A see-through head mounted display apparatus with reduced eyeglow is disclosed. Two images of a scene are combined and presented to a user, the combined image including portions of reflected image light and light from a see-through view of an external environment. The apparatus includes a light control element to block escaping portions of image light and reflected portions of scene light, while allowing incoming scene light to be transmitted from the external environment. The images are produced using a partially reflecting mirror and a light control element. A portion of scene light is transmitted through the partially reflecting mirror and is combined with a portion of image light reflected from the partially reflecting mirror. A light control element is used to block a portion of the image light and a portion of the scene light to reduce eyeglow.

See-through head mounted displays allow a user to view a displayed image or a see-through view of the scene in front of the user. See-through head mounted displays can also allow the user to view a combined image comprised of a displayed image and a see-through view of the scene in front of the user in which the displayed image is overlaid on the see-through view. In different modes of operation, the see-through head mounted display can present the displayed image so that the area of the displayed image is transparent, semitransparent or opaque. In the transparent mode, the see-through view of the scene is unblocked and an overlaid displayed image can be provided with low contrast. In the semitransparent mode, the see-through view of the scene is partially blocked and an overlaid displayed image can be provided with higher contrast. In the opaque mode, the se-through view of the scene is fully blocked and an overlaid displayed image can be provided with high contrast.
Alternatively, some head-mounted displays provide a see-through display for an augmented reality view in which real-world scenes are visible to a user but additional image information is overlaid on the real-world scenes. Such an augmented reality view is provided by helmet mounted see-through displays found in military applications and by heads-up displays (HUDs) in the windshields of automobiles. In this case, there can be multiple areas for displaying images over the see-through view.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,722 describes a head mounted display with a folded optical path and a beam splitter with a curved mirror to present an image from a CRT image source to the user's eye. The image source is positioned on the side of the user's head with the optical path multiply folded to present the image light from the image source into the user's eye. The curved mirror is positioned between the user's eye and the scene in front of the user. A see-through version of the head mounted display is also discussed wherein the curved mirror is a partially reflective mirror so the user can see through the curved mirror to view the scene in front of the user. However, the CRT image source is large and heavy so that it is not well suited for head mounted displays. The multiply folded geometry with the image source located on the side of the user's head makes for a larger beam splitter and a thicker geometry in front of the user's eye so that the overall size of the head mounted display is larger. Image light that passes through the partially reflecting mirror is uncontrolled and as such, a portion of the image light escapes through the front of the see-through head mounted display and is seen externally as eyeglow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,194 discloses a see-through head mounted display with a waveguide wherein the outer surface is a partially reflecting mirror. In this see-through head mounted display, image light from the image source is reflected multiple times from different areas of the partially reflecting mirror before the image light is presented to the user's eye. In addition, a corrective lens is provided so that distortions of the see-through view of the scene are reduced. And, a liquid crystal shutter is provided to block incoming light from the scene so that the see-through headmounted display can be operated in an opaque mode. Image light that passes through the partially reflecting mirror is uncontrolled and as such, a portion of the image light escapes through the front of the see-through head mounted display and is seen externally as eyeglow.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,693,749 describes a head mounted display with a polarizing beam splitter cube to reduce light losses and improve efficiency. An image source is positioned above the user's eye and the optical path is folded once to present the image light from the image source to the user's eye. A curved fully reflecting mirror is positioned below the user's eye to focus the image light at the user's eye. An unpolarized image source is used so that half of the image light from the image source passes through the polarizing beam splitter while the other half of the light is reflected away from the user's eye and toward the scene in front of the user. A polarizer is positioned in front of the polarizing beam splitter cube to block the half of the light that is reflected away from the user's eye and thereby make the user less observable by others in the neighboring environment. However, the polarizing beam splitter cube is large and heavy, so that it is not well suited for use in a head mounted display. Further, the curved mirror is also relatively large so that by locating the mirror below the user's eye, the thickness of the see-through head mounted display is necessarily larger.
There is a need, therefore, for an improved see-through head-mounted display that provides a thinner, lighter weight display which also controls escaping light to reduce eyeglow.


An LED light source assembly for signage illumination includes one or more planar LED arrays located with respect to a light spreading system for uniformly distributing light onto a viewing surface. The light spreading system includes a plurality of reflectors in combination with a transverse deflector disposed directly above and in the light emanating path of a planar LED array. The transverse deflector is oriented angularly and projects at least a portion of light onto a lateral reflector of the light spreading system. In one embodiment, a heat dissipation fixture is supported external to a housing assembly for improved heat management. The LED arrays and the plurality of reflectors and transverse deflectors are affixed directly to the heat dissipation fixture.

1. Field of the Invention
A light emitting diode (LED) light source assembly for a billboard type sign, and more particularly an improved light spreading system therefor.
2. Related Art
A billboard is a type of signage in the form of a large outdoor advertising structure typically found along busy roadways and other high traffic areas. Billboards often show slogans, visuals and other indicia that are painted or otherwise applied to a large, usually rectangular, vertical surface. Billboard advertisements are designed to visually catch the attention of people passing by and quickly create a memorable impression. To be effective, a billboard sign must present indicia that are visually discernible from a great distance by viewers who may only have line-of-sight exposure to the sign for a very short period of time. During daylight hours, visibility is usually not an issue. However, during times of low-level ambient light, e.g., at night, it is usually necessary to shine a light onto the viewing surface of the billboard to in order to make the indicia visible to distant, transitory viewers.
In most instances, lighting of the billboard is accomplished by a horizontal row of light source assemblies mounted a few feet out from the large rectangular viewing surface either along its bottom or top edge. Traditionally, the lighting source has been an incandescent bulb set in an opaque housing with a clear cover. To disperse the light evenly across the viewing surface, reflectors may be placed behind the bulb inside the housing, and the cover may include light dispersing features like a Fresnel lens. Such traditional approaches were reasonably effective, but were relatively expensive to manufacture, expensive to maintain/repair, expensive to operate, and suffered relatively short life cycles between bulb replacements.
In recent years, incandescent lights have been increasingly replaced by LED (light emitting diode) devices due to the greater efficiency and longevity of an LED light source. High brightness, high efficiency LEDs have been developed to produce white light with an output sufficient for the development of practical lighting. Notwithstanding, LED applications have not successfully extended into billboard signage illumination due, at least in part, to difficulty obtaining an even light dispersion across the viewing surface. In particular, one type of LED light source a planar LED array consolidated onto a single light emitting chip—is well-known for its exceptionally high light output characteristics. However, planar LED arrays have not heretofore been successfully applied to billboard signage illumination applications. Fundamental differences between the emission of light from a planar LED array as compared with an incandescent light source have rendered the traditional light dispersion techniques—chiefly reflectors placed behind the bulb and/or a lensed cover—to be found generally ineffective for planar LED array light source technologies. For example, light output from planar LED array systems are substantially more concentrated along a unidirectional light emission beam, and hence more intense, than the omnidirectional light output from the ubiquitous filament(s) found in an incandescent source. The intense, unidirectional light emission beam from an LED light source, and in particular from a planar LED array configuration, results in a viewing angle so narrow that for billboard applications the traditional cover optics, Fresnel lensing, are not sufficiently effective to achieve the necessary light spread. Furthermore, cover optics, e.g., those crafted with Fresnel lensing, are expensive when compared with a non-lensed cover. Replacement of lensed covers due to damage and extended exposure to the elements contributes significantly to the high cost of traditional lighting solutions. Another obstacle to use of planar LED array technology in billboard signage applications has been the issue of heat management. It is well-known that LED light sources will fail prematurely without effective strategies for heat dissipation.
Thus, despite the recognized advantages of adapting outdoor signage lighting to LED's, there remains serious obstacles to successfully implementing LED concepts in this field due to fundamental differences in the respective light emission characteristics. There is therefore a need in the art for improvements in light dispersion technology sufficient to enable the use of planar LED array light source technology in such a way that results in cheap, robust, high-efficiency, and heat manageable outdoor signage illumination.


[Problem] To provide an electro-optical distance meter in which the measurement time is reduced, and a temperature phase drift of electrical components is reduced.

