A system is described, for use in optical measurement of a sample. The system comprising: an illumination unit configured for providing coherent illumination of one or more selected wavelength ranges and directing it onto one or more selected inspection regions of the sample, a collection unit configured for collecting light returning from the inspection region and generating output data comprising a sequence of image data pieces indicative of secondary speckle patterns formed at an intermediate plane in optical path of light collection, a depth resolving module configured for affecting at least one of the illumination unit and the collection unit for determining an association between collected secondary speckle patterns and depth layers of the sample; and a control unit being connectable to said depth resolving module and configured for operating said depth resolving module and for receiving said sequence of image data pieces from the collection unit and processing said sequence of image data pieces by determining correlation functions between at least portions of said secondary speckle patterns associated with corresponding depth layers of the sample, thereby determining one or more parameter variations along depth of the sample.

The term Elastography relates to measurement of elastic properties of materials. Elastographic measurements are typically used to in analysis of biological tissue to determine various sample parameters such as bone density and accumulation of deposition within the tissue.
Generally, elastographic measurements include generating a distortion in the sample and collecting data about response of the sample to the distortion within certain time window. Detection of the sample response is conventionally performed using various techniques between ultrasound imaging, magnetic resonance imaging and optical coherent tomography.
Several techniques have been developed for monitoring data on vibrations of a sample's surface. Such techniques utilize optical inspection of the sample and analyzing of secondary speckle patterns formed by reflection and scattering of coherent light from an inspection region on the sample's surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,638,991 presents a method for imaging an object. The method comprises imaging a coherent speckle pattern propagating from an object, using an imaging system being focused on a plane displaced from the object.
US 2013/0144137 and US 2014/0148658 present a system and method for use in monitoring one or more conditions of a subject's body. The system includes a control unit which includes an input port for receiving image data, a memory utility, and a processor utility. The image data is indicative of data measured by a pixel detector array and is in the form of a sequence of speckle patterns generated by a portion of the subject's body in response to illumination thereof by coherent light according to a certain sampling time pattern. The memory utility stores one or more predetermined models, the model comprising data indicative of a relation between one or more measurable parameters and one or more conditions of the subject's body. The processor utility is configured and operable for processing the image data to determine one or more corresponding body conditions; and generating output data indicative of the corresponding body conditions.

System and method for use in depth characterization of objects


A lock for securing a hitch coupler and safety chain hooks, the hitch coupler being attached to a trailer's towing tongue and the safety chains and hooks being attached to the towing tongue, the lock incorporating a primary lock including an enclosure having a floor and a ceiling; a bolt attached to and extending into the enclosure from the floor; a seam segmenting the enclosure and facilitating movements of the ceiling between a first and second positions, wherein, upon movement of the ceiling to the first position, the ceiling overlies the bolt, and upon movement toward the second position, the ceiling displaces from the first position; a releasable latch attached to the primary lock, the releasable latch being adapted for resisting movements of the ceiling; and a secondary lock incorporating a hitch coupler lower surface and the chain hook receiving eye.

Trailer locks are known to be variously formed and configured for attaching to a trailer's forward tongue coupler, and for disabling and interfering with unauthorized utilization of such tongue coupler for trailer towing. Such trailer locks are conventionally intended for reducing the risk of theft of a trailer.
A problem associated with such common trailer locks arises as a result of the presence of safety chains which are commonly attached to a trailer's tow tongue to provide continuity of trailer towing in the event that the trailer's primary tongue coupler fails or otherwise disconnects during towing. In order to perform such safety function, such chains include hooks, and are adapted to, on an emergency basis, alternatively perform the trailer towing function. Just as such hooks and chains are capable of towing the trailer during an emergency towing back-up event, such hooks and chains are capable of being intentionally utilized by a trailer thief as a primary towing means.
Commonly known trailer locks are typically incapable of performing any function of disabling or interfering with a thief's intentional utilization of a trailer's safety hooks and chains. Accordingly, such common and conventional trailer locks may undesirably allow a thief to alternatively utilize unsecured trailer hooks and chains for towing of the trailer in order to accomplish a theft of a trailer.
The instant inventive trailer lock solves or ameliorates the problems and defects described above by incorporating within a trailer tongue lock specially adapted structures which secure tow chains against unauthorized use simultaneously with locking and securing the trailer's tongue coupler.


A motor vehicle including a motor vehicle seat with an adjusting device for the multiple adjusting of a motor vehicle seat is provided. In one example, a backrest adjusting device with a discontinuous detent fitting arrangement for adjusting a backrest part relative to a sitting part, including a detent fitting arrangement connected in a stationary manner with the sitting part via connecting means, and at least one actuating arrangement rotatable about at least one rotation axis for actuating the detent fitting arrangement is provided. The at least one rotation axis is constructed in an integrated manner with at least one of the connecting means, and a method for this is provided.

