An authenticatable product comprising a non-opaque latent image layer of anisotropic polymer material having background optical properties with a given preferred direction of anisotropy and a given proportion of crystallinity, the latent image layer being treated so as to include: a first localized modification in the latent image layer being associated with a first latent image; and a second localized modification in the latent image layer being associated with a second latent image such that, when viewed directly, the first latent image and the second latent image are indistinguishable from the remainder of the latent image layer and, under polarized visualization, a maximum contrast between the first latent image and the remainder of the latent image layer is actualized at a different orientation of polarized visualization than a maximum contrast between the second latent image and the remainder of the latent image layer.

The present invention relates to security and authentication and, in particular, it concerns polymer layers having independent latent images visible in polarized light and methods for generating such layers. It is known to produce various copy-resistant features in manufactured products to guard against forgery. Typical examples of such features are water-marks, holograms, micro-printing and embedded metallic strips. An alternative type of protection could be provided by features which, although not immediately visible, may readily be checked to confirm the authenticity of a product. One attempt at such a feature employs implanted liquid crystal optical elements, which are configured to affect the polarization of transmitted light such that, when viewed through a polarizer, an identifiable pattern is seen. Examples of such a structure are described in European Patent Publications EP 689 065 A1 and EP 689 084 A1. The structures disclosed are multi-layer structures forming optical components based on a photo-crosslinked liquid crystal xe2x80x9cmonomerxe2x80x9d. Formation of the optical components in the liquid crystal polymers requires multiple coating of the substrate material with subsequent photochemical, electrical, magnetic and mechanical processing. The structures described in the aforementioned documents suffer from considerable practical limitations. Firstly, formation of multi-layer liquid crystal components with separate processing of each layer requires complex and expensive manufacturing equipment and materials. Secondly, the various layers making up the liquid crystal components differ in their optical, chemical and mechanical properties. These differences may lead to de-lamination and/or image quality deterioration when the structure is exposed to thermal, chemical or mechanical stresses. Furthermore, the complexity of the multi-layer structure rules out its use in certain applications such as, for example, flexible film. It is also important to note that liquid crystal images are normally visible when viewed directly by the human eye. The formation of a single latent image within a polymer material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,970 to Karassev, et al., which teaches producing independent latent images by superimposing two independent polymer layers to form a multi-layer structure. A shortcoming of the aforementioned method is that the complexity of the multi-layer structure rules out its use in certain applications, as mentioned above.
There is therefore a need for latent image products in which independent latent images, visible in polarized light, are provided within a single polymer layer, which are convenient and economical to produce, and which are structurally simple and mechanically stable such that they can be used in a wide range of practical applications. It would also be advantageous to provide straightforward and economical methods for producing such products.
The present invention is an authenticatable product including a layer of polymer material which has independent latent images invisible when viewed in unpolarized light which become separately visible with the aid of polarizers. The invention also relates to methods for producing such polymer layers.
According to the teachings of the present invention there is provided, an authenticatable product comprising a non-opaque latent image layer of anisotropic polymer material having background optical properties with a given preferred direction of anisotropy and a given proportion of crystallinity, the latent image layer being treated so as to include: (a) a first localized modification in the latent image layer, the first localized modification being associated with a first latent image and modified in at least one of the given preferred direction of anisotropy and the given proportion of crystallinity; and (b) a second localized modification in the latent image layer, the second localized modification being associated with a second latent image and modified in at least one of the given preferred direction of anisotropy and the given proportion of crystallinity such that, when viewed directly, the first latent image and the second latent image are indistinguishable from the remainder of the latent image layer and, under polarized visualization, a maximum contrast between the first latent image and the remainder of the latent image layer is actualized at a different orientation of polarized visualization than a maximum contrast between the second latent image and the remainder of the latent image layer.
According to the teachings of the present invention at least part of the first latent image and at least part of the second latent image coexist within the same area of the latent image layer.
According to a further feature of the present invention the first localized modification and the second localized modification have mechanical properties substantially identical to mechanical properties of the remainder of the latent image layer.
According to a further feature of the present invention the latent image layer is designed such that optical properties of the latent image layer are substantially unchanged by exposure to temperatures of up to 150 degrees Centigrade.
According to a further feature of the present invention the latent image layer is substantially transparent.
According to a further feature of the present invention the latent image layer is highly transparent.
According to a further feature of the present invention the latent image layer is implemented as part of a laser die cut label.
According to a further feature of the present invention, there is also provided, an authenticatable product comprising a non-opaque latent image layer of polymer material treated so as to include a first latent image and a second latent image such that, when viewed directly, the first latent image and the second latent image are indistinguishable from the remainder of the latent image layer and, under polarized visualization, a maximum contrast between the first latent image and the remainder of the latent image layer is actualized at a different orientation of polarized visualization than a maximum contrast between the second latent image and the remainder of the latent image layer.
According to a further feature of the present invention, there is also provided, a method for producing two latent images comprising the steps of: (a) treating an initially photostable anisotropic polymer having a stretch direction, with a solution containing a photoactivator agent so as to render at least part of the polymer sensitive to radiation; (b) selectively exposing the polymer to a first type of radiation so as to form the first latent image therein; (c) developing the first latent image; (d) selectively exposing the polymer to a second type of radiation so as to form the second latent image therein, wherein the second type of radiation is polarized and the polarization vector of the second type of radiation is oriented at a first angle to the stretch direction; (e) developing the second latent image; and (f) fixing the first latent image and the second latent image, wherein all the above steps are performed such that, when viewed directly, the first latent image and the second latent image are indistinguishable from the remainder of the polymer and, under polarized visualization, a maximum contrast between the first latent image and the remainder of the polymer is actualized at a different orientation of polarized visualization than a maximum contrast between the second latent image and the remainder of the polymer.
According to a further feature of the present invention the step of developing the second latent image and the step of fixing are performed simultaneously.
According to a further feature of the present invention the first type of radiation is ultraviolet radiation and the second type of radiation is infrared radiation.
According to a further feature of the present invention the first type of radiation is infrared radiation and the second type of radiation is ultraviolet radiation.
According to a further feature of the present invention the first type of radiation is polarized and the polarization vector of the first type of radiation is oriented at a second angle to the stretch direction during the step of selectively exposing the polymer to a first type of radiation wherein the first angle differs from the second angle.
According to a further feature of the present invention the first angle is between 30 degrees and 60 degrees.
According to the teachings of the present invention there is also provided the step of laser die cutting the polymer to form a label.

Polymer materials with independent latent images visible in polarized light and methods for their production


An approach is provided for measuring objects in images of scenes using measurement markers. An image editor retrieves and displays an image of a scene that includes an object of interest and a reference object having a known actual size in the scene in at least one dimension. A user of the image editor overlays a measurement marker on the object of interest in the displayed image. The image editor image editor determines a display size in the image editor of the at least one dimension of the reference object and a display size in the image editor of at least one dimension of the measurement marker. The image editor determines and displays an actual size in the scene of the at least one dimension of the measurement marker. Embodiments allow a user to adjust the scale of the reference object.

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section. Situations arise in which it is useful for a user to be able to measure the actual size of an object of interest in a scene captured in an image. For example, in the healthcare context, it is often important to be able to know the actual size of a wound more accurately than a visual approximation of a user. One conventional technique involves including a measuring tool, such as a ruler, adjacent the wound site so that after the image is acquired, a user may manually estimate the size of the wound based upon the measurement markings on the ruler. One disadvantage of this approach is that it does not provide an accurate measurement of the wound because the user must visually estimate the size of the wound based upon the ruler located in proximity to the wound and not on the wound itself. Another disadvantage of this approach is that it relies upon the skill of the clinician, which may vary significantly across different personnel, providing inconsistent measurements.