In a conventional electro-optical distance meter, errors unique to the electro-optical distance meter have been corrected by measuring the distance by alternately switching, by moving a shutter, light emitted from a light-emitting element into a distance measuring optical path for traveling to and from a target reflection object (a target, reflective sheet, or non-prism object) and into a reference optical path directly heading for a light receiving element from a light source. However, because a shutter movement is involved, there have been drawbacks that not only does the distance measurement take time, but also the motion is slowed down at low temperature. Therefore, an electro-optical distance meter without using a shutter for switching into a distance measuring optical path and a reference optical path has been desired.
As such an electro-optical distance meter without using a shutter, one as disclosed in the following patent literature 1 is known. In FIG. 9, a block diagram of this electro-optical distance meter is shown.
This electro-optical distance meter includes two light-emitting elements 1P and 2P. A light 30P emitted from the light-emitting element 1P is split into two parts by a beam splitter 3P, one of these is as a distance measuring light 32P made incident onto a light receiving element 5P through a distance measuring optical path for traveling to and from a target reflection object 60P, and the other is as a reference light 33P made incident onto a light receiving element 4P through a reference optical path that is inside the electro-optical distance meter. A light 31P emitted from the light-emitting element 2P serves as a reference light, and is split into two parts by a beam splitter 6P, one of these is made incident onto the light receiving element 4P, and the other 35P is made incident onto the light receiving element 5P. In addition, a diffuser 51P for diffusing light is disposed at a nearer side of the light receiving element 4P, and a scatter 11P for scattering light is disposed at a nearer side of the light receiving element 5P.
The light-emitting element 1P is connected to a synthesizer 21P via an amplifier 23P, and emits light modulated with a frequency f1. The light-emitting element 2P is connected to a synthesizer 22P via an amplifier 24P, and emits light modulated with a frequency f2. Both synthesizers 21P and 22P are connected to a common oscillator 20P.
The light receiving element 4P is connected to a frequency converter 7P via an amplifier 9P, and the light receiving element 5P is connected to a frequency converter 8P via an amplifier 10P. Both frequency converters 7P and 8P are supplied with a local oscillation signal of a frequency fLO from a local oscillator 12P. Both frequency converters 7P and 8P are for conversion to intermediate frequency signals fZF1 and fZF2 of frequencies equal to differences between output signals from the light receiving elements 4P and 5P and the local oscillation signal, respectively.
A filter 13P connected to the frequency converter 7P is structured so as to pass only a frequency fzf1 that is a difference between the frequencies f1 and fLO, and selects only an intermediate frequency signal according to the reference light 33P modulated with the frequency f1, that is, an intermediate frequency signal according to a reference distance D1. A filter 14P connected to the frequency converter 8P is structured so as to pass only a frequency fzf2 that is a difference between the frequencies f2 and fLO, and selects only an intermediate frequency signal according to the reference light 35P modulated with the frequency f2, that is, an intermediate frequency signal according to a reference distance D2+D3.
Next, the light-emitting elements 1P and 2P are changed in their respective modulation frequencies of emitting lights so as to emit light modulated with the frequency f2 from the light-emitting element 1P and emit light modulated with the frequency f1 from the light-emitting element 2P. Then, the filter 13P connected to the frequency modulator 7P, which is structured so as to pass only the frequency fzf1 that is a difference between the frequencies f1 and fLO, thus selects only an intermediate frequency signal according to the reference light 34P modulated with the frequency f1, that is, an intermediate frequency signal according to a reference distance D2. The filter 14P connected to the frequency converter 8P is structured so as to pass only the frequency fzf2 that is a difference between the frequencies f2 and fLO, and selects only an intermediate frequency signal according to the distance measuring light 32P modulated with the frequency f2, that is, an intermediate frequency signal according to a measuring distance D0.
Thus, by alternatively changing the modulation frequencies f1 and f2 of light to be emitted from both light-emitting elements 1P and 2P, a total of four intermediate frequency signals of the intermediate frequency signal according to the measuring distance D0 and the respective intermediate frequency signals according to the reference distances D1, D2, and D2+D3 are obtained.
The filter 13P is connected to an A/D converter 17P via an amplifier 15P. The filter 14P is connected to an A/D converter 18P via an amplifier 16P. Both A/D converter 17P and 18P are connected to a digital Fourier transformer 19P. With this, by determining initial phases of the four intermediate frequency signals, an error content unique to the electro-optical distance meter can be corrected to determine a precise distance to a measurement target 60P.

Abstract: [Solution Means] An electro-optical distance meter includes a first light-emitting element (13) which emits light modulated with a plurality of main modulation frequencies (F1 and F2), a second light-emitting element (14) which emits light modulated with a plurality of adjacent modulation frequencies (F1−Δf1 and F2−Δf2) close to the main modulation frequencies, respectively, first and second light receiving elements (40 and 48) which receive light emitted from both light-emitting elements, a first frequency converter group (42, 44) connected to the first light receiving element, and a second frequency converter group (50, 52) connected to the second light receiving element. The light emitted from the first light-emitting element is split into two parts, one of these is made incident onto the first light receiving element through a distance measuring optical path (23) for traveling to and from a target reflection object (22), and the other is made incident onto the second light receiving element through a first reference optical path (26), and the light emitted from the second light-emitting element is split into two parts, one of these is made incident onto the second light receiving element through a second reference optical path (31), and the other is made incident onto the first light receiving element through a third reference optical path (29).


A filament lighting apparatus includes a base, a pillar, multiple lamp strips, a fixed metal strip, a driving circuit and a lamp cap. The lower end of the pillar connects to the base. Each lamp strip has an upper end point and a lower end point. The upper end point of the lamp strip is electrically connected to the fixed metal strip. The fixed metal strip is disposed about an upper end of the pillar and the fixed metal strip doesn't directly contact the pillar. The lower end of at least two of the lamp strips are electrically connected to the driving circuit. The lamp cap accommodates the driving circuit and supports the base. The present invention discloses a method of manufacturing the filament lighting apparatus.

A Lamp is a very important apparatus for human civilization life. With development of technology, multiple lamps are designed and manufactured to meet multiple requirements.
With the progress of light Emitting Diode (LED) technology and decline in cost, light emitting diode manufacturing lamps increasingly popular to people's daily lives. Most of white LEDs are currently produced through coating a layer of yellow phosphor on a blue LED (near-UV, wavelengths 450 nm to 470 nm). The yellow phosphor usually obtained by mixing cerium doped with cerium Aluminum garnet (Ce3+:YAG) crystals, and grind the mixture, mix them in a dense adhesive. When the LED chip is blue, part of the blue light will be very efficient conversion of the crystal into a broad spectrum (spectral center is about 580 nm) mainly yellow light. As the yellow light may stimulate red and green light in the naked eye, and then mixed with the blue LED, making it look like white light, and the color is often called "moonlight white." The method of making white LEDs was developed by Nichia Corporation and used in 1996 to produce white LEDs. To adjust the color of light yellow light, other rare earth metal terbium or gadolinium may be used to replace cerium (Ce) doped with Ce3+:YAG, or even to replace part or all of aluminum in YAG. Based on the characteristics of the spectrum, red and green objects in the LED irradiation may not look like the broad spectrum of light when the light so clear. In addition, due to the variation of production conditions, the color temperature of the finished product of the LED is not uniform, differing from warm yellow to cold blue, so the production process may be distinguished by outcome characteristics.
Another method of making white LED is a bit like a fluorescent lamp, emitting near ultraviolet LED may be coated with two kinds of phosphor mixture, one is red and blue light europium, the other is green, doped with copper and aluminum of zinc sulfide (ZnS). Because the UV may make the adhesive in the epoxy resin cracking deterioration, production is more difficult, and life is shorter. Compared with the first method, it is less efficient and produces more heat (because former Stokes shift is larger), but the advantage is better spectral characteristics, producing the better look light, and because the UV light LED power is high, so the efficiency is relatively low compared to the first method, but the brightness is similar.
The latest method of making white LEDs is no longer used phosphors. The new approach is to grow the epitaxial layer of zinc selenide on zinc selenide (ZnSe) substrates. The active area emits the blue light and the substrate emits yellow when connecting the power, and then mixing together becomes white light.
There are some different technical problems have to be solved in the different light emitting diode lamps, including heat dissipation, light efficiency and light emission direction. In addition, if it may further reduce the cost of manufacturing may also help to increase the popularity of the light emitting diode lamps in human society.

Filament lighting apparatus and manufacturing method thereof


An emergency stopping system for track mounted movable targets used divergent cables to stop a target trolley which has not been otherwise stopped before coming to the end of a track. As the trolley passes over the diverging cables, the cables are forced together, causing the trolley to dissipate kinetic energy.

In order for soldiers and the like to maintain the combat skills it is important that they regularly engage in training exercises. However, such training can also be time consuming and expensive. For example, when training for tank combat, there is considerable cost in fuel, targets, ammunition and related materials. Additionally, the soldier's time and the amount of time which they occupy a training facility are important, as there may be a large number of soldiers who need to be trained on limited facilities. Thus, it is important that targets remain in an operational state, and that if a target is damaged or otherwise becomes non-operational the target can be quickly returned to an operational state. Preventing targets from becoming non-operational and allowing them to be quickly repaired and placed back into operation is advantageous as it eliminates downtime at the training facility and reduces the operational costs of the target system. In some cases, time limits for repair and placing a target back to an operational state is part of a required performance specification for a target system.
Large targets such as tank targets may include a trolley which moves on rails and a large target mounted to the trolley. These trolleys may weigh several thousand pounds, as they carry a large target overhead, and must resist tipping over in wind storms and when moving along a track. These trolleys may travel at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour or faster to simulate a tank moving at full speed. While such tank target systems usually include brakes, there are times when the brakes either fail or are insufficient to stop the trolley prior to the end of the track.
As the heavy trolley reaches the end of the tracks, it is important that it be stopped. In the case of a brake failure or too little stopping distance, the trolley can overrun or jump off the tracks. If the trolley jumps the tracks, a heavy lifting rig must be brought in and the trolley must be placed back on the tracks. The trolley may also be damaged and must be repaired. In either case, a significant delay is possible.
In some cases, to prevent a runaway trolley, sand has been placed around the end tracks to decelerate the trolley. While this may prevent the trolley from travelling well off the end of the tracks or damage to the trolley if it hits an abutment at the end of the tracks, the sand seems to get drawn in the wheels, etc. of the trolley and can delay redeployment of the trolley. Thus, once the trolley stops in the sand, a crew should go in and clean the sand out of the trolley. Even if cleaned, some sand may remain and further damage the trolley during further exercises. Such cleaning wastes both time and man-power.
Thus there is a need for an emergency stopping mechanism for a trolley that avoids the contamination of the trolley, while keeping the trolley from running off the end of the tracks.