Motor vehicles with seats are known from the prior art, in which a motor vehicle seat is adjustable and is also multiply adjustable. In particular, it is known in motor vehicle seats to adjust a sitting part and a backrest or backrest part with respect to the sitting part. The sitting part or respectively the motor vehicle seat can be adjusted here on the one hand vertically, i.e. the sitting part can be spaced differently with respect to a vehicle floor. On the other hand, the backrest can be adjusted in relation to the sitting part with regard to an angle to the sitting part, i.e. the backrest is able to be folded in relation to the sitting part with respect to the latter about a rotation axis. Various mechanisms are known for this adjustment. The mechanisms are activated for adjusting via in each case an operating or actuating arrangement. In the known solutions, the operating arrangement for vertical adjustment is situated to the side of the sitting part. The operating arrangement for adjusting the backrest is situated in the region of the rotation axis, about which the backrest is able to be folded or pivoted, laterally adjacent to the backrest. Both actuating arrangements are therefore arranged spaced apart from one another. For the remote operation of an adjusting of the backrest relative to the sitting part, it is known to arrange an operating arrangement spaced apart with respect to a rotation axis, and to connect the operating arrangement by a Bowden cable with the rotation axis—directly or indirectly via a transmission unit. In the known solutions, the operating unit comprises a rotary lever, which is rotatably mounted, spaced apart with respect to the rotation axis.
The adjusting of the backrest takes place via a lever mechanism arranged on the seat or another actuating arrangement secured there. Continuous adjustments by means of actuators, and discontinuous adjustment, i.e. incremental adjustment by means of mechanical solutions, are known here. In the case of the mechanical adjustments, for an adjusting, a locking or arresting of the adjustment is to be released for adjusting and to be locked for arresting. This takes place via a lever, via which a force is transmitted to a detent fitting. The rotation axis, about which the backrest part is able to be folded, is defined or determined by the detent fitting, so that this rotation axis is also designated as detent fitting axis. A force transmission takes place proportionally, i.e. a force which is to be transmitted increases with the lever stroke or respectively on a rotary movement the torque increases with the torsion angle. Owing to intermediate positions of the detent fittings, an adjusting is already possible when the detent fitting is not completely unlocked. On an adjusting in intermediate positions, undesired secondary effects occur, such as noise development during adjusting, or increased wear.
From DE 38 00 924 C2 a vehicle seat with an adjusting device for a backrest is known, consisting of a stationary bearing block, a pivot arm pivotably mounted on the bearing block, which pivot arm is fastened on the backrest and is able to be secured in selectable angle positions by means of a locking arrangement, wherein the adjusting device is covered in the direction of the seat user by a covering part, characterized in that the bearing block is fastened on the sitting part and the remaining parts of the adjusting device are arranged within the backrest and are connected therewith, and that the covering part is securely connected with a part of the adjusting device and has a slit into which an upwardly projecting region of the bearing block dips on folding the backrest forward.
The actuating device for the known adjusting device is arranged directly on the seat which is to be adjusted, in the region of the rotation axis. The arrangement of the actuation is unergonomic and in cramped conditions is only able to be accessed with difficulty. In addition, an adjustment characteristic of the adjusting device is unfavorable for the user. For an operation of the seat adjustment, a grasping around by the user or respectively users is necessary.
In addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.

Adjusting device, motor vehicle seat, motor vehicle and method for this


To smoothly introduce intake air or mixture through at least one intake valve and exhaust combustion gas through at least exhaust valve, an intake side conical wall surface is formed in an inner wall of the cylinder head in smooth continuous connection with a conical surface formed at an end of the intake valve seat, and an exhaust side conical wall surface is also formed in the inner wall of the cylinder head in smooth continuous connection with a conical surface formed at an end surface of the exhaust valve seat. It is preferable not to allow liquid fuel introduced through the intake to flow directly toward an ignition plug provided at the center of the cylinder, but to allow the introduced liquid fuel to flow directly toward the exhaust port along a flat surface, recess, groove, guide surface, etc. formed around the ignition plug for prevention of misfiring. Further, it is preferable to form a recess on a top surface of the piston, project the ignition plug from inner surface of the cylinder head, incline ignition plug toward the exhaust port, obstruct liquid introduced through the intake valve by a boundary projection formed between the intake and exhaust side conical wall surfaces, etc.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combustion chamber for internal combustion engines and more specially to an inner wall surface shape of the combustion chamber.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to allow intake air and combustion gas to smoothly flow into or from a combustion chamber for an internal combustion engine, the shape of the inner wall surface of the combustion chamber is important. With a view to improving the charging efficiency, the same applicant has already proposed a combustion chamber for an internal combustion engine in Japanese Published Examined (Kokoku) Utility Model Application No. 51-21203. In this prior-art combustion chamber, as shown in FIG. 1A, an end surface 131 of a valve seat onto which an intake valve 130 is seated and an inner wall surface 132 on the cylinder head side are connected smoothly through a continuous spherical surface, so that whenever the intake valve 130 is opened, intake air can smoothly flow along the valve seat end surface 131 and then the spherical inner wall surface 132 under a low flow resistance.
In the prior-art combustion chamber shown in FIG. 1A, however, there still exists a problem in that vortexes are easily produced along the inner wall surface of the combustion chamber on the cylinder head side as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, and therefore the charging efficiency drops. The reason is as follows: when the inner wall surface 132 is formed so as to be curved by a small radius R1 in contact with the valve seat end surface 131, an angle .theta. subtended by a tangent line A on the inner wall surface and the central line O.sub.130 of the intake valve 130 decreases as the tangent line A moves from that A1 (.theta..sub.1) near the valve seat end surface 131 to that A2 (.theta..sub.2) remote from the same end surface 131, as shown in FIG. 1B, so that vortices are produced due to contraction or compression at positions remote from the valve seat end surface 131.
On the other hand, when the inner wall surface 132 is formed so as to be curved by a large radius R2 larger than R1, an angle .theta. subtended by a tangent line A on the inner wall surface and the central line O.sub.130 of the intake valve 130 increases as the tangent line A moves from that A1 (.theta..sub.1) near the valve seat end surface 131 to that A3 (.theta..sub.3) remote from the same end surface 131, as shown in FIG. 1C, so that vortices are produced due to separation or expansion at positions remote from the valve seat end surface 131.

