A magnetotelluric geophysical survey system used with an airborne survey bird for natural resource exploration of oil and gas, mineral deposits and aquifers. The survey system uses natural electromagnetic EM fields as an energy source. The magnetotelluric airborne survey system includes an aerodynamic airborne survey bird adapted for being towed behind a helicopter or fixed wing aircraft. The survey system can also be incorporated into a fixed wind aircraft. The survey system includes a non-conductive nose boom on the survey bird with orthogonal electric dipoles for measuring electric fields from 0.01 Hz up to 480 Hz. An angular motion detector is mounted inside the bird and used for compensating for errors caused by angular motion of the bird when in the presence of strong electric field gradients. The survey bird can use a single magnetometer or pairs of magnetometers for measuring electromagnetic gradients. The magnetometers are attached to angular motion detectors for compensating for errors caused by angular motion of a line between the magnetometers, when in the presence of strong magnetic gradients. The bird can also includes the orthogonal axis coils for measuring natural magnetic fields in a frequency range of 3 to 480 Hz. The airborne survey system is used in conjunction with a ground base station that includes a cesium magnetometer, associated recording equipment and a GPS time reference for synchronization with the airborne data.

(a) Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a unique airborne survey bird with a geophysical survey system for natural resource exploration of oil and gas, mineral deposits and aquifers and using natural electromagnetic fields as an energy source.
(b) Discussion of the Prior Art
Heretofore, airborne electromagnetic systems have been in use for natural resource exploration from about 1950 onwards. These systems depend mainly upon the measurement of the magnetic and conductive properties of the underlying ground. Airborne magnetic survey systems, that employ magnetometers with advanced stages of development, provide very satisfactory results. However, airborne conductivity measurements of the underlying terrain made with airborne electromagnetic systems that currently exist, leave a great deal of room for improvement. These systems typically operate at a minimum terrain clearance with respect to safety and employ electromagnetic transmitters operating in the frequency range from about 20 Hz. to 50 kHz with limited ground penetration. The secondary fields induced in the underlying ground by these transmissions are detected by receiving coils mounted in a tail boom on an aircraft or in an airborne survey bird towed behind the aircraft Either fixed wing aircraft or helicopters are used for these surveys. The response from the underlying ground is related to it""s conductivity and the depth of penetration of the transmitted fields. The latter is primarily a function of the frequency employed and the field strength of the electromagnetic field that is generated by the equipment. Typical maximum penetrations are in an order of up to 1000 ft.
The only exception to the above description was an airborne system known as xe2x80x9cAFMAGxe2x80x9d that was developed by S. H. Ward and others in the 1960""s. (S. H. Ward et al. AFMAG-Applications and Limitations. Geophysics, Vol. XXXI, No. 3 (June 1966), pp. 576-605.) This system utilized the natural electromagnetic fields generated by lightning events occurring in distant electrical storms. These storms can provide a source for electromagnetic energizing of the ground, primarily in the frequency range of 20 Hz. to 500 Hz. Useable frequencies down to about 3 Hz. exist but high quality receiving coils and coil anti-vibration mountings are required for the lower frequencies. These were apparently not available in the AFMAG system.
Although the AFMAG system showed some promise, it did not achieve sufficient commercial acceptance to survive for more than a short period. Amongst the various problems of the system was the absence of the sophisticated instrumentation and digital data acquisition and processing systems that were not available at that time. Also, very importantly, there was a lack of adequate technology for suppressing the prime sources of noise, such as angular vibration of the detection coils in the presence of a strong magnetic field in the earth. The latter is associated with a motor generator effect that can detect a millionth of a degree of angular vibration.
The AFMAG system was also restricted to the use of audio frequency fields and did not employ extremely low frequency and much more powerful natural magnetotelluric fields, as used in the present invention. Just as importantly, the AFMAG system as well as all other airborne electromagnetic systems, past or present, did not make use of the valuable data available in the electric field components of electromagnetic fields.
The present invention demonstrates that electric field data, as measured by methods that do not make contact with the ground, can be more important than the magnetic component of electromagnetic fields. Experience with the present invention has also shown that, for specific reasons, the measuring of the electric field data is particularly valuable at frequencies below 3 Hz. This type of information is completely missing in the old AFMAG system as well as current airborne electromagnetic systems. The field data lies in the range of frequencies from 0.01 Hz. to 3 Hz. and is used in the present invention for the airborne detection of an induced polarization phenomena Also, related response of dielectric interfacial polarization effects can be detected over aquifers and oil and gas fields. These low frequency polarization effects, which are particularly important in the electric fields, are discussed herein.
A still further very important factor in comparing the present invention with other systems, is that for certain specific reasons, as presented, the operation can function at unusually high terrain clearances of 1000 ft. to 2000 ft. All other airborne systems that use transmitters have to fly at clearances in the range of 300 to 500 ft., which adds to potential problems related to interferences from power lines and pipelines. These interferences badly degrade data quality and often in areas where discovery potential is the greatest. With the present invention operating at much greater clearances and at very low frequencies, these problems disappear for all practical purposes.
A primary object of the subject invention is to provide a unique airborne survey bird using a new airborne electromagnetic technique for deep exploration using natural magnetotelluric fields as an energy source and operating in a frequency range of 480 Hz. down to 0.01 Hz The new survey system provides both deep and shallow exploration information, such as induced polarization effects, which heretofore was not available using current airborne systems and ground geophysical systems.
Another object of the airborne survey bird is it can operate at much higher terrain clearances from 1000 to 2000 feet when compared to other airborne systems operating in a range of 300 to 500 feet above the ground surface.
Yet another object of the invention is provide an airborne survey system on the survey bird that can explore for oil and gas, mineral deposits and aquifers with penetration down to thousands of feet in the ground surface. Also, the survey system detects very important effects in three orthogonal components of an electric field, which are not observed in other airborne or ground geophysical exploration systems. Further, the airborne survey system can detect underground aquifers using airborne methods for identifying dielectric double layer interfacial polarization effects associated with an abnormally high dielectric constant of water in contact with earth materials having a dielectric constant and conductivity that is fractional when compared with water.
Still further, the invention can be employed with a fixed network of stations on the ground in areas of earthquake hazards and volcanic eruptions for monitoring subsurface movements of fluids that may be precursors to a dangerous event. The measurement of the movements can cover a depth region from a few hundred feet to thousands of feet.
A further object of the airborne survey system is it can operate at a fraction of the weight of other airborne survey systems that employ large, heavy and costly transmitters. Also, the new survey system can be used offshore where the above mentioned airborne survey bird replaces a xe2x80x9cfishxe2x80x9d towed by a marine vessel, such as a seismic ship.
The subject magnetotelluric airborne survey system includes an aerodynamic airborne survey bird adapted for being towed behind a helicopter or fixed wing aircraft. The survey bird can include a single magnetometer or include two pair of magnetometers for measuring electromagnetic gradients. The magnetometers are attached to angular motion detectors for compensating for errors caused by angular motion of a line between the magnetometers, when in the presence of strong magnet gradients. The bird also includes the orthogonal axis coils for measuring natural magnetic fields in a frequency range of 3 to 480 Hz Further, a nose boom of the survey bird includes orthogonal electric dipoles for measuring electric fields from 0.01 Hz up to 480 Hz. The airborne survey system is used in conjunction with a ground base station that includes a cesium magnetometer, associated recording equipment and a GPS time reference for synchronization with the airborne data.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those familiar with ground and airborne geophysical survey systems and airborne survey birds when reviewing the following detailed description, showing novel construction, combination and elements as described herein, and more particularly defined by the claims, it being understood that changes in the embodiments in the disclosed invention are meant to be included as coming within the scope of the claims, except insofar as they may be precluded by the prior art.

Magnetotelluric geophysical survey system using an airborne survey bird


A smoking article provides one or more sheets of material that can be rolled to a tube or shell or tube-like shape and then packaged in an unfilled or partially filled condition, one end portion of the tube or shell or tube-like shape being at least partially closed. In one embodiment, multiple sheets are rolled layers that can optionally be wrapped around a form casing (or pre-rolled inside) and then packaged with one end closed or partially closed. In another embodiment, a rod that assists in loading tobacco into the shell cavity is provided. In one embodiment, the plug takes the form of a mouthpiece.