Automatic measurement of objects in images


The aim of the invention is to improve the cooling of the bottom electrodes (1) of metallurgical melting vessels. To this end, a cooling plate (5) is situated beneath the support plate (2) on which the contact elements (3) are supported. The cooling plate is set apart from the support plate. This forms a cooling chamber (4) through which a cooling medium flows, the cooling effect of said medium being reinforced by cooling ribs (6). Said cooling ribs are situated in the cooling chamber (4) and are welded to the support plate (2) and preferably, also to the cooling plate (5).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a bottom electrode for metallurgical melting vessels such as electric arc melting furnaces, resistance melting furnaces or ladle furnaces, comprising contact elements which ensure the electrical current supply through the refractory lining of the melting vessel into the molten mass and which are fixedly connected with their lower end to a support plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to improve the service life of the contact elements that are in contact with the molten mass, it is known to cool the bottom electrode by corresponding devices arranged below the furnace vessel.
In EP 0 058 817 B1 a bottom electrode is described comprising a support plate (base plate) arranged below and at a spacing to the furnace bottom, wherein the electrode necks are directly connected to the support plate. The intermediate space between the support plate and the furnace bottom has a central air intake opening about which curved air guiding sheets are arranged in a star shape arrangement. In this way, air circulation is provided in a simple way for the purpose of cooling.
In order to adjust cooling of the bottom electrode to the operational conditions of the melting vessel, in a cooling device of a bottom electrode disclosed in EP 0 203 301 B1, in which also a support plate connecting the electrodes with one another is arranged at a spacing to the furnace bottom, the cooling air is blown in by means of two blowers via controllable valves into the hollow space between the furnace bottom and the support plate. By means of temperature sensors, arranged in bores of the contact pins (electrodes), the actual operating states (temperatures) are measured and, by means of a control and regulating device, the cooling air quantity is adjusted to these operating states by controlling the valves and switching on or off the blowers. In particular for extended operating downtimes it is achieved in this way that the rate of the temperature change of the bottom electrode does not surpass predetermined maximum values.
Disadvantages of these known bottom electrodes with a support plate for the electrodes or contact elements, which support plate is arranged at a spacing to the furnace bottom and in this way forms a cooling chamber, are:
the bad heat dissipation from the electrode necks as a result of the bad surface area/cross-section ratio;
the flow resistance which is caused by the electrode necks being guided through the cooling chamber;
the bad cooling action of the refractory lining of the furnace bottom;
a reduction of the service life as a result of feedback of the bad heat dissipation onto the contact elements;
a considerable expenditure for renewing the contact elements as well as for its preparatory measures.
Based on this known prior art, it is an object of the invention to configure the bottom electrode constructively such that particularly by means of an improved cooling action the aforementioned disadvantages no longer occur or at least are minimized.
As a result of the measure of the invention of arranging below the support plate a cooling chamber, through which flows a preferably fluid cooling medium, and of arranging cooling ribs in this cooling chamber, which are preferably fixedly welded to the support plate, it is achieved that a larger surface area to be cooled is made available. This results in an increased heat dissipation in connection with an extended service life of the electrodes in comparison to known cooling devices according to the prior art.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cooling ribs are additionally also connected to the cooling plate, for example, by welding, so that in addition to the improved heat dissipation there is the additional advantage of installing the current supply already on the cooling plate. In this way, the cooling ribs then provide the current supply to the support plate.
According to the invention, the contact elements are made of commercial profiled iron sections and divided into two parts comprising a thicker bottom part, whose length can be adjusted to the respective conditions of use and is preferably 200 to 400 mm, as well as a thinner top part serving as a wear part which is immersed into the molten mass and which provides the actual electric connection to the molten mass. This thin top part is welded onto the thicker bottom part. The length of the top part depends on the lining thickness and is selected such that the upper end is immersed into the molten mass and thus provides the electrical connection to the molten mass. After wear of the refractory material and the top part has occurred, the old welding seam is separated and a new top part is welded on.
As a result of the increased thickness of the bottom part of the contact element, the heat dissipation into the support plate is advantageously improved and the separation between this reinforced bottom part and the top part subjected to wear as well as its renewal are simplified.
A gaseous or a liquid medium can be employed as a cooling medium flowing through the cooling chamber. According to the invention, especially when using a liquid as a cooling medium, it is possible to use the cooling medium at the same time also for cooling the furnace vessel so that advantageously, for example, the required conveying means can be commonly used. A precondition for this is, however, that the furnace vessel is provided with a double-wall jacket.

Melting vessels provided with a cooled bottom electrode


Prosthetic and/or orthotic devices (PODS), control systems for PODS and methods for controlling PODS are provided. As part of the control system, an inference layer collects data regarding a vertical and horizontal displacement of the POD, as well as an angle of the POD with respect to gravity during a gait cycle of a user of the POD. A processor analyzes the data collected to determine a locomotion activity of the user and selects one or more control parameters based on the locomotion activity. The inference layer may be situated between a reactive layer control module and a learning layer control module of the control system architecture.

Prosthetic and orthotic devices for restoring or replacing lost lower-limb functions have been available for many years. Until recently, both types of devices were found as purely mechanical linkages making advantageous usage of simple mechanisms in order to preclude knee buckling in level walking stance phase, while still ensuring some form of swing motion during the aerial phase. While this type of device was shown to be fairly efficient in restoring the structural aspects of the lower-limb role in gait, their incapacity to properly sustain the wide variety of lower-limb dynamics associated with the various gait locomotion activities performed on a daily basis appeared as a sufficient limitation to sustain the development of more advanced devices.
While significant efforts were directed towards designing more advanced mechanisms allowing easier adjustment, or more progressive action, through pneumatics and hydraulics, the rapid advances in energy storage and computer technologies soon allowed to extend the realm of capacities associated with typical orthotic and prosthetic devices. Real-time configuration of passive braking devices such as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,939 and US Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0136072 A1, greatly improved the adaptability of prosthetic devices to user gait specificities or to variations of the environment in which the locomotion tasks are performed. Moreover, these prosthetic devices allowed the addressing of energy dissipative locomotion tasks in a physiologically-compliant manner never seen before. Although showing increased performance and dynamic adaptation with respect to the locomotion tasks being undertaken when compared to their predecessors, this first generation of computer-controlled prosthetic devices still lacked the adaptability and flexibility required to smoothly integrate into users' daily lives.
Integration of computer controls to the prosthetic and orthotic devices brought about changes to the control system in order to link sensory inputs to the dynamically configurable actuator. However, the purely dissipative nature of these devices greatly simplifies the problem as mechanical power exchanges between the user and the device are unidirectional (i.e., user has to initiate all tasks and provide mechanical power).
Latest efforts in the field of advanced orthotic and prosthetic devices, such as disclosed, for example, in US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0181289 A1, partly resolved some of the limitations observed in the first generation of computer-controlled orthotic and prosthetic devices by providing a fully motorized prosthetic platform, allowing to address all major locomotion tasks, irrespective of their generative or dissipative nature. Requirements for computer-controlled system increased in complexity as the interactions between the user and the prosthetic or orthotic device were no longer solely initiated by the user. Through the use of a two layer control system, the motorized prosthetic or orthotic device allowed to efficiently manage the mechanical power exchange between the user and the device, such that the synergy between user and motorized prosthetic or orthotic device globally benefited the user. Adequate usage of the prosthetic or orthotic device capacity to generate mechanical power was observed to lead to increased gait quality and activity levels.
Nevertheless, the use of strict state machines to implement the artificial intelligence engine as the highest layer of the prosthetic or orthotic device control system is observed to impose a certain formalism on the manner in which the user executes typical locomotion tasks. While generating a certain learning burden on the user side, the use of firm triggers in order to trigger either distinct state transition or specific joint behavior greatly affects man-machine symbiosis. Moreover, limitations associated with the use of a strict state machine artificial intelligence engine when working in a highly variable environment (i.e., external environment and user himself) are well known and quickly show up as robustness issues from a system perspective. Finally, processing associated with the extraction of complex features associated with specific locomotion task detection is also known to generate a latency between measurement of the sensors value and implementation of the actual actions, which is often observed to greatly affect the prosthetic or orthotic device usability and performance.
Furthermore, common prosthetic or orthotic devices lack the ability to properly reproduce natural knee joint behavior and dynamic properties when used in a context that significantly differs from typical locomotion tasks. While generation of proper joint dynamics during cyclical locomotion portions ensure high symbiosis and user benefits, limitations observed in the capacity to reproduce natural joint compliance, or motions, in either non-locomotor or non-cyclical tasks significantly affect orthotic, or prosthetic, device usability and, accordingly, associated user benefits.

Prosthetic and orthotic devices and methods and systems for controlling the same


A surface-relief grating includes a base surface-relief grating comprising a plurality of ridges that include a first material, and a second material on only a top surface or a single sidewall of each ridge of the plurality of ridges, where the second material is different from the first material. A method of fabricating the surface-relief grating includes etching or molding a base surface-relief grating that includes a plurality of ridges, depositing a material layer on the plurality of ridges, and selectively etching the material layer to increase a height or a slant angle of an edge of a ridge in the plurality of ridges to make the surface-relief grating that includes the base surface-relief grating.

An artificial reality system, such as a head-mounted display (HMD) or heads-up display (HUD) system, generally includes a display configured to present artificial images that depict objects in a virtual environment. The display may display virtual objects or combine images of real objects with virtual objects, as in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), or mixed reality (MR) applications. For example, in an AR system, a user may view both images of virtual objects (e.g., computer-generated images (CGIs)) and the surrounding environment by, for example, seeing through transparent display glasses or lenses (often referred to as optical see-through) or viewing displayed images of the surrounding environment captured by a camera (often referred to as video see-through).
One example optical see-through AR system may use a waveguide-based optical display, where light of projected images may be coupled into a waveguide (e.g., a substrate), propagate within the waveguide, and be coupled out of the waveguide at different locations. In some implementations, the light of the projected images may be coupled into or out of the waveguide using a diffractive optical element, such as a slanted surface-relief grating. In many cases, it may be challenging to cost-effectively fabricate the slanted surface-relief grating with the desired profile at a desirable speed.