Combustion chamber for internal combustion engine


At least one processor and at least one memory coupled thereto associated with a first user terminal (UT) perform processes of previously storing pre-configuration information not derived from a base station, designating an area of resources for transmitting control information, determining a plurality of first radio resources within the area of resources for transmitting control information from the first UT to a second UT in a case that the first UT is out of coverage of the base station, and directly transmitting to the second UT the control information in each of the plurality of first radio resources by Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, each resource indicating a same at least one subframe of second radio resources to be used for transmitting data by the D2D communication. A second UT includes least one processor and at least one memory coupled thereto receives the control information from the first UT via D2D communication.

In 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) which is a project aiming to standardize a mobile communication system, the introduction of Device to Device (D2D) proximity service is discussed as a new function after Release 12 (see Non Patent Document 1).
The D2D proximity service (D2D ProSe) is a service in which direct communication is enabled without passing through a network within a synchronization cluster formed by a plurality of synchronized user terminals. The D2D proximity service includes a discovery process (Discovery) in which a proximal terminal is discovered and a communication process (Communication) in which direct communication is performed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Mobile communication system and user terminal


A chuck that clamps a substrate to the top surface using, e.g., a vacuum, electrostatic force, or other appropriate means, includes a plurality of lift pins that can raise the substrate off the top surface of the chuck. The chuck may be used with a metrology device that measures the substrate using a first type of measurement, e.g., film thickness measurement, while the substrate is held flat, and measures the substrate using a second type of measurement, e.g., radius of curvature measurement, while the substrate is supported on the lift pins. The thickness and radius of curvature measurements may then be used to determine the stress on the substrate. The lift pins may include an aperture through which a vacuum is applied through the top surface of the lift pins to the bottom of the substrate to securely hold the substrate while moving.

Flat substrates, such as semiconductor wafers, are stressed during certain processing steps, e.g., depositing or etching thin films. Stress in deposited layers can warp the substrate, which can adversely affect subsequent process steps, device performance, reliability and line-width control. Thus, it is desirable to measure the radius of curvature of a substrate as well as measure the stress on a substrate that is associated with a processing step.
There are many measurement tools available for measurement of the radius of curvature and analysis of the stress associated with certain processing steps on substrates. Most of the available tools for the semiconductor industry use a laser displacement sensor to measure the radius of curvature and to monitor the change in radius of curvature of the wafer before and after the processing step. Generally, radius of curvature is used to describe the bow of the substrate over a larger scale, e.g., the diameter of the substrate.
A laser displacement sensor relies on the reflectance of a laser beam from the surface of the sample to quantify the change in angle of incidence of the beam with respect to the wafer. This information can be transformed into an average radius of curvature for an entire diameter of a wafer or an average radius of curvature for a fraction of a diameter allowing the calculation of stress as a function of position along the diameter. This measurement can be repeated at a number of locations within a diameter and at a multitude of diameters to create a map of the stress over an entire wafer.
During the radius of curvature measurement, the substrate is typically placed on a stress-free chuck. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional stress-free chuck 10 with three pins 12 that support a substrate 14 (illustrated with broken lines). FIG. 2 is a side view of chuck 10 and pins 12 support substrate 14, which has been deposited with a thin film 16. The bowing of substrate 14 is shown greatly exaggerated in FIG. 2 for illustrative purposes. The radius of curvature of the substrate 14 prior to and after the deposition of the film 16 can be compared and converted into the stress in the film σ using the bending plate method as follows:
                    σ        =                              1            6                    *                      [                                          1                                  R                  post                                            -                              1                                  R                  pre                                                      ]                    *                      E                          (                              1                -                n                            )                                *                                    t              s              2                                      t              f                                                          eq        .                                          1            where σ is the stress in the film, R is the radius of curvature (pre and post deposition), E is Young's modulus, n is Poisson's ratio, ts is the substrate thickness, and tf is the film thickness.
As can be seen in equation 1, in order to determine the stress in the film, the thickness of the film must also be measured. Thickness measurements are preferably made on a flat substrate, e.g., with the substrate held flat with a vacuum chuck. Thus, thickness measurements are sometimes made at a separate metrology station than the radius of curvature measurement, which uses a stress-free chuck.
In order to increase throughput, however, the thickness of the film on the substrate is sometimes measured while the substrate is on the stress-free chuck 10. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the bowing of the substrate 14 (only a portion of which is shown) will cause the light 18 to be incident at a non-normal angle θ, which is dependent on the amount of bowing of the substrate and, thus, is an uncontrolled parameter. Accordingly, the angle of incidence of the light from the metrology instrument must be included as fit parameter, which slows calculation and is somewhat inaccurate. Additionally, while the substrate 14 is held on the stress-free chuck 10, the substrate 14 is subject to vibrations, which can create errors in the thickness measurement.
Thus, what is needed is an improved system that can accurately hold and measure a substrate in multiple orientations, i.e., flat and stress-free without using separate metrology stations.

Transferring, buffering and measuring a substrate in a metrology system


According to one embodiment, a system comprises a memory comprising instructions, an interface, and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the interface. The processor is configured, when executing the instructions, to determine one or more characteristics of a user device, determine, based on the one or more characteristics of the user device, a risk level associated with the user device, and apply, to the user device, one or more access restrictions for an online account based on the determined risk level.

Online accounts may typically be accessed using any suitable type of user device with network connectivity. However, user devices have varying levels of security protections in place. For example, some user devices may have software that is out of date or vulnerable to hacking. As another example, some user devices may not support encryption protocols. Thus, it is possible that online accounts may be accessed by user devices that are not secure, which may make information associated with the online account vulnerable to misappropriation.