1. Field
The present invention relates to cigars and like smoking articles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a smoking article that is a shell or tube with a bore, cavity or internal void space that is closed or partially closed at one end and packaged in an unfilled or partially filled condition, affording a consumer with an opportunity to fill the shell with his or her own custom tobacco, one end of the unfilled shell or tube being at least partially closed.
2. General Background
In recent years, smoking of cigars has become in vogue, and numerous cigar shops opened around the world to satisfy this growing trend. The variety, quality and size of ready-made cigars satisfy the majority of the public. However, a small segment of connoisseurs insist that nothing can compare with the taste and smell of custom-blended tobacco products. These knowledgeable individuals are very selective in the manner their cigars are rolled and in the grade of tobacco used.
A still smaller segment of cigar aficionados prefers to roll their own cigars. They buy tobacco leaves or cigar wrapping and use their preferred brand of crushed tobacco. Some people buy inexpensive cigars, cut them with a sharp blade along the side and carefully pry the cut cigar open. The innermost layers are then removed and substituted with a favorite brand of crushed tobacco, which may come from cigarettes or bulk tobacco blend. The user then brings the cut edges of the cigar together, closing the outer layers of the cigar over the stuffing of selected tobacco. The edges are then sealed with a liquid or honey, and a new cigar is ready for a smoke.
Some reports indicate that the "roll-your-own" tobacco market is flourishing. In some countries, the roll-your-own products now hold a substantial share of the tobacco market, and their consumers represent more than 10% of the smoking population. This may be explained by the ability of a consumer to create a tailor-made product, as opposed to commercially available types of cigars.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,091,598 is incorporated herein by reference. Flat clear sheets of cellulose rolling paper are conventionally available. Most conventionally available clear cellulose are made from a mixture of cellulose, glycerin, and water. Cellulose can come from wood, cotton, or other sources of cellulose. The process is similar to that used to make cellophane. Some clear sheets are made from 80 percent Eucalyptus based cellulose, 14 percent glycerin, and 6 percent water. Glycerin can be used to control the rate of burn of the clear cellulose sheets.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/957,462; 11/139,432 and 60/915,994 are incorporated herein by reference.


A bogie, including a frame (1) and a bolster (2), the frame (1) including two parallel side beams (11), and a cross beam (12) coupled to the middle of the side beams (11), wherein a primary suspension is arranged between an end of the side beam (11) and an axle box (31), a secondary suspension is arranged between the below of the bolster (2) and the cross beam (12), and a tertiary suspension coupled to a vehicle body is arranged above the bolster (2). By including a bolster and an extra suspension on the basis of the conventional two suspensions, the disclosed bogie can achieve separation of the functions, so that the tertiary suspension only handles the transverse displacement, and the secondary suspension only handles the rotation, thereby further increasing the relative displacement and rotation angle between the vehicle body and the bogie when the vehicle negotiates a curve.

A bogie, as an important component of a rolling stock, is used to bear a vehicle, provide traction, vibration attenuation and steering. A power bogie is also used to provide power to drive the rolling stock.
A bogie can be classified into a bogie with a bolster and a bogie without a bolster. A bogie in the prior art generally includes several major components such as a frame, a wheelset, an axle box, etc., in which the axle box is coupled to the frame through a primary suspension, and the frame is coupled to the vehicle body by a secondary suspension. A suspension apparatus generally includes an elastic support component (e.g., a spring) and a vibration attenuating component (e.g., a hydraulic damper) for absorbing energy. FIG. 23 is a schematic structural diagram of a CRH3 series bogie in the prior art, where the frame includes two side beams 101, two cross beams 102 and two longitudinal beams 103 being welded together to form an "H" box structure, the side beam 101 is a steel plate being welded together to form a sunken "U" structure, with the sunken portion of the side beam 101 being provided with an air spring 104 that serves as a support component for the secondary suspension and is coupled to the vehicle body.
A drawback in the prior art is that, during a curve movement, the vehicle relies solely on the displacement of the air spring to achieve rotation and traverse displacement between the vehicle body and the bogie, allowing only a small deflection between the two, preventing the vehicle from making small radius turns. Therefore, the safe operation of the vehicle using such bogie requires a large turning radius for the rail, incurring extra construction difficulty and cost to works on complex terrain.


An alkaline cell having an anode comprising zinc, an alkaline electrolyte solution, a separator, and a cathode comprising copper iodate. The cathode preferably also includes a graphitic carbon to improve electrical conductivity. The graphtic carbon can comprise natural or synthetic graphites including expanded graphites and graphitic carbon fibers. Preferably, the graphitic carbon comprises graphitic carbon nanofibers. The carbon nanofibers desirably have a mean average diameter less than 500 nanometers. The cathode can also include sulfur in admixture with the copper iodate to improve cell performance.

This invention relates to an aqueous alkaline cell with a cathode mixture comprising copper iodate, particularly copper iodate and additive of sulfur or graphitic carbon nanofiber.
Conventional alkaline electrochemical cells have an anode comprising zinc and a cathode comprising manganese dioxide. The cell is typically formed of a cylindrical casing. The casing is initially formed with an enlarged open end and opposing closed end. After the cell contents are supplied, an end cap with insulating plug is inserted into the open end. The cell is closed by crimping the casing edge over an edge of the insulating plug and radially compressing the casing around the insulating plug to provide a tight seal. A portion of the cell casing at the closed end forms the positive terminal.
Primary alkaline electrochemical cells typically include a zinc anode active material, an alkaline electrolyte, a manganese dioxide cathode active material, and an electrolyte permeable separator film, typically of cellulose or cellulosic and polyvinylalcohol fibers. The anode active material can include for example, zinc particles admixed with conventional gelling agents, such as sodium carboxymethyl cellulose or the sodium salt of an acrylic acid copolymer, and an electrolyte. The gelling agent serves to suspend the zinc particles and to maintain them in contact with one another. Typically, a conductive metal nail inserted into the anode active material serves as the anode current collector, which is electrically connected to the negative terminal end cap. The electrolyte can be an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide for example, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide or lithium hydroxide. The cathode typically includes particulate manganese dioxide as the electrochemically active material admixed with an electrically conductive additive, typically graphite material, to enhance electrical conductivity. Optionally, polymeric binders, and other additives, such as titanium-containing compounds can be added to the cathode.
The manganese dioxide used in the cathode is preferably electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) which is made by direct electrolysis of a bath of manganese sulfate and sulfuric acid. The EMD is desirable since it has a high density and high purity. The resistivity of EMD is fairly low. An electrically conductive material is added to the cathode mixture to improve the electric conductivity between individual manganese dioxide particles. Such electrically conductive additive also improves electric conductivity between the manganese dioxide particles and the cell housing, which also serves as cathode current collector. Suitable electrically conductive additives can include, for example, conductive carbon powders, such as carbon blacks, including acetylene blacks, flaky crystalline natural graphite, flaky crystalline synthetic graphite, including expanded or exfoliated graphite. The resistivity of graphites such as flaky natural or expanded graphites can typically be between about 3xc3x9710xe2x88x923 ohm-cm and 4xc3x9710xe2x88x923 ohm-cm.
It is desirable for a primary alkaline battery to have a high discharge capacity (i.e., long service life). Since commercial cell sizes have been fixed, it is known that the useful service life of a cell can be enhanced by packing greater amounts of the electrode active materials into the cell. However, such approach has practical limitations such as, for example, if the electrode active material is packed too densely in the cell, the rates of electrochemical reactions during cell discharge can be reduced, in turn reducing service life. Other deleterious effects such as cell polarization can occur as well. Polarization limits the mobility of ions within both the electrolyte and the electrodes, which in turn degrades cell performance and service life. Although the amount of active material included in the cathode typically can be increased by decreasing the amount of non-electrochemically active materials such as polymeric binder or conductive additive, a sufficient quantity of conductive additive must be maintained to ensure an adequate level of bulk conductivity in the cathode. Thus, the total active cathode material is effectively limited by the amount of conductive additive required to provide an adequate level of conductivity.
Although such alkaline cells are in widespread commercial use there is a need to improve the cell or develop a new type of cell that is cost effective and exhibits reliable performance and even longer service life for normal applications such as flashlight, radio, audio recorders and portable CD players.
The invention is directed to a primary (nonrechargeable) electrochemical alkaline cell having an anode comprising zinc and a cathode mixture comprising copper iodate Cu(IO3)2. The anode and cathode include an aqueous alkaline solution, preferably aqueous KOH solution. The copper iodate is preferably in the form of a powder having an average particle size between about 1 and 100 micron. The cathode mixture preferably also includes a sulfur additive. The additive is preferably sulfur but can also be elements selenium (Se) or tellurium (Te) and mixtures thereof. The sulfur additive enhances the cell performance, that is, elevates the running voltage of the cell, which in turn leads to increased power and cell life. The cathode mixture includes a conductive material such as flaky crystalline natural graphite or flaky crystalline synthetic graphite including expanded graphite and graphitic carbon nanofibers. The term graphitic carbon nanofibers as used herein shall mean graphitic carbon fibers having a mean average diameter less than 1000 nanometers (less than 1000xc3x9710xe2x88x929 meter). Preferably, the graphitic carbon nanofibers have a mean average diameter less than 500 nanometer, more preferably less than 300 nanometers. Desirably the graphitic carbon nanofibers have a mean average diameter between about 50 and 300 nanometers, typically between about 50 and 250 nanometers. The cathode mixture includes an aqueous KOH solution, desirably having a concentration of between about 30 and 40 percent by weight, preferably between 35 and 45 percent weight KOH in water.
The copper iodate preferably comprises between about 82 and 90 percent by weight of the cathode mixture. The graphitic conductive material, preferably comprising graphitic carbon nanofibers, desirably comprises between about 4 and 10 percent by weight of the cathode mixture. The sulfur additive desirably comprises between about 5 and 10 percent by weight of the cathode mixture. The aqueous KOH solution desirably comprises between about 5 and 10 percent by weight of the cathode mixture.
The alkaline cell of the invention having an anode comprising zinc and a cathode mixture comprising copper iodate exhibits high capacity (mAmp-hrs) under a moderate high current density (e.g. 21 milliAmp/cm2 based on anode/cathode interface) when compared to conventional alkaline cells having an anode comprising zinc and cathode comprising manganese dioxide.


