each such blade and a plurality of such blades and respective slides on the common guide rail.
During slitting, the formation of dust and other debris is unavoidable and the suction nozzle serves to collect the debris which is thus formed.
The formation of such dust and debris is particularly common where the web is a foil, especially a foil provided with a magnetic coating of the type to be slit into magnetic tape.
The collection of the dust by suction is substantially imperative if the dust, because of its high abrasive quality and its tendency to adhere to the foil and other surfaces, is not to pose a problem. Indeed, it is impossible to operate under the requirements of a clean room in the absence of such suction removal of the dust.
In the prior art systems used for collecting or removing the cutting dust, it is customary to provide suction nozzles at the cutting blades which are connected by hose-like suction lines with suction fittings.
Upon an adjustment of the cutting blade to another position, e.g. so as to vary the cutting width or for other setup work or maintenance, the suction pipe is usually disconnected from the suction fitting since the suction fitting is usually fixedly positioned and does not permit sufficient shifting of the particular slide. The suction pipe must then be fitted onto another suction fitting. As a consequence, the setup time is comparatively long and the setup operation requires numerous manipulative procedures.

Web processing machine having at least one web and roll and a slitter for said web


This invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for mammals and, more particularly, to a pharmaceutical composition which enhances the action of an anaesthetic used in both human and veterinary applications, which, at least partly, reduces the risk of respiratory depression and enhances pulmonary perfusion. The pharmaceutical composition is characterized in that it contains a serotonergic ligand or any pharmacologically acceptable salt or ester thereof which acts on at least one member of the 5-HT family of serotonergic receptors, preferably on one or more of the 5-HTiA, 5-HT4 and 5-HT7 serotonergic receptors. In an example the ligand is the 8-OH-DPAT ligand. The composition can be used in conjunction with or include an anaesthetic, preferably an opioid anaesthetic, to induce a state of anaesthesia in mammals and it can be used to immobilize wile or non-domestic mammals.

Anaesthetics are important in the treatment of animals for two main reasons. Firstly an anaesthetic, when administered correctly and in the correct dosage, results in a general loss of sensation in an animal which reduces the chances of the animal going into a state of shock when certain medical procedures are performed on it. Secondly, the trance-like state induced by an anaesthetic tends to calm the animal, particularly in veterinary applications and, more particularly where the animal is not domesticated, which also lessens the chances of it going into a state of shock.
Opioids are one of the main classes of drugs which are used in both human and in veterinary medicine to induce anaesthesia, which they do by acting on localised areas of the central nervous system. In the rat it is generally accepted that these areas are the nucleus raphe pontis and the nucleus accumbens both of which contain serotonergic receptors. It is also known that serotonin enhances opioid-induced catatonic or cataleptic immobilisation.
Opioids, unfortunately, also have a number of side-effects. Potentially the most lethal of these side-effects is respiratory depression and the resultant tissue hypoxia which results from the action of opioids on μ-opioid receptors on respiratory neurons in the pre-Bötzinger complex, a collection or network of neurons in the brainstem that generate respiratory rhythm. This complex depends on neurotransmitters, including serotonin, for the modulation of respiratory rhythm.
Studies have demonstrated that serotonergic ligands that bind to the serotonin receptors on respiratory neurons can reverse opioid induced inactivation of respiratory neural networks, the applicant knows of no studies that have shown that serotonergic ligands that bind to serotonergic receptors on respiratory neurons can be used to improve respiratory function and reverse tissue hypoxia that occurs with opioid induced anaesthesia.
The term anaesthesia when used in this specification includes within its scope the inducing of catatonic or cataleptic immobilisation in a human or a non-human mammal for purposes of conducting surgery or reducing sensory perception with a view to reducing shock in emergency situations or to immobilising a non-human mammal to facilitate its capture.