Determining access requirements for online accounts based on characteristics of user devices


Input and output terminals are arranged so as to be adapted for an environment in which they are to be used. A semiconductor module (5) is surface-mounted on a surface wiring layer (30a) of a main substrate (3). A first module terminal group (11) located on a module first side (2a) of the semiconductor module (5) and a first substrate terminal group (301) located on a substrate first side (3a) of the main substrate (3) are connected by a first surface wiring pattern (311) formed in a surface wiring layer (30a). A second module terminal group (12) located on a module second side (2c) and a second substrate terminal group (302) located on a substrate second side (3c) are connected by a second surface wiring pattern (312) formed in the surface wiring layer (30a).

Semiconductor modules such as a system LSI (also called a system on a chip (SOC)) that is a large scale integration circuit (LSI) having integrated on a single semiconductor element a plurality of circuit blocks (mega cells) having specific functions and a multichip module (MCM) that is a module of a plurality of semiconductor elements having specific functions have been put into practical use. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-96268 (JP 2011-96268 A) (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique that implements ease of wiring design on a motherboard and a module substrate of a semiconductor module when configuring a circuit board (motherboard) having such a semiconductor module mounted thereon. Patent Document 1 discloses optimization of power supply to a memory that is mounted on a semiconductor module (multichip module), etc. (Patent Document 1: FIG. 8, [0045] to [0047], etc.).
Such multichip modules have a processor such as a microcomputer mounted thereon in addition to the memory. Mega cells and input and output terminals in a system LSI are usually arranged close to each other so that the wiring distance on a semiconductor element is short. FIG. 9 schematically shows an example of arrangement of the input and output terminals in the system LSI. In the case where two image output terminals are provided like "VO1, VO2" in FIG. 9, these two image output terminals are placed close to each other. However, there are some cases where these two image output terminals need be extended in different directions, depending on the position where a device using image output signals is placed. With recent improvement in image quality, image signals have been increasingly becoming fast. In order to appropriately obtain signals while dealing with high-speed signals, the number of layers in a circuit board such as a motherboard having a plurality of wiring layers or the area of the circuit board need be increased in some cases. Long wiring increases radiation noise, which may affect other circuits. Moreover, the wiring is subjected to external noise, which may reduce reliability of signals. Accordingly, it is preferable that a semiconductor module and a semiconductor device having a semiconductor module mounted thereon be designed in view of the environment in which the semiconductor module and the semiconductor device are to be used.

Semiconductor device and semiconductor module


A holding clamp for connecting together two sheets of material, at least one of which is susceptible to expansion. The clamp has a thread leg having a thread portion for receipt of a threaded member and a pair of clamping legs integrally joined at one end to form a C-shaped structure adapted to receive therebetween a sheet of expandable material, the thread leg being connected to an opposite end of one of the legs of the clamp. Each clamping leg has a through hole in line with the thread portion of the thread leg through which can pass the threaded member and an annular flange around each through hole that extends inwardly from the inner surface of each clamping leg that faces the other clamping leg and toward said other leg, the flanges abutting each other when the two clamping legs are brought together by the threaded member to keep the two legs apart a distance greater than the thickness of the expandable sheet. At least one spring lobe projects inwardly from each clamping leg that engages with opposite side surfaces of the sheet when the flanges abut to hold the clamp against the sheet while permitting it to slide relative to the lobes due to expansion.

This invention relates to a holding clamp for connecting together two sheets of material having different expansion characteristics by means of a screw that can be passed through holes in the sheets and aligned holes in overlapping legs of the clamp.
Connectors of this type are required, for example, in automobile construction to fasten synthetic casings or covers to body parts. The synthetic covers tend to expand more in heat than the body panel, so elongated holes are provided in the synthetic sheets in the direction of expansion. There is a danger here, however, of the screws used with the holding clamps being tightened too strongly. This then results in the synthetic sheet being unable to yield within the clamp so that it tends to arch between its connection points as a result of its expansion.
An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a clamp such that, on the one hand, the screw used with the clamp can be tightened strongly enough to achieve a secure clamping, while, on the other hand, the expansion characteristics of one of the sheets clamped by it are not impaired by the screw.

Holding clamp for connecting sheets having different expansion characteristics


A system for detecting and extending user engagement with stream content includes an engagement extension module that comprises a context identification module, an abandonment detection module, an engaging post generator and an injection module. The context identification module determines the interactions of the user with content stream and provides the user interaction signals to the abandonment detection module. The abandonment detection module analyzes these signals to determine whether there is a risk that the user may abandon or disengage from interacting with the content stream. The engaging post generator generates messages or other information likely to be interesting to the user and keep them engaged. If the abandonment detection module determines that there is a risk that the user may abandon or disengage from interacting with the content stream, the injection module adds a message or post generated by the engaging post generator into the content stream for the user.

The present disclosure relates to social networks and the presentation of content. In particular, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for detecting and extending user engagement with stream content. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system for determining user interaction with a social network and adding new posts or messages to extend user engagement.
The popularity and use of the Internet, web browsers, social networks and other types of electronic communication has grown dramatically in recent years. In particular, social networks have become a very popular and a preferred method for interaction with others. While social networks were once limited to posting messages, photos or videos, about oneself, the functionality provided by social networks has increased greatly. For examples, user can not be presented with a stream of content that includes messages, photos or videos but can also include other content such as news, micro blog posts, and presence information.
However, for some users the amount of content provided to them is limited because of their use of the social network, their social graph or other factors. Many such users are not using the social network to its full functionality because of a lack of knowledge, a failure to provide interests or data, or various other factors. When the stream content becomes limited, users often leave the social network or use it less frequently or not all.