A twin-hull paddle board for use while standing or sitting down, the twin-hull paddle board consists of two elongated hulls, a flat platform portion having two side edges, a front edge and a back edge, the platform portion connected across the top of the two hulls intermediate between the front ends and the back ends of each hull, the flat platform portion and the tops of the hulls forming an upper deck portion, the upper deck portion comprising two recessed foot wells placed adjacent to the side edges of the flat platform portion, the recessed foot wells contoured to prevent accumulation or puddling of water during use, and a coupling mechanism for removably coupling the leg portion of the removable seat to the upper deck portion of the paddle board.

Stand up paddle [a.k.a. SUP] boarding is currently one of the world's fastest growing sports and fast becoming one of the worlds most popular sports. The leading manufacturers of SUPs are mainly producing surfboard design paddle boards. These designs are great for people who enjoy stand up paddle surfing on ocean swells and waves. However, surfboard style paddle boards usually lack lateral stability and are easy to topple, especially with inexperienced paddle boarders.
After long periods of paddling riders can become fatigued. Paddling while standing can also be a problem for people with physical disabilities or problems such as sore feet or weak legs. People using conventional paddle boards have no way to sit and paddle the boards.
U.S. Pat. No. 22,457 to Rowlands and U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,608 to Rosen both disclose double-hull water craft. However, the prior art fails to teach or anticipate a twin-hull, stand-up paddle board having recessed foot wells and an optional, removable seat portion.


A hub and shaft are provided which are mounted for relative rotation by providing two conical bearings spaced apart along the shaft, and a bearing seat facing each conical bearing. Fluid is maintained in the gap between each cone and the facing bearing seat, supporting the cone and seat for relative rotation. The outer surface of the bearing seat is insulated from the remainder of the motor by a thermal insulator which extends at least part way along the outer surface of the seats. This insulator is effective at keeping the bearings warm even in a relatively low temperature environment in which the motor may be used. The insulator may comprise a cylindrical ceramic or similar low thermal conductivity material extending at least part way along the axial distance outside of the bearing cones. Alternatively, an air space may be defined in the outer surface of the bearing seat, extending at least part way between the bearing cones.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of hydrodynamic bearing assemblies of the type, which provides support and rotation for a high-speed spindle element. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved apparatus for reducing variations in spindle stiffness and power as a function of temperature.
2. Background of the Invention
Disc drive memory systems have been used in computers for many years for storage of digital information. Information is recorded on concentric memory tracks of a magnetic disc medium, the actual information being stored in the form of magnetic transitions within the medium. The discs themselves are rotatably mounted on a spindle, the information being accessed by means of transducers located on a pivoting arm, which moves radially over the surface of the disc. The read/write heads or transducers must be accurately aligned with the storage tracks on the disc to ensure proper reading and writing of information; thus the discs must be rotationally stable.
During operation, the discs are rotated at very high speeds within an enclosed housing by means of an electric motor, which is generally located inside the hub or below the discs. One type of motor in common use is known as an in-hub or in-spindle motor. Such in-spindle motors typically have a spindle mounted by means of two ball bearing systems to a motor shaft disposed in the center of the hub. One of the bearings is typically located near the top of the spindle, and the other near the bottom. These bearings allow for rotational movement between the shaft and hub, while maintaining accurate alignment of the spindle to the shaft. The bearings themselves are normally lubricated by grease or oil.
The conventional bearing system described above, however, is prone to several shortcomings. First is the problem of vibration generated by the balls rolling on the raceways. Ball bearings used in hard disc drive spindles run under conditions that generally guarantee physical contact between raceway and ball, in spite of the lubrication layer provided by the bearing oil or grease. Hence, bearing balls running on the generally smooth but microscopically uneven and rough raceways transmit this surface structure as well as their imperfection in sphericity in the form of vibration to the rotating disc. This vibration results in misalignment between the data tracks and the read/write transducer. This source of vibration limits the data track density and the overall performance of the disc drive system.
Another problem is related to the application of hard disc drives in portable computer equipment, resulting in severely increased requirements for shock resistance. Shocks create relative acceleration between the discs and the drive casing, which in turn show up as a force across the bearing system. Since the contact surfaces in ball bearings are very small, the resulting contact pressures may exceed the yield strength of the bearing material, and create long-term deformation and damage to the raceway and the balls of the ball bearing.
Moreover, mechanical bearings are not easily scaleable to smaller dimensions. This is a significant drawback since the tendency in the disc drive industry has been to continually shrink the physical dimensions of the disc drive unit.
As an alternative to conventional ball bearing spindle systems, researchers have concentrated much of their efforts on developing a hydrodynamic bearing. In these types of systems, lubricating fluidxe2x80x94either gas or liquidxe2x80x94functions as the actual bearing surface between a stationary base or housing in the rotating spindle or rotating hub of the motor. For example, liquid lubricants comprising oil, more complex ferromagnetic fluids or even air have been utilized in hydrodynamic bearing systems. The reason for the desirability of the use of air is the importance of avoiding the outgassing of contaminants into the sealed area of the head/disc housing. However, air does not provide the lubricating qualities of oil. The relatively higher viscosity of oil allows for larger bearing gaps and therefore looser tolerance standards to achieve similar dynamic performance.
A common type of fluid dynamic bearing comprises a shaft extending through the sleeve or hub with one or more radially extending plates supported from the shaft. A fluid dynamic bearing is provided between the shaft and the bore through the hub, with the fluid, which occupies the gap between the inner surface of the bore and the outer surface of the shaft providing the stiffness for the shaft. Without this stiffness, the shaft is prone to tilting or wobbling over the life of the motor. As a result, any hub or disc supported for rotation by the shaft is prone to wobbling or tilting. Any such tilting or instability in the hub or disc would make reading or writing of data on the disc surface very difficult, and diminish the life of the motor and the disc drive in which it is used.
However, the very fact that a conventional fluid dynamic bearing design relies on the use of a fluid in a very narrow gap between a shaft and surrounding bore for establishing and maintaining radial stiffness creates a problem due to the substantial range of temperatures over which the motor must operate. In known journal bearing designs for the shaft, the temperature of the fluid when the system is at rest may be about 5xc2x0 C.-25xc2x0 C. depending on the temperature of the surrounding environment; in operation, the fluid temperature can be 70xc2x0 C. or more. Clearly, the viscosity of the fluid will change with the fluid becoming less dense and providing substantially less stiffness for the shaft. Thus, unless elaborate systems are incorporated into the design, it is very difficult to maintain the desired level of radial stiffness for the shaft over the entire range of operating temperatures of the disc drive.
Efforts have been made to modify the fluid used in the fluid dynamic bearing gap to minimize the changes in viscosity with changes in temperature; but such fluids can add to the cost of the bearing and motor, and have not fully achieved the goal of temperature compensation over a wide range of temperatures.
Disc drive speeds continue to increase due to obvious benefits in performance. Higher speeds usually means higher power requirements, but every effort is made to avoid increases in power due to power supply limitations and excessive heat that is generated. As a result of these constraints, high speed spindles need to be exceptionally efficient at all temperatures. Fluid dynamic motors tend to have high power requirements at low ambient temperature due to change in viscosity of oil. The resultant low temp power demand is often excessive so much attention has been devoted to reducing this low temperature power requirement.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a hydrodynamic bearing design, which is simple and reliable in design, while incorporating means for compensating for temperature variations while maintaining the radial stiffness of the system.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide a fluid dynamic bearing design which minimizes the changes in power consumption during long-term operation.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a design wherein the high speed spindle is very efficient at all operating temperatures.
The present invention is also intended to achieve a minimization in the variation in steady state run current between different operating temperatures.
These and other objectives of the invention are achieved by providing a insulator between at least a portion of the sleeve or bearing seat which surrounds the fluid dynamic bearing, and the hub and surrounding environment in which the bearing, typically a spindle motor operates.
More particularly, according to a preferred design of the present invention, a hub and shaft are provided which are mounted for relative rotation by providing two conical bearings spaced apart along the shaft, and a bearing seat facing each conical bearing. Fluid is maintained in the gap between each cone and the facing bearing seat, supporting the cone and seat for relative rotation. The outer surface of the bearing seat is insulated from the remainder of the motor by a thermal insulator which extends at least part way along the outer surface of the seats. This insulator is effective at keeping the bearings warm even in a relatively low temperature environment in which the motor may be used. The insulator may comprise a cylindrical ceramic or similar low thermal conductivity material extending at least part way along the axial distance outside of the bearing cones. In an alternative embodiment, an air space may be defined in the outer surface of the bearing seat, extending at least part way between the bearing cones.
The embodiments described above comprise means for insulating the bearings from the remainder of the surrounding motor, keeping the bearings warm even in a low temperature environment and causing the bearings to heat up more quickly by a reduction in the thermal mass ie, the area around the bearings which may heat up.
Because the reduction in thermal mass is recognized herein as having beneficial effects, it is also possible to use ceramic for the male cone which is mounted on the shaft; the female cone or bearing seat which surrounds the cone on the shaft; and potentially the shaft itself to reduce the thermal mass further.
Other features and advantages of this invention may be apparent to a person of skill in the art who studies the following description of a preferred embodiment given with reference to the attached drawings.