University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg


An apparatus for closing a toe end of a tubular hosiery body includes a stitching device having a main body, a fixed reed, a movable reed pivoted to the fixed reed, and a main drive assembly for driving the movable reed to rotate relative to the fixed reed between juxtaposed and stacked positions. A rotary control unit includes a support frame supporting the main body, a rotary disc attached to the main body, a plurality of detent members disposed around the rotary disc, and a plurality of control drive members respectively driving the detent members. The control drive members consecutively operate to consecutively actuate the respective detent members such that the rotary disc together with the stitching device consecutively produces a limited amount of rotation in an intermittent manner.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hosiery equipment, more particularly to an apparatus for closing the toes of a hosiery item.
2. Description of the Related Art
A hosiery item, for example, a stocking, after being manufactured in a knitting machine, generally has a tubular shape with two opposite ends that are open. The stocking has to be sent to another machine for closing one of the ends thereof, that is, the toe end.
In Taiwanese Patent Publication No. 201144506, it is disclosed that a hosiery body, for example, a stocking body, made by a knitting machine can be transferred to a stitching apparatus using a transfer unit of this application. The stitching apparatus includes two semi-circular reeds, a plurality of male reed teeth arranged spaced apart from each other around a semi-circumference of one of the reeds, a plurality of female reed teeth arranged spaced apart from each other around a semi-circumference of the other reed, and a sewing needle. The reeds are pivotable relative to each other between a stacked position, where the reeds are superimposed one above the other, and a juxtaposed position, where the reeds are disposed side by side in a same plane. When the reeds are in the juxtaposed position, a plurality of transfer and strip members of the transfer unit can transfer loops at the toe end of the stocking body from the knitting machine to the reeds, after which the reeds are pivoted relative to each other to the stacked position. The sewing needle is then used to stitch the loops together to thereby close the toe of the stocking.
However, there is no disclosure as to what kind of structure is used to achieve movement of the reeds between the stacked and juxtaposed positions. If a stepper motor is used to activate intermittent rotation of the reeds, because each stroke angle of the stepper motor is small, intermittent frequency will be high. Not only is the cost increased, but the machine is likely to get damaged. Further, there is also no disclosure of a rotary drive means for the needle to proceed with the stitching of the loops.
Moreover, in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0211226, although a rotary actuator, such as a pneumatic cylinder, is used to achieve rotations of the semicrowns between stacked and juxtaposed positions, the entire structure thereof is complicated and has a large volume.


Systems, methodologies, media, and other embodiments associated with pre-configured topology connection management are described. One exemplary system embodiment includes an interface logic configured to acquire information about a set of client nodes, to pre-configure a subset of the client nodes into a pre-configured topology, and to make available information about the pre-configured topology. The exemplary system may also include a logic for mapping a resource to a port through which it can be accessed and a logic for determining whether a requestor will be granted a connection to the machine on which the resource resides based, at least in part, on membership in the pre-configured topology. Membership in the pre-configured topology may be determined by a connection management logic analyzing a node identifier provided by the requestor in a request related to accessing the resource.

A data communications component like a NIC (network interface card) or a remote direct memory access (RDMA) NIC (RNIC) may have limited resources like ports, memory, connections, licenses, processor cycles, and so on. Undesired (e.g., unauthorized) consumption of these limited resources may negatively impact data communication functionality provided by the data communications component. For example, while an RNIC may be designed to support RDMA, if resources that support RDMA are unavailable due to undesired consumption, then the RDMA feature may be unavailable. Similarly, while an (R)NIC may support off-loading protocol handling, if resources that support protocol off-loading are consumed, then the feature may not be available. Furthermore, once the resources are consumed by an undesired connection, like that established during a denial of service (DoS) attack, it may be difficult, if possible at all, to reclaim those resources.
Protocol off-loading is an RNIC feature that facilitates moving processing associated with handling networking protocol services from a first component (e.g., server motherboard processor) to an RNIC. Rather than a computer's central processing unit (CPU) being responsible for protocol services like accounting for missing packets, connection establishment, (en)decryption, routing, and so on, the processing can be moved to a processor on an RNIC. The RNIC may provide services for several layers of a protocol (e.g., physical, data link, network, transport), leaving the first component more resources (e.g., memory, processor cycles) to handle other concurrent tasks, thereby improving overall functionality in the component from which the protocol was off-loaded. Thus, a server may benefit from protocol off-loading and other services provided by an RNIC (e.g., RDMA) when the resources on the RNIC are managed in a manner that prevents undesired consumption of those resources. While protocol off-loading and RDMA are described, it is to be appreciated that other data communication and networking functions can be negatively impacted by undesired resource consumption.
In some network protocols that employ TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) a port is a logical endpoint. A port may be used by a client to specify a specific server program with which it desires to interact or a specific server resource it wishes to access. For example, a port may be associated with a protocol off-loading service that provides a logical connection to a communicating node. To facilitate making connections between communicating nodes over a computer network via ports, some ports may have numbers and/or addresses that are pre-assigned. These types of ports may be called "well-known ports" and the first actions taken when establishing a connection may involve these well-known ports.
One well-known port may be associated with a port mapping logic (e.g., a port mapper) that facilitates finding and/or interacting with an available service like an off-loaded protocol service. A port mapper may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware, and combinations thereof. A port mapper may map a resource, program, service, and so on to a transport-specific port number that can be made known to a requesting client via mapping data distributed in response to a request for mapping data. This facilitates a client dynamically binding to, using, and/or communicating with the mapped programs, services, resources, and so on. However, unprotected distribution of mapping data can lead to undesired consumption of limited networking resources.
A requesting client may communicate with a port mapper that is listening at a well-known port to request mapping data concerning with which server port a resource is associated. For example, a requesting client may request information concerning a port at which an off-loaded protocol is available. The requesting client may receive the port/resource mapping data from the port mapper and then request that a connection be established to that port. However, not all connections are desirable and some may be conceived with malicious intent. For example, a DoS attack may be based on exploiting the fact that an RNIC may only be able to off-load a certain number of connections. If the DoS attack can acquire those off-loaded connections, then no connections may be left for desired interactions.