Detecting and extending engagement with stream content


A musical tone signal processor is included of a computation unit, a register, a controller and an interpolator, and imparts a variable acoustic effect to a musical tone signal. The computation unit repeatedly executes a cycle of computation steps applied to the musical tone signal, using a plurality of parameters so as to realize a desired acoustic effect. The register stores values of the respective parameters which are used individually in corresponding computation steps. The controller operates when a variation is requested in the acoustic effect for designating at least one registered parameter attributive to the requested variation so as to rewrite an old value of the designated parameter to a new value. The interpolator is responsive to the execution of the computation steps each cycle during a transient period of the variation for feeding synchronously to the computation unit an intermediate value of the designated parameter, which is interpolated progressively from the old value to the new value, to thereby ensure the smooth variation in the acoustic effect. The interpolator has a multiple of interpolation channels. A multiple of concurrently designated parameters can be assigned freely to the respective interpolation channels so as to carry out parallel interpolation of the designated parameters.

The present invention relates to a digital signal processor (DSP) installed in an electronic musical instrument or else for imparting a variable acoustic effect to a musical tone signal.
In the electronic musical instrument, the DSP carries out computation processings of a digital waveform of the musical tone signal to realize the acoustic effect such as echo. vibrato and so on. The DSP operates according to a given microprogram comprised of a plurality of computation steps. Conventionally, the DSP is provisionally set with fixed parameters or coefficients which are used in the respective computation steps.
Recently, it has been attempted to update the parameters of the DSP in real time basis in order to instantly vary the acoustic effect imparted to the tone signal during the course of musical performance. However, in order to update concurrently all the parameters used in a great number of the computation steps of the DSP, correspondingly a great number of registers are required and disadvantageously the operation of the DSP is complicated. Further, at the time of updating the parameters, the parameter values must be incrementally interpolated by an interpolator during a transient period in order to avoid sudden and irregular variation in the acoustic effect. However, in order to completely interpolate all of the numerous parameters. disadvantageously a large scale of the interpolator is required.

Signal processor for providing variable acoustic effect


Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for commercial transactions for the sale of images carried out over short-range wireless transmissions. In one embodiment, the transaction may be initiated by a vendor (e.g., a professional photographer), who transmits a wireless signal including an offer for sale of an image. A customer wishing to purchase the image responds by sending a wireless signal including an acceptance of the offer. In another embodiment, the transaction may be initiated by a customer, who transmits a wireless signal including a request for an image to be fulfilled by a vendor. A vendor agreeing to supply the image responds by sending a wireless signal including an acceptance of the request. By offering the images to customers who are in close proximity to the image capture, the vendor may increase the likelihood that the images will be purchased.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to data processing. More specifically, the invention relates to techniques for fee-based distribution of media based on device proximity.
2. Description of the Related Art
The technologies of digital cameras and the Internet have been widely adopted by consumers. As a result, there is a growing demand for the sharing of photographs and video (hereafter referred to as "images").
In some cases, such images may be captured by a commercial vendor (e.g., a professional photographer). Conventionally, a customer wishing to purchase commercial images that have been captured at a given location must carry out a manual transaction on the spot. Such transactions are typically difficult to carry out, since they include the manual steps of locating the vendor, selecting an image for purchase, negotiating a price, and arranging the transfer of the image itself.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for techniques for fee-based distribution of media based on device proximity.

Fee-based distribution of media based on device proximity

International Business Machines Corporation


A multi-port valve internally supports a rotatable trunnion having an elbow passage between a nozzle portion of the trunnion and a lower end outlet that communicates with a test port of the valve body. The outer end of the nozzle has an axially reciprocable hollow seal piston with a seal support ring whose outer face is formed with an endless groove to receive an O-ring. An actuating shaft is coaxially mounted in an upper end of the trunnion and has a lower end with an eccentric pin engaged in a slot of the seal piston to reciprocate the seal piston into and out of sealing registration around a port selected by rotation of the trunnion. External ends of the actuating shaft and trunnion are respectively drivably coupled to a coaxial sprocket wheel and geneva wheel. A housing on top of the valve contains an input rotor fitted with a cam and a drive roller for engaging radial slots of the geneva wheel alternately with cam engagement of the dwell notches of the geneva wheel. Concurrently and in advance of forward rotation of the geneva wheel, a rotor driven seal actuating yoke a a free end engages one of a series of radial slots of the sprocket to rotate the sprocket in a retrograde direction to disengage the seal. When the yoke is disengaged, a detent mechanism temporarily locks the geneva and sprocket wheels together for co-rotation in a forward direction as the geneva drive roller again comes into engagement with the geneva wheel. After the nozzle has been advanced one step, further rotation of the input rotor advances an arm independently pivotally mounted on the yoke to compress a spring mechanism to bias the yoke and sprocket to compress the seal on a seat around the next port.