Emergency stopping system for track mounted movable bullet targets and target trolleys


A printed circuit board assembly includes: a first signal terminal row including a plurality of first signal terminals connected to a plurality of signal wirings of a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), respectively; a first ground terminal row spaced from the first signal terminal row and including a plurality of first ground terminals connected to a plurality of ground wirings of the FPCB, respectively; a second signal terminal row including a plurality of second signal terminals connected to a plurality of signal wirings of a printed circuit board (PCB), respectively; and a second ground terminal row spaced from the second signal terminal row and including a plurality of second ground terminals connected to a plurality of ground wirings of the PCB, respectively. The first ground terminal row is closer to an end portion of the FPCB than the first signal terminal row.

1. Field
One or more aspects of example embodiments of the present invention relate to an organic light emitting diode ("OLED") display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Display devices, such as televisions (TVs) or monitors that output image information, include image display devices that display images, and circuit devices that output image signals for displaying the images. With the development of information technology in society, demands for display devices have been diversified, thus leading to an increased use of large size flat panel display ("FPD") devices, such as liquid crystal display ("LCD") devices and organic light emitting diode ("OLED") display devices. Such an FPD device includes a flat display panel including a plurality of pixels and a circuit unit that applies signals to the flat display panel.
The FPD device generally includes a first substrate on which signal wiring that transmits signals for displaying images, and switching elements for driving pixels, are formed, and also includes a second substrate bonded to the first substrate while being opposite thereto.
In general, the circuit unit includes a system that applies signals for displaying an image, and that supplies power, a control substrate having a controller and the like that converts the signals applied from the system into signals to be applied to the flat display panel, and a driver substrate that processes the signals converted by the control substrate to transmit the processed signals to the flat display panel.
Flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs) are widely used to connect a plurality of signal wirings between the control substrate and the driver substrate. The signal wirings may be arranged in parallel, and may transmit image information. A plurality of signal wirings may be located on an FPCB to transmit signals for driving an OLED display device. In this case, a malfunction of, and damage to, an integrated circuit and an electronic component on a printed circuit board (PCB) may occur due to externally generated electrostatic discharge (ESD). As used herein, the term "ESD" refers to a phenomenon in which an electrically charged object contacts another object having a potential/voltage difference therebetween, to thereby momentarily cause a charge transfer. Leakage current, and the like, generated by ESD may result in a hard-error that causes a physical defect (e.g., damage to an element or a component) of an integrated circuit and an electronic component on a PCB, and/or a soft-error that causes a malfunction of a device.
An electronic device generally employs a scheme of shielding from an inflow of static electricity by inserting a wiring having a ground (GND) potential into an outer portion of a wiring of an FPCB, or between signal wirings of the FPCB. However, there is a limit in shielding from such an external inflow of static electricity through a bonding portion at which ground wirings are bonded to one another.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present invention, and therefore, it may contain information that does not form prior art.


A cutting tool including a base, a TiN layer on the base, a TiCN layer on the TiN layer, and an Al2O3 layer on the TiCN layer. The base contains a cemented carbide. The TiN layer and the TiCN layer contain Nb. A Nb content in the TiCN layer at a middle portion of the TiCN layer in a thickness direction is 0.1% by mass or more, and the Nb content in the Al2O3 layer at a middle portion of the Al2O3 layer in the thickness direction is 0.05% by mass or less.

Cutting tools having been widely used to cut metals are typically covered with a multilayer coating that are formed by depositing a TiCN layer, an Al2O3 layer and other layers on the surface of a base made of a cemented carbide or the like. Also, it is known that the heat resistance of a cemented carbide is increased by adding a carbide other than WC, such as TIC, TaC, or NbC to a cemented carbide. It is, however, also known that the concentration of carbides other than WC, such as TIC, TaC, and NbC, that is, β phase concentration, is reduced at the surface of the cemented carbide.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-118108 discloses a cutting tool in which the surface of a cemented carbide base is covered with a TiN layer, a TiCN layer, a TiC layer, a TiCNO layer, an Al2O3 layer and a TiN layer in that order by CVD (chemical vapor deposition). In this disclosure, W and Co are diffused in the grain boundaries of the TiN, TiCN and TiC layers that are closer to the base.
Japanese Patent No. 4253184 discloses a method. For forming a B—C-containing coating, in this method, an amorphous coating of Nb or any other metal is formed by unbalanced magnetron sputtering, and an intermediate layer in which the content of the Nb or any other metal is gradually varied is made by gradually increasing the electric power applied to a target containing B and C while gradually reducing the electric power applied to the Nb or any other metal coating.
The following is a list of the aforementioned background art
PTL 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-118108
PTL 2: Japanese Patent No. 4253184


An engine is provided herein. The engine includes a crankshaft, an engine casing, an oil pump, and an accessory drive, the oil pump having an input member which is driven from the crankshaft at a location on the opposite side of the accessory drive to the engine casing.

Oil pumps are used in internal combustion engines. The oil pump circulates engine oil under pressure through oil passages which may, for example, be formed in the engine block, head, shafts and bearing housings, thereby lubricating rotating components of the engine. The oil pumps may be driven via a crankshaft in the engine. Additionally, oil pumps and oil pump drive assemblies may be positioned within an engine casing. However, positioning the oil pump and oil pump drive assembly within the engine casing may increase the size of the engine casing, thereby decreasing the engine's compactness.
As such in one approach an engine is provided. The engine includes a crankshaft, an engine casing, an oil pump and an accessory drive, the oil pump having an input member which is driven from the crankshaft at a location on the opposite side of the accessory drive to the engine casing. In this way, the driving components for the oil pump may be positioned external to the engine casing, thereby increasing the compactness of the engine casing, if desired.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following detailed description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure. Additionally, the above issues have been recognized by the inventors herein, and are not admitted to be known.


The use of Schülpen based on pyrogenically produced silicon dioxide in pharmaceutical compositions is described.

The present invention relates to the use of Schülpen of pyrogenic silicic acid in pharmaceutical compositions. The Schülpen are used in this connection in particular as glidants to improve the bulk flow of powders.
In a medicament it is generally possible to distinguish two functionally different substance groups, namely active ingredients and auxiliary substances.
Active ingredients are characterised by their specific pharmacological activity. They represent the active constituent of a medicament. As such, they are also identified quantitatively on the packaging and on the package leaflet.
Auxiliary substances, on the other hand, have no pharmacological activity. They are necessary in order to enable a suitable form of administration, namely the medicament, to be produced for the active ingredient. In general, the medicament contains a plurality of auxiliary substances having different functions. For example, auxiliary substances are used as fillers, binders, disintegrators, glidants, lubricants or release agents.
When developing stable, effective medicaments which are easy to handle from active ingredient(s) and auxiliary substances, there are a large number of auxiliary substances which can be used.
Highly disperse, pyrogenic silicon dioxide, for example Aerosil®, is frequently used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic compositions. In solid product forms it can be used as a flow regulator, adsorbent and drying agent; in liquid and semi-liquid product forms it can be used as a suspension stabiliser, framework-forming agent and gel-forming agent. It can also be used to increase the mechanical stability and the rate of disintegration of tablets. In addition, it can improve the distribution of the active ingredient.
A particular disadvantage when working with highly disperse silicon dioxide is the formation of dust, because very high demands have to be met in terms of cleanliness when producing pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.
A further disadvantage is the agglomeration behaviour of highly disperse silicon dioxide, which causes the product to come together as a result of hydrogen bridges and electrostatic charging. This results in larger lumps which do not pass through the relatively small sieve openings typical for the pharmaceutical industry. This is a particular problem in the case of silicon dioxides which have been compressed in order to minimise dust formation and have a higher bulk and tamped density.
Sieving is very important in order to eliminate foreign bodies in pharmaceutical products. As a result, modern automatic weighing and screening devices cannot be used, which increases the possibility of contamination from human handling.
When using highly dispersed silicon dioxide in pharmaceutical compositions improved flowability of mixtures prepared therewith would also be desirable in order to be able to achieve greater metering accuracy, for example when producing tablets and capsules. As a result it would be possible on the one hand to achieve lower variance of tablet and capsule weights and on the other hand to improve the economy of processes that result in such forms of administration.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Use of roll compacted pyrogenically produced silicon dioxide in pharmaceutical compositions


Methods and compositions for depositing La-containing layers are described herein. In general, the disclosed methods deposit the precursor compounds comprising rare earth-containing compounds using deposition methods such as chemical vapor deposition or atomic layer deposition. The disclosed precursor compounds include a cyclopentadienyl ligand having at least one aliphatic group as a substituent and an amidine ligand.