Duty cycle, depth, and surface energy control in nano fabrication


A system includes an electrical generator comprising a stator, a rotor, and a gas coolant path through an interior of the electrical generator and at least one fiber optic purity sensor configured to sense a gas purity of a flow of a gas coolant through the gas coolant path.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to systems for purity detection and, more particularly, to systems using fiber optic purity sensors.
Gases are used in a wide range of applications covering many industries, such as fuel cells, transportation, and power generation. For example, hydrogen may be used as a coolant in electrical equipment, such as electrical generators. Other gases, such as carbon dioxide and air, may also be used in electrical generators. A purity requirement of hydrogen varies depending on the application. For example, electrical generators may require high purity hydrogen to avoid creating combustible gas mixtures. Existing hydrogen purity monitoring instruments are typically based on thermal conductivity detection (TCD). TCD is a general-purpose gas analysis method with non-specific and nondestructive characteristics and may be less sensitive than flame ionization detection methods. The resolution and accuracy of TCD may be limited. Other methods for monitoring hydrogen purity include the use of gas density and differential pressure based measurements. However, these methods are subject to ambient and gas temperature-induced variations. Therefore, there is a need for an improved purity measurement sensor and system to address one or more of the aforementioned issues.


A method and system for conditioning an energy storage system (ESS) for a vehicle, like a high-voltage battery or a fuel cell used for vehicle propulsion. It may be detrimental for a high-voltage battery in a parked vehicle to be exposed to extreme temperatures for an extended period of time. Thus, the method and system may be used to condition such a battery—for example, by heating it up if it is too cold or by cooling it down if it is too hot—so that the performance, durability, lifespan and/or other aspects of the battery are improved. In an exemplary embodiment, the method predicts if the battery will need conditioning the next time the vehicle is parked and, if such conditioning is needed, then the method predicts if the battery has sufficient charge to perform this conditioning. If the charge appears insufficient, then the method operates an energy generator that provides additional charge to the battery in anticipation of the needed conditioning.

Electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles typically include an energy storage system (ESS) of some type, such as a high-voltage battery. Such ESSs can be affected by temperature and/or other environmental conditions. For instance, if a high-voltage battery is exposed to extremely cold temperatures for a prolonged amount of time, such as when the vehicle is parked, the power limits of the battery may be reduced. Conversely, if a high-voltage battery is exposed to extremely hot temperatures for a prolonged period of time, the battery may experience some type of accelerated aging process that reduces its lifespan. Prolonged exposure by a high-voltage battery to a certain environment, such as when the battery is in an unattended or parked vehicle, is sometimes referred to as "soaking" or a "soaked condition."

Method and system for conditioning an energy storage system (ESS) for a vehicle


A method of making an electrically conductive composite includes applying graphene oxide (27) to at least one non-conductive porous substrate (25) and then reducing the graphene oxide (27) to graphene via an electrochemical reaction. An electrochemical cell (10) for causing a reaction that produces an electrically conductive composite includes a first electrode (13), a second electrode (15), an ion conductive medium (17), electrical current in communication with the first electrode, and an optional third electrode having a known electrode potential. The first electrode (13) contains at least one layered electrocatalyst, which includes at least one non-conductive porous substrate (25) coated with graphene oxide (27) and at least a first and second active metal layer (29a, 29b) comprising a conductive metal in contact with the non-conductive porous substrate (25) coated with graphene oxide (27).

Graphene is a 2D monolayer of sp2-hybridized carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb network. This material is known to have excellent physical and chemical properties for a wide variety of applications.
Graphene is synthesized through several different approaches. For instance, micromechanical cleavage techniques, liquid exfoliation techniques, epitaxial growth techniques, total organic synthesis techniques, and chemical vapor deposition techniques have all been used to varying degrees of success to form graphene.
An alternative route to bulk synthesis of graphene sheets is reduction of graphene oxide. This reduction may take place by way of a chemical reduction, a thermal reduction, or an electrochemical reduction, where the electrochemical reduction is used to produce a catalyst with the aid of a co-deposited metal and the formation of a metal nanostructure. When compared to chemical reduction, electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide is both less onerous and less detrimental to the environment. The electrochemical approach changes the electronic states of graphene oxide through the application of an external power supply, which eliminates the need for hazardous chemical reducing agents, such as hydrazine and its derivatives. The electrochemical approach also avoids contamination from excess reducing agents. However, it has only been used for the co-deposition of metals and the synthesis of nanostructure metal composites.
Electrochemical coating of graphene-metal composites on conductive substrates, such as glassy carbon, gold disks, or metal foils, has been reported and has found some utility for the fabrication of sensors, hydrogen production, and energy storage. However, incorporation of graphene into isolating substrates, i.e., non-conducting porous substrates, is much more difficult. Due to the intrinsic isolating properties of the component materials, e.g., polymer, glass, and wood, these porous substrates cannot be used in applications that require conductive materials, such as electrochemical electrodes, electronics, sensors, and switches.
Thus, a need exists for methods for creating composites of graphene on non-conductive porous substrates.

Electrochemical method for the production of graphene composites and cell for conducting the same


A dish rack has a collector tray that has a compartment. A retaining block is seated in the compartment for holding knives or other utensils having sharp edges.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dish racks and their accessories, and in particular, to a retainer block that can be used with the dish rack to protect the user from sharp edges of a sharp object, such as the blade of knives.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dish racks are commonly used in dishwashers for organizing and positioning plates, bowls, cups and utensils for washing. Dish racks are also commonly used on kitchen countertops for positioning plates, bowls, cups and utensils to let them dry after they have been washed.
Most of the plates, bowls, cups and utensils can be handled by a user without presenting any danger or harm because they do not have sharp or blunt surfaces. However, a potentially dangerous utensil is the knife, whose sharp blades can cut or hurt a user if the user accidentally grabs the knife by the blade. In conventional dish racks, a plastic collector tray is provided for receiving utensils. The collector tray is typically divided into different compartments for receiving different types of utensils (spoons, forks, knives, etc.). These compartments have open tops, so that the user merely inserts the utensil into the compartment. Knives are more troublesome. If the user inserts the knife into an open compartment with the blade facing down, the user can later remove the knife in a safe manner by gripping the handle of the knife. However, inserting the knife in this orientation may blunt the sharp tip or blade of the knife since the tip or blade will contact the walls of the compartment. On the other hand, if the user inserts the knife into an open compartment with the blade facing up, then the knife would pose a severe safety risk to anyone who accidentally attempts to grip the knife without seeing the exposed blade.
Therefore, there still remains a need to provide a safe disposition for knives and sharp objects in a dish rack.


A device for teaching proper basketball shooting techniques including a pair of vertically disposed, horizontally spaced transparent panels that form a shooter restricting enclosure having a substantially open front and rear. The panel on the side of the shooting hand extends to the rear further than the panel on the side of the off hand. The enclosure is positioned so that the open front is directed toward the basket and the shooter is positioned with the shooting hand, elbow, and corresponding knee and foot between the panels, with their off hand side knee and foot positioned outside of the enclosure, and their torso positioned at the rear edge of the off hand side panel. A vertically adjustable defensive obstruction is movably attached to the front edge of one of the panels to simulate a defensive player over which the shot must be made. The device is supported on floor engaging wheels so that the device will move if contacted by the shooter and alert the coaching staff of improper shooting technique. An optional L-shaped attachment panel allows the shooter's entire body to be positioned within an enclosure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of athletic training devices, and more particularly to a device for teaching proper basketball shooting techniques.
2. Description of the Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 370,242; 3,820,783; 4,538,808; 4,565,527; 4,623,148; 4,717,149; 4,989,862; 5,160,138; 5,324,026; 5,354,048; 5,527,185; 5,599,016; 5,642,879; 5,738,600; 5,800,291; 5,813,926; 5,816,951; and 5,816,952, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse devices for teaching basketball skills.
Most patents disclosing various basketball training and shooting development devices are directed toward devices that are strapped to the arm, torso or hand of the player. Examples of some of these devices are included in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,829,783 and 5,816,952. A number of other patents require the shooter to shoot the ball through a rectangular opening (U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,527); over a blocking screen or obstruction (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,160,138; 5,642,879; 5800,291; Des. 370,242; 4989,862; 5,527,185; 5816,951); between ropes which define a shooting lane (U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,048); over bars (U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,016); between uprights (U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,926); and confined within a cage having resilient arms to simulate blockers (U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,808).
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical device for teaching proper basketball shooting techniques.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved device for teaching shooters and the provision of such a construction and method are stated objectives of the present invention.

Method for teaching basketball shooting techniques


A tool for stabilizing slack fiber cable that has been withdrawn from a cable duct includes an inner sleeve portion for stabilizing the end portion of the cable remaining in the duct and a collar that is coupled to the sleeve and attaches to the exterior periphery of the duct. A set of cable-locking rollers is coupled to the collar and used to engage the slack portion of the cable and hold it in place as various fibers within the cable are repaired.