The present invention relates to valves and, more particularly, to a multi-position rotary selector valve.
Multi-port selector valves have been in use for many years in a variety of applications. Generally, as employed in oil fields where it is desired to isolate one of a plurality of incoming fluid streams for testing the volume and composition of the isolated stream, such valves comprise a valve body having circularly spaced apart inlet ports each of which receives fluid from a well head. The valve body cover plate rotatably mounts one end of a trunnion whose lower end is rotatably mounted in a bottom portion of the valve body. The trunnion member contains an elbow passage having an inlet nozzle that can be turned into registration with a selected one of the inlet ports for conducting the selected well stream to a test outlet in the lower end of the valve body in communication with the opposite end of the elbow passage. The non-isolated fluid streams entering through the other inlet ports commingle in a common cavity of the valve body to be exhausted through a production outlet, also formed in the lower portion of valve body.
In the prior art rotary valve, the inlet nozzle to the elbow passage comprises a hard plastic sliding seal ring mounted on a shoulder of a steel seal backup ring which, in turn, is seated upon a wavy steel seal-energizing spring ring backed up by an adjusting nut threadedly engaged within the nozzle mouth. The seal ring free-floats inside the nozzle mouth and is pressed tightly against a machined cylindrical surface of the valve body by the spring ring. As the nozzle is rotated from one port to another, the hard seal slides against the valve body wall. If a grain of sand or other particle happens to lodge in this tight fit, the plastic seal is scratched and begins to leak. Internal valve corrosion also erodes the plastic seal. In order to restore the seal, the backup nut must then be adjusted to compress the backup spring to further load the seal which, in turn, effects further erosion. In addition, as the seal ring is tightly slidably engaged with the valve body wall while turning from one position to another, the seal may itself rotate relative to its supporting ring and assume a position of its convex sealing surface which is not matingly complementary to the configuration of the machined cylindrical inner surface of the valve body on which it is intended to seat.
In addition, a higher pressure normally is obtained inside the nozzle than within the valve body cavity such that the hard plastic seal ring tends to be unseated by the differential pressure. In an effort to remedy the ensuing leakage, the only solution is to further compress the backup spring which, in turn, exacerbates seal erosion.
The prior art valve has been so prone to internal leakage that it has been customary to dedicate one of its inlet ports solely to sue as a test position in order to detect leakage and to gain access to the adjusting nut to further compress the backup spring. Such dedication of one of the inlet ports for use solely as a test position eliminates use of that port as a test site for another well and so increases equipment costs.
Other disadvantages of the prior art valve are due to the mechanism for moving and positioning the nozzle. As the nozzle seal is tightly pressed against the valve body in sliding from one port to another, a substantial amount of torque must be applied from a large motor. Also, a circular metal cam is attached to the nozzle rotating shaft to actuate one of a series of manually adjusted motor shut-off microswitches when the nozzle mouth is over the appropriate port. In field usage it has been found that this switch mechanism is not sufficiently positive in indexing the nozzle with respect to a selected port due to slipping micro switches, the use of multi-conductor cable which is prone to electrical failure, and normal deterioration of the mechanical couplings from the drive gear box to the electronic and valve mechanisms.


A method of incorporating an additive into a polyamide-poly(arylene ether) composition includes the step of melt blending a polyamide, a poly(arylene ether), and a dispersion comprising a liquid carrier, an unmodified clay, and an additive. Using the dispersion rather than a polymer-based additive masterbatch saves energy. Like a polymer-based masterbatch, the dispersion provides the additive in a diluted form and therefore preserves the masterbatch's advantages of providing more uniform distribution additive in the plastic and avoiding direct handling of additives in the final compounding step.

Many plastics are provided as blends that include not only plastic resin but also one or more additives that improve the appearance and/or properties of the plastic. For example, in certain electrically conductive blends of polyamide and poly(arylene ether) resins used to fabricate electrostatically painted automotive parts, the electrical conductivity of the blends can be provided by a small amount of carbon nanotubes present as an additive in the blends. In order to improve the uniformity of additive distribution in the plastic and, in some cases, to avoid direct handling of the additive in the final compounding step, the additive is often incorporated into an intermediate plastic composition, known as a masterbatch, and the masterbatch is then combined with other components to form the final plastic composition.
The formation of the masterbatch requires a separate melt blending step that is energy intensive. There is therefore a desire for a less energy intensive means of incorporating additives into plastics, while still preserving the masterbatch's advantages of providing more uniform distribution additive in the plastic and avoiding direct handling of additives in the final compounding step.

Method of incorporating an additive into a polyamide-poly(arylene ether) composition, composition prepared thereby, and article comprising the composition


An example of a sill assembly for a door frame includes a sub sill extending along a generally horizontal sill axis. The sub sill includes a sub sill upper portion. A base sill extends along the sill axis. The base sill is mounted to the sub sill and clads at least a portion of the sub sill upper portion. The base sill includes at least one base sill clip member. A step sill extends along the sill axis. The step sill includes an axially extending step sill upper surface positioned above the base sill, and at least one step sill clip member removably engaged with the base sill clip member to removably mount the step sill to the base sill.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,825 (Procton et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,949 (Procton et al.) purport to disclose a building entryway system with a high degree of modularity to accommodate active inswing doors or inactive sidelight panels for use with conventional jambs. Specifically, an extruded aluminum sill is mated with an extruded polymeric receiving unit. The receiving unit defines a u-shaped channel which accepts a weather strip or panel cap. Either the weather strip or panel cap is slidably positioned within the channel under the door. Additionally a door sweep attached to the active doors sealingly engages the weather strip to prevent water from entering the building.


An ink composition comprised of a colorant and poly(diallyl diethyl ammonium) bromide.