One of the challenges the industry faces is developing new gate dielectric materials for Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) and capacitors. For decades, silicon dioxide (SiO2) was a reliable dielectric, but as transistors have continued to shrink and the technology moved from "Full Si" transistor to "Metal Gate/High-k" transistors, the reliability of the SiO2-based gate dielectric is reaching its physical limits. The need for new high dielectric constant material and processes is increasing and becoming more and more critical as the size for current technology is shrinking. New generations of oxides especially based on Lanthanum-containing materials are thought to give significant advantages in capacitance compared to conventional dielectric materials.
Nevertheless, deposition of Lanthanum-containing layers is difficult and new material and processes are increasingly needed. For instance, atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been identified as an important thin film growth technique for microelectronics manufacturing, relying on sequential and saturating surface reactions of alternatively applied precursors, separated by inert gas purging. The surface-controlled nature of ALD enables the growth of thin films having high conformality and uniformity with an accurate thickness control. The need to develop new ALD processes for rare earth materials is obvious.
Unfortunately, the successful integration of compounds into deposition processes has proven to be difficult. Three classes of molecules are typically proposed in the case of Lanthanum: beta-diketonates, bis(trimethylsilyl)amide and cyclopentadienyls. The two first families of compounds are stable, but the melting points may exceed 90° C., making them impractical. Lanthanum 2,2-6,6-tetramethylheptanedionate's [La(tmhd)3] melting point is as high as 230° C., and the Lanthanum tris(bis(trimethylsilyl)amido) [La(tmsa)3] melting point is 150° C. Additionally, the delivery efficiency of those precursors is very difficult to control. Non-substituted cyclopentadienyl compounds also exhibit low volatility with a high melting point. Molecule design may both help improve volatility and reduce the melting point. However, in process conditions, these classes of materials have been proven to have limited use. For instance, La(iPrCp)3 does not allow an ALD regime above 225° C.
Commonly owned PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2009/149372 discloses rare earth metal precursors containing cyclopentadienyl and amidinate ligands. However, the examples reveal that synthesis of La(EtCp)2(NiPr-amd), La(EtCp)(NiPr-amd)2, La(iPrCp)2(NiPr-amd), and La(iPrCp)(NiPr-amd)2 failed.
Some of the Lanthanum-containing precursors currently available present many drawbacks when used in a deposition process. Consequently, there exists a need for alternate precursors for deposition of Lanthanum-containing films.

Preparation of lanthanum-containing precursors and deposition of lanthanum-containing films

L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude


A cover unit for covering an external face of a machine tool. The cover unit is formed with small opening for allowing a workpiece to pass therethrough. The cover unit is also formed with a large opening for facilitating maintenance to the machine tool. The small opening is selectively closed by a first closure means to avoid scattering of the cutting chips and machining liquid toward outside during machining to the workpiece. The large opening is selectively closed by a second closure means during machining to the workpiece.

The present invention relates to a machine tool provided with a palette on which a workpiece is detachably mounted, and more particularly, to a cover unit for covering the machine tool to prevent cutting chips and machining liquid from being scattered externally.
In a conventional arrangement, a cover unit is disposed over the machine tool. The cover unit is provided with an opening portion having a predetermined opening region for facilitating maintenance of the machine tool. Further, a workpiece and a palatte are moved through the opening portion of the cover unit for undergoing machining to the workpiece in a machining region of the machine tool and for handling the workpiece outside the machining region.
In this instance, the opening area of the cover unit must be sufficiently large for facilitating inspection, handling and maintenance to the machine tool. However, the opening is much greater than outer profiles of the workpiece and the palette, and therefore, a large clearance may result when these items pass through the opening. Accordingly, there is a likelihood that cutting chips generated at the machining region and machining liquid applied to the workpiece may be splashed or scattered from the machining region to the outside through the large clearance.
Particularly, there has been proposed a machining tool providing two machining zones in the machining region, so that while one workpiece is subjected to machining at one machining zone, another workpiece is introduced into another machining zone through the opening. That is, the other workpiece is fixed to a palette at a non machining region outside the cover unit, and the other workpiece and the palette are introduced inside the cover unit through the opening during machining to the one workpiece at the one machining zone. With such arrangement, cutting chips and machining liquid attendant to the first machining zone may be scattered to a significant degree outside through the opening when the second workpiece is moved into the second machining zone through the opening.

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An apparatus including one or more beverage container receptacles for holding a beverage container in the upright position in multiple convenient and possibly unstable locations is described. Slender legs separate the beverage container receptacles from direct contact with the mounting or bearing surfaces and serve to damp spilling forces transmitted from these surfaces when the apparatus is placed in various horizontal or vertical orientations such as vertically between couch cushions; or horizontally between a bed mattress and box spring; or on a picnic blanket. Multiple stemmed and non-stemmed beverage container types such as wine glasses, coffee cups, large soda cups are simultaneously held. Additional storage space for personal effects such as digital electronic devices, remote controls or reading glasses is included. One embodiment of the invention includes speakers, amplifying electronics and batteries for playing digital music from a users digital electronic device.

1.0 Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to beverage container holders adaptable for use with multiple beverage containers, and in multiple soft and hard surfaced locations including couches, beds, vehicles and picnic blankets over grass.
2.0 Description of the Related Art
People frequently enjoy various types of beverages in multiple different locations. These locations could include sitting or lying on couches of varying cushion thickness to read, watching TV in bed, having picnics on a blanket covering a grassy field, resting on the beach sand and driving in a vehicle. Furthermore, one person may be drinking from a traditional handled coffee mug, while another may be drinking from a stemmed beverage container including, but not limited to, a wine glass, and both desire a unified convenient location to rest their different beverage containers. Additionally, while enjoying the beverage it is desirable to be able to listen to digital music in these same locations and store personal effects including, but not limited to, remote controls. However, all these locations present unstable beverage container holder bearing surfaces with a high probability of spilling since all previous beverage container holders are designed with large contact surfaces between the beverage container holder and the support or bearing surfaces. These large contact areas then transfer large forces from the supporting surface to the beverage container resting in the beverage container holder, thereby increasing the likelihood of liquid spilling.
Various beverage container holders or digital music players have been designed to fit into existing car beverage container holders, or sit on top of couch cushions, or be placed between couch cushions for support. For example, US Pat. App. No. 2011/0286622 A1 describes a speaker device insertable into an existing vehicle beverage container holder. However, this invention does not include the ability to hold beverages, it simply enables playing of digital music via a speaker device mounted into a vehicle beverage container holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,678 describes a beverage container holder capable of being mounted on the arm of a chair and hanging from said arm. However, this invention also does not remove the spilling forces from being transmitted to the beverage container, it also does not allow deployment on vertical locations such as between a bedspring and mattress, or provide the user with a digital music listening capability, or provide a convenient storage area for personal items, or support multiple beverage container designs.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,556,230 B2 describes a beverage container holder designed to rest on a horizontal surface such as a couch cushion or table. However, this invention does not isolate the beverage from the external spilling forces, it also does not allow deployment on vertical locations such as between a bedspring and mattress. It also does not facilitate digital music playing or personal item storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,231,094 B1 describes a beverage container holder capable of being clamped to various surfaces however it does not enable the user to rest a beverage on a horizontal or vertical surface, or isolate the beverage from spilling forces, or provide personal effects storage, or digital music playing.
Beverage container holder prior art embodiments do not facilitate use of the beverage container holder in multiple horizontal and vertically mounted locations and do not mitigate transmission of beverage spilling forces from the mounting location. The prior art also fail to simultaneously accommodate both stemmed and non-stemmed beverage containers including, but not limited to, both stemmed wine glasses and non-stemmed coffee cups, or provide a storage location for personal items including, but not limited to, remote control players and eyeglasses, and also fail to accommodate digital music players and speakers.
In view of the foregoing, a multifunction beverage container holder is desired which provides stable support for multiple beverage container forms including, but not limited to, coffee cups, wine glasses and convenience store "go cups"; storage for personal items including, but not limited to, mp3 players, remote controls, pens, reading glasses; beverage support in multiple orientations and on multiple stable or unstable surfaces and bearing locations; and enabling amplification and transmission of digital music to the proximate person. This multifunction beverage container holder is described more particularly in the following text.
The foregoing examples of related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the inventions described herein. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.


A drum driving device for a window shade includes a housing fixed to a frame of the window shade. A cord pulley is rotatably received in the housing. A drum is rotatably mounted to a drum shaft received in the housing A single-direction clutch device is mounted between the drum and the cord pulley. The clutch device includes a chamber defined in the housing. A driving shaft is coaxially mounted to the cord pulley. A transmission shaft is mounted in the chamber. A driving spring is mounted to an inner periphery of the chamber and around the driving shaft and the transmission shaft in the chamber. The transmission shaft has an outer diameter not larger than that of the transmission shaft. The driving spring is in tight contact with the driving shaft and the inner periphery of the chamber. The transmission shaft is extended out of the chamber and connected to the drum.