Fluid dynamic bearing thermal compensation


A handcuff assembly comprising a pair of handcuff bodies retained to one another by one or more linkages. Each body extends between a pivot end and a body latching end. A locking arm is pivotally assembled to the handcuff body pivot end. A series of ratcheted teeth extend along a portion of each locking arm proximate an arm latching end. A first locking pawl is integrated into each handcuff body, wherein the first locking pawl is operated by a key to engage the pawl with the ratcheted teeth, retaining the handcuff assembly in a locked configuration. A second locking mechanism is provided at the pivot assembly, wherein the second locking mechanism resists pivotal motion of the locking arm when oriented into a locked configuration by way of rotating a key. The handcuff assembly requires rotation of two separate locking mechanisms by two separate key motions to unlock each locking arm.

Handcuffs are used by various parties, such as law enforcement officers, corrections, security, military, and the like, to restrain an individual for any reason, such as suspicion of a crime, a potential for physical violence, uncertain mental health conditions, under the influence of a substance, and the like. Such restraint is necessary to maintain control of the subjects and to prevent the subject from possibly escaping or causing injury to others or themselves. Standard handcuffing protocol sets forth that the subject be handcuffed with his/her hands behind his/her back for many reasons. One reason for positioning the hands behind the back of the individual is that it may improve the safety of others or themselves by limiting the movement and mobility of the individual. Another reason is to prevent the individual from attempting to pick the lock mechanism while placing or holding a key or picking device in his/her mouth. Still, another reason for handcuffing behind the back is that this position may make it more difficult for the individual to attempt to defeat or pick the lock with any object that he/she may have access to (e.g., a stationary sharp or pointed object) or to try to break the attachment or connection between the two handcuffs. Yet, another reason, is that such position may prevent the individual from having a visual or view of the location of a lock or keyhole on the handcuff, thus making lock manipulation or picking more difficult. Additionally, subjects are more limited when their hands are placed behind their back. The subject's ability to run and general mobility and use of their hands/arms are all limited. Typically, the keyhole or lock is exposed on the "up" side of the handcuff away from the individual's fingers. Having one-sided access to the lock or keyhole makes it more difficult for the individual to access the keyhole. For example, it may be more difficult for the individual to place or position an object in or around the keyhole when it is located on the "up" side. That is, the "up" side of the handcuffs is more obstructed by the individual's wrists, arms and/or body whereas the "bottom" side placement is only obstructed by his/her fingers.
While conventional handcuffs have proven satisfactory, the locks of these traditional handcuffs are vulnerable to unauthorized opening because (i) they may be picked by one who has access to a picking device; (ii) it is possible for the lock to be opened by one who has gained unauthorized access to a key; (iii) they could be opened by forcefully jarring or pressing down on the locking plate when the handcuffs are not double locked, (iv) handcuffs, regardless of type, generally utilize a universal key, which could be carried by any individual, and (v) some models of handcuffs include keyholes on both sides, allowing the restrained individual to access the key opening more easily. Because prior art locking mechanisms locate the locks in the middle of the handcuff assembly (i.e., at a base portion of each handcuff in the handcuff assembly), between the handcuff shackles, an individual wearing the handcuff assembly may be able to reach the lock with his/her fingers or with a key or pick device in his/her mouth and proceed to pick or open the lock(s). The proximity of the locks to the individual's fingers poses an immediate possible threat to the safety of the personnel responsible for the control and custody of the individual, and ultimately to the safety of the general public. This threat can be at least partially minimized by orienting the handcuffs so that the lock keyhole to the locks is oriented away from the wearer's fingers. However, determining such orientation without a distinctive orientation feature is difficult when the handcuffs are applied in a stressful environment such as at initial apprehension of a suspected perpetrator.
Another contributing element enabling the individual restrained by the handcuffs to access the lock keyholes is the design, length and flexibility of the intermediary segment retaining the two bracelet sections attached to one another. The intermediary segment needs to be flexible enough to provide a reasonable amount of limited movement to the individual's wrists and arms to ensure comfort while providing safety to the law enforcement personnel. The greater the flexibility of the intermediary segment, the higher the risk for escape.
Accordingly, there has arisen a need to provide in a handcuff of this type additional protection against picking or opening the handcuff lock.
The death or injury of law enforcement operators is unfortunate, especially when due to a prisoner "picking" handcuffs or to handcuff restraint malfunction, or gaining access to a key. In 2002, two Tampa, Fla. detectives were investigating a suspect when the suspect escaped his handcuffs and murdered the detectives. The suspect was carrying his own handcuff key. This suspect later hijacked a truck, killed a pursuing Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Officer, and then, after a hostage standoff, the suspect killed himself. If the suspect had not escaped his handcuffs, then the three law enforcement operators might be alive today. Accordingly, law enforcement operators have a need for more secure handcuffs that are quickly deployed to secure about the wrists of a suspect as well as handcuffs that are less susceptible to picking and/or malfunction.


Disclosed is a method of forming a nitrogen-doped porous graphene envelope. The method of forming the nitrogen-doped porous graphene envelope includes dissolving a nitrogen precursor in an organic precursor and then vaporizing the resulting precursor to thus simultaneously synthesize the graphene envelope and perform nitrogen doping in a single step.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of forming a nitrogen-doped porous graphene envelope, and more particularly to a method of forming a nitrogen-doped porous graphene envelope, the method including dissolving a nitrogen precursor in an organic precursor (a carbon precursor) and then vaporizing the resulting precursor to thus simultaneously synthesize the graphene envelope and perform nitrogen doping in a single step.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ammonia (gas or liquid) or pyridine (liquid) including nitrogen is typically used as a gas or liquid precursor in order to dope carbonized substances with nitrogen. Typically, after carbonized substances, such as carbon nanotubes, graphite, or graphene, are synthesized, nitrogen compounds are added and high-temperature and high-pressure conditions are applied to perform nitrification (nitrogen doping). For example, Applied Surface Science 257 (2011) 9193-9198 by Geng et al. discloses that graphene, which is obtained by treating graphite oxide slurry at 1050° C., is treated at 900° C. in order to dope the surface of graphene with nitrogen. Thin Solid Films 520 (2012) 6850-6855 by Zhang, et al. discloses that a solution, which includes ethanol (70%) and ammonia (30%) mixed therein, is heated to 800° C. or more in order to synthesize nitrogen-doped graphene. As another example, Chemical Engineering Journal 156 (2010) 404-410 by Chen, et al. discloses that N2 microwave plasma is applied with a frequency of 2.45 GHz at 50 to 1000 W to perform treatment under a 60 to 90 Torr condition to thus dope the surface of CNT with nitrogen.
The present invention provides a simple and economical process of simultaneously synthesizing graphene and performing nitrogen doping in a single step without incurring additional costs, instead of high-temperature, high-pressure, and high-cost processes performed in respective stages after graphene is produced.