The present invention is directed to ink compositions, and more specifically, the present invention relates to aqueous inks especially useful for ink jet processes, reference U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,695, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, thermal ink jet, acoustic ink printing, processes and apparatuses thereof, reference for example, the above recited copending patent applications, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,141, U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,220, U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,726, U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,531, U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,384 and U.S. Ser. No. 08/176,381, now abandoned the disclosures of which are totally incorporated herein by reference, including especially acoustic ink processes as illustrated in some of the aforementioned copending applications and patents, such as an acoustic ink printer for printing images on a record medium.
More specifically, the present invention is directed to ink compositions, especially aqueous inks wherein there can be generated with such inks excellent developed images with acceptable image permanence, excellent projection efficiency on transparencies, superior waterfastness characteristics, for example waterfastness values of about 95 to about 100 percent, and excellent crease resistance, and wherein the inks need not contain salts and moreover wherein the inks reduce or minimize corrosion of for example ink jet heads. Moreover, in embodiments of the present invention, there are provided inks that enable the elimination, or minimization of undesirable paper curl. The inks of the present invention in embodiments thereof are comprised of a vehicle, and optionally a noncolored vehicle, reference U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,312, U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,568, U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,316, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,554, the disclosures of each being incorporated herein by reference.


An assembly is provided for the prevention of scalding in showers and other such installations. The assembly includes a valve assembly within a mixed water supply line and a temperature sensitive element for controlling the operation of the valve assembly. The valve assembly is preferably designed to allow some leakage when in the closed position.

The invention relates to scalding prevention means for sanitary installations, in particular showers.
It frequently happens that, owing to irregularities in water pressure and/or heating, the temperature of mixed water as adjusted within a sanitary installation will vary, and that scalding may result if the cold water supply is insufficient or fails altogether.
This occurs in many instances when a large volume of cold water is used in one location in a building while a person is attempting to use a mixture of hot and cold water in another location thereof. Since a temperature change in a mixture of hot and cold water can be quite sudden and unexpected when the cold water supply thereto becomes insufficient, scalding can easily occur.


A high pressure turbine (HPT) blade includes a substantially arcuate trailing edge including one or more fluid injection elements disposed therein. Each fluid injection element injects a fluid such as air into a desired trailing edge region of the HPT blade or vane to enhance mixing out of the wakes generated via the HPT blade or vane. The enhanced mixing out reduces HPT/LPT interaction losses and/or the axial gap between the HPT and LPT components in a gas turbine engine. The interaction losses include unsteady thermal wake segregation effects that lead to unexpected heat-up of endwalls (planforms and blade/vane-tips) of downstream blades/vanes, and further include aerodynamic losses, both transonic and subsonic.

The invention relates generally to gas turbine engines and more particularly to a system and method for re-tasking, redesigning and/or manipulating the use of coolant injection holes to enhance the mixing of a gas turbine blade or vane wake to reduce HPT/LPT (high pressure turbine/low pressure turbine) interaction losses and improve the thermal durability of the turbine.
Turbine blade/vane wakes interact with turbine blade/vane shock wave systems and, if not fully mixed, with downstream blades/vanes. This process generates higher losses, and often requires extra axial spacing between the HPT and LPT to fully mix the wakes. Besides the aero-performance benefit of wake mixing, its benefit can also be extended to include the thermal effect. The wakes coming off of the film-cooled turbine vanes and blades have temperature deficits in addition to the pressure deficit. The low-momentum fluid in the wake of an airfoil (vane or blade) migrates downstream, and is ingested and turned by the downstream airfoil. The left side of FIG. 13 illustrates the wake migration. The right side of FIG. 13 illustrates that turning of the fluid in the downstream blade row causes the low-momentum fluid to accumulate near the suction side of the airfoil, while the higher momentum fluid outside of the wake moves toward the pressure side of the adjacent airfoil. Since the wake fluid is cooler compared to the fluid outside of the wake, the thermal segregation occurs in the passage of the downstream airfoil row where the coolant in the incoming wake cannot reach the pressure side. As a result, the pressure side of the downstream airfoil is hotter than the adjacent suction side, which may cause overheating of the pressure side.
Further, the wake of an upstream airfoil also introduces a secondary flow, which is often referred to as "slip" velocity, or "negative" jet if the wake has a lower velocity than surrounding flow, or "positive" jet if the wake has a higher velocity than surrounding flow. A velocity triangle illustrated in FIG. 14 depicts the negative and positive jets. Kerrebrock, J. L. and Mikolajczak, A. A., 1970, "Intra-Stator Transport of Rotor Wakes and Its Effect on Compressor Performance", ASME J. Eng. Power, Vol 92, pp. 359-370, describes that even if the fluid temperature is the same everywhere, as the flow migrates to the downstream, this secondary flow causes the transport of the fluid across the airfoil passage, which in turn causes a temperature gradient across the passage.
FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram depicting placement and operation of fluidic injection elements 10 near to but not in the trailing edge 12 of a turbine blade 14 that is known in the prior art to enhance mixing of a wake following the trailing edge 12 of the turbine blade 14. At least one fluidic-generated vortex 16 operates to enhance mixing of a wake 22 following the trailing edge 12 of the turbine blade 14. The fluidic-generated vortex 16 is generated via one or more fluidic injection elements 24 integrated near the trailing edge 12 of the turbine blade 14. Each fluidic injection element 24 is configured to inject a fluid 26 such as a stream of air into a trailing edge region of the turbine blade 14 to enhance mixing out of the wakes behind the trailing edge 12 of the turbine blade 14. The enhanced mixing out of the wakes results in a wider wake 22.
FIG. 2 illustrates a typical turbine blade 30 having an rounded style trailing edge cooling scheme that is known in the prior art, viewed in a top-down perspective in which shaded areas 32 are metal and hollow areas 34 are coolant flow pathways. Turbine blade 30 comprises a trailing edge slot 36 with straight inner walls. FIG. 3 illustrates a bleed slot trailing edge cooling scheme having a thinner trailing edge comprising a trailing edge slot with straight inner walls 38.
Although fluidic injection elements/cooling holes and slots have been employed in the prior art to provide both aerodynamic performance benefits and cooling of turbine blades/vanes, such techniques have not yet successfully addressed aerodynamic losses resulting from wake and shock interactions, both steady and unsteady for transonic vanes/blades as well as unsteady losses due to wake interactions when blades/vanes are subsonic. Further, high pressure turbines where the vanes are heavily cooled to ensure durability in high temperature environments, e.g. film and trailing edge cooling, can result in unsteady thermal wake segregation effects that lead to the unexpected heat-up of endwalls, e.g. platforms and blade/vane tips, of downstream blades/vanes. Large temperature gradients are caused by the cold wakes in combination with hot post-combustion gases, which leads to a thermal wake migration effect.
In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method to reduce both the total pressure gradient and the total temperature gradient. The system and method should re-condition the flow that goes into the downstream airfoil row via mixing of the thermal wakes of an upstream blade row to reduce the thermal load of the adjacent downstream blade row by reducing the thermal segregation effect within the downstream blade row. FIG. 16 illustrates the mixing of velocity wakes and thermal wakes in a single sketch. Two parameters are introduced to measure the wake mixing. The first is Wake Velocity Ratio (WVR), which is defined herein as a ratio of velocity integral in the wake region and that in the free-flow region. The other parameter is Wake Temperature Ratio (WTR), which is defined as a ratio of mass-weighed temperature integral in the wake region and that in the free-flow region.