The present invention relates to a drum driving device for a window shade and, more particularly, to a drum driving device for a window shade that is simple in structure and reliable in operation.
A drum driving device disclosed in China Utility Model No. 200820044961.2 includes a single direction clutch device mounted between a drum and a cord pulley. The clutch device is comprised of a shaft coaxially mounted to the drum for driving the drum to rotate and a slideable rotary seat coaxial to the shaft for clutching purposes. An end face of the shaft coupled to the rotary seat includes teeth for single-direction coupling. A housing includes an axial hole coaxial to the drum. The shaft has a clutch shaft section to which an end of the rotary seat is engaged. The engaging location of the clutch shaft section and the end of the rotary seat is in the axial hole. The other end of the rotary seat is located in a socket in a side of the cord pulley and includes an inclined groove receiving a sliding block formed in the socket. In operation, when the cord pulley is rotated by pulling a pull cord, the sliding block slides along the inclined groove to push the rotary seat towards the shaft, causing engagement between the end of the rotary seat and the end face of the shaft. The shaft is rotated by the rotary seat to drive the drum to rotate. When the pull cord is released, the cord pulley rotates in a reverse direction under the action of a return spring to wind the pull cord around the cord pulley. At the same time, the slide rotates in the reverse direction together with the rotary seat and moves along the inclined groove away from the shaft to disengage the rotary seat from the shaft while under the action of a compression spring. Thus, the shaft rotates freely, allowing joint, smooth rotation of the shaft and the drum. However, friction exists between the sliding block and the inclined groove. Frequent use causes wear to the sliding block and the inclined groove. In particular, when the sliding block stops in a location in the inclined groove and then starts to move, the pressure imparted to the sliding block is relatively large. Furthermore, the static friction is larger than the sliding friction. Thus, the inclined groove is liable to wear, causing non-smooth movement of the sliding block and causing malfunction of the clutch device. Further, the clutch device is complicated and, thus, has high manufacturing costs.
Thus, a need exits for a drum driving device for a window shade that is simple in structure and reliable in operation.


An experiment definition system that digitally represents an experiment design. The experiment definition provides the logical structure for data analysis of scans from one or more biological experiments. The experiment definition either directly reflects the experiment design in a one-to-one relationship, or the user customizes the experiment definition. Experiment definitions are stored as a set of instructions in a database of experiment definitions. A user interface for constructing the experiment definition, and for customizing one or more automated analysis pipelines for processing the experiment definitions.

The majority of measurement experiments in modern science use the theory of experiment design. While an experimental method supplies a methodology for establishing a body of reliable facts and analyses which can aid in answering certain clearly stated questions relevant to an experimenter, an experiment design is the plan for collecting and analyzing data to answer certain clearly stated questions relevant to the needs of the experimenter. The experiment design is based on contrasting two or more treatment conditions, where ideally the subjects are treated in identical manners, except for one feature that is different. An observed difference in response can then be attributed to the designed differences among the treatment conditions. A well designed experiment permits the inference of facts from a small number of observations that might otherwise require an exhaustive set of observations. The results of an experiment can indicate how to change an average response of a system to a different desired value in response to a treatment. Alternately, the results of an experiment can show how to reduce variations in a process, help to make a process more robust or even help to distinguish which variables are important to control. Experimental investigations are generally iterative in nature, and the experimenter generally uses the results of, e.g., a screening process, to decide on the factors that are important to control in the following experimental design. Some basics of the design of experiments are summarized at trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/desintro.htm. There are also commercially available texts that provide a discussion of the design of experiments, such as Barrentine, An Introduction to Design of Experiments: A Simplified Approach, ASQ Quality Press, 1999.
An experiment design provides the structuring of an experiment for the application of a number of treatments to one or more experimental units, i.e., a number of different subjects on which the experiment is performed (e.g., animals or cells). The factors, which form the independent variables, are the controllable settings in the experiment, and are typically represented by Xs, i.e. X1, X2, X3, etc. Each factor can have one or more values, subdivisions or settings, each referred to as a level of the factor, an example being the different concentrations of a drug. The experiment design specifies the levels for the factors for each performance of the experiment. A response value or setting forms the dependent variable, and is the measured outcome from the performance of an experiment. In an experiment design, the factors are chosen by the experimenter in the belief that they should affect the response value being monitored. To increase the confidence level in the results of an experiment, the experimenter can choose to form a number of replications.
A replication is a repetition of some or all treatments on two or more experiment units. If all of the experiments are repeated three times, the study is said to have three replications. Replications of experiments are necessary to provide an indication of the amount of the experiment error in the measurement of any response value. An experiment design specifies the number of experiments, the factor-level combination for each of the experiments, and the number of replications of the experimental study. The different response values or settings from the different replications of the scans performed, also called replicates, are used to calculate a statistical average of response to the application of a factor. For balance, it is preferable to have an equal number of observations for each treatment. This helps to minimize the possibility of some types of bias. Increasing the number of replicates can help increase the statistical confidence in the correlations of the responses between levels, such as a confidence level of 95%. An example of a software tool that can compute a minimal number of replicates is BioMine™ 1.0 Experiment Design Tool™ (available from Gene Network Sciences, Inc., Ithaca, N.Y.).
An experiment design can also indicate if there is any interaction between factors when the levels of the factors are applied in combination in an experimental design. Two factors A and B are said to interact if the effect of one depends on the level of the other, such as if the factors are time and dosage levels of a drug. An interaction graph can help to visualize interactions between two factors, e.g., if the response variable is plotted as the y-axis, the x-axis is the levels of one of the factors, and each curve plotted on the interaction graph represents the responses to the levels of the other factor. A main effect is an outcome where there is a consistent difference between levels of a factor on an interaction graph. For example, there is a main effect from a factor such as a drug if there is a statistical difference between the average response for the different drug dosage levels at all levels of time in an experimental study.
FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C illustrate interaction graphs for an experiment design where the two factors of drugs and time are applied, each at two different levels. The levels of the factor time on the x-axis and 1 hour and 4 hours, while the levels of the factor drugs on the x-axis are drug dosages of level 1 ng/ml and 10 mg/ml. FIG. 1A depicts an interaction graph where there is no effect of any treatment condition, since the effect of the drug and time are the same. FIGS. 1B and 1C depict interaction graphs where there is a main effect only for time, or only for drugs, respectively. FIG. 1B shows that, for all drug dosage levels, the 4 hours condition has a greater effect than the 1 hour condition. FIG. 1C shows that the 10 ng/ml dosage level yields a greater effect than the 1 ng/ml level, for any given amount of time. The interaction graphs can also show a main effect for both factors. FIG. 2A illustrates an interaction graph for the case where there is a main effect for both factors, but with no interaction. FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C and 2A all show that, if there is no interaction, the curves on the graph are basically parallel. Any amount of interaction will be exhibited by some amount of deviation from a parallel arrangement. FIG. 2B, illustrates the case where there is an interaction between the factors drug and time, but only for the case where time is 4 hours and drug is 10 ng/ml. FIG. 2B illustrates a case of a more complex "cross-over" interaction between the two factors, where the combinations of 1 hour and 1 ng/ml or 4 hours and 10 ng/ml worked equally as well, while the other combinations do poorly. A poorly designed experiment could also lead to confounding, which is an inability to attribute a change in a response variable to a factor. A good experiment design works to reduce the incidence of confounding.
There are many different statistical analysis methods that can be used to analyze the measurements derived from any particular experiment design chosen. In many statistical tests, any measurement error is required to be independent of the measurement quantity (constant measurement variance). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is an example (see, e.g., Statistics For Experimenters, Box, Hunter and Hunter, John Wiley and Sons, 1978; Siegel et al., Nonparametric statistics for the behavioural sciences, McGraw Hill, 2nd edition, 1998; Conover, Practical Nonparametric Statistics, John Wiley and Sons, 3rd edition, 1998; Altman, Practical Statistics for Medical Research, CRC Press, 1991; Berry, Statistical Methods in Medical Research, Blackwell Science, Inc., 2001). ANOVA is a method for detecting whether there are statistical differences among the mean of different measurement groups. ANOVA can be used to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference in protein expression data between or within groups of genes. Examples of standard statistical techniques applied to analyze the measured results of an experiment design include t-tests (paired and unpaired), one-way or two-way ANOVA, factorial and fractional factorial designs (e.g., two-level designs), the method of least squares (linear or nonlinear models), and response surface methodology. The statistical analysis methods are used to interpret the data derived from the experiment design, i.e., to indicate if any observed difference in the main effects between groups from the one or more factors is actually statistically valid.
There are software tools available in the art for storing and manipulating data derived from various experiments in biotechnology, or for performing some statistical analysis of the data. BioMine™ 1.0 (see gnsbiotech.com/biomine.shtml) is an application for the analysis of gene expression data that provides for data importation and normalization (from e.g., replicates). The application also provides for some manipulation of the normalized data, e.g., an Experiment Design Tool™ that computes the minimal number of replicates for statistically validating an experiment result within a given confidence level. Rosetta Biosoftware provides a flexible, manipulable searcheable database, i.e., the Rosetta Biosoftware Resolver® gene expression data analysis system (Rosetta BioSoftware, Kirkland, Wash.), which can be used to store, and search a compilation of, e.g., gene expression data sets. Silicon Genetics (Redwood City, Calif.) provides different software tools for raw data normalization, analysis, and visualization, called GeneSpring™ software version 5.0, which is a visualization software package for, e.g., microarray data, and GeNet™ software version 3.0, which is provides for data archiving and retrieval by assigning attributes to gene expression profiles. Affymetrix, Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.) provides the Affymetrix® Analysis Data Model (AADM), a relational database schema used to store Affymetrix® GeneChip expression results, and Data Mining Tool (DMT) software tools for filtering and sorting GeneChip® array data stored in an Affymetrix® Analysis Data Model (AADM)-compatible database generated by using the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) or MicroDB™ (which creates Affymetrix® Analysis Data Model (AADM)-compliant databases from experimental data sets derived from GeneChip® or spotted arrays).
While the Rosetta Resolver® software tools provided a searchable database for gene expression data analysis, the software package does not provide a user interface (UI) tool for processing experiment data according to an experiment definition, or the capability for saving the experiment definition instructions on how to process the data. Prior implementations of analysis tools in currently available systems, e.g., Rosetta Resolver®, require the user to go through many labor-intensive steps, such as multiple data searches, managers, and complex wizards to arrive at a result. As an example, a user has to search for different components in different parts of the application. For instance, profiles related to a project are searched among all profiles, experiments among all experiments, cluster results among all clusters, etc. Additionally, currently available systems treat each profile separately, and thus it is difficult to assign different profiles to more than one treatment group.
Given the above background, there remains a need for an experiment definition system that can digitally reflect an experiment design. Such a system should provide the experimenter with a user-interface that allows digital manipulation, organization and analysis of the results of any number of different measurements according to any desired experiment design, and provide processing and analysis pipelines for implementing the experiment definitions. The experiment definition system should also be able to store the experiment definitions customized by the user for further use. Such an experiment definition system would offer increased flexibility over the existing software tools.