Method of forming nitrogen-doped porous graphene envelope


According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising a memory configured to store an indication that the apparatus requires reliable and/or low-latency access to a network, and at least one processing core configured to process an access opportunity pattern, received in the apparatus from a network node, the access opportunity pattern comprising access opportunities provided by a subset of a cluster of cells, detectable by the apparatus, and to trigger for the apparatus reliable and/or low-latency access to the network by selecting from the pattern an access opportunity according to the received access opportunity pattern.

Cellular communication involves communication by wireless devices, which may be mobile or stationary devices that need or do not need human interaction, with communication counterparties via cells. Cells may be controlled by base stations or access points, in dependence of the radio access technology, RAT, used.
To establish connectivity via a cell, a wireless device, hereby frequently referred to as user equipment, UE, however, it should be understood that the wireless device is not restricted to any particular type of device, may request access to the network, using an uplink access opportunity. For example, a random access procedure may be employed, wherein the network provides a transmission opportunity for user equipments to transmit toward to network to signal their willingness to engage in communication.
A frequency of access opportunities may determine an average latency incurred in establishing connectivity in the uplink from a user equipment. For example, in case a cell provides a transmission opportunity once per second, a user equipment may need to wait, in case it just missed a transmission opportunity when the need for connectivity was determined, almost one second before the first future transmission opportunity occurs. In case of person-to-person telephone calls, for example, a one-second latency may be considered acceptable. However, in certain applications and use cases, for example machine-to-machine, M2M, communication, a significantly lower latency may be required. For such cases, the network may need to be able to provide more frequent access opportunities of the wireless device to the network.
Also some devices and/or use cases may require more reliable access to the network than other devices and/or use cases. More reliable may mean for example lower error rates than normally accepted. In this case there needs to be a possibility to provide more reliable access to the network.
An example of a communications system where communications with increased reliability and/or decreased latency may be required, is 5G communication system. In a 5G system, the concept of ultrareliable and/or low latency communications, URLLC, also referred to as critical machine-type communication, MCC, is introduced. URLLC implies that reliable and/or instant radio access with low or ultra-low latency needs to be provided and reassured to URLLC users, which may be in an active or inactive state.
A UE may be located within a coverage area of a single cell, however, it can also be located within a coverage area of multiple cells. For example, in 5G system, different frequencies are considered to be used, including very high, mmWave, frequencies. Usage of these frequencies implies small-cell ultra-dense network (UDN) type of deployments, where a UE is likely to be served by a number of local BSs/APs. Also WLAN is another good example for envisioning UDN scenarios in which a user at a certain dense urban location may find a long list of tens of detected private/public APs. The set of cells detectable by a UE may be referred to as a cluster of cells.

Reliable or low latency network management


A retaining wall system having at least one wall section. Each wall section including a base, retaining face and a hinge. The base having a front, rear and sides. The retaining face having a top, bottom and sides. The hinge connecting the front of the base to the bottom of the retaining face. Whereby the hinge allows the retaining face to be folded to and from the base. The retaining face includes an open grid pattern between the top, bottom and sides. The wall section further includes a plurality of receiving elements on each of the sides of both the base and retaining face to allow different angle settings between the base and retaining face. A brace is connected to one of the receiving elements on the base and one of the receiving elements on the retaining face on each side of the wall section between the base and retaining face.

The present invention generally relates to retaining walls used in landscaping for holding back earth, such as soil and rocks. More specifically, the present invention relates to a retaining wall system to form a retaining wall, which is stackable, porous and adjustable.
The most common form of retaining walls is a series of interlocking bricks or concrete blocks. Treated wooden beams, fabric, fabric netting and metal linked fabric are other common materials used to create a retaining wall. Many of methods of using these materials have the disadvantages of great weight, deterioration or the inability to be used to create varying degrees of grade on the face of the retaining wall. There are netting systems used as retaining walls, which can be stacked and angled. The netting systems usually include a wire netting, which needs to be attached to tubing frame by the user. The assembly, setup and stacking of these netting systems as a retaining wall can be quite cumbersome and even difficult for the user, especially the do-it-yourself user. What is needed is a system that is out of the box ready to be used and easy to setup for all users.
It is an object of the present invention to provide retaining wall system that is easy to assemble and setup.
It is an object of the present invention to provide retaining wall system that is stackable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide retaining wall system that is porous to allow plant life to grow out from the retaining wall system.
A retaining wall system having at least one wall section. Each wall section including a base, retaining face and a hinge. The base having a front, rear and sides. The retaining face having a top, bottom and sides. The hinge connecting the front of the base to the bottom of the retaining face. Whereby the hinge allows the retaining face to be folded to and from the base. The retaining face includes an open grid pattern between the top, bottom and sides. The wall section further includes a plurality of receiving elements on each of the sides of both the base and retaining face to allow different angle settings between the base and retaining face. A brace is connected to one of the receiving elements on the base and one of the receiving elements on the retaining face on each side of the wall section between the base and retaining face.


An apparatus for assembling camera modules to flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs) includes a number of trays, a surface mounting device used in surface mount technology (SMT) for PCBs, and a hot pressing device. Workpieces, each of which includes a flexible PCB (FPCB) and a lens module positioned on the FPCB, are received in the trays. Each tray is sent to the surface mounting device. The surface mounting device loads and pastes a stiffener onto a FBCB, opposite to a lens module. The hot pressing device hot presses each stiffener to the respective workpiece, which is received in each tray sent from the surface mounting device, to fixedly secure the stiffener to the respective workpiece to form a camera module.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to manufacturing of camera modules and, particularly, to an apparatus for assembling camera modules.
2. Description of Related Art
Camera modules include a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) and a lens module positioned on the FPCB. To reinforce mechanical strength of the FPCB and provide electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, the camera module often further includes a stiffener pasted to a surface of the FPCB opposite to the lens module. At present, the stiffener is manually pasted to the FPCB, which is inefficient.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an apparatus for assembling camera modules, which can overcome the above-mentioned problems.

HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY (ShenZhen) CO., LTD.


A semi-automatic system for scanning a document includes an image capture device, such as a digital or video camera, which records a sequence of images while a user waves a document in front of the device. The user can present multiple pages of a document to the image capture device, after which the total sequence of images are processed to identify a clear image of each page from the sequence of images. The system further includes image processing techniques to correct for motion blurring, acceleration and perspective errors. The system is capable of processing any size or shape of document without destroying the organization or format of the original.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for interactive semi-automatic document scanning, and, more specifically, to using an image capture device to record a sequence of images as a user passes a document in front of the image capture device, after which the images are processed to provide an accurate digital image of the document.
2. Background of the Invention
Traditional ways of scanning documents on common systems can sometimes be tedious and cumbersome, and alternative systems and practices based on digital-cameras have been developed over the years. However, most of these systems still require the user to go back and forth between manipulating the document pages and operating the system.
Currently there are several kinds of scanners on the market for the office and home. There are large office scanners/printers (e.g. Xerox DocuColor, Xerox Corp., http://www.xerox.com (link visited Jul. 17, 2008)) that are hi-quality, expensive, and take up floor space. There are home and home-office scanners/printers (e.g. Canon PIXMA, Canon, Inc., http://www.canon.com (link visited Jul. 17, 2008)) that are low cost and can handle limited types of scanning tasks. There are mobile scanners (e.g. Visioneer Roadwarrior, Visioneer, Inc. http://www.visioneer.com (link visited Jul. 17, 2008)) that are convenient for scanning a few sheets of paper at a time.
In terms of handling the documents during the scanning process, these kinds of scanners have problems that can use improvement. The large office scanners and some home office scanners have automatic document feeders to handle multi-page and duplex documents. However, the document must be manually disassembled (e.g. remove staples) and perhaps reassembled after scanning. The document paper must be in good shape to avoid paper jams, which may not be true for some old documents. It is difficult to scan books and manuals. Scanning business items can be difficult or tedious: receipts, business cards, appointment books. Similar problems can occur for scanning personal items: notebook pages, letters, greeting cards, children's artwork, etc.
For mobile scanners, the document handling system is even more limited, as the page must fit through a narrow slit one at a time, not to mention the speed and quality limitations of mobile scanners compared to office scanners.
Given these difficulties, people have developed workarounds and other ways to scan and digitize their paper documents. One popular method is to use a digital camera to take photos of their documents. There are even businesses to support this practice (e.g. ScanR, ScanR, Inc., http://www.scanr.com (link visited 2008-07-17)). While this works well for digitizing a few documents here and there, it can be tedious with larger batches of documents because the user has to go back-and-forth between changing the document pages and operating the camera.
Thus, it is desired to develop methods for scanning a wide variety of document types at a rapid rate in a cost-effective manner.