Pre-configured topology with connection management

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Embodiments of the present invention describe creating a monitoring package by integrating a personal information management system (PIMS) and a social network profile for a user. Embodiments comprise continuously monitoring e-mail messages, calendar entries, social media posts, and social media comments of the integrated PIMS and social network profile, collecting participant preference information and meeting data from the monitoring package, identifying an upcoming meeting for the user according to the meeting data, and determining a list of participants for the upcoming meeting based on conversation threads associated with the upcoming meeting collected from the monitoring package. Embodiments further comprise collecting a set of participant preference information for the participants in the list of participants including the participant preference information for the user, determining a workplace set-up for the upcoming meeting based on the set of participant preference information, and outputting a workplace arrangement for the upcoming meeting.

The present invention relates generally to the field of workplace environments, and more particularly to intelligently adjusting workplace environments to fit participants preferences.
A workplace is a location where someone performs work. Such a place can range from a home office to a large office building or factory. For industrialized societies, the workplace is one of the most important social spaces other than the home. The development of new communication technologies has led to the development of the virtual workplace, a workplace that is not located in any one physical space. Oftentimes a work environment involves the physical geographical location as well as the immediate surroundings of the workplace, such as a construction site or office building. A work environment typically involves other factors relating to the workplace, such as the quality of the air, noise level, and additional perks and benefits such as childcare provision, snacks and beverages, and/or parking spaces.

Dynamic workplace set-up using participant preferences


A communication stack performance of an Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) is analyzed in a communication network of a Substation Automation (SA) system. The IED processes network messages that are transferred with, or belonging to, a specific configurable SA communication service. A plurality of application level scenarios corresponding to a high communication load is executed. Among all network messages captured or intercepted during the scenario, the network messages destined to the IED and sent by the IED in response are identified. A number of the identified messages, a number of specific communication protocol elements or data items related to a service-specific property, and a number of changed protocol elements, which are indicative of an SA event, for which the value of the data item has changed compared to the value of the same data item in a previous message, are determined. An IED-intrinsic processing time of the identified messages is likewise determined, based on which parameter values of a service specific processing time model are calculated.