The present invention relates to a tool to stabilize a section of fiber optic cable and, more particularly, to a tool to stabilize a section of slack fiber cable exposed at an end of a duct as repairs or splicing operations are performed on the exposed cable.
Current communication networks include thousands of miles of fiber optic cable, where each cable may include as few as 24 or as many as 800 separate optical fibers. At times, these cables can be damaged or cut through, such as during excavations at the cable site. Lightning strikes and other environmental-related conditions have also been found to damage cables. It often becomes necessary, therefore, to expose damaged sections of cable and repair the damaged fibers as quickly as possible. Sometimes the damage is severe and all of the fibers in the cable are damaged, and yet at other times only a few of the fibers are damaged. When all of the fibers are damaged, restoration is quite simplexe2x80x94the damaged section is located and the fibers are spliced back together. However, when only a few of the fibers are damaged, only these fibers need to be spliced back together, requiring the non-damaged fibers to be protected during the repair process. In most cases, the damage location will be spanned with a restoration cable during the repair process, requiring the cable to stabilized to avoid further damage.
To gain access to a fiber cable in the damaged area, the cable duct system must be exposed and cut open to reveal the cable. After the duct is uncovered and the cable is exposed, the cable sheath is removed from around the cable to allow for access to the individual fibers. During this process, access to the fibers is gained by placing wire mesh grips around the fiber cable and a come-along device is used to place tension on the cable so as to prevent the cable from being pulled into two pieces while the splicing operation is being performed. This process has been found to be quite cumbersome, with the grips and the come-along device cluttering the work area in the splice location.
Thus, a need remains in the prior art for a device that provides a stabilized work area during a fiber splice, while also protecting the fiber cable during the restoration process.
The need remaining in the prior art is addressed by the present invention, which relates to a tool to stabilize a section of fiber optic cable and, more particularly, to a tool to stabilize a section of slack fiber cable exposed at an end of a duct as repairs or splicing operations are performed on the exposed cable.
The cable stabilization device of the present invention comprises a split housing component that fits over the end of the duct and includes setscrews to secure the housing to the duct. A pair of roller wheels are disposed at one end of the housing and are used to grip the fiber cable exiting the duct and hold the cable in place during the restoration process. In one embodiment, a ratcheting mechanism is used is lock the wheels into the cable. The cable stabilization device further comprises a split inner sleeve, attached to the housing, where the sleeve extends into the duct to support an end portion of the fiber cable during the restoration process.
In a preferred embodiment, the housing and sleeve comprise a relatively strong plastic material, such as polyethylene, that will be able to support both the duct and cable components during the restoration process.
Other and further embodiments of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following discussion and by reference to the accompanying drawings.


A method and apparatus for the elimination of unwanted impurities and inclusions from a variety of non-conductive base materials by the application of high power, variable frequency RF energies in selective of rarefied atmospheres. Refined natural quartz is a product acquired by the method using the apparatus herein described.

Many processes, as well as apparatus, have been devised in order to selectively remove ore constituents from a crude mass (beneficiation) or in the alternative, remove unwanted inclusions from a particular substance. Processes employed to do such comprise various chemical, mechanical and electrical methods, including combinations of all three. Regardless of the type employed, generally a high energy input to the separation process is required. In processes involving the use of electrical energy to remove unwanted inclusions or impurities, various apparatus and electrical spectra have been employed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,368 issued to Rozmus in 1977 discloses an apparatus and method for cleaning contaminated particulate material such as gas contaminated particulate material through the use of electrical field charges (electrostatic displacement). Significantly, Rozmus teaches a series of vacuum chambers surrounded by a series of external electrodes. Rozmus applies first an alternating current and, secondly, a direct current charge to the electrodes. Particulate matter is injected into the system and conducted through a series of conduits (chambers) by gravity and while subjected to vacuum conditions. Because of the nature of an electrostatic field, that is, the exertion of an undiminished force through a non-conducting material, the electrodes are positioned outside of the series conduit-vacuum chamber. The Rozmus process therefore entails deflection of charged particles that pass through the field. The vacuum system is intended to draw off only inert gases which have been ionized by contact or flow through the electrostatic fields. The Rozmus process and apparatus would not be efficacious where the beneficiation process was to remove, selectively, electric power-absorbing matter from a non-conductive material, say quartz More importantly, since Rozmus contemplates the removal of contaminants comprising essentially gas molecules, he has deVised a system and process which essentially avoids eXtremes of heat. By contrast, and to serve the purposes of the instant inventor, it is necessary to employ high heat in order to vaporize the foreign inclusions found in non-metallic minerals.
Poetzschke, in 1986, was issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,735 for a PROCESS FOR SORTING METAL PARTICLES. The relevance of this teaching to the instant invention was that Poetzschke, his detailed means and the teaching of a method for identifying and sorting metal particles dependent on their chemical composition, by use of the melting point and/or the melting temperature range of the selective particles. Essentially, Poetzschke teaches the existence of a specific melting point, or points at which a change of state occurs, for a particular inclusion that is responsive to a particular energy input, notably that of a 400 Watt CO.sub.2 laser. The instant inventor, extrapolating from the teachings of Poetzschke, determined that for his particular needs an "antenna" characteristic exhibited by conductive materials having definitive crystal structures would provide the physical parameters necessary to calculate the proper amount of energy required to vaporize a specific or particular inclusion in non-conducting material such as quartz.
It is known to those versed in the art that crystals or particles of conductive materials act to varying degrees as antennae and to varying degrees, depending upon wave length, exhibit resonant frequencies when introduced to an electromotive field. Given a variety of particulate inclusions, those crystalline inclusions being by way of physical length tuned to the frequency of the RF or electromotive field will absorb a disproportionately greater share of energy than the "non-tuned" inclusions. Thus, they will melt and vaporize sooner than the non-tuned inclusions.
Notwithstanding the immediately foregoing knowledge, it does not appear from an exhaustive study of the extant patent art that anyone has succeeded in developing the process and apparatus of the hereinafter disclosed invention. Indeed, Rozmus, in collaboration with Rozmus Jr. years later patented a vacuum chamber assembly which is to be used for degassing particulate material (U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,088) and appears to have concentrated more heavily on physical means for separation rather than electronic; although electronic means are suggested in the later patent.

Mineral refinement by high RF energy application


A pouch includes multiple chambers for separate containment of liquid components or liquid and dry components. A fitment having a bore is secured at an end of the pouch. The fitment also includes passages extending from a lower portion of the bore to the chambers to provide for fluid transfer therebetween. A closure includes a cap threadedly engaging an upper portion of the bore and a plug received by a lower portion of the bore to close the passages and prevent fluid transfer between the chambers. The plug including a breakable stem for separation between the plug and the cap. Engagement between the cap and the bore without the plug providing for mixture components within the pouch.

The present invention relates to flexible pouches and, more particularly, the present invention relates to flexible pouches that provide chambers for separate storage of liquid components or liquid and dry components.
Flexible pouches are used for packaging a wide variety of consumer products. Many consumer products, such as hair coloring, cleaning and pharmaceutical products, for example, include components that require separate storage for mixing by the consumer prior to use. The use of individual packaging for the separate components, however, requires that a third container be used to package the product for handling and sale of the product to the ultimate consumer of the product. The additional packaging is used only for containing the individual packages and becomes disposable following removal of the individual component packages. The use of individual packaging for the separate components further necessitates that a vessel, such as a bowl, be used to mix the components. The use of a separate vessel for mixing, however, creates the potential for spillage and requires that the vessel be cleaned following use of the product.
Flexible pouches having multiple chambers for separate storage of product components are known. The inclusion of multiple chambers in the single package allows for handling of the product and delivery to an end user without the need for additional packaging. The reduction in the packaging required, therefore, serves to limit waste generated by the product. For use of the product, however, it is still required that the components be removed from the package into a separate vessel for mixing prior to use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,043 to Larkin discloses a multiple chambered flexible package in which a separating barrier between two chambers includes a weakened section. Upon application of sufficient pressure to the contained substance of one the chambers, the weakened portion is designed to rupture to provide for mixing communication between the two chambers. Following mixing of the components, the product is delivered from the package through an access port provided at an end of the package. The weakened portion of the barrier wall, however, may be pressurized inadvertently during shipping and handling of the flexible package for example. Such premature rupturing of the barrier would likely result in waste of a product having components that require separation until immediately prior to use of the product.
The present invention provides a flexible pouch having first and second panels that are secured together along opposite sides of the pouch. The panels define a plurality of chambers for separate storage of multiple components by the pouch.
The pouch further includes a fitment secured to the panels at an end of the pouch. The fitment includes a bore having upper and lower portions. The fitment further includes a plurality of passages each extending from the lower portion of the bore to the chambers.
The pouch also includes a closure having a first portion sized and dimensioned for close interfit with the lower portion of the plug to prevent fluid transfer between the chambers. The first and second closure portions being connected by a frangible connection.
The frangible connection between the first and second closure portions providing for disengagement of the first closure portion from the bore for separation of the first closure portion from the second closure portion. Engagement of the second closure portion with the upper portion of the bore providing for mixing of the components within the pouch.