Systems and methods for interactive semi-automatic document scanning


A rack accessory for an equipment rack having mounting locations for a predetermined number of units of electronic equipment within a predetermined vertical distance, including: a front support member and a rear support member, wherein the front support member defines a bracket adapted to be secured on a front mounting portion of the rack; and a predetermined number of substantially equally spaced shelves extending between the front support member and the rear support member. The shelves are each configured to support a side portion of the electronic equipment when installed in the rack. The rack accessory has a height that substantially corresponds to the predetermined vertical distance, and the predetermined number of shelves is less than the predetermined number of units.

The instant invention relates to equipment racks and, more particularly, to an accessory for data center equipment racks that improves the functionality thereof. The invention has particular applicability to telecommunications equipment racks and cabinets constructed in accordance with the EIA/TIA standard EIA-310-D (xe2x80x9ccabinets, Racks, Panels and Associated Equipmentxe2x80x9d (ANSI/EIA/310-D-92)).
Data center processing equipment, such as telecommunications equipment, servers and the like, are typically mounted in racks or cabinets within a data center. Data center processing equipment has been getting smaller over the years. For example, machines with the same amount of computing power that used to measure six or more inches in height are now contained in 1.75 inches.
The size and shape of such processing equipment has become fairly standardized. The structure of racks and cabinets for use in mounting the processing equipment has also become fairly standardized is several respects. For example, in traditional computer rooms and data communication facilities, racks are typically provided that have the following common characteristics:
19 inch or 23 inch width (nominal);
2 rail or four post designs;
varying depth of 4 post racks or cabinets; and
mounting systems to accommodate equipment in height multiples of 1.75 inches (one xe2x80x9crack unitxe2x80x9d), typically pre-drilled and tapped holes for screw-mounting equipment.
These common characteristics are defined in EIA/TIA standard EIA-310-D (xe2x80x9ccabinets, Racks, Panels and Associated Equipmentxe2x80x9d (ANSI/EIA/310-D-92)).
In view of this accepted standard for racks, cabinets and equipment, there are a substantial number of processing machines, such as servers for use in connection with the Internet, that are 1.75 inches in height. Such equipment is known as xe2x80x9c1U equipmentxe2x80x9d. In conventional rack mounting systems, 1.75 inches is known as xe2x80x9cone rack unitxe2x80x9d, or the smallest unit of measure for equipment mounting locations within the vertical space of one data rack. This height (1U) corresponds to the standard mounting distance in EIA-spec telecommunications racks, and is the smallest unit of measure when discussing data center footprint of computing machines.
EIA-spec telecommunications racks and the like include predefined screw holes in the frame of the rack for enabling 1U equipment to be mounted thereon in a stacked manner. The mounting holes in such EIA-spec racks are positioned such that, when mounted, each piece of equipment is in contact, or very close to being in contact, with adjacent pieces of equipment. In other words, such EIA-spec racks are designed such that there is substantially no space between each piece of equipment.
There are several problems associated with the use of EIA-spec telecommunications racks, and other similar racks. For example, when 1U equipment is mounted vertically with no space between adjacent pieces of equipment, there is a substantial amount of heat conducted up the stack of equipment from one machine to another. This phenomenon is known as the xe2x80x9cchimney effect.xe2x80x9d Most of this heat energy is conducted up through the stacked equipment due to the proximity of the equipment cases (touching or very nearly touching). As a result, data centers that house such racks must constantly provide sufficient cooling for the equipment to prevent damage or malfunction of the equipment due to this excess heat.
In addition, traditional mounting and unmounting of 1U equipment is difficult. For example, if the equipment provides for rail attachments at the front only (2 rail design) or in the front and rear (four post design), the equipment must be supported (typically by hand) while the fasteners are attached. In a dense rack, i.e., a rack with lots of equipment already mounted therein, it can be difficult to support the equipment while fastening the equipment to the rack. Moreover, if the equipment does not provide for rear attachment or other support, then there is significant stress placed on the front mounting brackets. For example, a bracket that is less than or equal to 1.75 inches in height must support the moment caused from the equipment weight centered (in some cases substantially) behind the mounting point. This stress can damage equipment cases and/or components therein.
As explained above, some of the main problems with existing mounting systems, such as EIA-spec mounting systems and the like, can be summarized as follows:
When multiple units of equipment are mounted in a vertically stacked manner, heat is conducted between adjacent units and heat is radiated upwardly from unit to unit. This can cause particular heating problems for units mounted closer to the top of the rack;
Smaller one Rack Unit (1U) high pieces of equipment suffer from high moment on their front mounting brackets when not also supported in the rear, thereby causing stress on the equipment and the rack; and
In dense racks, it is difficult to support the equipment while fastening the equipment to the rack.
Thus, improvements in equipment mounting systems are needed to overcome the above-described problems with conventional mounting systems. The instant invention is designed to overcome these and other problems with conventional mounting systems by providing an accessory that can easily and effectively be mounted on an EIA-spec rack for the purpose of enabling the equipment to be mounted or supported on the accessory rather than directly on the rack. In other words, the invention provides a rack accessory that is mounted on the rack prior to mounting equipment in the rack. The accessory is designed to reduce the heat problems, mounting problems and stress problems described above.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a rack accessory is provided for an equipment rack having mounting locations for a predetermined number of units of electronic equipment within a predetermined vertical distance. The rack includes a front support member and a rear support member, wherein the front support member defines a bracket adapted to be secured on a front mounting portion of the rack. The rack accessory further includes a predetermined number of substantially parallel and substantially equally spaced shelves extending between the front support member and the rear support member. The shelves are each configured to support a side portion of the electronic equipment when installed in the rack. In accordance with a primary feature of the present invention, the rack accessory has a height that substantially corresponds to the predetermined vertical distance, and the predetermined number of shelves is less than the predetermined number of units for which the rack is designed to accommodate within the predetermined vertical distance.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for mounting electronic equipment in an equipment rack, wherein the rack includes mounting locations for a predetermined number of units of electronic equipment within a predetermined vertical distance. The method includes providing a first rack accessory including: a front support member and a rear support member, wherein the front support member defines a bracket adapted to be secured on a front mounting portion of the rack; and
a predetermined number of substantially parallel and substantially equally spaced shelves extending between the front support member and the rear support member, wherein the shelves are each configured to support a side portion of a respective one of the units of electronic equipment when installed in the rack; wherein the rack accessory has a height that substantially corresponds to the predetermined vertical distance, and the predetermined number of shelves is less than the predetermined number of units. The method further includes providing a second rack accessory similar to the first rack accessory and having a reverse configuration relative to the first rack accessory, mounting the front support member of the first rack accessory on a first side of a front portion of the rack such that the shelves extend inwardly; mounting the front support member of the second rack accessory on a second side of a front portion of the rack such that the shelves extend inwardly, and such that the second rack accessory substantially corresponds to a vertical location on the rack at which the first rack accessory is mounted; and installing at least one piece of electronic equipment in the rack such that respective side portions of the equipment are supported on respective shelves of the first rack accessory and the second rack accessory.
In a preferred embodiment, the rack accessory of the instant invention is designed for use in connection with racks corresponding to the EIA/TIA standard EIA-310-D (xe2x80x9ccabinets, Racks, Panels and Associated Equipmentxe2x80x9d (ANSI/EIA/310-D-92)) and for use with equipment, such as Web servers and the like, that are one Rack Unit (1U) in height.
As will be seen from the description of the invention herein, the rack accessory of the instant invention provides at least the following main improvements over conventional rack systems:
Equipment is supported along its entire depth, thereby eliminating the moment on the front mounting bracket and preventing stress on equipment cases and components;
A single technician can mount servers and other similar equipment very easily and quickly; and
The invention introduces a small air gap between the mounted equipment, which breaks the heat conduction path and allows cooling air to be distributed between machines.

Equipment rack accessory for improving equipment mounting


A headrest for a patient-bearing surface, having an approximately horseshoe-shaped form and comprising a central section (14) for supporting the back of the head or the forehead, the bearing surface thereof being at least approximately spherical shell-shaped, also comprising two side sections (16) which are arranged at a distance from each other and whose bearing surfaces conform at least approximately to a common cylindrical surface whose axis is parallel to a symmetrical line (20) of the headrest extending between the side surfaces (16). A cheekbone support (18), which protrudes in the direction of the other side section (16), is provided on each side section (16).