Substations in high and medium-voltage power networks include primary devices such as electrical cables, lines, bus bars, switches, power transformers and instrument transformers, which are generally arranged in switch yards and/or bays. These primary devices are operated in an automated way via a Substation Automation (SA) system. The SA system includes secondary devices, such as Intelligent Electronic Devices (IED) which are responsible for protection, control and monitoring of the primary devices. The secondary devices may be hierarchically assigned to a station level or a bay level of the SA system. The station level can include a supervisory computer, which has an Operator Work Station (OWS) with a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) and runs a station-level Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) software, as well as a gateway that communicates the state of the substation to a Network Control Centre (NCC) and receives commands from the NCC. IEDs on the bay level, which are also termed bay units, in turn are connected to each other as well as to the IEDs on the station level via an inter-bay or station bus primarily serving the purpose of exchanging commands and status information.
Secondary devices on a process-level of the SA system can include, for example, conventional Instrument Transformers (IT) for voltage (Voltage Transformers VT) and current (Current Transformers CT) measurement, gas density or pressure sensors, as well as contact probes for sensing switch and transformer tap changer positions. Furthermore, exemplary intelligent sensors such as non-conventional electronic or optical sensors for current or voltage can include an Analog to Digital (A/D) converter for sampling of analog signals, and can be connected to the bay units via a dedicated bus, or a dedicated communication service on a common communication system, as part of an intelligent process interface. The intelligent process interface replaces the conventional hard-wired process interface that connects conventional ITs in the switchyard, via dedicated copper wires and junction boards, to different bay units which individually sample the analog signals from the ITs.
A communication standard for communication between the secondary devices of a substation has been introduced by the International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC) as part of the standard IEC 61850 entitled "Communication Networks and Systems in Substations". For non-time critical report messages, section IEC 61850-8-1 specifies the Manufacturing Message Specification (MMS, ISO/IEC 9506) protocol based on a reduced Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) protocol stack with the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP) in the transport and network layer, respectively, and Ethernet and/or RS-232C as physical media. For time-critical event-based messages, such as trip commands, for example, IEC 61850-8-1 specifies the Generic Object Oriented Substation Events (GOOSE) directly on the Ethernet link layer of the communication stack. For very fast periodically changing signals at the process level, such as measured analog voltages or currents, section IEC 61850-9-2 specifies the Sampled Value (SV) service, which, similar to GOOSE, builds directly on the Ethernet link layer. Hence, part 9 of the standard defines a format to publish, as multicast messages on an industrial Ethernet, digitized measurement data from current or voltage sensors on the process level as a substitute to traditional copper wiring.
SA systems based on IEC61850 are configured by means of a standardized configuration representation or formal system description called Substation Configuration Description (SCD). An SCD file comprises the logical data flow between the IEDs on a "per message" base, i.e. for every message source, a list of destination or receiver IEDs, the message size in terms of data set definitions, as well as the message sending rates for all periodic traffic such as reports, GOOSE, and SV.
As mentioned, IEC 61850 introduces different communication services for Substation Automation applications. A predictable and deterministic communication time is desired for at least the real time safety and protection related functions among these applications. However, the communication load can become an issue for large process control systems with up to 500 IEDs, for example, communicating among each other and with increased real-time critical communication needs due to multicast communication traversing the entire system. This is especially true for multicast GOOSE and SV messages according to IEC 61850, and has an impact on the entire communication system, e.g., the behaviour of a switch based Ethernet, as well as on individual message transmitters and receivers. While the performance of a communication stack of a transceiver can depend on computing (e.g., CPU processing) performance and quality of the implementing software, other causes such as application tasks sharing the CPU, or a connection to the application via queues or shared memory, might have an impact on the communication stack processing time as well.
If a mission-critical application is dependent on guaranteed real-time performance, the choice can be a deterministic protocol where the communication behavior can be calculated in advance. Examples are periodic busses as defined in, for example, IEC 61375 (Multi-function Vehicle Bus MVB) or the WorldFIP real time fieldbus. According to these, a maximum possible amount of data is transferred permanently, so that the fixed communication time is always according to the maximum load possible. However, the latter does not apply to the Ethernet based non-periodic bus adopted by IEC 61850. Here, switches are used to remove the effect of collisions, and effects of queuing in the switches could be expected in case of high communication load. On the other hand, in an Ethernet system with a capacity of 100 MB/s or even 1 GB/s, the bottle necks, for most current SA applications, reside in the end devices (IEDs) and not in the switch based Ethernet system.
In EP 1610495, fault analysis for analyzing a cause of a performance fault on a communication network is performed during execution of a communication application. For this purpose, messages or packets are captured, and ongoing message transfers as well as times of message appearance on the bus are logged, such as during high load situations or when forcing certain request/response schemes. Based on the logged times, round trip times and message throughput can be determined. However, this approach is only valid for the investigated scenarios, and only limited conclusions for other scenarios can be drawn from them. In addition, the quality-of-service analysis is restricted to the communication level, independent of the effect of an event at an application or function level.
The principles and methods of the present disclosure are by no means restricted to use in substation automation, but are likewise applicable to other Process Control systems with a standardized configuration description. For example, it has to be noted that IEC 61850 is also an accepted standard for Hydro power plants, Wind power systems, and Distributed Energy Resources (DER).

Analyzing a communication performance of an IED


Disclosed is a toy comprising polarizing filters and birefringent film cut into shapes used to make temporary colorful birefringent designs. The birefringent film (or, alternatively, the polarizing filter) is coated with non-water soluble, non-hygroscopic low-tack or ultra-low-tack adhesive so that changeable designs can be assembled on the polarizing filter and viewed through polarized spectacles or a polarizing filter. The polarizing filters are retained in rings that can be nested and rotated in relation to each other, or movably attached to each other with magnetic attachments. An embodiment is also disclosed which makes use of the polarized light emitted from certain LCD display devices so that they can be used as a work surface to make changeable birefringent designs. Such an implementation may also use applications executed by or stored on the device to provide design outlines.