Flexible pouch having system for mixing two components


A transfer apparatus 10 includes crank arms 22 each of which is pivotally attached to a driving wheel 21, link levers 23 each of which has its one end pin-linked to the tip of the crank arm 22, and revolving sections 30 each of which is pin-linked to the other end of the link lever 23 and held at a distance from the rotation axis 210 of the driving wheel 21, wherein: the crank arm 22 is provided with a velocity-changing cam roller 223 protruding therefrom at a position spaced apart from the pivot center thereof; the velocity-changing cam roller 223 is guided while being engaged with the velocity-changing cam groove 44 which is formed to be eccentric to the rotation axis 210 of the driving wheel 21, whereby the tip of the crank arm 22 swings during one complete rotation of the driving wheel 21; and, as a result, the angular velocity of the link lever 23 linked to the tip of the crank arm 22 and the revolving section 30 periodically increases/decreases with respect to the angular velocity of the driving wheel 21.

The present invention relates to a transfer method for increasing or decreasing the transfer Velocity of a workpiece (including a material) when the workpiece moving on a transfer line is handed over to another transfer line, and a transfer apparatus having the accelerating/decelerating function.
Japanese Patent No. 2580493 discloses an apparatus for cutting sanitary goods, and increasing the transfer pitch of the cut sanitary goods. Specifically, the die cutter roll for cutting and transferring the sanitary goods hands over the sanitary goods to a transfer roll that rotates at a higher velocity than the circumferential velocity of the die cutter roll, whereby the transfer pitch of the sanitary goods on the transfer surface of the transfer roll is greater than the transfer pitch thereof on the transfer surface of the die cutter roll.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 63-317576 discloses a technique of cutting an elastic tape by a rotating drum, turning the cut elastic tape pieces on the rotating drum by 90xc2x0 with respect to the transfer direction, and attaching the elastic tape pieces to an adherend sheet being transferred by an adherend sheet transfer apparatus. The circumferential velocity of the rotating drum is higher than the circumferential velocity of an elongation roller for feeding the elastic tape to the rotating drum, and the elastic tape, which is a continuous member, is gradually elongated while being in contact with the surface of the rotating drum, thereby increasing the interval between the cut elastic tape pieces.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 57-102427 discloses a transfer apparatus for transferring an elongate stick-shaped item such as a cigarette in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction thereof. This transfer apparatus holds each stick-shaped item in a housing having a semicircular cross section, and changes the transfer pitch of the stick-shaped items held on a linking conveyer, which is disposed between two conveyers, while the linking conveyer moves about halfway around.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,910 discloses a technique for turning a vacuum pickup shoe by 90xc2x0.
However, when transferring a soft workpiece which has a length or width such as sanitary goods, for example, by using the conventional techniques described above, the workpiece is likely to be wrinkled when it is handed over between rotating members such as rolls and drums, thereby failing to sufficiently satisfy the requirement of transferring an item stably and at a high velocity. The present invention provides a transfer method and a transfer apparatus capable of satisfying such a requirement.
A transfer method of the present invention is a transfer method for transferring a workpiece from a preceding stage to a subsequent stage by using a transfer apparatus including at least one transfer section capable of revolving around a rotation axis, the method including: a pickup step, wherein in order for the transfer section to pick up the workpiece transferred by the preceding stage at a first transfer velocity, the transfer section moves at a pickup velocity substantially equal to the first transfer velocity in a pickup area having a width; a velocity-changing step of changing the transfer velocity of the transfer section while the transfer section is holding the workpiece which has been picked up; and a hand-over step, wherein in order to transfer the workpiece at a second transfer velocity by the subsequent stage, the transfer section moves at a hand-over velocity substantially equal to the second transfer velocity in a hand-over area having a width, wherein the pickup velocity and the hand-over velocity are different from each other.
A transfer apparatus of the present invention is a transfer apparatus, including at least one transfer section capable of revolving around a rotation axis, and a velocity-changing section for changing a transfer velocity of the transfer section, wherein: in order for the transfer section to pick up a workpiece transferred at a first transfer velocity, the transfer section holds the workpiece while moving at a pickup velocity substantially equal to the first transfer velocity in a pickup area having a width; the velocity-changing section changes the transfer velocity of the transfer section holding the workpiece; in order to transfer the workpiece at a second transfer velocity outside the transfer apparatus, the transfer section moves at a hand-over velocity substantially equal to the second transfer velocity in a hand-over area having a width; and the pickup velocity and the hand-over velocity are different from each other.
These configurations will be described with reference to the basic conceptual diagram of FIG. 1.
A transfer apparatus 1 provided between a preceding stage C1 and a subsequent stage C2 picks up a workpiece X to a transfer section 3 from the preceding stage C1, and hands over the workpiece X to the subsequent stage C2 after changing the transfer velocity of the workpiece X which has been picked up. Each of the preceding stage C1 and the subsequent stage C2 includes a drum, a conveyer, or any other transfer device, for moving the workpiece X at predetermined transfer velocities, and the configuration of each stage is not limited to any particular configuration.
The workpiece X has a predetermined length with respect to the transfer direction and a predetermined width. The predetermined length is a length that is less than or equal to the longitudinal dimension of the workpiece holding surface of the transfer section 3, and the predetermined width is a width that is less than or equal to the widthwise dimension of the holding surface. With the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, the workpiece X is transferred in the longitudinal direction in the preceding stage C1, and then the direction thereof is changed in the transfer plane (the revolving plane of the transfer section 3) by means of a direction-changing section 5 provided in the transfer apparatus 1, after which the workpiece X is transferred in the widthwise direction in the subsequent stage C2. Note that the direction of the workpiece X may not be changed, or may be changed from the widthwise direction to the longitudinal direction.
As for the direction-changing section 5, the direction-changing section 5 may have a motor, for example, so that it is capable of turning the transfer section 3. However, in order to allow a rotating member 4 to rotate at a high velocity, it is preferred that the direction-changing section 5 is provided by using a direction-changing cam groove as will be described later. This is because it is then possible to reduce the weight of the rotating member 4. The direction-changing section 5 may alternatively be a rail such as a monorail instead of a direction-changing cam groove 48 as illustrated in FIG. 9. The driving force for turning the transfer section 3 may be supplied from a power source for rotating the rotating member 4.
The transfer apparatus 1 includes at least one transfer section 3 for picking up and holding the workpiece X. The transfer section 3 revolves around a rotation axis 11. In FIG. 1, the transfer section 3 (3a) immediately before picking up the workpiece X from the preceding stage C1 is shown in a solid line, and the transfer section 3 (3b) immediately after picking up the workpiece X is shown in a two-dot chain line. The transfer section 3 (3c) immediately before handing over the workpiece X to the subsequent stage C2 is shown in a solid line, and the transfer section 3 (3d) immediately after handing over the workpiece X is shown in a two-dot chain line.
The transfer section 3 picks up the workpiece X, which is supplied from the preceding stage C1 at a first transfer velocity (transfer velocity V1), in a pickup area adjoining the preceding stage C1 and having a width. At least in this pickup area, the transfer velocity of the transfer plane is maintained at a substantially constant pickup velocity V2. The transfer section 3 being located in the pickup area means that a predetermined point PL of the transfer section 3 is in the pickup area. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the predetermined point PL is located at the longitudinal center of the holding surface of the transfer section 3. The pickup velocity V2 is set to be substantially equal to the transfer velocity V1 of the preceding stage C1.
Herein, the pickup area is an area that is defined by an angle R1 about the rotation axis 11 in FIG. 1. The pickup area includes a pickup point SP at which the transfer section 3 comes closest to the preceding stage C1. Where the predetermined point PL is at the longitudinal center of the holding surface of the transfer section 3, it is preferred that the pickup area extends substantially by an angle R1/2 forward and backward with respect to the transfer direction about a line extending between the pickup point SP and the rotation axis 11. However, this may not be the case depending upon the workpiece X to be transferred and the configuration of the transfer section 3. The degree of the angel R1 depends upon the length of the workpiece X along the transfer direction in the vicinity of the pickup point SP.
As the transfer section 3 picks up the workpiece X in the pickup area, the transfer apparatus 1 changes via a velocity-changing section 2 the transfer velocity of the transfer section 3 from the pickup velocity V2 to a hand-over velocity V3. The velocity-changing section 2 is provided on the rotating member 4 rotating about the rotation axis 11, and is capable of reciprocating over a predetermined area of the rotating member 4. For example, the velocity-changing section 2 may have a motor so that it can move with respect to the rotating member 4. However, in order to allow the rotating member 4 to rotate at a high velocity, it is preferred that the velocity-changing section 2 is provided by using a velocity-changing guide that is provided on the rotating member 4 to be eccentric to the rotation axis 11, whereby the circumferential velocity of the transfer section 3 at the revolving surface thereof is changed, as will be described later. This is because it is then possible to reduce the weight of the rotating member 4. The velocity-changing guide may be a groove cam or a rail such as a monorail. Basically, such a velocity-changing guide has a generally circular shape or a generally elliptical shape eccentric to the rotation axis 11, and may include a straight portion and/or a curved portion. By using such a velocity-changing guide, the transfer section 3 can be moved substantially at a constant velocity for a period of time, as will be described later. The driving force for moving the velocity-changing section 2 along the velocity-changing guide may be supplied from a power source for rotating the rotating member 4.
The transfer section 3 releases the workpiece X in a hand-over area adjoining the subsequent stage C2 and having a width. The released workpiece X is handed over to the subsequent stage C2, and transferred at a second transfer velocity (transfer velocity V4). At least in this hand-over area, the transfer velocity of the transfer plane is maintained at a substantially constant hand-over velocity V3. The transfer section 3 being located in the hand-over area means that a predetermined point PS of the transfer section 3 is in the hand-over area. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the predetermined point PS is located at the widthwise center of the holding surface of the transfer section 3. The predetermined point PL and the predetermined point PS are different from each other because the transfer section 3 is turned. The hand-over velocity V3 is set to be substantially equal to the transfer velocity V4 of the subsequent stage C2.
The hand-over area is an area that is defined by an angle R2 about the rotation axis in FIG. 1. The hand-over area includes a hand-over point RP at which the transfer section 3 comes closest to the subsequent stage C2. Where the predetermined point PS is at the widthwise center of the holding surface of the transfer section 3, it is preferred that the hand-over area extends substantially by an angle R2/2 forward and backward with respect to the transfer direction about a line extending between the hand-over point RP and the rotation axis 11. However, this may not be the case depending upon the workpiece X to be transferred and the configuration of the transfer section 3. The degree of the angel R2 depends upon the length of the workpiece X along the transfer direction in the vicinity of the hand-over point RP.
As described above, one transfer method and one transfer apparatus of the present invention are configured so that the workpiece X is picked up by the transfer section 3 in a pickup area having a width at the pickup velocity V2 which is substantially equal to the transfer velocity V1 of the preceding stage C1, the transfer velocity of the transfer section 3 having picked up the workpiece X is changed to the hand-over velocity V3, and then the workpiece X is handed over to the subsequent stage C2 in a hand-over area having a width at the hand-over velocity V3 which is substantially equal to the transfer velocity V4 of the subsequent stageC2. Therefore, the transfer pitch of the workpiece X changes as the transfer velocity is changed.
Where the transfer velocity V4 of the subsequent stage C2 is higher than the transfer velocity V1 of the preceding stage C1, a transfer pitch P4 of the workpiece X, which has been handed over to the subsequent stage C2, is wider than a transfer pitch P1 in the preceding stage C1. Conversely, where the transfer velocity V4 of the subsequent stage C2 is lower than the transfer velocity V1 of the preceding stage C1, the transfer pitch P4 of the workpiece X, which has been handed over to the subsequent stage C2, is narrower than the transfer pitch P1 in the preceding stage C1. Then, as the predetermined point PS of the transfer section 3 moves away from the hand-over area, the velocity of the transfer section 3 changes from the hand-over velocity V3 to the pickup velocity V2 before the predetermined point PL of the transfer section 3 enters the pickup area.
In this way, the transfer velocity and the transfer pitch of the workpiece X are changed while the workpiece X is handed over from the preceding stage C1 to the subsequent stage C2, whereby the workpiece X can be efficiently transferred in a manner suitable for the process particulars, the process purposes, etc.
Moreover, a transfer apparatus of the present invention includes a vacuum adjustment section for attracting the workpiece X onto the transfer section 3 by way of vacuum suction at least while the transfer section 3 is in the pickup area, and stopping the vacuum suction so as to release the workpiece X from the transfer section 3 at least while the transfer section 3 is in the hand-over area. With this configuration, even when the workpiece X is by nature soft and unstable, the workpiece X can be smoothly handed over at a high speed without wrinkling the workpiece X.
Furthermore, in the transfer apparatus of the present invention, a holding surface of the transfer section 3 for holding the workpiece X is a convex surface so that the transfer section 3 can reliably pick up and hand over the workpiece X.
It is desirable that at the pickup point SP, the holding surface of the transfer section 3 approaches the workpiece X on the preceding stage C1 in a continuous manner in a direction from the front edge to the rear edge thereof along the transfer direction. For this purpose, the holding surface of the transfer section 3 is provided with an inclination such that the vicinity of the central portion thereof is raised, with respect to the front edge and the rear edge, along the normal line extending from the rotation axis 11 through the vicinity of the central portion of the transfer section 3. More specifically, it is preferred that the holding surface of the transfer section 3 coincides with the revolving plane of the transfer section 3 as the transfer section 3 at the pickup point SP is viewed from a direction along the extension of the rotation axis 11.
Similarly, it is desirable that at the hand-over point RP, the holding surface of the transfer section 3 moves the workpiece X held on the holding surface to continuously approach the transfer plane of the subsequent stage C2 in a direction from the front edge to the rear edge thereof along the transfer direction. For this purpose, the holding surface of the transfer section 3 is provided with an inclination such that the vicinity of the central portion thereof is raised, with respect to the front edge and the rear edge, along the normal line extending from the rotation axis 11 through the vicinity of the central portion of the transfer section 3. More specifically, it is preferred that the holding surface of the transfer section 3 coincides with the revolving plane of the transfer section 3 as the transfer section 3 at the hand-over point RP is viewed from a direction along the extension of the rotation axis 11.
Thus, it is preferred that the shape of the holding surface of the transfer section 3 satisfies the above-described two requirements at the pickup point SP and the hand-over point RP. However, it is not easy to actually produce a curved surface that satisfies such two requirements. Therefore, in the longitudinal direction, only the edges of the holding surface of the transfer section 3 may be formed each as a spherical surface with the normal line mentioned above being the radius thereof.
The holding surface may be formed by using a spherical surface with the normal line mentioned above being the radius thereof, a curved surface approximating to the spherical surface, a flat surface, or a surface made up of a combination thereof. In a case where the holding surface side of the transfer section 3 is made of an elastic material whose shape changes upon application of a pressure, the shape of the transfer section 3 may be any shape other than those described above.
The type of the workpiece X for use in the present invention may include, for example, a product or a semi-finished product of a sanitary napkin, a disposable diaper, disposable underpants, a bandage, other sanitary goods, and similar worn articles in general. Moreover, the form of the workpiece X may include a single sheet or a laminate of sheets layered on one another. The sheet may be liquid absorptive, liquid permeable, liquid semi-permeable, or liquid impermeable. Moreover, the sheet may be woven fabric or non-woven fabric. While the transfer method and the transfer apparatus of the present invention are particularly suitable for transferring the workpieces X of the types and forms as described above, the type and form of the workpieces X are not limited to those described above.