Computer systems and methods for analyzing experiment design


Apparatus for conditioning of fluids such as fuel compositions. The fluid to be treated is brought into contact with an alloy comprising zinc, manganese, copper, a precious metal and silicon. The alloy may be surrounded by one or more magnets to enhance operation.

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for treating and conditioning liquids, in particular fuel compositions.
B. Description of the Related Art
The need to preserve adequate supplies of pure, potable water has engendered a number of approaches to water purification. These approaches reflect the increasing environmental stress imposed by modern industrial society, and the difficulty of isolating water sources and reservoirs from the effects of such stress. For example, acid rain produced by smokestack discharge can adversely affect the chemical composition of waters far removed from the site of the actual discharge by altering pH levels and causing dissolution of heavy metals that would otherwise lie dormant.
Current treatment methods frequently involve addition of chemicals such as chlorine gas, bleach, sodium hydroxide, ozone, sodium fluoride or sodium hexametaphosphate. Unfortunately, the net result is often replacement of one set of chemical contaminants with another, less offensive set that the public consumes through drinking and cooking. Furthermore, the efficacy of treatment chemicals is usually limited both by their intrinsic properties and safe concentration levels.
The need for fluid conditioning can arise from concerns other than water potability. For example, many industries employ large quantities of treatment chemicals in an effort to reduce corrosion and fouling of equipment such as boilers, cooling towers, refrigerators and compressors; similar treatment of fuel compositions can enhance combustion efficiency, thereby reducing emissions and increasing the amount of energy released from a given quantity of fuel. The chemicals employed in these processes and their byproducts are ultimately introduced into the environment as effluent or exhaust.
As an alternative to chemical treatment, practitioners in the art have developed certain metal alloys which, when brought into contact with an impure fluid, produce various beneficial effects; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,429,665 and 4,959,155. The mechanism by which these alloys produce such effects is not clearly understood, rendering their identification largely a matter of experimental effort. Also for this reason, the effect of substituting alloy components or adjusting their ranges cannot readily be predicted from traditional metallurgy concepts, nor can it be assumed that different alloys will provide similar types of conditioning effects.
Alloy-based fluid-conditioning systems can operate catalytically or sacrificially; in the latter case, the alloy core gradually disintegrates into the water to be treated. Although catalytic systems are obviously preferable, it is not generally possible to tell, merely from structural and metallurgical description of an apparatus, whether it retains integrity during operation.
Many of the current alloy-based fluid-conditioning systems contain lead as an alloy constituent. Lead is a highly deleterious environmental contaminant that poses significant health risks. Responsible administrative agencies continue to reduce maximum acceptable lead levels, reflecting widespread concern with even minute lead concentrations in the environment generally and in drinking water particularly. Accordingly, sacrificial systems that contain lead introduce this harmful substance into the very liquid they are intended to treat, resulting in elevation of environmental lead levels either directly, through exposed water, or indirectly, through the combustion of lead-containing fuel. Even non-sacrificial lead-containing systems present the risk of at least some contamination.

Fuel treatment and conditioning apparatus


Method and device for stapling stacks of sheets situated in bins placed one above another in parallel with a stapler movable along the bins, the stapler being rotatable about an axis of rotation so as to move the stapler at each bin from an inoperative position, in which the stapler is turned away from the bins, to an operative position, in which the stapling elements of the stapler surround an edge portion of the stack of sheets to be stapled, the stapler having a pressure surface which, during this rotatory movement, pushes to one side of an adjacent bin a stack of sheets already stapled and positioned in the adjacent bin.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of stapling sheets situated in parallel bins and to a device related thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are known from United Kingdom patent application 2,227,733 and from Japanese patent application 59-69346 various methods and devices sheet stapling. To enable stapling in the device described in the UK patent application, each stack of sheets lying in a bin is gripped by a gripper, partially pulled out of the bin and brought into contact with the stapler which has been placed in the stapling position next to that bin. After stapling, the stapled stack of sheets is pushed back into the bin and the stapler is moved to the following bin. Thereafter, the gripper grips the next stack of sheets and moves the stack of sheets in that following bin to the stapling position. A disadvantage of this known device is that in order to be able to staple a yet unstapled stack of sheets, the stack of sheets has to be moved from the position originally occupied in a bin to another position. By gripping and moving a stack of unstapled and therefore loose sheets lying on top of one another, there is always the danger that the sheets may shift relative to one another and subsequently be attached to each other in a shifted position. In the device described in the Japanese patent application, the position occupied by a stack of sheets in the stapling position corresponds to the original position occupied by the stack in that bin. However, in order to ensure that the stapler, which viewed in the direction of the width of a bin is wider than the normal bin width can surround the edge portion of a stack of sheets situated in that bin, the bin width must be increased when the stapler is moved to the stapling position at that bin. A disadvantage of this device is that the increase requires more space and extra components for each bin.


A tip trailer (10) includes a bin (11) having a floor (12), a front wall (13), side walls, a plurality of struts extending from the floor (12) to substantially an upper extremity of the side walls, one or more rear axles (16) and wheels (17), and one or more hydraulic rams (18, 28) operable to tip the bin (11), wherein overhead beams (19) are located substantially along a length of the bin (11), and the floor (12) is suspended from the overhead beams (19).