The present invention relates to toys, games and crafts in which changeable images are created using birefringent materials, self-adhering materials or adhesives and polarizing filters to create temporary displays.
The ability to make changeable displays, whether for informational, play, way-finding or decorative purposes, is of great importance. The use of changeable symbols or shapes on a background is widely known. The use of replaceable shapes for games and educational purposes is also well-known. However, the ability to create easily changeable images that produce different colors depending on the angle of orientation of the individual pieces or to create different colors and patterns simply by overlapping these same pieces is new. Further, the application of changeable birefringent images in toys would be a highly desirable function, adding an intriguing, educational and exciting aspect to creating relatively simple artwork.
In 1951 Harry Kislevitz invented what became a popular toy called "ColorForms." This product relied on the surface adhesion properties of certain vinyl and allowed people to create decorative arrangements of various colored shapes on smooth surfaces such as windows or tile. See <http://www.plasticsnews.com/blog/2011/02/happy—60th_to_an_iconic_plasti.html> accessed Apr. 18, 2011. The ColorForms product has essentially remained unchanged for 60 years, but its popularity has decreased owing to lost consumer interest resulting from over-familiarity with the toy, as well as competing activities having changing colors and images such as those using computer displays and the like.
As described above, games utilizing surface adhesive vinyl have been in use since at least 1960. However, interest in such toys has waned. Over the years the approach has been used in such products as pop-up toys and play houses and offered in association with a variety of licensed television and motion picture characters to aid in marketing. A need to modernize and improve this type of activity exists that will effectively compete with electronic distractions of our day.
Several toy-like products have been marketed over the years. However, none has allowed users to make controlled designs that can be changed. For example, kaleidoscope type toys have been known that used polarizing filter and birefringent films. See e.g. http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/light/polariscope.html. Such toys provide prismatic colored images, but they are not assembled or designed by the user. A variation on the idea of a polariscope is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 7,477,386 issued to Saha in 1991 and a Continuation-in-Part issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,107,076 also to Saha. The '386 and '076 patents are limited to photoelastic materials that are placed under stress to show colors. It does not disclose either birefringent films or temporary adhesion of pre-cut shapes.
At least one puzzle using polarizing filter and birefringent material is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,510 issued to Yokoi in 1983. While generally speaking this is a toy, it does not allow users to create changeable artistic images.
There is also great interest in new ways to create decorative objects without the need to use a computer, acquire expensive equipment, to make a mess or even possess advanced artistic skills. Over the years such approaches have included "Paint by Numbers" invented in 1950 by Max Klein and Dan Robbins (see <http://americanhistory.si.edu/paint/introduction.html> accessed Apr. 18, 2011) and plastic faux stained glass (See e.g U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,260 issued to Meltzer). But these types of activities are considered dated and their popularity has also waned. A need exists to provide a simple way to make interesting, colorful images such as window "sun catchers" that change depending on angle of viewing, are iridescent and can be changed easily. Fine art has been created using birefringent materials and polarized light since shortly after plane polarizing filter was invented by Edwin Land in the 1930's. One of the inventors herein, Austine Wood Comarow, has been creating kinetic and interactive fine art work using birefringent films and polarizing filter since 1967 See Mann, "Austine Wood Comarow: Paintings in Polarized Light," 2005, Wasabi Publishing, Las Vegas, Nev. However, such work is permanent in nature and requires extensive training and skills to create. A need, therefore, to create a way for hobbyists to use these materials to create interesting and pleasing decor is therefore needed.
Educational activities, particularly for pre-school children, is considered vital to healthy cognitive development. Over the years many educational toys and other apparatuses have been developed for teaching fundamental childhood educational concepts such as reading. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,593,433 issued to Dillon in 1970 disclosing a picture board with adherent letters associated with familiar environmental objects. However, in today's world filled with distractions ranging from colorful 3D television to smart phones, holding children's attention is becoming more of a challenge. Therefore, a need exists to provide shapes that become colorful only when viewed through a polarizing sheet ("analyzer"). The "magical" experience of seeing an invisible image suddenly appear in full color and then to be made to immediately change color will aid in keeping the attention of a child.
In developing one embodiment of the present invention, a new type laminated material was needed. It required producing birefringent colors in a controlled and predictable way, it needed to be resilient when handled repeatedly and subjected to light washing and it needed to be repeatedly adherent and removable. Therefore a new combination of birefringent film such as cellophane and surface adherent (also known as "static cling") vinyl was created. The lamination of the birefringent film between two layers of the vinyl created a sturdy, resilient and repeatably adherent lamination from which desired shapes could be cut. An alternative birefringent material was also developed employing one or more layers of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) and non-water-soluble ultra-low-tack adhesive. The cutting could be accomplished by hand with knives and scissors, by robotic ("X-Y") cutters, by steel rule dies, by laser cutters and by water jet cutters. Steel rule die cutting was determined to be the best mode for mass production due to its low cost and ability to "kiss cut" the lamination on a backing.
Therefore, it is the object of this invention to provide a means for untrained members of the public to make colorful, birefringent displays that can quickly be displayed and easily be changed at will.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a means to create decorative art objects using birefringent materials and polarized light such that the materials are reusable.
It is a further object of the present invention to make easy-to-change signs that are visible only through polarizing filters and changeable.
It is a further object of the present invention to make toys, crafts and educational products for children and adults using birefringent materials and polarized light to create exciting and intriguing experiences which both stimulate creativity and reinforce the learning experience.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a laminated material which is both birefringent to produce controllable colors, surface adherent, repeatably reusable, sturdy and cleanable.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a means to create birefringent polarized light art using birefringent materials coated with low-tack adhesive.