1. Technical Field
The invention concerns a headrest for a patient-bearing surface, especially that of an operating table.
2. Background Art
A headrest is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,012 B2, which rest consists of a U-shaped part and a plate-shaped section lying between the legs of the U. In the case of a patient lying on his or her back the head of the patient is supported by both of the parts. In the case of the patient lying on his or her stomach the plate-shaped part is swung away so that the head of the patient lies with the forehead on the middle bar of the U, and at least the mouth and nose of the patient lie free. The headrest in its entirety is essentially flat and is cushioned. In the case of the patient lying on his or her back as well as the case of the patient lying on his or her stomach the head is not laterally supported.
From U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,184 a lounge chair is known which is provided with a plate-shaped headrest. In the plate-shaped headrest an opening is formed which is surrounded by a circular, not entirely closed, cushion which is fastened to the plate by push buttons. In this case also, the head of the person can be supported with the person lying on his or her back or with the person lying on his or her stomach, with the face lying free. The headrest is however not well adopted to the shape of human heads and is unsuited to support the head of a patient during an operation where the patient has to be held motionless for a long time and in such a way that the patient is not injured for example by pressure points or the like.
WO 01/76403 A1 shows a headrest including a helmet-like curved rest shell with openings for the eye parts, mouth and nose and a foam material cushion with corresponding openings for the support of the face.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,441 B1 shows a headrest for supporting the face of a patient with the rest having a board on which a foam material cushion is arranged and into which cushion is cut a contour with a hollow space for the eye parts, mouth and nose.
The invention has as its object the provision of a headrest of the previously mentioned kind which allows the head of the patient to be securely held in a desired position both in the case of the patient lying on his or her back and the case of the patient lying on his or her stomach, and for the patient to be supported with comfort.


In a color wheel comprising a plurality of color filter segments arranged so as to form a disk and a support member fixed to the color filter segments, the color filter segments are each outlined only by a circular arc and two straight lines passing through the center of the disk. Consequently, each of the color filter segments is prepared by cutting the material only to the circular arc and the two straight lines, thereby simplifying the production process. And, the support member can be duly and surely positioned such that the center of the support member is set to coincide with the intersecting point of the two straight lines. Thus, the positional accuracy, the component cost reduction, and the production cost reduction can be achieved at the same time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color wheel suitable for use as a filter element of a time-share light dispersing device, and more specifically to a color wheel of segment type.
2. Description of the Related Art
Color composition in a projection-type image display apparatus has conventionally been accomplished commonly by a method, such as: a single-panel method, in which one light valve element adapted to control light amount per pixel thereby creating an image is used to disperse each pixel into R (red), G (green), and B (blue) lights; and a three-panel method, in which three light valve elements dedicated to R, G and B lights, respectively, are used to produce R, G and B images in parallel, and then the three images thus produced are composed. Recently, as a light valve element capable of fast switching, such as a ferroelectric liquid crystal display element or a digital micro-mirror device, is increasingly coming into practical use, a time-sharing single-panel method is widely used. In the time-sharing single-panel method, R, G and B lights are caused to sequentially impinge on one light valve element, the light valve element is driven in synchronization with switching-over of the R, G and B lights thereby producing R, G and B images in a time-series manner, and the images thus produced are projected onto a screen, or the like. Here, color composition of the images is accomplished by a viewer due to an afterimage effect occurring at a sense of vision. In the time-sharing single-panel method, reduction in both dimension and weight of the apparatus, which is a feature of a single-panel method, can be achieved by employing a relatively simple optical system, and therefore the time-sharing single-panel method is favorable for realizing inexpensive fabrication of a projection-type image display apparatus. In such an image display apparatus, a color wheel is preferably used as a filter element of a time-share light dispersing device to sequentially disperse light emitted from a white light source into R, G and B lights having respective wavelength bands in a time-sharing manner.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are respectively top plan and side views of a conventional and typical color wheel assembly 200 as a time-share light dispersing device including such a color wheel. Referring to FIG. 4B, the color wheel assembly 200 comprises a color wheel 100, and a driving motor 106 including a motor hub 105. The color wheel 100 is a tricolor color wheel and is composed of a disk-like substrate 101 made of a light-transmitting material, for example, optical glass, and three pie-shaped (sectorial) filters 102, 103 and 104 adapted to transmit exclusively, for example, R, G and B lights, respectively are formed on a surface of the substrate 101. The color wheel 100 thus structured is fixedly attached to the motor hub 105 coaxially therewith. The color wheel assembly 200 operates such that the color wheel 100 is spun by the driving motor 106 so that white light S impinges sequentially on the filters (R, G and B) 102, 103 and 104 whereby the white light S is sequentially dispersed into R, G and B lights.
FIGS. 5 and 6 are respectively plan and exploded side sectional views of a conventional segment type color wheel 160, which is produced such that respective color filter segments separately prepared in a sectorial shape are fixedly attached to one another so as to form a disk. The color wheel 160 comprises a plurality (four in FIG. 5) of sectorial color filter segments 112, 114, 116 and 118 which are separately prepared and are fixed in position by means of a support member 120 and a clamp member 122 so as to form a disk.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, respective inner circumferences 112a, 114a, 116a and 118a of the segments 112, 114, 116 and 118 are fitted to an outer circumference of a smaller cylinder portion 120a of the support member 120 whereby the color filter segments 112, 114, 116 and 118 are duly set in position in the radial direction of the color wheel 160, and respective surfaces of the color filter segments 112, 114, 116 and 118 toward the inner circumferences 112a, 114a, 116a and 118a are fitted to an annular seat portion 120b of the support member 120 whereby the color filter segments 112, 114, 116 and 118 are duly set in position in the thickness direction of the color wheel 160. Then, a smaller cylinder portion 122a of the clamp member 122 is engagingly inserted into a hollow 120c of the support member 120 so that an annular seat portion 122b of the clamp member 122 and the aforementioned annular seat portion 120b of the support member 120 sandwich and clamp the inner circumferential portions of the color filter segments 112, 114, 116 and 118. And, when the support member 120 and the clamp member 122 are bonded or screwed together, the color filter segments 112, 114, 116 and 118 are fixed in position. The color wheel 160 thus structured is fixedly attached to a hub (such as the hub 105 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B) of a motor (such as the driving motor 106 shown in FIG. 4B) such that the hub is inserted in a hollow 122c of the clamp member 122 (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open Nos. 2004-101827 ([0010], and FIG. 4 therein) and H10-48542 (claim 1, and FIG. 2 therein)).
The production cost reduction of a color wheel is incessantly demanded. In producing a conventional segment-type color wheel, for example, the aforementioned color wheel 160, each of the color filter segments 112, 114, 116 and 118 needs the process of cutting the material to its outer circumference defined as circular arc, two straight lines passing through the center point of the resulting disk, and the inner circumference 112a/114a/116a/118a to precisely position each segment, which inhibits the simplification of the production process thus making it difficult to achieve cost reduction.

Color wheel, and method and jig for producing same


A new and distinct Heartleaf Bergenia plant, Bergenia plant named ‘Miss Piggy’ with low, spreading, mounded habit, large, densely-arranged, deep-green, glossy, obovate, evergreen and pink campanulate flowers on heavily-branched, large panicles over a four-week period beginning in early spring. The flowers hold up well in the garden as a landscape plant or as cut flowers. The new plant has a medium growth rate and is naturally resistant to deer and rabbit foraging.

The present invention relates to the new and distinct Heartleaf Bergenia herein also referred to as Bergenia 'Miss Piggy', by the cultivar name, 'Miss Piggy', or as the new plant. The new plant was hybridized by the inventor on Apr. 3, 2013 from a self-pollinated plant of Bergenia 'Sakura' (not patented), in a greenhouse of a wholesale perennial grower in Zeeland, Mich. The single seedling represented by 'Miss Piggy' was selected from a group of seedlings by the inventor, isolated and compared in subsequent years to other Bergenia and subsequently found to be different from all cultivars known to the discoverer and eventually given the breeder code 13-9-31.
Asexual propagation at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA initially by division and later by shoot tip sterile tissue culture has shown 'Miss Piggy' to be stable and reproduce true to type in successive generations since late summer of 2015.


A light emitting apparatus includes a housing having a transparent portion, at least one LED positioned within the housing to emit light through the transparent portion, and a fan positioned within the housing to cool said at least one LED.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to light emitting devices, and more particularly to light emitting diode lamps.
2. Background
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are attractive candidates for replacing conventional light sources such as incandescent and fluorescent lamps. LEDs have substantially higher light conversion efficiencies than incandescent lamps and longer lifetimes than both types of conventional light sources. In addition, some types of LEDs now have higher conversion efficiencies than fluorescent light sources and still higher conversion efficiencies have been demonstrated in the laboratory. Finally, LEDs require lower voltages than fluorescent lamps, and therefore, provide various power saving benefits.
Despite the advantages of using LEDs as light sources, consumer acceptance will depend largely on the adaptability of these sources into existing lighting fixtures using conventional light sources (e.g., incandescent or fluorescent lamps). LED light sources designed for direct replacement of conventional light sources could be instrumental in accelerating consumer acceptance, and thereby, revolutionize the lighting industry. Unfortunately, there exists significant challenges in designing LED light sources that directly replace existing light sources, such as the incandescent light bulb for example.