System and method for enhanced turbine wake mixing via fluidic-generated vortices


A light unit for use in lighted sign assemblies has a housing with a rear wall, upstanding opposed side walls, and shield elements extending inwardly from adjacent the upper ends of the side walls. Light arrays extending along the side walls have light emitting diodes disposed in spaced relationship above the rear wall and below the shield elements, and a diffuser extends across the housing above the shield elements. The rear wall is configured to reflect light emitted from the diodes relatively uniformly across the diffuser which further contributes to relative uniform transmission of light therethrough. The power supply may include a circuit to transform alternating current line voltage into a reduced direct current voltage for the diodes, and the power supply may also provide direct current to the diodes from a battery power source when power is interrupted.

The present invention relates to lighted exit signs and emergency signs, and, more particularly, to light units for such signs.
Exit signs and emergency signs are widely employed in commercial and industrial buildings as well as in multi-unit residential buildings to identify exits and provide other information to persons who may be within the structure. Some such signs are continuously illuminated, others are illuminated only in the event of emergencies such as the loss of power, and still others are illuminated by the building power supply normally and by battery power when building power is lost. Such signs are usually illuminated by two incandescent or compact fluorescent lamps, each of which will normally have a rating of 15-25 watts. The incandescent and fluorescent lamps results in a power requirement which becomes particularly significant when the signs are powered by a battery supply in the event of an emergency.
Recently, there have been efforts to utilize light emitting diodes (LEDs) to effect illumination of exit signs so as to reduce the amount of the power required, and such efforts have necessarily involved the use of a relatively large number of spaced light emitting diodes to provide the necessary candlepower for adequate illumination. In some such signs, the light emitting diodes have been oriented in rows corresponding to the configuration of the letters directly under which they are disposed. Because of this orientation, an undesirable result is that the light emitting diodes produce a multiplicity of bright spots in the illuminated legend of the sign even when diffuser material is placed between the LEDs and the legend sheet or plate.
Another substantial advantage to use of light emitting diodes in addition to the lower power consumption (an array may require only 2 watts), is that they generate less heat and are much longer lived. This also enables the reduction of the size and cost of DC power supplies for emergency power. Accordingly, there are decided advantages to employing LEDs if the objectionable point source effect can be overcome.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel light unit for exit and emergency signs incorporating light emitting diodes as the light source and providing diffuse illumination of the indicia of the sign legend.
It is also an object to provide such a light unit providing a substantially uniformly lighted appearance for the characters of the legend.
Another object is to provide such a light unit which can readily replace the incandescent and fluorescent light units in existing exit and emergency signs.
Still another object is to provide such a light unit which may be fabricated readily and economically from components which may be readily assembled.


An in-tank fuel pump for an automotive vehicle includes a pump housing having a pumping element, a low pressure inlet, and a high pressure outlet. A motor housing defining a motor cavity is mounted to the pump housing and a motor is mounted within the motor cavity in driving engagement with the pumping element. A bypass channel is adapted to allow a portion of the fuel flowing through the high pressure outlet to flow into the motor cavity.

The present invention generally relates to a fuel pump for an internal combustion engine. More specifically, the present invention relates to a high pressure fuel pump cooled by bypass and leakage flows, either individually or in combination.
In low pressure applications, such as conventional port fuel injection gasoline engines on the order of 40-60 psi, fuel pumps typically route the fuel that is being pumped through the center of the pump motor to cool the motor and bearing of the pump. While this works very well at low pressures, direct injection engines require fuel to be delivered at higher pressures, on the order of 300 psi, as described in related provisional application Ser. No. 60/352,434, filed Jan. 28, 2002. The motor housing of a conventional high pressure fuel pump is not adapted to withstand the pressures produced by the high pressure fuel pump. Therefore, in a high pressure fuel pump, the fuel being delivered cannot be routed through the motor to provide cooling of the motor and the bearings. Therefore, there is a need for a high pressure fuel pump that provides a low pressure supply of fuel through the motor to cool the motor and bearings of the high pressure fuel pump.