A process for deinking wastepaper by combining a water-miscible organic solvent with inked paper to create a solvent/paper slurry, agitating the solvent/paper slurry to assist in releasing ink from the paper, separating the ink-ladden solvent from the paper, and washing residual ink and solvent from the paper.

The world paper industry operates in a competitive market in which both quality and cost are of vital concern. Because of the increasing cost of virgin paper fibers, papermakers are increasingly depending on recycled fiber to help satisfy their paper resource needs. This recycled paper must be of high quality however in order to effectively compete with virgin fibers.
Recycled paper must generally be deinked before being reused. As the name suggests, deinking is the art of removing various inks from printed or typed papers. These printing inks are commonly a mixture of pigment, varnish, metallic driers, additives (such as wax, flow agents and plasticizers), polymeric binders and solvents.
The composition of printing inks varies, of course, depending on its use. For example, carbon black, rosin and mineral oil are the main ingredients of news and magazine inks, while dyes, binders and volatile solvents are included in significant amounts to make flexographic inks, etc. Each type of ink presents unique problems for deinking technicians.
Generally, ink is printed onto paper as a film, the thickness of which varies according to the use. Since the ink film is a polymer formed either by drying or by polymerization of the ink, separation of the ink from the printed paper is a difficult and time-consuming process.
In the deinking technologies of the prior art, separation of ink from printed papers is generally accomplished in a pulper in aqueous solution. In such prior art processes, sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate and hydrogen peroxide are the major deinking chemicals used. This aqueous deinking process involves wetting the paper to soften both the paper and ink binders. Sodium hydroxide is used to provide an alkaline environment in which papers can be quickly wetted and swelled by alkali. Sodium silicate acts as a dispersant, pH buffer, and stabilizer of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is used to improve the brightness of the deinked fibers. The combined chemical and mechanical forces act to separate the ink from the fibers. Additionally, any sizing, pigments, dyes, inorganic fillers and coatings in the system are dispersed into the solution and removed.
Methods of removing ink from wastepapers depend, at least in part, on the size of the ink particles. If the particle size is small, a wash deinking process may be used. When larger particles are present, flotation deinking methods are applied. In certain applications combinations of both processes are used.
In wash deinking processes, ink in the paper slurry is washed out by water. Disadvantages such as yellowing of the finished papers due to the presence of the residual alkali, large consumption of water, presence of both ink and chemicals in the effluent, sensitivity to ink particle size, and low quality of recycled fibers are typically associated with these processes. As a result, only about one-fourth of all deinking mills use this method.
In flotation deinking systems, collectors such as fatty acids, calcium soaps and synthetic polymers are utilized to make nonfibrous particles hydrophobic. These collectors are adsorbed to the ink particles, where they attach to air bubbles in a flotation cell and are removed by floatation from the fiber slurry. Although flotation deinking systems do not typically exhibit the problems associated with wash deinking process, such systems are limited to certain types of ink. For example, xerographic, laser printed paper, and UV cured inks can benefit from this process, but water-based, flexographic inks are preferably not deinked in this manner. Further, flotation deinking typically results in the loss of between about 10% and 15% of the paper fibers.
A need therefore exists for an improved method of deinking wastepaper which is both economical and environmentally responsible. The present invention addresses that need.