The present invention relates to a sensor apparatus having a structure capable of obtaining digital values of signal components with a high accuracy using an A/D conversing circuit with the outputted digital value thereof having a small number of expressive bits. In the sensor apparatus, a voltage value corresponding to the amount of incident light to a photodiode is held by a holding circuit through an integrating circuit and a CDS circuit. Meanwhile, a voltage value corresponding to the amount of incident light to an adjacent photodiode is held by another holding circuit through an integrating circuit and a CDS circuit. The voltage values held by the respective different holding circuits are inputted to a subtracting circuit through different paths. The subtracting circuit outputs a voltage value corresponding to the difference between the two inputted voltage values. In an A/D converting section, the difference voltage outputted from the subtracting circuit is converted into a digital value.

In sensor apparatuses including a plurality of sensor elements, voltage values corresponding to the detection result of the amount of sensing by the respective sensor elements are outputted from a signal processing circuit, and further digital values corresponding to the voltage values are outputted from an A/D conversing circuit. Then, one- or two-dimensional distribution of the amount of sensing (e.g. light intensity, temperature, displacement) is obtained based on the digital values corresponding to the amount of sensing for the respective sensor elements. As an example of such a sensor apparatus, there can be cited an image pickup apparatus including a plurality of photodiodes that are arranged one or two-dimensionally (refer to Patent Document 1).    Patent: Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 119-51476


In an indirect process, acrylic adhesive is coated on a silicone liner. A soft rubber roller is employed between a reverse anilox cylinder and an anvil cylinder in a flexo print station to reduce shear hardening in the coating process and prevent or reduce shear hardening on the print rollers. Once the coated silicone liner passes the rollers, air knives are used to speed up the drying of the adhesive on the silicone liner before the coated liner is laminated to a face stock.