The present invention relates to tip trailers, and in particular provides a low profile and lightweight tip trailer.
Tip trailers are regularly used in a wide range of applications, primarily in the earthmoving industry. For example, tip trailers may be used for transporting materials in civil contracting works such as construction or road works, or may be used to remove workings from a mine, or to deliver soil to private individuals such as landholders or farmers.
Conventional tip trailers usually lift a front end of a bin to cause a load to slide out a back of the truck, or, in the case of a xe2x80x98side tipperxe2x80x99, a side of the bin is lifted to cause the load to slide out an opposite side of the bin. Conventional tip trailers are usually of one of the following two types: xe2x80x9cchassis tipperxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ctip-over-axlexe2x80x9d. A chassis tipper is characterised by a chassis mounted on front and Year axles, the bin being mounted on the chassis such that when tipped, a front end of the bin rises, above the chassis and axles. A tip-over-axle style tip trailer is characterised in that the bin is mounted to the chassis and the axles such that when tipped, the chassis and even the front axle lift along with the bin, the tipping motion being about the rear axle.
Furthermore, in designing the bin of tip trailers, a number of limiting factors come into play. For example, the maximum width of the bin is often dictated by the width of public roads. In conventional tip trailers the useable width of the bin is further limited by vertical support members, usually of square cross sectional shape, which are located on the outside of the bin on either side of the bin. The vertical support members are required in order to provide sufficient robustness and rigidity to the skin of the bin so as to withstand the outward forces exerted when the bin is loaded. However the useable width of the bin is reduced by the transverse dimension of the vertical support members on either side.
Additionally, the maximum height of the bin can not be greater than the clearances of bridges and the like on public roads, and the height of the bin is preferably as small as possible so as to ease the loading of materials into the bin, for example by a loader, and to increase the stability of the tip trailer. However, conventional bin designs are hampered in this regard by the need for elements between the wheels and the floor of the bin. These elements include a chassis, suspension, hydraulic ram(s) and a turnplate. In particular, the turnplate must be sufficiently strong to withstand the forces created between the prime mover and the trailer during use, for example by acceleration and cornering, and therefore is typically quite bulky. The chassis typically includes a number of heavy beams extending along the length of the bin, which provide the primary structural strength of the tip trailer and support the bin. The presence of these elements causes the floor of the bin to be elevated above the top of the wheels. In known tip trailers the floor of the bin is usually higher than desirable above the top of the wheels.
Also, the length of the bin is preferably minimised in order to provide a short wheel base to increase stability of the bin both during travel and when tipping.
However, reducing the dimensions of the bin limits the volume of the bin. In order to move a given amount of material in the least number of loads it is desirable to load the bin as close as possible to the legal weight limit. However, where the material to be carried is not dense, the limited volume of the bin often results in a full load weighing significantly less than the legal weight limit, and so a larger number of loads are required, increasing the time and cost of transporting the material.
A further limitation placed on the design of tip trailers results from the conflicting requirements of (a) robustness and strength in the bin and (b) reducing the weight of the bin as much as possible. In order to provide sufficient strength and durability, practically all conventional tip trailers are heavier than is desirable. However, this increases fuel consumption and, due to the legal weight limit, reduces the weight of a load which may be carried.
According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a tip trailer including:
a bin having a floor, a front wall, side walls and a plurality of struts extending from the floor to substantially an upper extremity of the side walls;
one or more rear axles and wheels; and
tipping means operable to tip the bin;
wherein overhead beams for bearing the bin and a load of the bin are located substantially at an upper extremity of each side wall and extend substantially along a length of the bin, and wherein the floor is suspended from the overhead beams.
The floor may be suspended from the overhead beams by the struts and/or the walls.
The overhead beams are preferably supported by rear struts located proximate the rear axles, and by the front wall or struts proximate the front wall. Alternatively, the overhead beams may be supported at a front of the bin by the tipping means. The weight of the overhead beams is preferably transferred to the rear axles and to a turnplate.
The overhead beams provided in the present invention may act to support some or all of a load in the bin, permitting the absence of a chassis located beneath the floor of the bin, or alternatively permitting a significant reduction in size, weight, strength and load bearing ability of a chassis. The reduced size or absence of a chassis enables the floor of the bin to be situated significantly closer to the wheels than in prior art tip trailers, providing a low centre of gravity and improved stability.
The overhead beams are preferably located at an upper extremity of the side walls.
The tipping means may be operable to lift a front end of the bin, or alternatively, in xe2x80x98side tipperxe2x80x99 embodiments of the invention, to lift a side of the bin. The tipping means is preferably provided by one or more hydraulic rams.
Embodiments of the invention may further include large transverse trusses located under the floor between the front and rear axles. The transverse trusses are preferably configured to transfer a downward force exerted by a load in the bin to outer edges of the bin. As such transverse trusses are located between the front and rear axles, they may extend significantly below a height of the top of the wheels.
The tip trailer of the present invention permits the reduction in size or removal altogether of a chassis under the floor of the bin.
Preferred embodiments of the invention further include a low profile turnplate and a low profile drawbar. In particularly preferred embodiments, the low profile drawbar is hingedly connected at a front extremity to a tumplate-hitch and hingedly connected at a rear extremity of the drawbar to the bin.
The low profile drawbar should be of sufficient length relative to a tip height of the bin to permit tipping of the bin. The low profile drawbar may be hingedly connected to the turnplate-hitch and to the bin by known pin and sleeve arrangements.
The low profile drawbar is preferably effected by primary beams passing along an outer edge of the floor, and preferably situated at least partially above a height of the floor. This arrangement may be assisted by the side walls of the bin being angled such that, close to the floor, the side walls extend inwardly to meet the floor a distance from the edge of the bin. In such embodiments the floor is not as wide as the bin, but is of sufficient width to meet the angled portion of the sidewalls, thereby forming a longitudinally mitred corner where the floor and the sidewall meet. The low profile drawbar may then be adapted to fit around the mitred corner, and even to extend above the mitre, outside the bin wall. This reduces the portion of the low profile drawbar situated below a height of the floor, permitting the bin to be mounted such that the floor of the bin is located close to the top of the wheels.
The low profile drawbar preferably includes a number of secondary braces situated below the floor and extending between the primary beams. The secondary braces are preferably configured so as to provide stability and rigidity to the low profile drawbar. The secondary braces preferably have a small vertical dimension to permit the floor of the bin to be mounted close to the top of the wheels.
The turnplate-hitch is preferably of low profile, that is, having a small vertical dimension to permit the mounting of the bin such that the floor of the bin is close to the top of the wheels. The turnplate-hitch acts to transfer force between the turnplate and the low profile drawbar. Preferably, the turnplate-hitch transfers force between the turnplate and primary beams of the low profile drawbar.
According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a tip trailer including:
a bin having a floor, a front wall, side walls and a plurality of struts extending from the floor to substantially an upper extremity of the side walls;
one or more rear axles and wheels, and
tipping means operable to tip the bin;
the tip trailer being characterised by large transverse trusses located under the floor between the front and rear axles and configured to transfer a downward force exerted by a load in the bin to outer edges of the bin.
By transferring the load to an outer edge of the bin, the large transverse trusses permit the weight to be transferred by the side walls or by vertical struts to overhead beams.
According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a tip trailer including:
a bin having a floor, a front wall, side walls and a plurality of struts extending from the floor to substantially an upper extremity of the side walls;
one or more rear axles and wheels; and
tipping means operable to lift a front end of the bin;
the tip trailer being characterised in that at least one of the struts is positioned internally of the sidewalls and is adapted to divert material around the strut when the bin is tipped.
This arrangement provides a significant increase in the volume of the bin, as the xe2x80x98skinxe2x80x99 of the bin is situated at the outer edge of the bin, rather than internally relative to the vertical struts.
In the past it has been seen to be impractical to locate the vertical struts inwardly of the sidewalls of the bin, for instance due to material catching behind the vertical struts when the bin is tipped. However, it has now been realised that the volume of the bin can be significantly increased without creating this problem by providing the vertical struts internally to the sidewalls and configuring the vertical struts to divert material around the strut when the bin is tipped.
Preferably, in order to divert material around the vertical struts when the bin is tipped, each strut has a forward surface angled away from an adjacent sidewall. For example, each strut may have a triangular cross sectional shape, with the forward surface of the triangular strut forming an obtuse angle with the adjacent sidewall.
According to a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a tip trailer including:
a bin having a floor, a front wall, side walls and a plurality of struts extending from the floor to substantially an upper extremity of the side walls;
one or more rear axles and wheels which support the floor at a height above ground; and
tipping means operable to lift a front end of the bin;
the tip trailer being characterised by a, preferably low profile, drawbar hingedly connected at a front extremity to a tumplate-hitch and hingedly connected at a rear extremity of the drawbar to the bin, the low profile drawbar being situated at least partially above the height of the floor.
The low profile drawbar being situated at least partially above the height of the floor reduces the portion of the low profile drawbar situated below the height of the floor, permitting the bin to be mounted such that the floor of the bin is located close to the top of the wheels, thereby lowering a center of gravity of the tip trailer and increasing stability.
The low profile drawbar should be of sufficient length relative to a tip height of the bin to permit tipping of the bin. The low profile drawbar may be hingedly connected to the turnplate-hitch and to the bin by known pin and sleeve arrangements.
The low profile drawbar is preferably effected by primary beams passing along an outer edge of the floor, and preferably situated at least partially above a height of the floor. This arrangement may be assisted by sidewalls which are angled such that, close to the floor, the side wall extends inwardly to meet the floor a distance from the edge of the bin. In such embodiments the floor is not as wide as the bin, but is of sufficient width to meet the angled portion of the sidewalls, thereby forming a longitudinally mitred corner where the floor and the sidewall meet. The low profile drawbar may then be adapted to fit around the mitred corner, and even to extend above the mitre, outside the bin wall. This reduces the portion of the low profile drawbar situated below a height of the floor, and permits the bin to be mounted such that the floor of the bin is located close to the top of the wheels.
The low profile drawbar preferably includes a number of secondary struts situated below the floor and extending between the primary beams. The secondary struts are preferably configured so as to provide stability and rigidity to the low profile drawbar. The secondary struts preferably have a small vertical dimension to permit the floor of the bin to be mounted close to the top of the wheels.
A tumplate and tumplate-hitch are preferably provided and preferably are of low profile, that is, having a small vertical dimension to permit the mounting of the bin such that the floor of the bin is close to the top of the wheels. The tumplate-hitch acts to transfer force between the turnplate and the low profile drawbar. Preferably, the tumplate-hitch transfers force between the tumplate and primary beams of the low profile drawbar.
Embodiments of the present invention may include the features of one or more of the above aspects of the invention, as will be recognised by one skilled in the art. For instance, rear vertical beams supporting the overhead beam of the first aspect of the invention may be located inwardly of each sidewall and adapted to divert material around the beam, in accordance with the third aspect of the invention. Further, large transverse trusses may be provided, in which case the low profile drawbar preferably extends around a transverse extremity of each truss.
The tip trailer of any one of the above aspects of the invention may further include a tailgate extending across a rear end of the bin, attached by hinges so as to swing open when the bin is tipped to permit material to pass out of the bin, and to swing closed when the bin is not lifted to prevent material from exiting the bin. The tailgate may further include locking means to prevent unwanted movement of the tailgate. The movement of the tailgate may be controlled by one or more hydraulic rams.
The tip trailer of the present invention may include one or more front axles and wheels.
According to a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a side tipper including:
a bin having a floor, a front wall, a rear wall, one or more side walls and a plurality of struts extending from the floor to substantially an upper extremity of the walls;
one or more rear axles and wheels; and
tipping means operable to lift a side of the bin;
wherein overhead beams for bearing a load of the bin are located substantially at an upper extremity of each side of the bin and extend substantially along a length of the bin, and wherein the floor is suspended from the overhead beams.
The floor is preferably suspended from the overhead beams by one or more of the walls and/or the struts. The side tipper may also include one or more front axles and wheels.
The side tipper of the fifth aspect of the invention preferably includes a plurality of gates along a side of the bin. A plurality of gates may be desirable in cases where a storage vessel has a relatively narrow opening, such as a grain silo configured for a conventional rear end tip trailer. In such cases, a single gate may be opened at any one time in order to direct a portion of the load into the opening without spillage, after which the side tipper may be moved relative to the opening such that another gate may be opened to direct a further portion of the load into the narrow opening of the silo.
Preferred embodiments of the fifth aspect of the invention further include transverse trusses located under the floor between the front and rear axles. The transverse trusses are preferably configured to transfer a downward force exerted by a load in the bin to outer edges of the bin. As such transverse trusses are located between the front and rear axles, they may extend significantly below a height of the top of the wheels.
The overhead beams of the fifth aspect of the invention also overcome or ameliorate a significant problem in prior art side tippers, which can undergo significant twist or torque when the bin is tipped. This twist is often due to an uneven load distribution in the bin or to an uneven lifting force provided by two or more hydraulic tipping rams. Complex proportioning of the forces exerted by the rams is often the only solution to this problem. The overhead beams of the present invention significantly strengthen and stiffen the bin, which enables simple and relatively inexpensive hydraulics to be used. In embodiments where such are provided, large transverse trusses also assist in stiffening the bin and preventing twist in the bin during tipping.
The side tipper of the fifth aspect of the invention may further include a rear turnplate, such that one or more additional trailers may be connected in a B-double or road train arrangement. Such embodiments are particularly advantageous as a plurality of side tipper trailers may be loaded, transported and unloaded without the need for unhitching the trailers.