Process for deinking paper using water-soluble alcohols


A method and apparatus are disclosed for converting a signal between the analog and digital domains using frequency interleaving. The disclosed frequency interleaving techniques can be similarly applied to convert analog signals to the digital domain or vice-versa. An analog-to-digital converter decomposes the input broadband signal into N frequency bands that are separately sampled (quantized) before a Fourier transform is applied to convert the signal into the digital domain. Each of the frequency bands can be sampled in the corresponding narrow passband using narrow-band converters, such as passband Sigma-Delta converters, or can be returned to baseband prior to sampling. The various analog samples are then converted to the digital domain using an inverse Fourier transform, or another combining technique. Both sampling and analog-to-digital conversion can be performed at a speed that is N times slower than the input frequency. The disclosed frequency interleaving technique decomposes the input signal into frequency bands that are digitized separately at a slower rate. A disclosed calibration scheme corrects for phase and gain mismatches.

The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for converting a signal between the analog and digital domains, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for converting a signal between the analog and digital domains using frequency interleaving.
Analog-to-digital (A/D) converters often employ time interleaving to reduce the required conversion speed using multiple analog-to-digital converters in parallel. Each parallel analog-to-digital converter operates at a proportionally slower speed to convert time-interleaved signal samples into the digital domain. Nonetheless, high-frequency RF signals must still be sampled accurately prior to each parallel analog-to-digital converter. Thus, despite the gains achieved with the reduced required conversion speed for each of the parallel analog-to-digital converters, the sampling accuracy requirement is not relaxed. It has been found that it is difficult to maintain a high conversion accuracy up to the Nyquist frequency (sampling frequency divided by two) when analog-to-digital conversion must be performed at 10 Gigasamples/second and beyond, even using the most exotic technologies and only low amplitude resolution, such as a four bit resolution.
As the operating speeds of applications increase, there is a corresponding need to increase the conversion speeds of the analog-to-digital converters used by such applications. Thus, the above-mentioned limitation caused by the sampling accuracy requirement becomes even more critical. Multi-Gigasamples/second analog-to-digital conversion, for example, has an increasingly important role in many applications, such as wideband optical communications, digital radio or high-speed oscilloscopes. A need therefore exists for methods and apparatus for converting a signal between the analog and digital domains that maintain a high conversion accuracy up to the Nyquist frequency. A further need exists for methods and apparatus for converting a signal between the analog and digital domains where both A/D conversion and signal sampling can be performed at much slower rates.
Generally, a method and apparatus are disclosed for converting a signal between the analog and digital domains using frequency interleaving. The disclosed analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters maintain a high conversion accuracy up to the Nyquist frequency. When converting a signal from the analog domain to a digital domain, for example, the input broadband signal is decomposed into N frequency bands that are separately sampled (quantized) before a Fourier transform is applied to convert the signal into the digital domain. Each of the frequency bands can be sampled in the corresponding narrow passband using narrow-band converters, such as passband Sigma-Delta converters, or can be returned to baseband prior to sampling. The various analog samples are then converted to the digital domain using an inverse Fourier transform, or another combining technique. In this manner, sampling and analog-to-digital conversion are both performed at a speed that is N times slower than the input frequency.
The present invention thus employs parallel analog-to-digital conversion of frequency-domain samples of the input signal. The disclosed frequency interleaving technique decomposes the input signal into frequency bands that are digitized separately at a slower rate. Time-domain samples are obtained by performing an inverse Fourier transform of the quantized frequency-domain samples. Analog-to-digital conversion and signal sampling are performed at a much lower rate, thereby maintaining a high conversion accuracy up to the Nyquist frequency and beyond. In addition, a calibration scheme is disclosed to correct for phase and gain mismatches.
A more complete understanding of the present invention, as well as further features and advantages of the present invention, will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description and drawings.