A system and method of completing a transaction involving goods tagged with radio frequency identification (RFID) labels which uses a portal to read the RFID labels. The system includes a computer for obtaining label information read from radio frequency identification labels on products selected for purchase by a customer by a plurality of radio frequency identification label readers in a portal, for storing the label information with an identifier associating the customer with the label information in a transaction record, and for providing the label information to a transaction terminal so that the transaction terminal can determine prices associated with the products and process customer payment for the products.

RFID technology provides an alternative to bar code reader technology for distinguishing and recording items for purchase. RFID may result in labor savings to retailers, since it may obsolete conventional methods of identifying products.
It would be desirable to provide a system and method of completing a transaction involving goods tagged with RFID labels.

System and method of completing a transaction involving goods tagged with RFID labels


Assets in an asset portfolio are evaluated using historical data and, optionally, additional other measurable characteristics for the assets in the asset portfolio. Each asset is assigned a valuation that represents past consumption and expected future consumption of the asset. The valuation is used to create recommended sets of assets from the asset portfolio. The recommended sets of assets are sent to user devices for consumption which is further monitored for accuracy.

The proliferation of digital content such as video, photographical, audio, textual, etc., made available to online consumers has exploded. Digital content providers have attempted to predict how users will consume digital content and, further, which digital content will be consumed by a particular user. Correlations between user interests and user consumption have been used to attempt to predict what digital content the user will be interested in consuming. Other correlations between similar users or groups of users have also been used to attempt to make such predictions. Most approaches have been focused on the user's interests and have not shown much success.
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.

Method, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, and system for presentation of digital media assets based on assessed value


A drive roller unit for driving articles on a conveyor track includes a drive roller which can be driven in rotation by an electric motor by way of a planetary transmission and a transmission arrangement including a drive gear. The drive roller is mounted rotatably on a guide body by means of which it is movable with respect to a base of the unit between a lower rest position and an upper drive position in which it is in engagement with the underside of the article to be driven. The guide body is mounted rotatably with respect to the electric motor. A first motor element such as the stator of the electric motor is rigidly and non-rotatably connected to the base while a second motor element is coupled to the sun wheel of the planetary transmission. The crown wheel of the planetary transmission drives the guide body and the other output of the planetary transmission drives the drive gear for driving the drive roller in rotation.

One form of a drive roller unit for driving an article such as a freight container on a conveyor track, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,037, comprises a drive roller which can be driven in rotation by an electric motor means by way of a planetary transmission and a transmission arrangement and which is mounted rotatably on a guide body by means of which it is movable relative to a base between a lower rest position and an upper drive position in which it is in engagement with the underside of the article to be driven. The transmission arrangement includes a drive gear which can be driven by the electric motor means and the axis of rotation of which is arranged stationarily with respect to the base, the drive roller being substantially in the form of a hollow circular cylinder and the electric motor means, the guide body, the planetary transmission and the transmission arrangement being arranged in the interior of the hollow cylindrical drive roller. The guide body has circular-cylindrical outside peripheral surface regions which are arranged eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation of the drive gear and on which the drive roller is concentrically mounted, while disposed non-rotatably at the inside of the hollow cylindrical drive roller is an internal gear ring which is concentric with respect thereto, and is driven by the drive gear in the same direction.
The stator of the electric motor means, which includes the field winding, is rigidly and non-rotatably connected to a stator housing which serves as the guide body whose circular-cylindrical outside peripheral surface, as mentioned above, is arranged eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation of the drive gear. With that design configuration, when the motor means is switched on, the rotor which is disposed in the interior of the stator initially remains in a stationary condition because of its inherent inertia so that the motor torque which acts between the stator and the rotor rotates the stator arrangement and therewith the guide body formed by its housing, around the axis of rotation of the drive gear, which axis has been stated as being stationary with respect to the base of the unit. As a result, because the guide body is eccentric with respect to the axis of rotation of the drive gear, the drive roller which is mounted on the guide body is moved out of its lower rest position into the upper operative position in which it comes to bear against the bottom of the article to be conveyed, which is disposed above it.
A problem with a design configuration of that kind is that the stator arrangement which includes the field winding must rotate at least over a limited angle of rotation, in operation of the drive roller unit. Therefore, a slip ring assembly of expensive configuration has to be provided for the supply of current to the field winding of the stator arrangement. A slip ring assembly of that kind not only complicates the construction of the drive roller unit but it also has a tendency to suffer from fouling and susceptibility to trouble, so that the periods between maintenance operations have to be short.
A further drive roller unit as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3 698 539 has a base or main frame which is to be secured for example to the floor of an aircraft freight compartment, and a mounting frame structure which is mounted at one end pivotably to the base or main frame. In the vicinity of the pivot axis, the mounting frame structure carries a motor while at a spacing relative to the pivot axis it has a drive roller which is mounted in such a way as to be rotatable about an axis which is stationary with respect to the mounting frame structure, as well as a cam control arrangement which is connected to the free end of the mounting frame structure and by means of which the mounting frame structure is pivotable relative to the main frame from the rest position into the operative position. The output shaft of the motor is connected by way of a transmission train to the input of a planetary transmission, of which one output is coupled by way of a transmission arrangement to the drive shaft of the drive roller while the other output of the planetary transmission drives the cam control unit.
In the rest condition, the mounting frame structure lies on the main frame so that the drive roller is disposed in a lowered condition at a spacing from the bottom of a freight container positioned above same on a roller conveyor track. In order to set the freight container in movement on the roller track, the motor is firstly switched on, to drive the input of the planetary transmission. At that time the drive roller is prevented from rotating by means of a slipping clutch with a predetermined braking torque so that the drive moment of the motor inevitably acts by way of the other output of the planetary transmission on the cam control unit which, as a result, by virtue of its cams which bear against the main frame, pivots the mounting frame structure upwardly into the operative position until the drive roller comes into engagement with the underside of the bottom of the freight container. The weight of the freight container causes the movement of the cam control unit to be blocked as the drive roller is pressed against the bottom of the container. As a result the output of the planetary transmission which drives the cam control unit is also blocked so that the other output of the planetary transmission, which is connected to the drive roller, transmits thereto a braking moment which overcomes the braking torque of the slipping clutch so that the drive roller, while being pressed against the bottom of the container, begins to rotate and the container is moved forwardly in a direction which is dependent on the direction of rotation of the drive motor.
A problem which arises with that arrangement in a practical situation is that the entire transmission arrangement from the motor to the drive roller on the one hand and to the cam control assembly on the other hand is of a very expensive design configuration and comprises a large number of components. In addition, a cam control assembly is required so that the overall construction includes a large number of mechanically moved components. As a result, not only does the arrangement involve a high level of manufacturing costs, but it is also of a large size and is of high weight which is extremely undesirable in regard to aircraft construction. Furthermore, the large number of components which are moved relative to each other gives rise to an undesirable susceptibility to wear and short periods of time between maintenance operations are required in order to guarantee the high level of reliability required in operating aircraft.
Furthermore, the slipping clutch used in that drive roller unit is what is known as a `fluid friction clutch`, the operating characteristics of which are highly dependent on temperature. Due to the high temperature differences which may occur in operation in the freight compartment of an aircraft it is therefore necessary for the maximum torque of the slipping clutch to be selected at such a high level that the torque does not fall below the necessary minimum value, even under the most disadvantageous temperature conditions. However that gives rise to high force peaks when initiating the rotary movement of the drive roller when it is in the condition of being pressed against the bottom of the container, and those force peaks act on the floor structure of the freight compartment of the aircraft. That is extremely undesirable in practice as certain floor structure limit loadings should not be exceeded and in addition shock loadings are extremely undesirable.
In particular, however, the above-discussed drive roller unit is of a really large size and the individual components thereof are disposed more or less without protection in juxtaposed arrangement so that in operation it is not only necessary to reckon on the assembly suffering from fouling and contamination, with the operational faults which are caused thereby, but it is also susceptible to damage caused by objects penetrating into the mechanism or due to the direct action of a force thereon.
A drive roller unit which is similar in terms of design and mode of operation is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,694 which, besides being of large size, the arrangement may also suffer in operation from problems due to foreign bodies penetrating into the mechanism or due to the effect of a force acting thereon.