There is more than one method of coating acrylic adhesive on labels. Two common methods are direct coating and indirect or transfer coating.
Direct coating is the process of placing acrylic adhesive on a back side of a face stock before the face stock is laminated to a liner. One problem with direct coating is that a certain amount of the acrylic adhesive is absorbed into the face stock. Thus, it is frequently necessary to apply extra acrylic coating to the face stock so that, when the acrylic adhesive dries, a sufficient amount of acrylic coating remains on the face stock to provide an acceptable tack level—i.e., to allow the label to be properly laminated or stuck to the liner. The use of extra adhesive adds to the cost of the process. Thus, it is desirable to place the acrylic adhesive on the silicone liner so as to reduce the amount of adhesive needed in the coating process.
Indirect coating or transfer coating is the process of coating the adhesive onto a silicone liner and then laminating the face stock onto the adhesive coated silicone liner when the adhesive is almost dry. The acrylic adhesive will then transfer to the face stock more easily, because the adhesion of the acrylic adhesive to the face stock is greater or stronger than the adhesion of the acrylic adhesive to the liner. One of the problems with indirect coating is that silicone does not have a high enough surface tension (dyne level) to allow the adhesive to properly adhere to the silicone, making it extremely difficult to use a forward coating process. As a result, the preferred coating methods are mire rod coating or reverse roll coating from a gravure cylinder or three or more reverse rollers. However, in these processes, it is quite difficult to control the coating thickness when using reverse rollers or three-roll systems, and the reverse gravure method generates work or shear hardening issues, because the adhesive tends to harden or separate prematurely in the roller cells, causing the coating to stay in the print station instead of transferring to the silicone liner.
It is, thus, desirable to provide an indirect or transfer coating process of coating adhesive onto a silicone liner that eliminates or reduces shear hardening of the acrylic adhesive.


A fuel pre-purchasing and sharing system (and associated methods) is disclosed herein. The system allows consumers to pre-purchase fuel at a pre-purchased price, and redeem pre-purchased fuel at a subsequent time regardless of the current price of fuel posted at the point of re-fueling. The pre-purchased price can be based on current fuel prices of fuel at one or more service stations that are near to a consumer at the time that the fuel is pre-purchased. Pre-purchased fuel of one or more grades of fuel can be held in a pre-purchased fuel tank. The pre-purchased fuel tank can be shared with other consumers such that the other consumers can redeem pre-purchased fuel held in the pre-purchased fuel tank.

Retail fuel prices can be extremely volatile as a result of changing production costs, variable markups, amount of competition, and impact of regulations and government taxes, among other factors. For example, retail fuel prices are primarily determined by the cost of drilling, well completion, refining, distributing, and marketing oil and gas. In addition, service stations typically add a markup per litre to make a profit. In some regions, these markups are regulated such that service stations are prohibited from charging less than a certain percentage over invoice from a wholesaler (e.g., to protect small, individually-owned service stations in these regions). Furthermore, government taxes in some geographical regions are typically added to the price per litre, and the taxes can vary from one region to another. As a result, retail fuel prices can vary at points of sale across even the same geographical region, especially as any one or more of the costs, markups, regulations, and/or government taxes change.
Volatility and disparity in fuel prices often affects consumer behavior. For example, when fuel prices are high, consumers tend to drive less and buy vehicles with greater fuel economies. In addition, to save money, many consumers will drive large distances to top up at service stations that sell fuel at cheaper prices per litre, even though fuel spent driving to these service stations eats into and diminishes the savings realized by topping up at those locations. In addition to driving consumer purchasing behavior, the variability of fuel prices also impacts the ability of consumers and businesses to accurately budget for fuel purchases in a given period. In the presence of volatile fuel prices, individuals and small business are unable to accurately budget for their monthly (much less their yearly) fuel expenditure.

Fuel pre-purchasing and sharing system and associated methods


A device for controlling the vertical translation of a pneumatic tool includes a drive means and a control means. The pneumatic tool is supported by a holding device which configured to allow the pneumatic tool to be translated in a vertical direction. The pneumatic tool is connected to an air supply line having a pressure associated therewith. The drive means exerts a lifting force on the holding device to support the pneumatic tool. The control means adjusts the lifting force delivered by the drive means and is configured to monitor the pressure in the air supply line.

The invention relates to improvements in the handling of manually operated pneumatic screw drivers.
During the manufacture and assembly of products screw driving operations are frequently necessary, which are performed by the use of manually operated pneumatic screw drivers. Such pneumatic screw drivers are screw driving devices fitted with a compressed air motor and which may be operated using compressed air as a source of energy. The switching on and off of the pneumatic motor takes place manually, as for instance by the actuation of a switch on applying the pneumatic screw driver to a screw to be driven into the work.
It is convenient for the pneumatic screw driver to be suspended on a holding device, which is fitted with a drive means, which is able to produce a lifting force opposing the weight force of the pneumatic screw driver.
It is in this manner that the pneumatic screw driver is suspended in a floating manner and may be drawn downward onto the work to be screwed without any great exertion.
While this type of manually operated pneumatic screw driver does possess many advantages, there are some disadvantages as well. Thus driving in a screw is extremely fatiguing, more particularly owing to the repetitive nature of the operation, and may lead to arm and back pain, something which tends to make for operator negligence, this in turn ultimately leading to a loss in work quality.
One object of the invention is to facilitate and simplify the handling of a pneumatic screw driver when performing screwing operations.
In order to achieve these and/or other objects appearing from the present specification, claims and drawings, in the present invention a device for the control of the thrust force of a manually operable screw driver suspended by means of a holding means in a vertically moving manner comprises a drive means for applying a lifting force opposing the weight force of the pneumatic screw driver and control means adapted to cause a reduction or switching off of the lifting force due to the drive means responsive to a certain drop in the operating pressure for the pneumatic screw driver.
Accordingly for screw driving operations may be performed extremely ergonomically with no operator fatigue, something which leads to high quality products despite long periods on the job. The invention is based on the discovery that during the operation of a pneumatic screw driver the operating pressure supplied to it is subject to a slight drop, which is detected by the control means and may be employed as a trigger to reduce the lifting force caused by the drive means or even to switch it off completely.
The result of this is that directly after putting it into operation of the pneumatic screw driver the weight force thereof and possibly the weight forces loading the pneumatic screw driver of the holding device are no longer compensated so that the thrust force, with which the pneumatic screw driver is thrust downward against the screw to be driven, is increased substantially without the application of force by the operator. In the case of a complete switching off of the lifting force the pneumatic screw driver will be urged with its entire weight force against the screw to be driven so that the operator is substantially relieved. If it is a question of a pneumatic screw driver which is activated by being thrust against the screw with a certain force, the system may be so set that the operator only has to apply the thrust force necessary for activation during the entire screwing operation, whereas the greater thrust force necessary for the screw driving operation is then provided by the system.
Further advantageous developments of the invention are defined in the claims.
After the termination of a screwing operation and deactivating of the pneumatic screw driver the operating pressure will immediately rise to the initial value. The control means are preferably able to cause a renewed increase or a renewed switching to a higher value of the lifting force is responsive to such a pressure increase so that after switching off of the pneumatic screw driver the same conditions will obtain as before putting it into operation. The vertical motion of the pneumatic screw driver is therefore aided to the required degree after stabilization of the operating pressure.
For the detection of the drop in pressure the control means will preferably comprise a pressure sensor which is placed in the air supply line supplying compressed air to the pneumatic screw driver for the operation thereof. In this respect the pressure sensor may be provided both in the line component extending outside and also inside the pneumatic screw driver. More particularly, there is also possibility of integrating the pressure sensor directly on the pneumatic screw driver or in the same.
As a drive means a single acting or a double acting power cylinder is more particularly provided, in the case of which it is preferably a question of a pneumatic cylinder. It comprises a working chamber able to receive a drive fluid and more particularly compressed air, for causing the lifting force, the control means comprising a control valve means, which in a fashion dependent on the pressure level of the operating pressure influence the pressure obtaining in the working chamber.
It is preferred for the control means to be coupled with a pressure sensor to cooperate therewith to produce a control function, said pressure sensor being placed in the air line supplying the pneumatic screw driver with the operating pressure so that it is operated in a manner dependent on the signal produced by the pressure sensor.
The control valve means may comprise a pressure regulator. Same may be more particularly employed to adjustably set the degree of reduction of the lifting force.
Preferably, the pneumatic screw driver is arranged on a parallelogram linkage in the holding device and is seated more particularly on a receiving means which may be lowered and lifted without changing its spatial orientation so that the pneumatic screw driver as well will always have the same alignment.

Device for the control of the thrust force of a manually operated pneumatic screw driver


The packaging machine makes use of a first wheel to supply single groups of cigarettes, in succession, to a work station, where a corrugated paper distance piece is positioned by a feed device on each group, in direct contact with the face uppermost. A second wheel carries the groups of cigarettes away from the work station, together with their distance pieces. The feed device includes a positive drive assembly that feeds a continuous strip of stiff paper toward the work station and corrugates it in the process, a set of blades which cut the corrugated strip into discrete pieces, and an actuator serving to position each of the cut pieces on a corresponding group of cigarettes.