Method and apparatus for converting between analog and digital domains using frequency interleaving


According to one embodiment of the present invention, a side rail is provided having a body selectably movable from a first up position to a second down position. Two parallel lever arms are also provided. The arms rotate over center when moving the body between the two positions. This increases the horizontal distance through which the side rail moves. A biasing mechanism can be provided to urge the side rail towards either the up or down position, and to bias away from an intermediate toggle position wherein the lever arms are vertical in a preferred embodiment. The biasing mechanism can include a cam and roller. A hard stop can be provided, whereby in the up position there is a strong component to prevent failure. A release lever is also provided. A person can actuate the release lever to move the side rail from the up position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a side rail that is selectably movable from a first up position over center to a second down position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bed side rails have existed for many years. In a basic form, a side rail is permanently fixed to the side of a bed frame. The side rail acts to alert the person that they are nearing the end of the sleep surface. Side rails are also useful as an assist device or grab bar for stability and for making adjustments in positioning. Of course, there have been many improvements over the years. Some examples include:
U.S. Pat. No. (hereafter, "USPN") 3,585,659 to Burst et al. is titled Safety Side Guard for Hospital Beds. It describes a generally rectangular safety side guard pivotally mounted upon the mattress frame of a hospital bed and movable around the pivotal mountings from an elevated guarding position to a lowered inoperative position. Stops are provided to limit movement of the guard into the positions and latch means are provided to secure the guard in an elevated position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,171 to Einsele et al. is titled Hospital Bed Rail Assembly. This patent shows a hospital bed having a storable safety rail. The bed includes a frame having a pair of laterally extending slide tubes mounted thereto. A pair of mounting shafts are positioned within the tubes and secure the safety rail to the frame. A stop member is positioned near the inner end of at least one of the tubes. The mounting shaft includes a projection which abuts the stop member when in a first rotational position, but is able to pass thereby when in a second rotational position. The stop member preferably includes an inclined surface opposing the inner end of the slide tube to urge the projection, and therefore the rail, outwardly as the mounting shafts rotate to move the rail to the raised position. A retraction spring is provided for urging the safety rail towards the bed frame while in the lowered position. The safety rail also includes a brake mechanism to resist the gravitational forces urging it downwardly from the raised position.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,622 to Her et al. is titled Hospital Bed. It describes a bed frame having a bed frame, a bed platform, a front plate, a distal plate, and two separate siderails at each side. The bed platform is structured by plurality of plates made by injecting plastics from a mold and serving to enhance the structure. The elevation angle of the bed platform can be adjusted by a driving device. Each of the siderails can be lifted or descended so that the patient can get on or off the bed conveniently. The outer side of each siderail is installed with at least one inner concave groove for fingers insertion when pull or push the siderails for safely purpose. Inner side of one siderail is installed with a motor controller to drive the driving device. The design will prevent the event of losing or destroying since it is fixed at a proper place. Besides, lower corners of the front and distal plates are installed with an impact-proof head to prevent the patient or others from being harmed by the corners. In particular, movable clamping pieces comprising a fixing seat, a pressing plate, a movable rear clamping plate, and a tightening block, are preset to the front plate and distal plate. With the special connection of the movable clamping pieces, the front plate and distal plate can be assembled or detached conveniently and easily.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,591,034 to Kramer et al. is titled Apparatus and Method for Closing Hospital Bed Gaps. It shows a patient support including a frame, a mattress supported by the frame, and a set of siderails configured to block egress of a patient from the patient support. The siderails are configured to reduce gaps defined between the siderails and the other components of the patient support.
While each of these examples show devices that may work well for their intended purposes, none show a biasing mechanism useful to bias the siderail towards either the up or down position.
Further, none teach that going over center can increase the horizontal movement of the side rail in proportion to a net change in vertical position.
Still further, none show the use of hard stops in the up position to provide a strong structure to prevent failure.
Still further, none show a release lever that acts in addition to a fixed stop in an up position.
Thus there exists a need for a side rail that solves these and other problems.

Side rail selectably movable from a first up position over center to a second down position


Methods, systems and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media for unmanned aerial vehicle beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight operations. In an embodiment, a flight planning system of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can identify handoff zones along a UAV flight corridor for transferring control of the UAV between ground control stations. The start of the handoff zones can be determined prior to a flight or while the UAV is in flight. For handoff zones determined prior to flight, the flight planning system can identify suitable locations to place a ground control station (GCS). The handoff zone can be based on a threshold visual line of sight range between a controlling GCS and the UAV. For determining handoff zones while in flight, the UAV can monitor RF signals from each GCS participating in the handoff to determine the start of a handoff period.

Many unmanned aerial vehicles are manually flown or flown via an autopilot in visual flight conditions. As unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, also referred to as a drone) operations become more prevalent, UAVs may increasingly fly around areas including natural or man-made structures under visual flight rules. Various environmental conditions or inspection needs may cause or require the UAV to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator, or beyond radio communication distance of a ground control station.

Unmanned aerial vehicle beyond visual line of sight control