The invention relates to a device for aiding in the taking on and off a glove of an elastic material from a hand of a user, wherein the opening of the glove is reinforced by a flexible collar, the device comprising. The device according to the invention comprises a container with an opening for receiving the glove and the hand, and with a circumferential rim for supporting the collar of the glove such that the container and the glove inserted into the container form a closed compartment. The container comprises means such as a bellow to change the volume of the container and thereby of the pressure within the container. Further, a vent is placed in the container such as to be opened by the hand from within the compartment for removing any under pressure when the container volume is increased, such that the hand inserted in a glove can be easily withdrawn from the compartment. The invention further relates to method of manufacturing a glove for use in such device, the method involving placing a flexible collar around the wrist of a hand model prior to dip moulding the glove. When pulling off the glove from the hand mode, turning the glove except the opening with the collar inside out, the collar forms an outwardly folded down border on the finished glove.

In many types of work situations gloves are required or desired in order to reduce or remove the time the bare hands are in contact or in risk of contact with for instance chemicals, detergents, or bacteria. On the other hand, the risk of skin diseases, allergy, or skin irritations increases if the gloves are used for too long especially if the gloves are of poor quality. Furthermore, in certain work environments, the gloves are required to be taken off for instance when leaving certain rooms.
A few different kinds of apparatuses and devices are known for aiding in taking on or off gloves without having to touch the outer surfaces of the gloves while doing so.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,938,685 describes an apparatus where a disposable glove is stretched over a ring and into a chamber. An underpressure is created in the chamber thereby enlarging the glove whereby the user can more easily insert the hand into the glove. The apparatus can not be used for taking off the glove. Furthermore the way the underpressure is created makes the apparatus rather bulky and unsuitable to be moved around.
In DK BA 2002 00105 is described an apparatus comprising a chamber with a bellow which is compressed when the user sticks the gloved hand into the chamber. A non-return valve below the below allows the air to escape the chamber, so that when the hand is again moved in the direction out of the chamber, an underpressure is created, the glove becomes enlarged and the hand can be removed from the glove. This however results in the drawback that hand is difficult if not impossible to remove from the chamber with the glove on or without having to use the other hand. The apparatus is thus only suitable for taking off a glove and not for aiding in taking on a glove.
Another drawback of the known apparatus is the attachment or placement of the glove in the device either being very firm and tight but requiring an initial stretching of the glove which is undesirable in taking time and the need of two hands, or in being only loosely placed but then not always sealing sufficiently tight to the chamber to obtain the required underpressure.

Device for taking a glove on and off, and a glove


A catalyst containing a washcoat including copper or iron on a small pore molecular sieve material having a maximum ring size of eight tetrahedral atoms physically mixed with platinum and rhodium on a refractory metal oxide support including alumina, silica, zirconia, titania, and a physical mixture or a chemical combination or an atomically doped combination thereof is described. A catalyst containing a first washcoat zone substantially free of platinum group metal and including copper or iron on a small pore molecular sieve material having a maximum ring size of eight tetrahedral atoms; and a second washcoat zone including copper or iron on a small pore molecular sieve material having a maximum ring size of eight tetrahedral atoms physically mixed with platinum or platinum and rhodium on a refractory metal oxide support including alumina, silica, zirconia, titania, and a physical mixture or a chemical combination or an atomically doped combination thereof is provided. A method and a system for treating emissions using the catalyst are also described.

Diesel engine exhaust is a heterogeneous mixture that contains particulate emissions such as soot and gaseous emissions such as carbon monoxide, unburned or partially burned hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides (collectively referred to as NOx). Catalyst compositions, often disposed on one or more monolithic substrates, are placed in engine exhaust systems to convert certain or all of these exhaust components to innocuous compounds.
Ammonia selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a NOx abatement technology that will be used to meet strict NOx emission targets in diesel and lean-burn engines. In the ammonia SCR process, NOx (normally consisting of NO+NO2) is reacted with ammonia (or an ammonia precursor such as urea) to form dinitrogen (N2) over a catalyst typically composed of base metals. This technology is capable of NOx conversions greater than 90% over a typical diesel driving cycle, and thus it represents one of the best approaches for achieving aggressive NOx abatement goals.
A characteristic feature of some ammonia SCR catalyst materials is a propensity to retain considerable amounts of ammonia on Lewis and Brønsted acidic sites on the catalyst surface during low temperature portions of a typical driving cycle. A subsequent increase in exhaust temperature can cause ammonia to desorb from the ammonia SCR catalyst surface and exit the exhaust pipe of the vehicle. Overdosing ammonia in order to increase NOx conversion rate is another potential scenario where ammonia may exit from the ammonia SCR catalyst.
Ammonia slip from the ammonia SCR catalyst presents a number of problems. The odor threshold for NH3 is 20 ppm in air. Eye and throat irritation are noticeable above 100 ppm, skin irritation occurs above 400 ppm, and the IDLH is 500 ppm in air. NH3 is caustic, especially in its aqueous form. Condensation of NH3 and water in cooler regions of the exhaust line downstream of the exhaust catalysts will give a corrosive mixture.
Therefore, it is desirable to eliminate the ammonia before it can pass into the tailpipe. A selective ammonia oxidation (AMOx) catalyst is employed for this purpose, with the objective to convert the excess ammonia to N2.
WO2010/062730 describes the application of an undercoat with Pt on alumina located in the outlet zone of the monolith with an overlayer of copper on chabazite distributed over the entire length of a monolithic converter.
Despite the use of selective ammonia oxidation catalysts, it would be desirable to provide a catalyst for selective ammonia oxidation that is able to convert ammonia at a wide range of temperatures where ammonia slip occurs in the vehicles driving cycle, and can produce minimal nitrogen oxide byproducts. The AMOx catalyst should also produce minimal N2O, which is a potent greenhouse gas.

Integrated SCR and ammonia oxidation catalyst systems