The invention relates to a cigarette packaging machine.
Conventional machines used to package cigarettes in the types of wrappers most widely marketed are designed, in the majority of instances, to produce an elongated parallelepiped pack containing a given number of cigarettes (usually twenty) some 0.30" in diameter. While the length of such packs may vary, often considerably, their width and depth generally will not depart materially from sets of dimensions regarded by most manufacturers as being standard, and, accordingly, the usual packaging operations of ordering the cigarettes into groups and enveloping them in their wrappings can be effected by machine units which, with a minimum of modification, are able to handle almost any kind of regular package.
In the event, however, that the cigarettes to be packaged exhibit a diameter substantially dissimilar to that mentioned, and are destined to occupy a pack that differs notably from one of regular size, the machine units in question can no longer be adapted by effecting simple modifications; instead, total replacement becomes necessary. Such will be the case for example, when it is sought to package super slim cigarettes (approx 0.15" in diameter) in the same quantity and arrangement as conventionally adopted for regular cigarettes; in fact, the manufacture of super slims involves a marked reduction in the depth of the finished pack, with the result that the pack can no longer be handled by a conventional wrapping unit, or at least, extensive modification will be required to render the unit suitable.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette packaging machine which, whilst in receipt of groups of cigarettes that may exhibit overall dimensions considerably reduced from those of a group of cigarettes of regular diameter (0.30" approx), is nonetheless able to turn them out in packs of substantially conventional size that can be handled by standard wrapping machines without any prior modification or adaptation being necessary.


A well tool (60) includes a perforating gun (108), a sealing element (130), at least one pressure sensor (150), a detector (132), a controller (152), and an anchor (134). The perforating gun (108) perforates the wellbore tubular in response to a firing signal. The sealing element (130) is connected to the perforating gun (108) and generates a pressure differential thereacross. The at least one pressure sensor (150) is associated with the sealing element (130) and detects a surface transmitted pressure signal. The detector (132) detects at least one marker (70) positioned along the wellbore (12) and which includes a perforating marker (70) associated with a perforating depth. The controller (152) is in signal communication with the at least one pressure sensor (150) and the detector (132) and is configured to transmit the firing signal to the perforating gun (108) only after: (i) the at least one pressure sensor (150) detects the surface transmitted pressure signal, and (ii) the detector (132) detects the perforating marker (70). The anchor (134) is connected to the perforating gun (108) and selectively locks the perforating gun (108) to the wellbore tubular.

Hydrocarbons, such as oil and gas, are produced from cased wellbores intersecting one or more hydrocarbon reservoirs in a formation. These hydrocarbons flow into the wellbore through perforations in the cased wellbore. Perforations are usually made using a perforating gun that is generally comprised of a steel tube "carrier," a charge tube riding on the inside of the carrier, and with shaped charges positioned in the charge tube. "Plug and Perf" is a technique in which a bottom hole assembly is run in hole (typically on wireline or tubing), a bridge plug is set, and one or more perforating guns are detonated to provide communication between the wellbore and formation.
The present disclosure addresses the need for more cost-efficient perforating guns for perforating and fracturing a formation.


Certain embodiments herein relate to a dynamic pre-association between Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) discovery windows and fine timing measurement (FTM) communications. A wireless station may trigger an FTM procedure during a NAN discovery window by the transmission of a NAN Service Discovery Frame (SDF). In addition to the FTM communications, an indication of a discovery window for which a subsequent FTM communication is expected to occur is also transmitted. In some embodiments, an FTM range report may also be transmitted with the indication.

Wireless devices (also referred to as "wireless stations") are increasingly dependent upon their proximity to other wireless devices as context for various applications. In some approaches, an initiating wireless station (e.g., a smartphone or other mobile wireless device) can determine its relative location by communicating with responding wireless stations (e.g., a printer or other stationary wireless device). Such approaches can involve analyzing communications between the initiating wireless station and the responding wireless station to help determine the initiating wireless station's proximity (e.g., range measurement) to the responding wireless stations. In some instances, the proximity determinations may not be responsive enough to provide adequate performance for the various applications that rely on the determinations between stations. For example, a user may perceive that a wireless device or program executing thereon is slow to respond, inaccurate, or unusable if the wireless device is unable to receive timely proximity determinations based on the communication between stations.
Certain implementations will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various implementations and/or aspects are shown. However, various aspects may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Dynamically associated neighbor awareness networking (NAN) discovery windows for fine timing measurement


A new demodulator with consistent sensibility to signals received from different directions and low power consumption is provided. The demodulator may include a first demodulator branch and a second demodulator branch electrically connected in parallel, and a DC circuit to provide DC power to the demodulator. The DC circuit has a first diode and a second diode electrically connected in series between a DC power supply Vcc and the ground. The second demodulator branch can multiplex or reuse a bias current from the first demodulator branch.

ASK modulation is widely used in communication systems. For example, in an Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system, a Road Side Unit (RSU) typically broadcasts ASK signals (such as a wake-up signal), and a demodulator in a Composite Password Card (CPC) carried by a vehicle typically receives and demodulates the ASK signals.
Conventionally, the demodulator may have inconsistent sensibility to ASK signals received from different directions, and may have high power consumption, which may affect life time of a disposable battery in the demodulator. Therefore, a new demodulator with consistent sensibility to ASK signals received from different directions and low power consumption becomes highly desirable.

Demodulator and method of demodulating ASK signal


The present invention provides an asymmetric EEG-based coding and decoding methods for BCIs, the BCI system includes an evoked stimulus module, an acquisition module and an EEG signal data set including a training set Xk and a testing sample Y, and an EEG signal decoding module; the evoked stimulus module sends a hybrid coding visual stimulus to subjects to evoke a specific EEG signal as required; the acquisition module obtains data information by amplifying and filtering the EEG signal so as to constitute EEG signal module; the decoding module coverts the data information into an instruction set for outputting the coding method of the present invention uses asymmetric characteristics of brain electrophysiological activity response to stimulus, combines with coding strategies such as SDMA, CDMA, FDMA and phase division multiple access coding.

Brain-computer interfaces (hereinafter referred to as BICs) refer to a system that directly converts central nervous system activity into artificial output, which can replace, repair, enhance, supplement or improve the normal output of the central nervous system, thereby improving the interaction between the central nervous system and the internal and external environment. By collecting and analyzing the EEG signals of the subjects under different stimuli, and using certain techniques to establish a communication between the human brain and computers or other electronic devices, BICs realize a novel information interacting and control method, and provide a channel for the handicapped, especially those with physical motor impairment but normal thinking, to communicate and control information, so that they can communicate with outsiders or manipulate devices without language or physical movements. For this purpose, BCIs are getting more and more attention.
It is common to apply the paradigm evoked by visual stimulus in BCI systems. Among them, P300-speller based on the characteristic of P300 in Event-related Potential (ERP) and SSVEP-BCI based on Steady-state Visual Evoked Potential (SSVEP) are the most widely used, and the corresponding application has been developed more stable and mature. Due to the characteristic of nonlinear and non-stationary of the EEG signals, extracting weak EEG signals from complex background EEG is one of the important technologies of BCI systems. To overcome the interference from noisy background EEG, traditional non-invasive visual BCIs preferred to use a strong visual stimulus that extended over relatively large regions of the visual field to elicit a large neuronal population response and produce distinct EEG features. For example, the stimulating squares used in the SSVEP-BCI often subtended the most part of the central 4° of visual angle, which could span the whole fovea vision; according to the calculation of the retino-cortical map, it would directly activate about 1300 mm2 of the area. For a P300-speller, a flash of a target character would directly activate an area of about 160 mm2. Both the SSVEP-BCI and P300-speller can greatly reduce the performance due to reduction of cortical activation area. Therefore, traditional visual BCI system has the problems of large stimulation area, high intensity and occupation of cognitive resources, which are not conducive to users for long-term multi-task operation, and limit the further development and application of BCIs. As the typical feature of asymmetric BCIs, Asymmetric Visual Evoked Potential (aVEP) belongs to very faint lateralized visual evoked potential, the amplitude thereof usually no more than 1 μV. According to the spatial contralateral superiority of the visual stimuli response, aVEP can be evoked by unilateral stimuli that appear in the visual field.
Besides, P300-speller with P300 characteristics of the ERP and SSVEP-BCI of SSVEP are widely used visual stimulus-evoked BCI systems, and the corresponding application has been developed more stable and mature. For real-time data acquisition systems, in order to eliminate interference signals, it is usually necessary to perform digital filtering the collected data. Traditional filtering methods usually filter out specific band frequencies, such as low-pass filtering, high-pass filtering, band-pass filtering, notching, etc. Due to the characteristic of nonlinear and non-stationary of the EEG signals, extracting weak EEG signals from complex background EEG and then classifying and recognizing the signals according to the characteristics are key factors in determining the performance of BCI systems. Since the EEG signals have frequency characteristics, the filtering method is also commonly used in the processing and analysis of EEG signals. Generally, the filtering frequency bands will be adjusted according to different EEG characteristics. After filtering, the traditional methods for classifying and recognizing EEG signals include Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Common Spatial Pattern (CSP), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA), etc. These methods are included the idea of spatial filtering, that is, selecting one or several classification planes in a high-dimensional space, and spatially filtering the signals as a spatial filter so as to reduce the high-dimensional signal to a low-dimensional signal in order to facilitate signal classification. CCA algorithm is currently widely used in the SSVEP-BCI system, and some studies have further improved the algorithm, such as applying the template matching principle in the subject's signal in the EEG signal processing steps. Such upgraded method improves recognition accuracy rate and information transmission rate of the system, which lays a powerful foundation for the further transformation of BCIs into application results.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

Asymmetric EEG-based coding and decoding method for brain-computer interfaces